I was in the market for a Samsung 52" LCD television, model number LN52A650. Best Buy was selling it for $2699, but Fry's was selling it for $1889. Fry's price was NOT a weekend special, special rebates, or anything, it was a straight discount to $1889.
So, the first time, I went to my local bestbuy and told them I wanted to buy the television and they told me the price was $2699. I told them to price match the $1889 from Fry's, and the customer associate said he would have to call the local Fry's and see if it was in stock. I said OK. Twenty minutes later, he comes back and tells me Fry's is selling it for $1889, Fry's has it in stock, but Best Buy was out of stock on the Samsung LN52A650. I didn't believe him so as I was leaving, I went to the Geek Squad counter and asked them to do an inventory check. The Geek Squad associate told me they had 3 new ones and 3 open box ones. I told him what had happened in the television department, and the Geek Squad associate told me sometimes inventory is not updated automatically and that the next time I called in I should tell them to do a physical check.
The next day, I called the same best buy looking for the same TV. This time I told the associate to do a physical check for the inventory. He found the television and even put my name on the TV. Problem solved? No.
First, I called the two local Fry's to make sure they had the TV in stock, and they both had 7 and 9 NEW ONES respectively. They also had open boxed TVs in addition to the new ones. I arrived at the store 15 minutes later and told an associate to price match the TV. First, he told me they couldn't price match it because cost price was $1871. Xx for Best Buy. I asked him what the price match guarantee was for then? He said he actually needed to call Fry's to make sure they had it in stock for $1889. He called and confirmed both Fry's had multiple new TVs of the same model available. He called the General Manager of the store, JIM.
Jim comes about 15 minutes later and tells me they cannot price match the TV because Fry's was sold out. I tell him this is bullshit but he tells me, "My associate and I both called the local Fry's and they had only ONE new one and it was already ON HOLD." First, this is impossible because I use to work at Fry's and Fry's does not hold sale products for customers. Second, it was very unlikely that Fry's sold seven TVs in fifteen minutes. Jim called the associate over that made the initial phone call, and the associate LIED and said there was only one new one on hold at Fry's, even though he confirmed to me there were multiple new ones.
I told Jim I would call Fry's right now and ask them if they had any new ones, and he said it didn't matter because I had already used my one "Price Match Phonecall". Apparently each customer only gets one shot at a price match phonecall, according to Jim. So I said "okay, my mother (who was standing next to me) wants to buy the TV. Does she get a price match phone call?" Jim the General Manager said, "No, because she is with you." I told him that's ridiculous and left the store.
I just love how best buy will throw so much BS your way when they don't want to price match. They lie, lie, lie, but ultimately they don't need to price match because they can pull a million excuses out of their asses. I would love to see one of the Best Buy employees on this board reply to this incident.
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