Best Buy Review

So this is my experience with Best Buy in Gresham Oregon, I wouldn't say it was great.

I purchased an IPOD Touch for use in a raffle, and taped the gift receipt to the back, intending for it to be drawn and given away.  Unfortunately no one won the prize and so I had to return the Ipod.   I returned the Ipod in the exact condition I purchased it, sealed from the factory, no wear or tear on the product, in fact I am sure they put it back on the shelf for repurchase.

I paid for the merchandise on a credit card and really wanted to just have the funds returned on the credit card.  Best Buy has a policy that you can't put the returns back on the credit card without the receipt.  I of course had taped the the gift receipt to the back of the package.  Because it wasn't the receipt with the credit card number on it, or the amount paid on it they refused to put it on my credit card, which I had with me of course.  They claimed that they couldn't be sure it was going on the correct card.  Here is the deal of course, if they pull up my account, they can tell every purchase I have made at Best Buy for the last 10 years.  It took a half hour to get to the point that we were at at this point.  I was running out of time, and so rather then pushing to have him go through the records to credit my credit card, I allowed them to give me an gift card with $180 dollars on it.

I don't need 180 dollars worth of merchandise from Best Buy, but I figured I would use it somehow.  Fast forward a week or two later, I decided to give my employees gift cards from Best Buy so that they could use them, I was going to split them up into 4 $50 dollar cards and everyone should be happy. 

I walk into Best Buy in Gresham again get through the line and had over my 180 credit, with an additional credit card to cover the balance.  They will not break up the denomination of the gift card for me.  They won't allow me to purchase gift cards for my employees using the credit I already have with them.  Right now Best Buy has $180 dollars of my money in their accounts, and has had it for a couple of months.  The lead manager on shift basically said that that is their policy and there is nothing that he could do.  I was not pleased with his lack of concern at all.  So I asked him for the Store managers name and number.  He provided me the store managers name, and the 1-800 number for their online sales department.

I spent about 40 minutes on the line most of the time on hold listening to hold music while I was cut off three times in the course of the call.  When I finally got to customer service I explained the situation, and was put on hold again for another six minutes while she talked with her manager.  When she came back on line she apologized but said they weren't going to do anything to help me out.

I am sure their corporate policy makes sense at some level, but I for one will not be voluntarily spending any additional money at this location in Gresham Oregon, nor will I be inclined to use Best Buy as my electronics purchase point.  Id rather drive 20 miles to Fry's in Wilsonville.  I guess Id give them 1 star out of 5 for customer service.