BEWARE: Best Buy's Price Matching policy!!!
 

So here is my story:

So this week, CC had JAWS advertised for $7.99.
I go to CC to purchase JAWS but they are out of stock.
OK I said. I request an ad with the intent of going to BB to pricematch.
Then I go to BB and find JAWS at the regular price of $14.99.
I pick up the disc and take it to Customer Service along with the CC weekly ad containing JAWS for $7.99.
I reach the front of the line and request they pricematch presenting the clerk with both the currently valid weekly ad picked up from CC and the JAWS DVD.
So here is where things get confusing.
The clerk says "I need to call up CC and find out if they have it in stock, then I we can match the price."
Perplexed, I complied. He makes me wait for five minutes after he which he returns and notifies that since CC does not have JAWS in stock, they cannot match the advertised price of $7.99.
So I said, "What does a store having or not having an item in stock matter whether you price match or not?"
He says "Well sir, that is how I have been trained."
So I try to be a smart ass and say,
"Say if I purchase this item now at your price of $14.99, come back later, present the CC ad which has JAWS advertised for $7.99, then you would have to refund me the difference plus 10%" I all said this while explictly pointing at the sign overhead which stated that BB would refund the difference plus 10% of a lower advertised price of any other local retailer.
He says, "I would have to again call up CC to see if they had it in stock, then we would refund you the difference."
I say, "nowhere is it stated in any of your price matching policies that an item must be in stock for you to price match, it only says advertised price which I have clearly proven to you with the ad I have presented."
He says he can't do anything about it and I request to see the manager.
The manager arrives and gives me the same BS and that apparently it is new store policy to price match only when the advertised item is in stock.
I decide I don't want JAWS and I walk away knowing that my business with BB will seriously decline.

They raised their prices and are now pulling policies out of their asses and not notifying us consumers about it.


On a side note:

Last week, BB.com had ALMOST FAMOUS BOOTLEG listed for $9.99. I print out the page with the price, take it to CC, they price match by printout and sell me their $29.99 DVD for $7.99!! No questions asked, no hassles. I walk out in 5 min!
Thank you CC!

Dramatically different price matching policies!!!
CC is now my preferred B&M for DVDs!

From now on, even if BB has a lower price (which recently rarely does) I will take the ad to CC and price match.

Not sticking to your promises and BS policies has just cost you customer BB!

I want all you folks here to not have to go through what I have gone through and avoid BB whenever possible.

Thank you :)

I think "Wow" just about covers it.

Very interesting.

--LVM

The same thing happened to me awhile back, however, it was a bit justifyable as it was back when (not sure if you guys remember) K-Mart had accidently put a picture of the Grand Theft Auto Vice City Soundtrack Boxset w/ the price of the single cd's in their ad.

Best Buy called K-Mart. None in stock, so I couldn't get it :(

I could've sworn this was always BB's policy, although some stores/CSRs were more lenient and apt to bend the rules. (I could be wrong, though.)

BTW... shouldn't this be in the Store forum?

day by day
 

Actually depends on what day you go...

Store clerks, and their personalities, differ. I price match on all the stores, CC, BM, Fry's and I get different results every time. So now, I take note of clerks/managers that have helped me before and then do the price matching on the days that they work.
They're are familiar with me and give me an easier time, not calling up the other store to check if an item is in stock or not.

The part I bolded, to me at least, reads as the item must be in-stock as well as having a the proof of lower price.

Below is the price match policy from the Best Buy web site. The key word is "available". They will match your price "on an available product of the same brand and model". So they are clear about the policy. I don't see a problem with the policy. Why should Best Buy match a price for an item that you CAN'T get at the other store. People bitch all the time about the best buy policy, but it has always said "available" item. I don't know what the signs say in the store, but I would imagine that they say the same thing. Does the store that you went to have the section about the item being available?



Store Price Guarantee
If, within 30 days* (14 days for computers, monitors, printers and notebooks, camcorders, digital cameras and radar detectors) of your purchase from Best Buy, you find a local competitor (excluding Internet competitors) offering a lower price on an available product of the same brand and model, we'll refund the difference plus another 10% of the difference.

The interesting thing is only the following of what you posted is on the wall at the store:

"Store Price Guarantee
If, within 30 days* (14 days for computers, monitors, printers and notebooks, camcorders, digital cameras and radar detectors) of your purchase from Best Buy, you find a local competitor (excluding Internet competitors) offering a lower price on an available product of the same brand and model, we'll refund the difference plus another 10% of the difference. It does not apply to competitor's one-of-a-kind or other limited quantity offer, or when a bonus or free offer (such as special financing program or manufacturer's rebate) is included in the purchase"


The part you bolded was the part that was missing!

I have done price matching at BB a couple of times before this and they have never called a store to verfiy whether they have it in stock or not!

But the line I've put in itallics in your quote covers it as well, which is the line I should have bolded in my original post :o

I also have never had an employee call to see if it was in stock. I live in Phoenix so calling every CC would be a waste of time.

I have NEVER heard of that happening to anyone before. Just another reason to hate Best Buy. Then again, no matter where you go it depends on the clerk. Some just don't want to be bothered doing anything extra.

Yeah, well, though it might suck, that's the way Best Buy's policy has always been. Not every store or employee does it, but that is the policy.

bjh is, unfortunately, right that has been BBY's and most other retailer's policy. Plenty of times they won't enforce the in-stock provision, but if they aren't rushed, or you get a newby who is afraid of getting in trouble for making a mistake, then they will call. This caveat makes price-matching more of an advertising gimmick and less of a customer friendly service.

CircuitCity had a directive passed down from on high like the commandments to Moses to make pricematching less of a hassle almost a year ago and for the most part they follow it, but every once in a while you will get someone who is a stickler who will refuse a pricematch there too.

Well, this was my experience at Best Buy this week:
After reading about the Kroger DVD sale, which accidently advertised Who Framed Roger Rabbit for 2/$10, I took the Kroger paper and the Circuit City paper into my local Best Buy, to price match WFRR and Jaws for $7.99.
Long story short, they sold me Jaws and WFRR for $10 total.
It is a part of their policy to call a competing store and make sure said item is in stock, but to paraphrase another member, it all depends on whether you get a sales clerk that thinks they are going to get a bonus for saving Best Buy $2.

I've never had a BB employee call the competitor when I attempt a price match. But the last price match I attempted with them, I had difficulty with for another reason.

Target had The Ben Stiller Show for $14.99 in their ad. Best Buy had it for $19.99. I showed the clerk the ad and asked for a price match. She denied it, saying they can't match a price that's below their employee's cost, so they couldn't give it to me for less than $18, I think was what she said. That's bull - nowhere does their policy state they will only price match if it's within their employees' cost. I asked to speak to the manager - knowing after 4 years of working retail that doing so pretty much guarantees you'll get what you want. So she called her manager and then after getting off the phone with him told me they'll do it for me this time, "but we won't do it in the future," as if to threaten me. They can't deny a price match for that reason - it is nowhere in writing in their ad, store, or on their web site.

Every store I know has the same "must be in-stock to price match" policy, put many don't regularly enforce it. Seems to happen with me about 50% of the time, especially at Frys and Circuit City, but it has happened a few times with me at BB too. I actually understand the need for this policy, otherwise one retailer could have just 2 copies of something in stock and advertise it at 90% off, then everyone would just take the ad and pricematch it elsewhere to get the same discount. I don't think BB is concerned so often with the larger chains that it competes against but rather a local mom-and-pop offering an item ridiculously cheap and then them having the pricematch it.

I'm always surprised that so many people have no idea that this is the standard price match policy that stores use. Not just Best Buy, but also Circuit City, Frys, you name it, they all have within the policy rules that the competitor must also have the item in stock for them to price match. The main reason for this being to protect the store from having to match a ridiculously sale priced item that a competitor is advertising and don't have the demand to meet. It depends on the customer service person you run into whether they will do it on the spot or call. From my experience, on items that have a good chance of being out of stock, they will typically call unless you price match on the first day of the sale (like a Sunday) when they are both busy and firgure the competitor will still have it in stock.

Usually when they do price match for me, they usually say they should call, but they'll just give me the match.

this has always been BB's policy, as others have said. it also should be noted that just because the cashier didn't call the other store when you pricematched doesn't mean they didn't earlier in the day for another customer.

i think its funny how everyone on here, for whatever reason, have horror stories about Best Buy and rave about Circuit City when the exact opposite is the case for me.

smirnoffski


You should have PM'd at Wal-mart....no hassles (especially Black Friday).

This is probably too late for you, but when something on sale is out of stock, you can always get a raincheck. This happened to me a few weeks ago when Finding Nemo was on sale at CC for $14.99. They were out of stock, so I got a raincheck. Since I had time to kill, I first went to Target and found out they won't pricematch ANYTHING anymore. Then I went to BB and they did it no problem and no phone call.

The raincheck is only a backup in case I can't get anyone to match it during the sale period, but most of the time it's not an issue.

Personally, I find PM'ing a big hassle anyway. I almost always prefer to just buy it from the store that is OFFERING me the best price to get my business. I hate having to ASK for a decent price on something you know? I know rainchecks can be a pain too, but at least it guarentees you will get the sale price eventualy.

At least those stores have a Price Match Policy. I went into Target the other day and was going to price match an item and they said they don't price match anymore. I then looked around the store and all of there Price Guarentee signs were gone!

This was always Best Buy's policy, even back when I worked there 2 years or so ago. This is not news.

I always figured it was fair, Best Buy will match it, if the 'competition' selling actually has it in stock. I see nothing wrong with that. I don't do the whole price-matching circuit so it's never really bugged me.

Another vote for pricematching at Walmart. Just take ad along with dvd to front checkout counter and will be pricematched with a few keys of the register. Best Buy makes you fill out this ridiculous form that just holds up the line.

I work at Best Buy for 5 years (no longer). The clerk did EXACTLY what she was supposed to do. It also makes sense. Why should Best Buy have to match CC's price when you can't even go there and buy the movie.
As to Wal-Mart every time I have tried to match there I have been told they don't match that store. Not matching Target is ridiculous, they are the direct competition.

A side note, I was told by several CC employees that if you bring in their ( CC ) ad even a few weeks later, they will consider it a rain check and honor the advertised price.