On 27 Dec I purchased a Zen Nano MP3 player for my son at Best Buy. The associate who helped me suggested I purchase the optional replacement plan which, she said, would cover the replacement of the product should there be any problems. She said it was so very easy to use. Just send the product back to Best Buy, and they would send a store credit for a replacement product. Why, she said, they even pay for the postage!
In early November, my son's MP3 broke. I told him, no problem, we have the replacement plan! I called the numer on the brochure for the plan. I was told a self-addressed label would be sent to me, which I should use to send back the product. Once the product was received, a store credit in the form of a store credit card would be sent to me.
On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, I sent the product back. I followed up with a phone call the following week to insure it had been received. Yes, I was told it had been received and the credit requested.
On Friday, 8 December I received the store credit in the mail. I told my son we would go to Best Buy in Reynoldsburg, OH (our local store) to buy a new MP3 for him.in fact, I told him, since he had just brought home his school progress report and had done so well, I would upgrade it to the iPod Nano he wanted. (He's 13 years old.)
On Saturday, 9 December we went to the Best Buy in Reynoldsburg around noon. The store was, of course, busy due to the holiday shopping season. I initially had a problem with the associate because the iPod was on sale online at BestBuy but not at the store. I told her they should be matching the online price. She refused. I had to ask for a manager who then said, yes, match the price.
To do so, we had to go to the customer service desk where a person by the name of Jamal waited on me. There were people behind me and all around me. When Jamal went to swipe the store credit which I had received from the replacement plan, he announced loudly "This card is declined." I was astounded and a bit embarrassed.
In calling corporate, Jamal found out this card had "knowingly" been sent out unactivated. He was told by corporate and relayed to me the card would be activated "by Monday", Monday being 11 December.
On Monday, 11 December, I called the 888 number to check on the status of the card and found the balance to still be zero. They had not activated the card. I called the Replacement Plan line and was told, oops, must not have done it; we'll get around to it in 3-5 days or longer. I stated this was not acceptable and was put on hold for a manager for approximately 45 minutes.
The manager refused to help me and refused to compensate me in any way. He stated gift cards/store credits cannot be automatically activated but takes several days to a week. I asked how then one can purchase a gift card in a Best Buy store and have it automatically activated. He refused to answer that question.
I also called Client Relations who refused to help me at all. They instead transferred me back to the Replacement Plan area where I spoke with another woman. This woman told me cards had been sent out unactivated and were not usable. Further this woman stated these cards could never be activated because there was a problem with them. Therefore, everyone I had spoken with up to this point had lied, knowingly lied. They never planned on activating my store credit because the card couldn't be activated.
Totally upset at this point, I took the card to my local Best Buy in Reynoldsburg, tryiing to get someone to help me. I spoke with Tom at the store who stated he was actually a corporate employee. I explained all to him but to no avail. He simply said, sorry, I can't help you.
No one in any department would help me, either at corporate or at the store. The closest I came to help was the honest woman who stated unusable cards had knowingly been sent out and were not able to be activated and no replacements for those planned. Best Buy obviously was planning on being completely fraudulent with customers who had, in good faith, purchased the replacement plan.
I am not out $100 for the original MP3. I don't even have that product now. I am also out the cost of the replacement plan and my 13 year old son is still out an MP3. I am having to spend another $150 to buy an MP3 player elsewhere.
Best Buy's refusal to help a customer and acknowledgement of a fraudulent program is completely horrible and should not be deemed acceptable or tolerable. As noted above, Best Buy (1) never planned on following through with the policies of their replacement plan, (2) knowingly sent out fraudulent store credits with no plans of replacing with active credits and (3) planning on being completely fraudulent with customers who had, in good faith, purchased the replacement plan.in addition they were rude, nasty and arrogant.
I would advise that no one ever shop this company.
Cathy
Reynoldsburg, Ohio
U.S.A.
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