Did anything materialize from their rental service that was reported this summer? Doubtful it would include smart automation devices but this post made me remember reading about it.
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Here is what you will probably need to do:
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It is completely relevant. Contractor sales agreements have very specific provisions regarding supply chain rules. In most cases the contractor isn’t even billed for the items actually used for 15-30 days (i.e. NET30 terms) Returns in the traditional sense aren’t even a factor in this instance.
Good luck with a chargeback in this case, retailer rules are still enforceable regardless of you might believe. People seem to think chargebacks are an end-all to any retail dispute. It is not and you, and the OP would likely lose once BestBuy handed over the return history dossier along with a copy of their written policy.
Others here have politely tried to explain that returns affect everyone in the form of higher prices. That’s a well documented fact. If you don’t agree with that, fine, but do not complain when a retailer cuts you off. They have just as much of a right to protect their interests as you do yours. The sense of entitlement your displaying is amazing.
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The fact that the comparison was an apples-to-oranges one is absolutely relevant.
If he was abusing the return policy (and his own description indicates that he was) then that is sufficient justification for suspending it for him.
No one (including Best Buy) is citing caveat emptor as the governing principle here. We’re saying, “Don’t be an entitlement-minded doofus who abuses a business’s return policy by habitually misusing it to compensate for your own laziness/selfishness or else that business is perfectly justified in suspending that policy with regard to you.”
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I heard Amazon goes as far as permanent bans
Thanks JDRoberts for your reply and information about the 3rd party company that I called. I talked to someone out of the country like many of the support centers do nowadays. They didn’t want to hear my story, they weren’t flexible. So today I am calling the corporate office to see if they can help. I understand the reason why they do this and if someone had looked they would have found most of my returns were exchanges for a different model. I bought 3 computers from them in the last 2 years that I didn’t return plus a lot of other things.
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Amazon does ban for abuse of the return policy. Abusers of such generous return policies affect everybody that shops there.
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Hi WB70, I don’t mind your being harsh with me as you don’t now the circumstance. I actually do my homework and read tons of reviews, which is the very reason I am on this community. However, sometimes you just can’t find the answer and have to buy the item to see if it will work for you. For example, I read every post here about the new ADT ST security system which has as ST hub built in. All that information as wells as other reviews led me to believe that ST routines and automations could sense when someone set the alarm to leave the house and then run the routines and automations. However, none of the posts actually said specifically that ST could do that. They did not specifically say that one of the ST triggers would be set by setting the alarm. I even called Samsung and they guy didn’t understand what I was talking about. The Best Buy employees were also clueless, and I am not picking on them. I understand that they would not have the detailed knowledge like people on here would.
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Just wondering how many items you actually returned? 
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Best Buy and Home Depot have different business models and different returns policies because of that. And different returns policy yet again for contractors.
Home Depot understands that many home-improvement projects are labor-intensive and time – defined, and they over stock inventory with the understanding that a lot of people will buy more than they need to so they don’t have to make an extra trip back to the store in the middle of the project, and then return the extras later. But then most of the stuff that they sell doesn’t go out of fashion quickly and is easily put back on the shelf and sold to somebody else. Not everything, but a lot of it.
Best Buy carries much lower levels of inventory and expects that people will buy one item, and then if it’s not right, return it and get something else. They also have a huge issue with fluctuating demand. Everybody wants the same thing at the same time and then three weeks later they all want something else. They have a constant struggle With keeping inventory levels right so that they have enough in stock to meet demand without ending up with items which are very hard to sell a month later.
I agree that from a consumer point of view buying home automation devices is often much more like the home-improvement shopping process at Home Depot rather than the electronics entertainment shopping process that Best Buy expects, and that Best Buy hasn’t really adjusted to this. It’s a problem for everyone. 
I’m not sure, but I also think that there are some state laws that affect returns policies which may be why people report different experiences. I do know some stores treat returns very differently if you have the receipt, for example.
Speaking just for myself, I would generally disagree that it is the consumer’s responsibility to do all the research before they ever get in the store. I know most people who are members of this forum do that, but it’s not a requirement, either socially or legally. Most stores expect, and even encourage, impulse buys based on displays in the store. It’s one of the few advantages that brick and mortar stores still have over online shopping.
At the same time, it’s good to be aware that most stores are not like Home Depot – – they don’t expect you to buy a lot of stuff that you know you are going to be returning later. Because then they have to carry a lot of extra inventory that will never pay for itself. And this can definitely complicate home automation shopping from both sides.
FWIW
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TRE (The third-party company that processes returns ban for Best Buy) has a formal process for appealing the bans. You will need the receipt that told you that you would be banned from future purchases, as it has your case number on it. Then there is a specific step that you take to dispute the ban.
At that point, I believe the first thing they do is send you a report showing your returns history and then there’s some kind of form you fill out to explain every item on that history. You send that back to them and they look at it. And after all of that if they don’t lift the ban that’s when you start talking to people on the phone.
So did you formally appeal the ban using your case number?
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I don’t think anyone (and certainly not myself) is arguing that it’s unacceptable to ever buy the wrong thing because you didn’t know every relevant fact about a product before you got in the car. What we’re talking about is almost the polar opposite of that…namely, making a habit of buying stuff with so little information that you end up having/wanting to return said stuff so frequently that you trigger a business’s fraud detection mechanisms.
Amazon’s very effective targeted e-displays and my own shopping history with them suggest that B&Ms don’t really enjoy much of an advantage in that area. Also, an “impulse buy” involves the on-the-spot decision to buy something that you did not set out to buy when you initially entered the store (physical or virtual)…and yes, successful retailers are quite good at encouraging those. But what OP described was purchases that he went to the store intending to make from the get-go, but without enough information on the products in question to know whether or not they were really what he wanted/needed.
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Industry analysts put shoppers into different categories as far as shopping style goes (and sometimes the same person has different shopping styles for different categories).
Researchers, which is what many of the people on this forum are as far as home automation equipment goes, gather lots of information, read the labels, study everything before they make a purchase decision. And they are fairly easy to cross sell online, because when a description of a new item they’ve never seen before appears on the page, they are the most likely to check it out and read all about it.
Casual Shoppers, on the other hand, are almost impossible to cross sell online. They don’t follow links for items they’re not already familiar with. To be honest, many of them don’t like reading, and they don’t read labels either. But if they’re walking through a store and something catches their eye, they may stop and look at it. They respond well to in-store demonstrations. And you have to have the item out of the box in order to get their attention, which is why so many in-store displays are set up the way they are.
I don’t doubt that most of the people reading this forum go online to buy one thing and end up reading about a bunch of others and then add more stuff to the cart. But it’s not the way everyone shops, and it’s probably not the way most people shop. Even Amazon has a hard time getting people to buy the accessories for an item. Not people like you and me 
, but most people.
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FYI, when I mentioned buying extras I was referring to HD/Lowes. Extra tile when tiling, extra plumbing fixers when I don’t know for sure what will be needed, stuff like that. I’ve never done this at Best Buy.
I did buy the two sound bars at the request of the person working there to “audition” them. I was going to buy a cheaper one and he encouraged me to get a Sonos to try out. The wife liked it so much we bought a whole 5.1 Sonos system, so it definitely works out for them sometimes. And I don’t feel like I would be abusing things if I returned it and kept the cheaper one. But perhaps that’s just me.
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When it comes down to it, BB blocking returns AFTER a purchase is just a shady business practice. It’s in the company’s interest, not the consumer/s. Having a 14-day return policy posted without the “unless we don’t like your habits” disclaimer is pretty shameful.
The fact is if the company would have told OP that he couldn’t return the items if he changed his mind then they wouldn’t have made the sale. Having worked in retail before, I saw this same type practice being used by individual salespeople to get that on-the-fence buyer.
I don’t have a problem with the company protecting itself, but I also don’t care about BB’s losses due to scams because the average customer is not trying to scam. We are bombarded with products of varying brands, features, compatibility, quality and reliability. Excessive returns should be factored into the selling process, especially with small electronics.
I currently am a returner, and I will not hesitate to do it when the product doesn’t meet my needs after purchase. I am also a researcher, but research has its limits. Sometimes it takes getting that box home and staring at it for a couple days to realize that you just don’t want/need it.
Honestly, I could actually see assessing a restocking fee as fair practice for excessive returns over not allowing returns at all. It’s a win-win, with the buyer and the seller losing a bit (lose-lose?). Still, the company should notify the buyer that this is his/her last return this month/year/decade before the penalty kicks in.
Amazon will actually give you warning prior to being penalized. It’s just the right thing to do…
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I think this is the best reply I have seen on the subject. Thanks
Losses due to scams drives up prices for everybody.
Your own words- Excessive. Returns are factored in to their profit margin. Excessive returns are a cause of loss to the companies. Companies will raise prices to absorb that cost.
I’ve worked retail and saw how returns affect everything. Most returns can not just be put back on the shelf and resold. They have to destroy or trash the items or if the manufacturer allows it they can send them back.
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Right. My big issue isn’t so much with the internal policy as it is with NOT informing the customer PRIOR to the purchase.
And BB raising their prices due to loss, shrink, etc, it is of little concern to the educated consumer. I only buy from BB 3-5 times a year, due to price…and that’s usually when they’re competing with Amazon’s price. I choose BB over Amazon simply because I can get it today and return it today, if need be.
That said, the returns in question are not scams or actual losses. They are returned sales and unopened at that. These are sales that would have never appeared in this quarter for BB (unless the OP simply used a different name and/or CC) anyway, IF they would have told him that he couldn’t make the return.
The reason BB went to 15 days was to mitigate open box returns which frequently actualize as losses, but that’s only one side of the equation. Without a fair (consumer perception) return policy, sales will suffer, which would theoretically raise costs as well.
That’s probably the reason that BB is currently testing different return policies in different markets. They are trying to find the sweet spot between reduced losses due to returns and customer satisfaction.
Either way, they won’t be getting my dollars unless I need to purchase something I am likely to return. I’m a bad customer, but I know it. (I’m not even going to get into those hours of salespeople’s time I burn when I’m researching a major purchase and I don’t even intend to buy from them.)
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Words fail me.
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Meh.
What did Best Buy and/or Amazon ever “do for you” or do for the “social good”? This is a cut-throat business.
Best Buy could adopt a policy of “no returns ever” and simplify everything and alienate customers or … the opposite.
Hammacher Schlemmer has a lifetime satisfaction guarantee (not sure what the exceptions are…), but they afford this by extremely overcharging for their impulse buy gadgets … $50 for this password storage calculator device that cost $1 to manufacture?
Amazon is hunting for a new headquarters and they are making States and Cities fight over it by asking for who will offer the biggest tax breaks: Tax breaks that will hurt the community much, much more than the benefits Amazon will bring.
Corporations are evil. Whether or not that justifies less than “perfect” consumer manners is an interesting ethical discussion though. It’s a tough world.
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