Best Buy Shenanigans

This past Sunday started out relatively normal, my wife and I woke up at around 8 AM by way of our 14 month old baby girl alarm clock. Nothing special was planned for the day, so we just went about our business getting ourselves somewhat presentable and feeding the baby. The only thing on the agenda at this point of note was to check out my wife's parents new 37" LCD HDTV, simply for the fact that we were itching to get one ourselves.

So once we got gussied up and the baby fed so that she was off of E we headed out the door for the approximately 2 mile trek to her parents house. We arrived and checked out the new addition to the family and promptly decided we should get one ourselves. So we quickly headed back home and planned on leaving to head to one of three Best Buy's within an hour and a half of our home. We decided to call these three Best Buy's and check on the availability of a 40" Proscan 1080p LCD TV. Only one had this particular model in stock, and this one also happened to be the farthest of the three away. But at this point we had gone all in and had to stick to our guns. It was a date.

The plan of action was to wait till we had fed the baby lunch and then to leave at a time when we could expect the baby to take her first nap on the way over there. We did and she didn't. However, she was surprisingly happy for an impossibly not to be tired stinker. She just sang and played her way to this strange electronics mecca. We arrived at Best Buy with the expectation of spending at least $499 in order to qualify for what was apparently the previous weeks offer of no interest for 12 or 18 months (I can't remember which). Little did we know this offer was doneski and the other offer we considered of $799 or more for 36 months no interest had now been upped to $999 or more. Zoinks. We'd been suckered. This I can't fault Best Buy for, however.

So spend $999 or more it was. We found the 40" Proscan and decided on it rather quickly, although I did look around at the other TVs to see if there would be a last minute change of heart. We then struggled for what seemed like an endless amount of time about what else to get to add up to the required purchase amount. After chasing the baby around, who squealed and hammed it up all the while, we finally settled on a 26" Dynex TV for the bedroom and a Samsung home theater system with a 1080p up converting DVD player. These items combined with the Geek Squad 4 year black tie warranty added up to over the $999 hot spot.

However, once we had applied for the credit card, received our credit limit, and finished checking out; or so we thought, the real problem arose. Our purchase was showing up as having only a 6 month no interest period. Apparently the black tie warranty was not part of the promotional purchase offer. This was not clear in the Best Buy ads. It simply stated on home theater and geek squad purchases over $999 36 months no interest.

One of the supervisors agreed to call in a payment plan change request to the credit card headquarters. After what seemed to be a surprisingly unproductive and disconcerting conversation with the operator the Best Buy supervisor told us that he would send in a faxed copy of the Best Buy promotional ad as well as let us know when he heard back from the credit card company. So off we were with a beautiful breeze of uncertainty and anxiety in the air. Not sure if we were going to get hit with a bombshell of interest in 6 months. Heading home with an exhausted 14 month old baby girl, who didn't sleep on the way back by the way, and feeling hungover from the ride through the vague land of creditville.

So in closing, Best Buy I beg you to work on learning what your current promotions are and then conveying them to the customer. And please Mr. Supervisor don't leave us hanging in credit limbo for long, either lower the hammer or ease the anxiety.