I purchased a Panasonic 42' Plasma TV from the Best Buy in Tempe, AZ (Store #1002) on the evening of 1/18/08. The original manufacturer's seal had been broken on the top of the TV and replaced with a transparent tape with the words "Inspected by Best Buy" strewn across it. There was no noticeable damage to the cardboard box itself. I asked Brandon, the Home Theatre supervisor who was assisting me, if I could return or exchange the TV within 30 days if anything was wrong with it. He replied yes, of course. If he had responded differently, I would have inspected the TV at the store before I purchased it. No Best Buy employee ever suggested that I should inspect the TV before leaving the store. I trusted their product and had faith in their return policy.
With the help of another Best Buy associate, the TV was loaded into the back of my car. I was driving a Toyota 4Runner, so there was plenty of space for the TV to slide in and stand upright. On the evening of 1/19/08, my dad and I cut open the Best Buy tape on the top of the box and carefully removed the parts next to the TV. After I put together the stand, my dad and I removed the TV itself and latched it on to the stand. As I looked at the TV screen, I noticed a crack originating from the top right corner across 2/3rds of the glass. Two triangular chunks of the black surface behind the glass had also been broken loose.
On 1/20/08, my dad and I immediately went back to the Tempe Best Buy to exchange the damaged TV for another one. Daniel Rauch, the Geek Squad manager and manager on duty at that time, inspected the TV. His analysis determined that the TV could not have been damaged while it was inside the box, without the cardboard being damaged as well. Due to the severity of the damage, I agree with this assessment. The only problem was, when my dad and I took the TV out of the box, it was already in this damaged condition.
Daniel refused to allow us to return or exchange a physically damaged product. I discussed the implications of this decision at length with Daniel. Travis, the store manager, then interrupted and flatly stated that Best Buy would not be returning or exchanging this product. Reading their return policy strictly, I can see why they felt they could make this decision. However, there were two problems in this case:
1) Almost all of the TVs in the store are still sealed under the original manufacturer's tape. Typically an "Inspected by Best Buy" tape is used to retape a TV after a customer return. However, a yellow return sticker with a barcode is always affixed to the TV after a return. There was no such yellow sticker on the TV I purchased. Daniel suggested that sometimes the tape is used after TVs are taken out of the box to put on display. But I was supposed to be purchasing a brand new TV from Best Buy! Nobody could inform me why my TV had this tape on it. To my amazement, I discovered at the store that you could actually open up the box without removing the tape. There are 4 white, plastic handles on the sides of the TV box that can be taken out. Once they are taken out, the top sleeve of the cardboard box can be slipped off, revealing the contents inside. If the box can be taken off this way, why was the original manufacturer's tape removed in the first place? Another associate at a different Best Buy agreed that the whole thing seemed suspicious, and suggested that Best Buy should have sold it as an "open-box" item. The Tempe Best Buy sold me this TV at their retail price, without any discounts for being an "open-box" item.
2) Brandon, the supervisor, misrepresented store policy when he said I could return or exchange the TV for any reason. This is not the correct policy. You can return or exchange any defective products, but not physically damaged products. If Best Buy is going to have such a strict policy, then every employee needs to help customers inspect their merchandise before they leave the storm. That way, if physical damage is found, the customer cannot be blamed (as I was in this situation).
All in all, it was a valuable lesson learned. It is sad that the leading electronics retailer in the U.S. Has to resort to such tactics to make a buck. If I had purchased this TV at other stores like Costco or Wal-Mart, I would have had no problem exchanging the TV. I will never buy any expensive items at Best Buy again, and I hope others will be warned for the future.
I called Best Buy Corporate numerous times to see if they could try and resolve the situation. The first time, a gentleman from Best Buy's Executive Resolution team offered to reimburse me up to $300 of the repair cost for the TV. This was a step in the right direction but still far from adequate. Panasonic's warranty does not cover screen damage and they informed me that the repair cost would almost be the same price as a new TV.
On 1/21/08, a "nicer" lady at Best Buy Corporate's Consumer Relations offered to send a gift card for the cost of the TV (as shown on the receipt) as a courtesy. That was definitely a better gesture. However, when I bought the TV I also got a $100 installation with it that I could use at any point during the next year. It was technically free because they charged $100 for the installation but deducted $100 from the cost of the TV. But my gift card would not be reflecting the $100 deduction. Therefore, I went back to the Tempe Best Buy to return this $100 installation and get all of my money back. After all, I will not be needing any installation for a worthless TV. I spoke with Daniel again, and he informed that he could only return the $100 installation if he added $100 to the price of my TV.in essence, nothing would be returned to my credit card. This was ridiculous, so I called Corporate again. They informed me that the original gift card being sent to me was the "maximum" amount I could get, even if I did return the installation and the cost of the TV was marked up $100.
Therefore, I'm still out $100 because of the crooks at this Best Buy. I'd like to thank the more considerate managers/associates at other Phoenix-area Best Buys who were able to offer honest interpretations of this situation. They shall not be named because I don't want them to get in any trouble from the higher-ups. As for the managers at the Tempe Best Buy, their actions may be helping the bottom line in the short term, but driving away customers with cheap, fraudulent tactics is not a feasible long-term solution.
Richard
Chandler, Arizona
U.S.A.
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