Circuit City HDTV buying experience - am I being unreasonable? Opinions wanted!
 

Last weekend, I bought a new HDTV online at Circuit City's website. I payed the online advertised price, and, as a AAA member, I used my AAA 10% off coupon to take 10% off of that price.

Today, the same exact TV is now offered from Circuit City online and in-store for $300 less than the advertised price from last weekend. Since CC has a 30-day price guarantee, I figured I'd be able to get the $300 difference refunded to me.

However, the manager at my local CC refuses to refund me the full $300. She would not factor in the AAA 10% off coupon towards the TV's new price, because she said I can't use a coupon to "double dip". But I don't see how I'm double dipping. I'm a AAA member who wants to use his coupon for the purchase of this TV. I don't want the coupon to apply to two TVs, or to multiple items. I simply want to get the best possible price on this TV, and IMO, the store manager is preventing me from doing so by not recognizing my AAA coupon towards the TV's new price.

Am I being unreasonable here in expecting a better price guarantee refund?

I can see why they wouldn't want to do that. Based on their policy, they sound like they would only be obligated to give you the new advertised price, not the new price plus the 10% coupon.

Similarly, if you bought the TV without the coupon and then two weeks later came in and said you wanted an extra 10% off because you found a coupon, I wouldn't expect them to honor that either.

I see what you're saying. But what bugs me is that even though they said I'd be "double dipping" with the coupon, as if I were trying to get an unfair advantage, it turns out the the use of the coupon was actually detrimental rather than beneficial.

I paid the original advertised price - 10% for the TV. They calculated the price match at (the original advertised price - 10%) - the new lower price.

If I wouldn't have used the coupon in the first place, the price match would have been the original advertised price - the new lower price. Which would have resulted in a larger refund to me as a customer.

So I would have gotten a larger price match refund if I didn't use the coupon in the first place. The average consumer would naturally think that the use of a coupon is beneficial, but in the context of Circuit City's price guarantee policies, that's not the case.

CIRCUIT CITY http://www.freesmileys.org/emo/scared011.gif

The simplest thing to do, without having to deal with the headache of getting a PM on a big ticket item (especially when a coupon is involved) is bring your original receipt with you, and buy the item at the new price, using whatever coupons you have. Then while waiting for the guys to come out of the stockroom w/ the item, wait in the return line, and just return the item with the old receipt. I guess if the receipt has the S/N on it (like they used to do on game systems), this might be a problem.

Now, I can see their point if the original coupon or code you used either a) was now expired, or b) was one time use. If it wasn't either, you should have been able to also use it on the price match. But knowing that they would most likely refuse that, do what I first suggested.

Too much pain on OPs part.

I would do the following:

Call up another store and say you have a coupon you'd like to use on said TV (new price = OP - 300 - 10%). See if they say yes - this is information for you.

Go back to the original store and angle for the lowest price (above) if the second store gave you that answer. If they still give you flack ask to speak to the regional manager since they manager is being uncooperative and because you have received conflicting information from stores in the region.

If you don't want all that pain, I would angle for the new price if it is less than what you paid last weekend with the coupon.

I see what you're saying but without the coupon you also would have paid more in the first place and thus be entitled to a bigger refund.

You may want to argue that you'd like the 10% OFF this lower price and not the original price from last week. At that point, you would need to pay them back the 10% from last week. You would then be entitled to your $300 refund and another 10% using the coupon now.

EDIT: Actually, skip the paying them back 10%. You are entitled to 10% OFF this lower price but NOT the full $300 refund since you didn't pay $300 more.

EDIT2: Essentially, in your first post you wanted both the entire $300 price difference refund PLUS another 10% off the lower price this week. Can you see how you aren't entitled to both? It would be like taking your original 10% OFF coupon and converting it to cash in your pocket and getting another 10% using the coupon a 2nd time.

Hope I've made some sense. :shrug:

Ok, that does make more sense now. Thanks.

Your argument should be that you aren't "double dipping" on the coupon since they are negating it by disallowing you the full $300 in the price match. You now want the coupon applied to this lower price point.

Wait, I'm a AAA member... what's this 10% off coupon you speak of?

Doesn't their 110% price match guarantee still cover this transaction?
They're supposed to give you an extra 10% of the difference back anyway so at least you'd be getting a little more back.

Good point!

Yep I'd return it and tell them to fuck themselves, and Mosskeeto is right.

No, their 110% pricematch only applies to competitors, not to themselves. All of the stores with 110% pricematch have that requirement in their written policy. When matching themselves their policy is only a 100% match.

Meanwhile, the OP should receive $270 as a refund.
Here is why:

A = original advertised price
(A-300) = new advertised price

He paid: Ax0.9
Buying today he would pay: (A-300)x0.9 which can be written as (Ax0.9 - 270)

So the refund due to pricematch should be Ax0.9 - (Ax0.9 - 270) which is equal to $270.

(If you have sales tax in your state then you are also due back the tax on the $270 too).

why diddnt you just say 10% off of 300 bucks? jeez you math nerds making things hard.

:P

That's not my experience. When I've bought DVDs in advance of the sale (Sat. night they put out all the Sun. sale titles) and go back later with my receipt, they'll usually automatically give a 110% PM without being asked. I guess it might depend on the CSR and the dollars involved but at least you can try...YMMV. Even the dept. manager told me I'd get a 110% PM if their price dropped on that item.

What can I say? Their own employees don't know their own policy, not much of a surprise there. Just don't count on them always getting it wrong.

Did you pay by credit card? My citicard has a price match thing where I'll get reimbursed for, at least a %, of a price change within so many days.

From the coupon's legalese:

Did you return the thing or not?? Keep us informed.

Yeah, what happened Shinobi? I am in EXACTLY the same boat as you. Used the coupon, now the tv is cheaper.

Well, I got nowhere with my local store. The manger/person in charge is completely unreasonable. She refuses to even believe that the AAA coupon can be used in-store, even though it clearly says so on the coupon itself. She just refuses to hear it, and says "the coupon is wrong". :brickwl2: I could tell that I would get nowhere fast with her, so instead I've been corresponding with a CC representative who I contacted through their website. I've been explaining the situation to him, and he's been alot more reasonable than the people at my local store. I'm still corresponding with him, and hopefully he'll give me an answer by tomorrow. I'll let you all know what he finally says.

If the coupon says CC accepts it, then I'll throw my hat in with you on this one.

Although the wording is vague, I'm pretty sure that means they won't add the coupon on top of a pricematch for a current purchase (like pricematching a competitor and then adding the coupon to the competitor's presumably already discounted price). Which is not the case here, all Shinobi wants is the difference between what he would pay today versus what he paid originally.

Circus City..
 

Circus City is no worse than the other box stores around me. I try to go to the smaller places but sometimes the deals are just to good to pass up.