Best Buy cheated me and they won

I'm being very serious here. Beware the allure of the Best Buy Credit Card. The 18 months same as cash is a trap from which you cannot escape.

In November, I ordered a $900 laptop from Best Buy. I walked into the store with the make and model and price from the website and said, "order me that one". How much simpler could I make it on the salesperson? Here it is, I wants it. I have a card. Charge it.

Nope. It was a HUGE trial. We were there for about an hour during which I was asked over and over if I had the right laptop (it was printed out from their website). Their computer had a different price than the site. It didn't come in the same color. Blah blah blah.They didn't seem to have a clue what they were doing and I was so frustrated that I almost cancelled the order and walked out. I wish now that I had. But the deed was done. While I was at it, I bought Microsoft Office 2010 for $99.99, replacing my 2003 Student/Teacher Edition and making me squee with joy. Oh and I bought a warranty for the laptop for $129.99 (that is important).

So while it was shipping in, I had many conversations with Hubs about it and we decided not to get the laptop. It was a lot of money and honestly we were a bit soured by our experience with the store. So when it came in, I went to the store with all my receipts and warranty paperwork and I said, "I ordered a laptop but I have decided I don't want it. I bought a warranty too. I'm sorry and I'd like to return it."

The girl nodded, said "No problem" and took my paperwork. She brought out the laptop and proceeded to ring up the credit. She handed me the receipt and had me sign for it. Now here was problem one. I no longer remembered how much the laptop cost exactly. I was at the store so long and there was so much BS being slung at me about what I needed to buy that I honestly did not remember. So for my part, I should have read the damn receipt and caught the error, but alas I did not. I signed for it and went about my business.

I received a bill in Mid December that seemed off. I should only have been charged for the MS Office software which was $99.99. The bill was for $243 and some change. I called the store and was informed that the extra $129.99 amount was for the warranty. I gently explained that I didn't owe a warranty because I didn't have a laptop. They seemed baffled by this. They cannot charge me for a warranty on an item I never possessed. The girl on the phone told me that I would need to come into the store with the warranty info in order to resolve it.

I searched all over. I couldn't find it. I was fairly certain I shredded it. I mean why would I keep the warranty paperwork on a piece of machinery I don't own? I was still trying to figure it out at the end of December when I got another bill. Now I was being charged a $25 late fee for not paying the bogus bill.

I called the store again. The guy on the phone looked it all up and said, "Okay we can fix it" and he said he took care of it. It was all set. The warranty was removed. No need to come in and show imaginary paperwork. He told me that I should sign up on the website and check my balance in a few days.

I went online and signed up. A stupidly torturous process during which I set up my login for my Best Buy Rewards Zone only to find out the credit card is a completely separate login and password so I had to set that up in addition to the other. Then when you go to log in, you have to choose which card you have from three on the screen. I couldn't figure it out, as the card like mine was TURNED AROUND so I couldn't see the front to differentiate between them. I had to sign up and try all three styles of card to figure out which one was mine. At that point, as John Pinette would say, I had lost my cherub like demeanor. I went to the site and it had the same balance.

A few days after that, I tried again and yay, the credit was there! But waaaait, it wasn't for the full amount! They only credited me $119.99 and the late charge was still on there.

I called them again and said, "What's up with the partial credit?" They were confused again and told me that I needed to come into the store (again with this nonsense?) with the warranty information.

I ransacked my office and found I did have the warranty info tucked away. It wasn't shredded yet. So I drove out to Best Buy, intent on fixing this.

The guy behind the counter was the same one I'd talked to who gave me the partial credit. He acted as though I were very, very stupid for not understanding that the warranty was pro-rated. Since I waited a month to complain (when my bill came), they charged me $10 for the warranty. I was like, "But you are charging me for something that doesn't exist. I never had the laptop. I brought all the paperwork when I returned the laptop!" He told me that I would need to go home and call the number on the Best Buy card and fight it out with them. I asked why they didn't just tell me that when I called the third time and he shrugged. Didn't know, didn't seem to care.

Tonight I had given up. I was going to just pay the bill online and be done with it. I didn't want to fight anymore. I'd take the loss, pay the late fee and lock the BB card up forever. So I went online to pay and you have to sign up YET AGAIN for a special service to pay your card online. So I signed up only to find out, they take your banking info. You can't pay with your credit card or debit card online. Are you fucking with me Best Buy? Why can't I pay with my credit card? It's safer doing that (which is tracked by my credit card company) than leaving my banking info floating around cyber land.

Now I am really pissed off. But I try really hard to be polite even when I'm angry. I called the number on the bill to pay and got a message that informed me they don't take credit card over the phone either. GRRORIWOIKDSLKJDALK WTFBBQkalktoer.WHAT? THE? FUCK?

I had to hit roughly a thousand menu buttons and finally got a very nice customer service rep named, Chris. He listened quietly while I told him the whole story and threatened to use my Best Buy card for target practice unless it was resolved. He asked if he could put me on hold to discuss this with someone higher up. I said sure. He had me on hold for a couple of minutes. He came back on the line and very sheepishly expressed his apologies for the trouble I had and then told me that they couldn't handle this over the phone. He was very sorry to make me jump through more hoops but it needed to go to CASE FUCKING REVIEW.

At that point I asked, "Pray tell Chris, what is Case Review and can I stab it with a fork?"

No I couldn't. See now I had to gather up all my receipts to prove that I returned the laptop (they have on file that I returned it, because they credited me $900 for it). They also needed copies of the sales slip from the credit for $119.99. I explained that I didn't have a receipt for that since it was done over the phone and also THEY HAVE THE CREDIT ON FILE. THEY ARE LOOKING AT IT. WHY AM I PROVIDING YOU WITH PROOF OF WHAT YOU ARE ALREADY SEEING ON THE SCREEN???

He said I would have to submit everything I had to case review and they would decide in a week or so. If they agreed with my complaint, he could take the late charge off the account.

At that point I was steaming mad. I am not faxing them receipts they already have on file. That is stupid and I don't have time for stupid things. I am not waiting another week, during which time I will be charged another late fee and then have to dispute that one too.

I took some deep breaths while Chris went on and on about how I file the complaint and I finally cut him off. I told him that he won. His shyster company won. I was going to drive -again- to Best Buy and pay the whole balance. They could have the extra money. But not only am I never shopping there again, I am gonna make sure everyone knows what lying cheats they are. Because SERIOUSLY. They have a seriously awful and counter-intutive system for paying bills and the fact that their system doesn't understand that you can't charge a warranty on a returned item is insane. But they win.

So I'm warning you, if you want to be overcharged and ripped off, then definitely get a Best Buy card. If you don't want those things, then save your money and pay cash for what you want. Because everything they do is designed to rip extra money from your wallet.

PS I am going to Best Buy tomorrow to pay the bill. I am going to hit the bank in the morning and take out the cash. Now the balance is at $145 for some reason and I just can't bother asking why. The bills are amorphous, ever changing things. I'm going to wait until very close to closing time. Then I'm going to ask to speak with a manager and I'm going to tell him or her the full story and let them know that since they have cheated me out of my hard earned money, they can pass onto corporate how much I hate their guts and I'm gonna pay the entire balance in unrolled pennies. Because Fuck you Best Buy. Your managers can spend the evening counting that shit out and if they refuse the take it, I can take them to court and dispute the complete charges on the grounds that I attempted to pay for it and they refused my legal tender.

I am in a bad mood. Fuck Best Buy. Fuck it forever.