Print Email RSS RSS  Share del.icio.us Facebook Twitter
Is Best Buy Misleading its Price Match Guarantee?
Class action lawsuit alleges Best Buy managers were paid bonuses to deny price matches.
image
March 23, 2009 | by Jason Unger

A class action lawsuit is going forward against Best Buy for allegedly violating its “Price Match” policy, according to HD Guru.

The US District Court, Southern District has allowed Thomas Jermyn to sue Best Buy, who is alleging that Best Buy’s “price match guarantee policy as a ploy, to lure unsuspecting consumers into its stores and to induce them to purchase its merchandise, while allegedly having an undisclosed ‘Anti-Price Matching Policy,’ pursuant to which employees aggressively deny customers’ legitimate price match requests,” according to HD Guru.

Among the major revelations listed from evidence within the decision based on internal BB documents, depositions of current BB employees and declarations by two former BB employees are the following allegations:

  • Best Buy had an undisclosed Anti-Price Matching Policy
  • Corporate headquarters disseminated the anti-price matching policy to regional managers, store managers, assistant managers, and necessary store personnel
  • Best Buy taught its employees how to deny price match requests in its training facilities in New York
  • Best Buy provided financial bonuses based, in part, on denying proper price match requests
  • Best Buy denied more than 100 proper price match requests per store per week.

Gizmodo has an example of a reader named Jake who allegedly was presented with different model numbers to get around the price matching policy.

Example: A few months ago my wife and I were looking at a Frigidaire Washer. The model we were interested was the ATF8000FS. At Best Buy, we found the washer there however it was displayed as the ATF8000FSL. At first I figured “Oh this must be some variation on the original model number, like how manufacturers sometimes add a letter to the end of the model to indicate the product color.” Anyways, to make a long story short, this ATF8000FSL was not available from the manufacturer.

The “L” was added on by Best Buy in order for them to skirt around price matching.

We can’t confirm Best Buy’s price matching decisions, but the story has been gathering steam recently. Here’s the FAQ on Best Buy’s Price Guarantee.

Of course, this isn’t the first time that Best Buy has been accused of misleading its customers. The retailer allegedly compared a “calibrated” HDTV to a “non-calibrated” HDTV, with one showing high-def content and the other standard-def.

What do you think? Have you had an issue with Best Buy’s price matching policy?



Article Topics
What's Related
Popular Tags
Social Bookmark   less


Comments (7) Most recent displayed first.
Posted by war  on  12/19/09  at  02:08 PM

DREW i dont think u can read and understand the point here , if you buy an item from bestbuy then u find it cheaper else where then it stands to reason bestbuy should pay up the diff since they already said they would , if bestbuy have made it policy to price match why not see if you can get them to back up there claim , so next time have you mom read u and you both can brain storm your answer

Posted by Kim K  on  09/24/09  at  07:15 PM

I have bought at least 5 computers from best buy in the last two years. 

The last computer I bought was an HP 4gb, 320 and the week after I purchased it, it went on sale for $20 cheaper at Office Depot.  I went into Best Buy and they gave me a refund w/o any questions at all. 

Then, a week letter, it went on sale again at office depot for another $30 cheaper.  I went in and got a lady who said they had to call and see it was available and then said that the model number is not exactly the same (it was off by a letter).  I had already been to Office Depot the first time to make sure it was the same and it is EXACTLY the same computer.  I explained that to her and she said there must be something different about it since the number was different.  I left and went over to Office Depot and talked to the clerk and we looked at the computer and there is NO DIFFERENCE.

It looks to me like Best Buy is just using the Price Match Guarantee as a marketing ploy and think they lack integrity.  I am doubtful if I will buy a computer from them again.

Posted by Paul  on  03/25/09  at  10:37 AM

@Drew:  I know I wrote a fairly long post, but I did say “Ask yourself how important getting this deal is.  There is probably a reason that you are asking for a price match and not buying it from the other company to begin with.”

I don’t shop at Wal-Mart, after they destroyed a lot of small businesses in my parent’s home town.  It’s a personal choice.  However, they do price things lower than many other competitors.  I’d rather buy from anywhere but Wal-Mart, so I try to use price matching to my advantage.

Not everything is as cut and dry as your perfect little universe, whether you can see it or not.

PS:  The whole mom letting me out of the house comment was uncalled for and juvenile, grow up.


Not everything is as cut and dry as your perfect little universe, whether you can see it or not.

PS:  The whole mom letting me out of the house comment was uncalled for and juvinile, grow up.

Posted by Will  on  03/24/09  at  10:25 PM

The best buy I shop in Norridge IL never gives me a problem when I price match for example 2 yrs ago I bought the sony BDP-S300 blu ray player for $499.00 before thanksgiving it came with spiderman3 after black friday every week best buy and other retailers had this player on sale and everytime I went to the store they gave me money back.They even started a in store 10 free bluray movies when you buy this player promotion and they gave me the movies.Back in sept of 08 they had a 50 inch samsung dlp 1080p tv for $899 but they were sold out so I called abt electronics politely and asked do they price matching and they did.

So Paul you’re right it’s the way you ask

Posted by Drew  on  03/24/09  at  04:29 PM

Pardon me if I don’t understand the logic. You’re asking store B to give you the same price as you saw at store A for the same item. Buy it from store A dummy and quit complaining.
If there’s a reason you would prefer buying from store B, then do so and pay their price. Pretty simple. I’m surprized your mom even let’s you out of the house.


+ View all comments on for this article



Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.