Best Buy
Credit Account Defaulted After Katrina Despite Sixty Day Payment Pause

I got talked into getting a BestBuy credit card (like an idiot) last year because I was buying a new computer and the total amount of the purchase was more than my bank's daily allowance on a debit card. Because of this the sales guy recommended I pay the max allowance on the debit card then apply for the BestBuy credit card and put the rest on that, including a one day $200 credit increase so I could cover the whole cost. Big mistake.

In the beginning it all worked out fine, I made all payments on time and always made more than the minimum payment. The first time I got angry at BestBuy was over their debt cancellation policy. I remember specifically telling the girl signing me up for the card that I didn't want it, I wanted nothing but the basic card. Apparently I must have checked the box for it (I heard recently that it can be deceptive) and was subsequently enrolled in the program even though I made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that I did not want debt cancellation. Anyway, I rolled over and let it go.

For the next few months everything was fine until hurricane Katrina. I spent a chaotic couple of weeks getting set up in Boston to take classes, but I made sure to make my BestBuy payment (once again, not the minimum). The last payment I made resulted in my New Orleans checking account being overdrawn, so until I figured out how to make a deposit I couldn't pay BestBuy. I emailed BestBuy to tell them about this and they gave me 60 days of no payments, which was very nice, even compassionate.

During those sixty days I bought some needed computer supplies and a computer game, which I figured wouldn't be a problem because I had made about $500 in payments and had the credit to cover it on my BestBuy card. Transaction went through and everything was fine until the sixty days were up. I signed on to my online account to find out how much my next payment was and where I needed to mail it (I hadn't worked out my New Orleans checking account yet) only to find out that my account was locked because it was being "re-evaluated."

I tried calling the number listed on the website a few times, but the office was always closed (I think they are on the west coast and I never realized that). I checked online every once in a while to find out if my re-evaluation was complete, it never was.

When I got back and settled in New Orleans in January I finally called HSBC (the bank who manages the BestBuy credit cards) and was happy to hear that my account had just been locked so I wouldn't get hit with penalties because of the effects of Katrina. The lady from HSBC told me that I would not incur any charges nor would this negatively affect my credit, very good news. After getting this good news and having my account unlocked I signed on to make a payment.

My happiness was short lived. When I got to my account summary, I saw that I somehow owed almost $500 more than my credit limit. I called BestBuy and was told simply that my account had defaulted because of missed payments and that there was nothing they could do about it. I told them about the sixty days (which they knew of), I told them what the lady at HSBC said (which they didn't care about), and finally I asked if they had heard about hurricane Katrina (they had). All this was to no avail, so reaching a dead end I gave up on it.

Since then I haven't heard from BestBuy and I've continued to make my payments (again, not the minimum), I guess everything is back to normal, though I've been screwed. However, I would like to would warn anybody who even considers buying something from BestBuy; they don't care, they will try to rip you off, they are often disrespectful, they are a huge corporation and you are one customer.

Do yourself a favor and stay away.

Company: Best Buy
Country: USA
Site: bestbuy.com

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