Not Really a BEST BUY

If there was going to be a price difference, she really should have
said when she allowed the exchange. It seems to me that you did
everything right, and since they do allow returns on the items,
there's no reason why you shouldn't have got your exchange.

It's a bit off when you're spending something more anyway and they're
getting a fully resalable item that they can't use their discretion
for once. Maybe she didn't have the power, but there should have been
someone who did. I'm disappointed by this too.

you would have automatically gotten nothing at all. Federal laws
prohibit returning media like this opened because of concerns for
piracy.

And how were you "screwed" and "scammed" when you returned the DVD's
outside of the 30 day posted policy? It's unfortunate that your
family member had an illness, but that isn't Best Buy's problem.

Maybe next time you could get a gift card so your loved one can get
exactly what they want with no concern for getting a duplicate or
needing a return.

I have a problem with complaints about a store following it's
established and posted policy. I don't think that is bad customer
service, or a "scam" or a "Shady practice". Would it be nice if they
had indeed made an expection for you, yes. Are they in any way
required to, no.

Ya know what. I agree with you on this one. It doesn't seem
unreasonable that since you had presented the original reciept, the
dvd set was unopened with all packaging and in the same condition that
they sold it to you and since you were not asking for cash or credit
on a personal card back, that they could have fudged the rules a bit
and helped you out. I would have hoped for the same thing.
Especially since you were planning on purchasing items valued greater
than your return.

Of course that is outside of their store policy and they don't have to
help you out at all if they don't want to bend their policy. But I
have always been a big fan of voting with my feet. If you don't likea
store's policy, don't shop there. Once enough people realize their
policies aren't very customer friendly, it's the store's loss.

If I were you I wouldn't have completed the transaction. I would have
sold my dvd set on ebay, you could probably get more than 14.99 for it
there anyway, and I wouldn't have purchased any more dvd's from them.
I woudln't expect Best Buy to reutrn the difference to you in a store
credit and even if they did, I wouldn't step a foot back in that store
to use it if it really irritated you that bad. Think of it this way,
it only cost you $20 to learn which store will screw you in the end.

comes with responsibility. Your right to shop at Best Buy means you
need to assert your responsibility to abide by their policies.

There are no rights without responsibility.

You were beyond the 30 day return period so they made an exception and
allowed you a "no receipt" return. In most cases, at most retailers,
a no receipt return gives the the lowest sale price within X number of
days. If they had tried to process a full return with the receipt,
the system would have rejected it because it was outside the return
period.

Another thing I thought of is the Circuit City liquidation that is
soon to be complete. Possibly they need to crack down on the return
policy to prevent people from buying merhcandise at 60-70% off and
dishonestly returning it to Best Buy for store credit or an old
receipt. That would be a sneaky but convenient way to price match or
make a profit, and Best Buy may have instituted a crackdown in
response... just a thought.

It sounds like since it was ourside of the return time frame, they
needed to post it as a receiptless return to make it work.

Sorry, it is your problem and your problem alone that you failed to
meet their requirements for return.

I completely agree with you.

Yes, you were past the 30 day window and they could have just said no
- you may have complained, but so be it.

They agreed to make an exception to this policy - nice, some retailers
won't, but when they made the exception and then put unreasonable
conditions on it, it ceased to be good service in my opinion. I feel
it is wrong to return the item for less than was paid for it, when it
was still being sold for the orginal price. Yes, if they were going
to have to mark it down to put it out on their shelf, then impose that
loss on the customer who is being allowed the exception - why should
BB take the hit - but when they are going to sell it for the same
price - no way.
Are they imposing the "sale" price as your refunded price so that you
are properly punished for having the nerve to ask them to exchange?
Ridiculous.

Instead of earning your future business as a customer they have
alienated you. I bet that was worth $23.00.

I tell all of my associates that if a customer comes in outside the
window, but with an otherwise valid receipt, to make a return and the
item is still part of our current stock, to process the return and
give the customer no flack - there is no negative impact to the store
to do the return and it is not worth the aggravated customer just
because you are able to say no. This policy at BB is worse than
saying no though, IMO.

The irony is that in saving themselves - no, not saving, but earning
themselves an extra $23, people like me hear this sort of stuff and
file it away somewhere - might not even realize you are doing it, but
it colors your outlook on a retailer and influences where you spend
your money.

You can only have this attitude for so long after purchase. It sounds
like you had this item for over two months. Best Buy has a 30 day
refund/exchange policy. So, basically, they made an exception to
allow you to return it at all.

The returns policy doesn't specify exceptions, but it sounds like Best
Buy takes the position of giving a credit for the lowest price the
item was sold for in the past x days. This may be due to the fact
that after a period of time, the price is reduced, and they can no
longer sell it at the price originally paid. In other words, they
don't want to reduce their profit below a target level.

While it is true you had an unopened item and the original receipt,
the fact is some stores these days have enacted the exact policy you
experienced. We have seen other letters here reporting the same
thing.

It is safest today to find out a store's returns policy if there is
any chance you will hold the item past the allowed period. I have a
garage door opener in the box I bought for $200 a year ago. I am
going to be totally out of luck if it doesn't work.

This was WAY past the 30 return window. They could have just said
"Sorry, there is nothing we can do." Instead, they offered you what
you would have gotten had you no receipt. This is what happens
sometimes when you are out side of the return window. Sorry, but even
Walmart will do the same.

I wish you had demanded to speak with a manager. I believe you're
100% right and they owed you equal value, not the last sale price,
since you had the original receipt.