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Best Buy Still Using Deceptive In-Store Kiosks

consumerist.com — "The website appearing on in-store kiosks resembles Best Buy's official site in every way, except for the prices."

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  • PerfectMac, on 12/24/2007, -6/+42And best buy's stock is rocketing forwards, despite this shady business practice. Damn them!
    • WaRdRivR, on 12/24/2007, -1/+22cause they no longer have competition-- CompUSA (shutdown), Circuit City (horrible service), and now i'm listless.
      • expert01, on 12/24/2007, -8/+3Office Depot?
        • kevinmotel, on 12/24/2007, -0/+18newegg? i buy computer parts on newegg, but i buy console games at bestbuy because there isn't a difference in pricing (or at least, usually there isn't a difference)
      • Ilyanep, on 12/24/2007, -1/+9I get so much better service at Circuit City than Best Buy [at least at my local one]. Also, their return policy is 1000x better with no hidden tricks to just coerce you out of money. They're pretty much the first place I'd go to.

        In certain areas there's also Fry's and Micro Center.
        • NoCt1, on 12/24/2007, -1/+6Fry's Is an amazing place. Im going to throw out brandsmart over Best buy also.
        • Matt2k, on 12/24/2007, -0/+7Why were you modded down for saying you get better service at circuit city? Morons.
          They also have better service in my area. Less crowded, more mature sales team. Best buy is the walmart of electronics. Except more expensive.
          • MScrip, on 12/24/2007, -0/+3> "Best buy is the walmart of electronics."

            Exactly. You walk in to Best Buy, get what you want, and take it to the cashier. That's it. You wouldn't go to the grocery store for recipes... just ingredients.
        • mywhitenoise, on 12/25/2007, -2/+2Circuit City are the biggest douche bags in the world, and I can't think of any other company that pulls more 'bait-and-switch' tactics than they do.
          • MattnJax, on 12/25/2007, -0/+3Dude, like when the advertised Super Mario Galaxy on Black Friday for $35. I go there to get one and the ***** store never even got any in.
          • happyseamonster, on 12/25/2007, -0/+1Divx
    • Giblet2, on 12/24/2007, -33/+7I work at Best Buy, and this is such a crock of crap. You can go online from our kiosks and at home the prices ARE THE ***** SAME. There are however 2 different websites, a Local and a National, if you dont like the local price, order if off the national site.. DURRRRRRR. or vice versa, even though it is RARE for the prices to differ.
      • NoCt1, on 12/24/2007, -4/+30you must work for the "geek Squad".. Hire only the best right?.
      • nextyoyoma, on 12/24/2007, -1/+9why would the local price for something be higher? Best Buy is everywhere, there is no reason the local price should be different from the national price.
        • shootdashit, on 12/24/2007, -1/+3i ran into this while buying "it's always sunny..." on dvd. i asked the kid to check the cheaper price online and he did. he asked i go to to customer service desk to show them the descrepancy. she then informed him he should always reference the "local" website because the "national" one had different prices. apparently the region does matter. maybe it's the shipping that adds costs. i don't know. but i did get my dvd for the cheaper price online.
      • speedy11309, on 12/24/2007, -0/+7i just quit working at best buy as a "customer specialist" in the computers department. there are 2 different sites. the one available to the public on the kiosks is the one that shows the local regional prices which sometimes are different from the internet prices. employees do have access to the internet one, but they do have to log into the system to get access to it.

        i know from personal experience, if a customer came in with this problem, i would always price match it for them. at the store i worked at, most of the people were more than willing to do that for any customer, as long as they weren't being a pain in the ass. the only ones who i found were reluctant were supervisors and managers. but even if you get a reluctant manager or supervisor who says they wont match it, tell them fine, you'll go to circuit city and pay the extra amount just so you don't have to give best buy business (do it even if you don't intend on actually doing it). they hate this more than anything and will 99% of the time cave and give it to you.

        hope this helps someone.
      • Matt2k, on 12/24/2007, -0/+10I got hit with this just recently:

        A company I consult for had their network switch die, so I went onto Best Buy's website and reserved two 24-port gigabit switches. They were $50 off.

        I show up at the store an hour later, and they won't accept the company check because I'm unaffiliated with the company and have no matching ID. That's OK. It's a little frustrating, but I understand the policy.

        Me: OK. Well let me just pay for those on my personal card
        Cashier: Sorry, these are the last two routers we have in stock
        Me: Okay.. But that's them sitting right there next to you. The ones I ordered online?
        Cashier: Yes, those are reserved for the online order. You'll have to go home to cancel the order then come back to buy them

        So we argue a little more. And finally she agrees to just sell me the switches. Except now they're $50 a piece more expensive than before. I ask her to check the price and she pulls up the site

        Cashier: No, sorry, they're not on sale
        Me: Yes. They are. I bought them an hour minutes ago and they were $50 off
        Cashier: Well, I really don't have any proof of that
        I remind her to simply LOOK at my print-out receipt that's on the counter that shows the price.
        Cashier: The sale must have ended.
        Me: In the 60 minutes it took to drive to the store??
        Cashier: Maybe it was an online special. Buy two 24-port gigabit switches @ $400 and get 50 off.
        Me: Yeahhh.

        I ended up buying my ***** elsewhere. What a *****
        • docbob84, on 12/25/2007, -0/+0It's a stupid policy, but not an illegal policy, which is what The Consumerist was insinuating. If you were a "normal" customer and had come in with the proper authorization for the card you were using, you would have walked out with your routers for the price listed online. I don't think it's silly to have an online and a local price; hell, most stores will have different prices between stores in the same town. It's not realistic to have the same price on everything in San Francisco and the middle of Oklahoma. Granted, the cashier was retarded for suggesting an hour-long sale; I'd imagine that's why she's making minimum wage working as a cashier. But your problems happened because you wanted one store to honor another store's price. The decent thing for them to do would have been to honor it, but if they didn't it's not illegal and you really should have come with a credit card you could use.
    • UnlnvlslblE, on 12/24/2007, -1/+80NewEgg
      • carguy84, on 12/24/2007, -0/+10http://www.newegg.com
        just to make it even easier to NOT shop at Best Buy.
      • tidu, on 12/24/2007, -1/+22(A twist on a Jim Gaffigan joke)
        "NewEgg combines my two favorite things... technology and not moving"
        • NeilM, on 12/24/2007, -8/+1Rofl. that was good. Anyone have a link to a youtube video with that joke?
      • Bamborzled, on 12/24/2007, -2/+3Unfortunately, Newegg doesn't ship outside the US.
        • Konstantino, on 12/24/2007, -0/+2Yeah, seriously. I was so excited when I found Guitar Hero III in stock there, and then my dreams were crushed when I called and they explained they only ship inside the US.
        • happyseamonster, on 12/25/2007, -0/+1Get an ebay seller to get it and forward it to you.
    • Myahon, on 12/24/2007, -0/+5it's the walmart business model. I for one welcome our new electronic thieving overlords.
    • Ravatar, on 12/24/2007, -1/+3Rocketing forwards? Have you checked the history on bestbuy stock? It's hovered around the same price for almost 3 years.
      • JoeB4ever, on 12/25/2007, -0/+1actually it split about a year and a half ago
      • happyseamonster, on 12/25/2007, -0/+1A North Korean rocket.
    • r3negadeX, on 08/11/2008, -0/+1You mean...
      best buy's stock is rocketing forwards, because of this shady business practice
    • aricml, on 12/25/2007, -2/+0Oh come on, Best Buy's computers reflect regional pricing on various products, sometimes higher prices, sometimes lower. If the national website Bestbuy.com has a lower price just ask and they will honor it in any store. You guys are lazy whiners
      • happyseamonster, on 12/25/2007, -0/+1The point is people THOUGHT they were looking at their on-line store, they weren't.
    • JoeB4ever, on 12/25/2007, -1/+1I get excellent service at my local newegg store....o wait...
  • bossm4n, on 12/24/2007, -6/+120This just proves that good marketing defeats bad customer service, scams, poor management, misleading consumers, horrible tech support (Geek Squad) and anything else you can think of.
    Best Buy: An uneducated consumer is our best customer.
    • jeff94, on 12/24/2007, -4/+12There's a large, yellow banner on the top of every page loaded, loosely saying: "This Kiosk Reflects In-Store Pricing, See a Sales Associate for More Details".
      Consumerist: Digg readers accept everything we write without question.

      In the event this comment gets dugg down, read the following: Ron Paul is amazing.
    • WIKMUNKEIOYONQA, on 12/24/2007, -1/+4That's awesome! Corporations don't need to have customer service anymore, Americans don't operate as a group. If one of us gets bad service it won't stop your friends from going there. The more small businesses they crush the less service they need to offer. Just like trying to call a credit card company or phone company. What can you do when they are all doing the same thing? *titled* The New American Way
    • pintomp3, on 12/24/2007, -0/+4that's the case for almost all big business. much like democracy, the fundamental flaw in the free market is an ignorant public.
      • happyseamonster, on 12/25/2007, -0/+1...except there is no free market...
    • midknight55, on 12/25/2007, -2/+2Don't worry, the baby boomers will die off soon enough.
    • postalblowfish7, on 12/25/2007, -0/+1i just go there to buy CDs for mad cheap. if anyone gets ripped off by anyone then they probably didn't do their homework and don't deserve my sympathy.
  • neiltc13, on 12/24/2007, -19/+5The WOW starts right here and RIGHT NOW!

    I can't wait for the Best Buy January sale. Does anyone have any pictures to prove that these kiosks are displaying different prices or do we have to trust some minor league local newspaper?
    • PFinn, on 12/24/2007, -3/+17go to the store yourself rather than bashing the people trying to help you ungrateful assclown.....And the story was on the Consumerist website, wtf are you talking about a minor league newspaper
      • fluxrez, on 12/24/2007, -7/+3He's asking for evidence. He isn't saying they are lying. Im with him, some evidence would be great. I have tried comparing store prices with online prices and didn't see a difference. Im sure its happening, it would be nice if those accusing would actually show us what they're talking about, rather than just accuse.
        • faet, on 12/25/2007, -0/+2Best Buy used in-store computer kiosks to deceive consumers about product prices and overcharge them, according to a lawsuit filed by Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) Commissioner Jerry Farrell.

          Best Buy operates an internal site accessible only at kiosks in its stores. The site is virtually identical to BestBuy.com, the company's web site, except for listing in-store instead of online prices.

          http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/05/ct_b ...

          I dont have any actual pictures but im more than sure the Connecticut Attorney General has some.
  • SebHughes, on 12/24/2007, -7/+30Best Buy Sucks Monkey Teets.
    • badassninja, on 12/25/2007, -0/+2I always say that they suck dragon balls.
  • mt066, on 12/24/2007, -1/+18Couldn't you do the in-store pickup if you're worried about this happening? You order it online (at the real price) and then you pick it up at the store like you would anyways.

    But damn, $235 for a picture frame is a lot. I'd just get a new monitor and then get one of those screensavers that cycle through your pictures.
    • Pake, on 12/24/2007, -0/+2I was thinking the same thing about in-store pickup.
    • sikosmurf, on 12/25/2007, -0/+1I agree with you, but a lot of people like to actually take a look at the item before they make their purchase. For something like the picture frame, maybe they wanted to make sure the screen, contrast ratio was up to par, able to see it in bright light, etc.
  • mt066, on 12/24/2007, -12/+1(okay, digg deleted my comment again....)
    Couldn't you do the in-store pickup if you're worried about this happening? You order it online (at the real price) and then you pick it up at the store like you would anyways. It still sucks that they do it but you don't have to worry about any secret price changes that way.

    But damn, $235 for a picture frame is a lot. I'd just get a new monitor and then get one of those screensavers that cycle through your pictures.
    • Walrus78, on 12/24/2007, -4/+0I was thinking the same thing. But only Best Buy Devil Customers choose instore pickup at the lower price. Angel customers will go in knowing the price in higher, just to support their local Best Buy.
    • mt066, on 12/24/2007, -6/+1Yo, what the ***** digg? My comments get deleted, so I post them again and then the first one magically re-appears, making me look like an idiot. It happens like, all the time. Lame.
      • NoCt1, on 12/24/2007, -1/+3Digg or you making you look like an idiot
      • KSUdesigner, on 12/24/2007, -0/+4"Please allow up to 60 seconds for your comment to be saved."
        • mt066, on 12/24/2007, -0/+3lies!

          wait actually i never noticed that.
        • mt066, on 12/24/2007, -0/+1still though i've had a few never show up, even way later
    • tomerdean, on 12/24/2007, -1/+2no dude. after posting, it takes 2 minutes for your post to appear live....
  • PPCG4, on 12/24/2007, -11/+1http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBGIQ7ZuuiU
    • PPCG4, on 12/24/2007, -1/+8Yall are just pissed that you got Rick Roll'd.
      • bigsteve, on 12/25/2007, -0/+1No, I'm just grappling with the realization that I recognize the URL before I click on it. that uuiU on the end...
    • thebellmaster1x, on 12/24/2007, -0/+2At least submit a new RickRoll video to YouTube; I've memorized that link.
  • darkbob87, on 12/24/2007, -32/+5I work at Best Buy as well, and this whole "secret website" thing is pretty funny, as in it's not true. There are "Online Only" prices and items, as in order to get the lower price you need to get it online, and it clearly says this when you go to the website. The L.A. Times can suck a nut.
    • Corrosionx, on 12/24/2007, -1/+8You sir, are part of the problem.
  • zachriggle, on 12/24/2007, -6/+20Yes, if by the exact same, you mean they have a two-inch wide, bright-yellow disclaimer at the top of the in-store pages that the prices differ from the online prices; then they're the exact same. Honestly, you'd have to be an idiot to miss the giant banner.
    • Qumahlin, on 12/24/2007, -5/+4You mean the banner the floorpeople ignore when you ask them about pricing and they will sit and fight with you even when they know the truth? How do people like you honestly defend this behavior? Why have two prices set up in such a fashion that you are WELL AWARE your customers dislike, find misleading, etc. They got ***** investigated for this and all they did was put up a banner because they knew it would still work out to their advantage. When people like YOU let companies get away with things like this, it encourages more companies to do it and eventually your the one being screwed
      • Betrayer, on 12/24/2007, -1/+2exactly... just like the Cell phone companies and some internet companies redefining the word "UNLIMITED"... when i was a child unlimited meant no limits....
      • nstern2, on 12/24/2007, -0/+2Um maybe they want 2 sites because sometimes the price in store is LESS then the price online. Just like how the adds say that best buy carries apple computers, but when you go into a best buy chances are it doesn't have apple. My store had a 1 TB external my book on sale for 194$ one week and the online price is 249$. So when you get a customer who comes in asking if you have a specific model of something in you check the local page and unless the customer asks or knows that the price is different on the website there is no need to go to it. In all cases of this being fraud it was idiotic employee who screwed up.
  • diggit83, on 12/24/2007, -18/+5The Kiosk shows store pricing so people do not go "Oh wow, its cheaper online, ill just go do that then"

    You SHOULD pay more in the store because its saves you time from shipping.....call it a convenience fee.

    The items that you can instore pickup are the same price online AND instore.........whats so confusing about this
    • jordanlgta, on 12/24/2007, -2/+4If Best Buy wasn't such a ridiculous corporate machine, I might care about what you just said.
      • diggit83, on 12/24/2007, -4/+1Business is business...........everything in this world is about money.

        People who fail to do research or pay attention have always had the short end of the stick. Hell, its been that way since man ever traded anything.
        • Rikkochet, on 12/24/2007, -0/+2And if that were the right thing to do, why does everyone always deny doing it?
    • NoCt1, on 12/24/2007, -1/+1You SHOULD pay more in the store because its saves you time from shipping.....call it a convenience fee. How does it save more time....

      I have to go to the store.. Deal with a bunch of dick sales people to try and sell me something that i dont want and know will not do what they say it does. then i have to digg around to find it in the store. not to mention wait in a line at the checkout so that way I can go home. Is this saving time....
      • diggit83, on 12/24/2007, -0/+3Lets see 30mins-1hour wait vs 3-5 days.

        Its the wait that kills it. Not the time spent acquiring the item.

        You dont have to say more than a few sentences to buy even a refrigerator in any retail store. Its not hard to just say "I want this + this and nothing else"
      • Pake, on 12/24/2007, -0/+1I've honestly never had a salesperson at Best Buy try to sell me anything... ever. They have never even made a recommendation, even when the item I desired wasn't in stock. Generally they just tell me whats in stock as alternatives and leave me be.
  • jordanlgta, on 12/24/2007, -2/+7Best Buy did this to me with a webcam a few weeks back. It was much lower in price on the website, and when I arrived and saw the higher price on the shelf, I asked them to match it. It took them a few minutes.
    • Wisgary, on 12/24/2007, -0/+3Same yesterday, I needed a ***** tube TV, was 140 on the website, 220 in store/kiosk! GRR
  • skellener, on 12/24/2007, -7/+6Cool story. Glad Best Buy was caught. Then again, it took a $400 device to save $20.
  • xero69, on 12/24/2007, -1/+5When I see a smoking hot deal at Best Buy I just buy online and choose in-store pickup. Then I have a printout showing my prices and total when I go to pickup my stuff. Problem solved. Not that I shop with Best Buy very often...
  • digitalarcanum, on 12/24/2007, -2/+51it's called newegg.com. It is the god of all computer hardware stores. Learn it. Love it. subscribe to the mailing list. Save money. Worship it.
    • Qumahlin, on 12/24/2007, -0/+4most things people get at bestbuy aren't things newegg would be selling. Not to mention some people want instant gratification and want their product from a store they can pick it up at.
    • Skwerl, on 12/24/2007, -9/+1newegg is not better than most online hardware resellers. I ended up buying all my parts at a competing website, due to better service, and the ability to have them test all my parts before shipping for $25.
    • aerotive, on 12/24/2007, -8/+0No.
    • anti_hax0r, on 12/24/2007, -4/+5drive to newegg to get a laptop TODAY -- try that one
      • forensicmeteobo, on 12/25/2007, -0/+2Or pay a little extra to have it shipped UPS Red (AKA Overnight).

        ...or just wait three days or so. Their warehouses are strategically placed so it cuts down on shipping time.
      • logandurand, on 12/25/2007, -0/+2Who needs a laptop TODAY? Electronics purchases require time, planning, and comparison shopping. Waiting a few more days for your delivery shouldn't be that bad, because a smart shopper will have been researching for a few weeks beforehand anyway.
    • JigsawX, on 12/24/2007, -1/+6Newegg is great for building your own computer and even getting some other stuff.If You want a real tech wonderland store there is only one place and that's FRYS:)
      • floridiot2, on 12/25/2007, -1/+1Fry's gouges you in the dick with their prices.
    • Matt2k, on 12/24/2007, -1/+3When your keyboard dies on a Saturday, or you suddenly remember you NEED A WEBCAM TODAY (!), newegg isn't your best choice.
      • Ender06, on 12/24/2007, -0/+6True, but Id rather pay 10 bucks for a HDMI to DVI cable on newegg and wait 3 days than 60 at best buy.
        • xkorbin, on 12/25/2007, -1/+2I'd rather go through my cabinet of connectors, and skip the entire store process.
        • logandurand, on 12/25/2007, -1/+1@xkorbin: I'm with you there. All too often I buy a cable or adapter, only to find another one in my desk drawer a few days later.
        • thomascj, on 12/25/2007, -1/+1why wouldnt you look in your desk drawer first? seems like that'd be an obvious place, considering you say it happens all the time.
    • scottpigeon, on 12/25/2007, -1/+2Newegg.com is great, but it's kind of hard to go shopping for a new computer online when the reason you need a new computer is your current one is broken.
  • zachriggle, on 12/24/2007, -2/+67Best Buy puts a GIANT yellow disclaimer on the in-store pages:
    http://www.my3cents.com/review_images/27909.jpg
    • Qumahlin, on 12/24/2007, -5/+7Yes, which floor associates ignore. Once again why have two prices? Why keep a system in place that you already got in trouble for and you know your customers find misleading. Why would one assume the "in-store" price would be different then the "online" price unless specifically noted? If the item doesn't say "online only" then why would I assume the instore price would be different? Once again you are doing nothing but supporting businesses cheating thier customers
      • Ravatar, on 12/24/2007, -1/+4Because the store price includes the cost of shipping the item to the store, being unloaded from the truck, consuming valuable floor space while it is awaiting sale, etc. It is way cheaper to keep items stored in brown boxes in massive warehouses until sale, just ask newegg.

        When you purchase online they avoid a lot of these additional costs, since you commonly foot the bill for shipping. However, they don't want you to shop elsewhere, so they offer you the same deal (and eat the difference) by you buying the item online and choosing "in-store" pickup.
        • nastajus, on 12/25/2007, -1/+1Because products don't travel by magic.
      • midknight55, on 12/25/2007, -0/+0They use an absorption method of accounting, meaning all those prices not directly linked to the product (manufacturing/purchase) are tagged with prices for storage, sales, utility bills, etc. It's fantastically boring and the current focus of my studies : - /
    • tidu, on 12/24/2007, -4/+24stop it, we're fighting the man
    • Betrayer, on 12/24/2007, -2/+2so they honor the national adds? but post retail prices on store kiosks..
      this should be FRAUD because the name of the sore is BEST BUY.. not SYITHWYGH screw you in the ass when you get here.
  • futureisours, on 12/24/2007, -4/+9oh and there's nothing shady about re-directing a wifi page to their in-store site instead of their internet site? someone needs to look into this deception, if true.
    • Betrayer, on 12/24/2007, -1/+2and .. say if someone were able to get into this wifi network .. lower some prices a bit /.. would the store honnor the adds if they were lower then the national adds?
    • patw85, on 12/24/2007, -1/+1I call shenanigans, as a BB employee when you get online with the ipod touch for example it goes to the regular national website. Besides the wifi should have a proxy on it as it is? At least the one at my store does.
  • chilidog, on 12/24/2007, -3/+2BTW, they take it to another level as well, if you surf their webiste from a mobile device such as a blackberry and they auto-detect that its a mobile device, you get the in-store kiosk prices, not the website. That yellow disclaimer IS on the mobile device, but very hard to see.
  • icegoddess13, on 12/24/2007, -1/+2Giblet spoke like a jackass, but there was a slight (tiny) bit of truth buried under there. Prices vary from place to place, it all depends on the location of the store, even if they're in the same general region. For example, my store carries special triple-packs of printer ink for $50, and a few other stores in the region don't have that item, or have them for higher prices. It all depends on the demographics of the area. Ask people in different stores in your area and they may tell you the same thing.
  • MrESaulved, on 12/24/2007, -2/+7A fool and his money is soon parted, quicker if you shop at Best Buy.
    • nicepants, on 12/24/2007, -1/+2Solution to this problem: Shop elsewhere. I haven't made a purchase at Best Buy in years. Newegg.com doesn't have any "secret website"...neither does Amazon.
  • dning88, on 12/24/2007, -2/+1Why is it bad to do this? Does the kiosk say that it is the online website? Many stores treat their online store and B&M store differently.
    • Qumahlin, on 12/24/2007, -0/+1Because those stores usually mention the difference and don't mislead you into believing the prices would be the same. If the item doesn't mention an "online only" deal why would one assume it does not apply to the B&M store? Not to mention most stores when doing this don't train their employees to specifically mislead customers (in best buys case they teach the managers the truth and make sure the employees are kept in the dark so they have true plausible deniability when customers are screaming at them")
      • Barkingshins, on 12/24/2007, -0/+1Wow, that's quite an accusation. Source?
    • Betrayer, on 12/24/2007, -0/+2because the stores name is BEST BUY... not SCREW THE CUSTOMER.
  • chugger1992, on 12/24/2007, -2/+7go to C:/Windows/System32/drivers/etc
    open up HOSTS in notepad
    delete the line that says " bestbuy.com ***.***.***.*** "
    save
    restart
    then try it again
    unless they have something like Deep Freeze, it should work.
    • nythscape, on 12/24/2007, -0/+1they do use deep freeze on all of their kiosks as well their display computers.
    • fittysix, on 12/24/2007, -0/+6I doubt they're using a hosts file to do that on a corporate scale, it's more likely something defined in the router/firewall/gateway/ns to redirect to the internal domain site.
    • solidfusion, on 12/24/2007, -0/+0That will only affect the local computer. This forwarding can also be placed on the router level which would make it impossible for anybody connected to their network from reaching the real bestbuy site using bestbuy.com. If set up properly, they could also mask the IP address and forward that to the instore prices as well. So, to be honest if they didn't want you from reaching the real bestbuy internet site, they could easily do it as long as you are using their internet connection.
    • Corrosionx, on 12/24/2007, -0/+1Change it to the right Bestbuy.com IP address, you don't need to reboot, just refresh. (unless they also spoofed the IP)
    • Loonacy, on 12/24/2007, -0/+16Better yet, create your own clone of bestbuy.com and change the hosts to that, and display extraordinarily low prices.
      "See? On your web page it shows this wireless router is only $0.02."
    • pokjob, on 12/24/2007, -1/+1try the path with backslashes (not forward slashes) for best results.
    • Ravatar, on 12/24/2007, -0/+1lol, all the machines that connect to the wired and wireless VLAN at bestbuy have no internet access without a proxy.

      when you request the website from that network, you get a site served locally in that store, not a HOSTS redirect
  • sfrench, on 12/24/2007, -0/+6My two rules for best buy. 1) Always do your research from your own computer before you go and don't be afraid to walk away if you can't get the price your expecting from that research.
    2) On big ticket items, don't be afraid to ask for a discount even if there isn't one listed. I've done it on a twice, both times saving me about $80. Just be friendly with the person helping you and ask if you can get some sort of deal.
  • baalzebub, on 12/24/2007, -6/+3i NEVER shop at bestbuy, i would rather buy online at Amazon or Overstock.com
    bestbuy is for suckers
  • Scotty87, on 12/24/2007, -5/+4***** assholes
  • bizkit00, on 12/24/2007, -0/+3what if you use it against them? print out the ad from the website and photoshop the price down and print it. the guys in customer service will probly just know the website prices are lower and give it to you.
  • iskub, on 12/24/2007, -1/+5Everyday you find a better reason to just shop online...
    • FutureCowboys, on 12/24/2007, -0/+0Exactly. And Best Buy isn't the only one with problems, unfortunately. Most huge retail conglomerates act like they've got no oversight whatsoever.
      The ones that lose out are as usual the consumers.
    • JoeB4ever, on 12/25/2007, -1/+1because those online sites help support your local economy
      • bigsteve, on 12/25/2007, -0/+1Oh, and Big Box Retail is really helping little towns all over the country?
        • JoeB4ever, on 12/25/2007, -1/+1pretty sure big box retail offers jobs.
  • exomni, on 12/24/2007, -0/+26$235 for an LCD picture frame?

    What a stupid waste of money.
    • Elliuotatar, on 12/24/2007, -4/+1I purchased a Pandigital 8" picture frame at Staples which has a glass front, a remote, supports all memory card types including CF, can be connected to a computer with USB, has an easy to understand graphical menu system, and an 800x600 resolution which is hard to find in frames that size, for $130. This and the other PanDigital frames available online (and at Macy's if you want to pay an insane premium) are probably the best digital frames available, unless there's some other more capable brand online I didn't see. They have this same model at circuit city for $10 more, but it was out of stock there. There were two in stock at the Staples I went to.

      I looked at the ones Best Buy sells. Westinghouse. They're crap. The menu system is AWFUL. Impossible to find the volume control. Manual sucks. Also looked at another brand I can't remember, that also had issues, like having buttons where holding the button down did something different than pushing it quickly, and a confusing menu system which resulted in me accidentally setting everything to Chinese. None of these had a glass front on the frame either, and few had a white border or a standard frame. Most were very low resolution too. Only the westinghouse ones were over 640x480 I think, at Best Buy. (But like I said the one I got at Staples was 800x600 which is great in an 8" frame.)
    • cambob76, on 12/24/2007, -0/+4Exactly. Its a small crippled t.v. People stop buying them please! Then perhaps they'll start putting t.v. tuners in them or at least aux input.
  • EvilDoer, on 12/24/2007, -3/+2This is one more reason why I refuse to give Best Buy any of my money.
  • time4evacuation, on 12/24/2007, -4/+3buried for "iphone to the rescue".
  • Elliuotatar, on 12/24/2007, -3/+2Best Buy isn't the only one doing this. Circuit City is as well.

    Check out the price for Canon 51 and 50 ink on Circuit City's website, and the prices listed are $35 and $30 respectively, each of which are $5 less than the price for the same ink at Best Buy in-store, for a total of $10 in savings.

    Go to Circuit City's itself however, and you'll find the ink on the shelf is $32.99 and $31.99, resulting in a savings of only $5 over Best Buy's in-store prices, and hardly making it worth the extra trip.
    • mezoko, on 12/25/2007, -0/+1I don't know why Elliuotatar is getting digged down. I had the same problem, they tried charging me $300 for a mp3 player that was on sale on their website for $275 and then they tried charging me $3 extra dollars for a cheap cordless phone.

      BTW: I went to circuit city instead of newegg.com etc... because I don't have a credit card or debit card which makes it really hard to pay for items online!
  • gudiablo, on 12/24/2007, -2/+0I always print the item from the web page and then I'll go to the store..and i dont think BestBuy is the only retail company with such practices..
    buy from newegg or zipzoomfly they offer free shipping on most items : )
  • kjr07, on 12/24/2007, -2/+1Could Best Buy compete against online retailers at brick-and-mortar prices?

    Could Best Buy maintain brick-and-mortar establishments at online prices?

    So what do you all suggest, other than having separate prices for in-store and online sales? No one's suggested an alternative.
    • Betrayer, on 12/24/2007, -1/+1how bout prices a little lower in the stores.. .and a little higher on the best buy web site (that represents the B&M store in the first place...) oh yea then they wouldnt be BEST BUY they would be Average BUY.. as compared to they F-U buy they are now.
  • m0rn1n6s74r, on 12/24/2007, -1/+16ok I'm sure this will get buried.. BUT HELLO RETARDS!!! the in-store Kiosks reflect the prices of the store that they are in... each best buy has different prices depending on region.This is like complaining that if you go to a store in NY and the prices are different then from the on in Oklahoma's!
    • Betrayer, on 12/24/2007, -1/+2yea but i can do an instore pickupwith the national add... just like my neighbor who doesnt shop online... but i pay less because BEST BUY pulled a fast one on him... ***** best buy (i dont believe in screw the other guy as long as i get mine mentality)
  • superyounan1, on 12/24/2007, -2/+3is there are law that says internet prices have to be the same as in-store prices? isn't it cheaper to operate online than in brick-and-molder? They can fudge with the prices all they want, they're not a public institution. If you're really irked about it, just stop whining and shop somewhere else, eventually they'll have to change to the consumer's demands when money forces them to.
    • jhackg0d, on 12/24/2007, -4/+1brick-and-molder? are you educated or just plain stupid. it's brick-and-mortar moron
  • DeFex, on 12/24/2007, -1/+9so dont shop there.
  • blindhammer, on 12/24/2007, -2/+5I don't understand the allure of Best Buy. Their prices are normal. Their selection is pretty bad, especially when it comes to video games and music. Best Buy used to also requires that I give them my phone number and zip code when I purchased something. On top of that, they push down extended warranties on meaningless things, like games ("For only $5, you can get an extended warranty on Mass Effect"). In otherwords, Best Buy is lame.
    • elint6, on 12/25/2007, -0/+1You can refuse the phone number and zip code - they use it for market research and hopefully more targeted mail-in flyers. The warranty is pretty lame, but with razor-thin margins in retail electronics, you can't blame them.
  • CaviMike, on 12/24/2007, -1/+2The only reason I go to BestBuy is to visit my friend in Install. If I really need instant gratification there are tons of other choices, namely locally owned and run businesses. Why are people so stuck on big box stores?

    "What IS on those shelves anyways?"
  • Barkingshins, on 12/24/2007, -3/+10Buried
    "The website appearing on in-store kiosks resembles Best Buy's official site in every way, except for the prices."
    Wrong. There is a huge bright yellow banner at the top of the page on the kiosks that clearly states that the prices listed are in-store prices only! It's very obvious.

    Furthermore, it occurs to me that you diggers are getting yourselves all worked up over something that is extremely commonplace. Online prices and in-store prices differ somewhat with nearly every retailer that chooses to do business in both mediums.

    bestbuy.com - "Online prices and selection generally match our retail stores, but may vary."
    target.com - "Pricing, promotions, and availability may vary by location and online."
    walmart.com - "In our effort to be the lowest price provider in your particular geographic region, store pricing will sometimes differ from online prices."
    circuitcity.com - "Prices at your local Circuit City store may vary due to local sales and competitive adjustments. "
    and the list could go on.... and on and on.

    The fact of the matter is that doing business on the Internet is very different than doing business in a brick & mortar store. Selection and prices are reflective of this fact. When you buy a given item in a store (any store) there is a potential that you will pay more than online because there is a lot more overhead involved in selling items from a store. If the convenience of buying stuff from a store is not worth paying a little extra, than go online!

    As for the on-going accusations about Best Buy's salespeople willfully deceiving customers with they're in-store kiosks, I have to call *****. Best Buy's sales staff is NOT on commission so, therefore, there is no incentive. They don't give a damn what price you end up paying because it has no impact on them as individuals whatsoever. If, in fact, this deception is happening as described, I would expect a little more evidence to back up these irresponsible accusations. I'm all for consumer advocacy, but I'm also for consumers understanding that they can't cry wolf every time the situations doesn't work 100% in their favor.
    • Matt2k, on 12/24/2007, -3/+1> It's very obvious.

      Tell that to the employees who refused to price match my online order. Seriously, if some of their OWN EMPLOYEES are too dumb to figure it out. And yes, I was hit by this. I even pointed it out to the cashier and she still said there was nothing she could do.

      > There is a potential that you will pay more than online because there is a lot more overhead involved in selling items from a store.

      Which is why places that aren't exclusively mail-order only are more expensive across the board. You generally pay MORE for online at those stores because they tack on shipping costs.
      • jhackg0d, on 12/24/2007, -1/+4We do match our online BBY.com prices. Yes, BBY does have some idiots working for them. It's not deceptive, it's the system that's set up that way. The employees were obviously too stupid to help you out and that's their own fault, not Best Buy's. They clearly have a price match policy to match their website.
    • Kronos43, on 12/24/2007, -2/+1tldr
    • Oomsoup, on 12/25/2007, -0/+1I agree. I used to work at Borders and Books-a-Million and at both places the online price differed (usually cheaper) than the in-store price. It's just the way they work it. I suppose it's cheaper to run a warehouse than a store. Whatever the reason, it's a shame they don't train the employees well enough to understand this. I remember at both bookstores we employees eventually figured it out for ourselves but even the management couldn't answer "Why?"
  • roberto_deneero, on 12/24/2007, -3/+2Circuit City did the same thing to me last week. They're all crooks and liars!
  • Myahon, on 12/24/2007, -3/+4Best buy = bait and switch. At 360 launch they refused to sell it to people who didn't buy a game or two with it.
    • ubergeek09, on 12/24/2007, -0/+2They aren't the only place that did that actually.
    • elint6, on 12/25/2007, -0/+1Buy it with the game, don't open the game, then return the game. It's 100% legal unless they're selling you the stuff as a bundle. The 360 launch was not a bundled pricing--I worked at Best Buy that summer.
    • JoeB4ever, on 12/25/2007, -0/+1Actually over 100 managers lost their jobs because of 360 packaging, but you tend to ignore that.
  • dagmar31, on 12/24/2007, -5/+0"At first it was showing the $255 price on my iPhones browser, then I realized it was connected through WiFi, so they have it blocking the external Best Buy site and feeding the fake one. I disabled WiFi and searched again and bam, there it was, $234.99."

    Am I missing something here? Let me get this straight... so because he's on the... Best Buy Wifi (they have that?) the fake bestbuy website spoofs www.bestbuy.com? Isn't there something called an address bar that he could have checked?
    So then he disables wifi, and I'm assuming connects via the GPRS network, goes to the same site and its the real one?

    As much as I hate Best Buy and have experienced the kiosk ripoffs firsthand, this account of what happened doesn't really.. add up.
    • elint6, on 12/25/2007, -0/+3It could be an IP spoof. It could be a redirected page with a different IP address but the address bar would have stayed the same.
    • ewc80, on 12/25/2007, -0/+3The address in the title bar could very well have been www.bestbuy.com and it could still be a different site. The story adds up just fine.
  • ubergeek09, on 12/24/2007, -2/+1Personally I have never seen one of these "deceptive in-store kiosks" but if this article is true, it is really a unacceptable thing for Best Buy to be doing. But then again I really don't care I get most of my computer and electronics stuff off of the internet.
  • sum33t, on 12/24/2007, -2/+5you'd best buy from somewhere else
  • NeilM, on 12/24/2007, -5/+3This story stopped being good when I realized some rich bastard was willing to spend $200+ on a digital picture frame. You people a disgusting.
    • rock774, on 12/24/2007, -1/+1About as bad as spending $16 a month so you can reord stuff with your Tivo
  • krabenmeister, on 12/24/2007, -3/+1Best Buy has a fascist attitude, somewhat similar to Wal-Mart. People should not shop at places like this. But I think we are getting what we deserve.
  • jhackg0d, on 12/24/2007, -3/+14I work at Best Buy, so I'd like to clarify everyone's HUGE misunderstanding.
    Best Buy and BestBuy.com are two legally separate entities, filed separately for corporation status.
    Best Buy has kiosks in store to help people identify and get prices for products called an "internal" Best Buy network.
    Also Best Buy has, on the same kiosks, BestBuy.com national pricing. The national pricing, if you haven't heard, is for anyone nationwide. There is local pricing if you type in a zip code and you MAY get a better deal. The local pricing may be worse than BBY.com. You just have to not be a complete idiot and ask someone if we will match the BestBuy.com price and stop whining to the press. Wow, great investigative research. Best Buy is not up to anything, we just have it set up differently you morons.
    • DestroyFascism, on 12/24/2007, -7/+3Best Buy and BestBuy.com are legally separate until the company that owns them is charged for bait advertising....What a load of horse ***** jhackg0d....
      Bait advertising is a deceptive practice and is no better than lying...
    • Oomsoup, on 12/25/2007, -1/+3I'm digging you up because you are likely correct as this is how it was at Borders Books as well. I do think the "morons" was uncalled for though. :P Happy Festivus! :)
    • badcoupon, on 12/25/2007, -2/+1yes, he is right.

      i work at bestbuy, there internal store page is store prices... you can pull the same page up at home by entering your zip.
    • ErckPlaystation, on 12/25/2007, -0/+1Thanks for clearing this up, i also work at a BBY. We always price match our national site at our store. Some reporters should do REAL stories at ***** places like DICK'S SPORTING GOODS or OFFICEMAX, who carry products online that they don't have in-store. "Hi, you have this on your website for 29.99" "I'm sorry, our website is COMPLETELY separate from our Stores" or: "We don't carry that item, only our online store does." My response: "***** you, I'm out."
      At least Best Buy offers free shipping from our online site to your house if you come into the store and we don't have it in stock. Another good thing is that we PRICE MATCH our online prices.
      BBY = Win.
      Dick's Sporting Goods = Fail.
      • cibbomatteo, on 12/26/2007, -1/+0Then why is it when I go into Best Buy and tell them I saw it cheaper on the site they walk me over to a kiosk and tell me "no sir.... that's the price on the website" ???
        I went in to the Best Buy in Baton Rouge to buy an Init TV Stand that was $169.99 on the website and when I got to the store I was told the stand was $199.99... So the sales person walked me over to the kiosk and did the little dog and pony show with your internal website... Lesson learned always print out a copy of the REAL price before going into the store and being lied to.
  • ryanonfire, on 12/24/2007, -2/+1old?
  • greensuit, on 12/24/2007, -0/+1If bestbuy has previously been sued in Federal Court and there is a consent agreement, all you have to do is find the name of the judge and write him a letter stating that bestbuy is failing to live up to a consent agreement. If enough people write to the judge, Best Buy will be hauled into his court and the case can be reopened. Back in the days when we had a US Government Dept. of Commerce that enforced bait and switch regulations, they would reopen cases all the time. But, the past 25 years, the DOC has been useless.
  • greensuit, on 12/24/2007, -3/+2I am not a lawyer, but the crap about a diferent BestBuy store and BestBuy.com entity would not last 5 minutes, if I took it to court. They are the same entity if they are both owned by the same parent corporation, use the same logo, if the local store takes returns from the online store, etc, and for many more reasons. There is no way even a stupid attorney could not make the case that they are the same entity, so the BS argument would be thrown out of court in less than 5 minutes. The Huge Misunderstanding is how many gross mistakes of judgement that this corporation has made in the past decade. It's off-track, but look at the companies it (BestBuy) has purchased and mismanaged into the ground, wasting hundreds of millions of stockholder's assets. Check Forbes and you will see it is one of the worst managed companies in the US. The reason it is doing so well, is because it's competition was managed even worse and are mostly gone now. A recent example is CompUSA, another wonderfully mismanaged company.
  • supergyration, on 12/24/2007, -0/+1I'm in my second holiday season as seasonal sales for Best Buy, and not saying that they're the best electronics seller out there by any means, but this article was posted Sunday, right? Because of the holiday season, there are offers going on for one week then stopping Sunday so more, different deals can be taken advantage of. The internal servers get updated with these new ad deals during the night between Saturday and Sunday. The online ads sometimes don't get updated for a day or two, and as a result, the Best Buy I work at has always honored what customers tell us. That, and if you ask us to go into the toolkit and check BBY.com Local, it shows the same thing everyone else is seeing outside the store.
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