17 ms·

I can't speak for the Geek Squad (as I have never needed to use them), but they price match to Amazon (and several other online stores), and will generally have

• chuckkir 8y ago
  The flip side of this is that they charge $50 more than Apple for an iPhone. Why make all your customers demand a price match for something so widely known? It seems like it would irk most people in the hopes of extracting a few bucks from a handful of folks.
  • reaperducer 8y ago
    Why make all your customers demand a price match for something so widely known? A lot of people don't have access to Apple Stores. There are twice as many Best Buy stores in the U.S. (1,001 vs. 500ish). And unless you're super-nerd, or super-cheap, you aren't going to drop $1k on a phone online.
  • deleted 8y ago
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• dahdum 8y ago
  After getting multiple counterfeits from Amazon (including Ships/Sold from Amazon.com) due to the inventory commingling, if Best Buy stocks it, I'll go there instead.
• nicoburns 8y ago
  > vs. Amazon's "two day shipping" that regularly turned into three or four days I find this experience interesting. Here in the UK amazon offers next day delivery (and in same cases, same day delivery), and often delivers next day even when they don't claim they will. I have had problems with counterfeits though.
  • reaperducer 8y ago
    Here in the UK amazon offers next day delivery (and in same cases, same day delivery), and often delivers next day even when they don't claim they will. The U.S. has next day and same-day delivery from Amazon, as well. It also has two-hour delivery in most cities. But not every item is available in every delivery window. And not all delivery windows are available in all locations. One of the advantages of living in a small country like the U.K. is that it's much easier to cover the whole territory. (U.S. is 40x larger than U.K., with 1/8th the density.) Even though it's habitual for euro-HNers to compare themselves to the U.S., it's more often than not meaningless.
  • simias 8y ago
    Same experience with amazon.fr on all counts.
  • kop316 8y ago
    From observing comments here, it seems to be regional and dependent on the carrier. In my experience it has been the USPS (though I am sure people in other regions will say UPPS is fine, but UPS is bad, or FedEx is bad). When I saw that Amazon was shipping via USPS, I automatically knew not to bother to check for it until at least the third day of the "two day" shipping. What was even more annoying is half the time it got marked as "delivered". I tried a couple of times to complain to Amazon, but that got me to no where.
    • desireco42 8y ago
      Same thing here. It doesn't seem to be Amazon as much as USPS thing. It is a game of pretend. I had once UPS guy do this few times, but I called Amazon and then UPS to complain. In reality, most of the time I don't care when exactly it will arrive, but for that one thing I do, it always is day late :).
    • Milner08 8y ago
      Interesting in the UK they have their own courier who tend to be better than the rest, until it goes wrong that is. Then its a pain in the arse.
• duxup 8y ago
  I've had a lot of "two day" Amazon shipping turn into 3 or 4... the arrival date even on Amazon will show in the past for a few days. What used to be a sure thing from Amazon, I now just think of as "maybe". Having said that the crazy mess (tiny isles and disorganized) and $20 USB cables were Best Buy stores made me give up on them a long time ago. I've visited a few times recently to hopefully get a look at some laptops, but they always only had a collection off odd models and wonky specs.
  • reaperducer 8y ago
    Having said that the crazy mess (tiny isles and disorganized) and $20 USB cables were Best Buy stores made me give up on them a long time ago. You should pop by again and see if it's still the same. The last Best Buy I went to has massive aisle spacing and was highly organized. That doesn't mean I was easily able to find what I was looking for (headphones are scattered around different departments), but what you describe is not what I've seen lately. Like other people have said, the only reason I go to Best Buy is because I need something right now. (Replace a failed hard drive, for example.) I don't expect to get the best buy; I'm paying for the convenience.
  • paulgb 8y ago
    I almost bought a calendar on Prime today only to see that it "usually ships in 1-2 months(!)" Increasingly it feels like as a Prime subscriber I pay for shipping twice: once with my prime subscription, and a second time with the shipping cost built in to the price compared to other retailers. I ended up getting an equivalent item from Target, which ended up being cheaper even without "free" shipping.
    • ahi 8y ago
      This is true even on Amazon. Very often the Prime price is exactly the same as their third-party price + shipping. This will be my last year of Prime.
      • WillPostForFood 8y ago
• ceejayoz 8y ago
  > I know that I will get it that day (vs. Amazon's "two day shipping" that regularly turned into three or four days)... I've been seeing a big uptick in this, as well. When I asked support, they gave me a response about "we only guarantee two days shipping time". There's no guarantee on order-to-ship time, and I've seen it go from reliably a couple of hours to 2-3 days at times.
• emodendroket 8y ago
  I also was recently in the market for a laptop and the listings for Amazon were so confusing and full of pitfalls it reminded me of the bad old days of eBay. Like three-line item titles making it hard to discern what model you were buying. I ended up buying from Best Buy.
  • brazzledazzle 8y ago
    I was shopping for a monitor and the specs that were displayed varied between items. Finding the frame rate they were capable of became a chore.
  • scarface74 8y ago
    I would never buy a laptop from Best Buy, Amazon, or any other third party retailer. Consumer PC laptops are like most Android phones -- full of third party crapware. I only buy either the business line of laptops from Dell or HP or I'll buy from the Microsoft Store - either online or physical store.
    • dpark 8y ago
      The bundled crapware has nothing to do with where you buy your PC. Best Buy doesn’t install anything on the PCs they sell. Dell does, HP does, Lenovo does. You get the same crap if you buy direct or from a retailer. If you buy a “Microsoft Signature” device, you pay a small premium essentially for the manufacturer to agree not to install crap. You might (or might not) get the same from the manufacturer if you buy a “business” laptop. But it all cases, it’s the manufacturer installing whatever crap comes on your PC.
      • scarface74 8y ago
        I bought a desktop Gateway from BestBuy awhile back. It had Best Buy specific crapware and the "special edition" Dell was the same price from the MS store as it was from Dell's website. Buying the business line from Dell gets you better local support and no crapware.
• jurassic 8y ago
  Lately my items generally show up on time but badly packaged. I would say 9 of the last 10 books I bought on Amazon have had some kind of visible damage, from minor cover dings to folded covers and ripped pages. The worst is when they put a single book into a bubble envelope that is so oversized the book can slide around and rotate a full 360 degrees inside the packaging. This is essentially a trade paperback book in an evvelope large enough to hold a textbook. I have avoided returns because I don’t want to get banned from Amazon over my satisfaction with a $12 book (they are known to fire customers with too many returns), but I have started purchasing the books I want that I see in indie shops at full list just to avoid this disappointing experience.
  • mimimihaha 8y ago
    Honestly i’ve bought and returned plenty of stuff from Amazon. I never deal with their shit when something comes to me less than par. When I pay for prime, I expect to be paying for any mishandling of my items as well. Nearly every item i’ve wanted to return i’ve been told to just keep and i’ve never had any trouble with them. I always tell them i’m more than happy to send it back but they always refuse and just tell me to keep it anyways. I’ve been refunded several items in the $60-$70 range and told to keep it. It takes a lot to actually get flagged in their system. Especially if you’ve been a prime member for several years. (I think we’ve been members since 2008 or so). Don’t ever be scared to ask for it when it’s necessary and get your hard earned cash back.
    • superflyguy 8y ago
      It's not that you won't get the money back this time, but that they will refuse to sell you anything in future.
      • ceejayoz 8y ago
        (and maybe yank your Kindle collection and AWS resources at the same time...)
        • 8y ago
• deleted 8y ago
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• sc00ty 8y ago
  > but they price match to Amazon As long as the SKU matches. A lot of products tend to have a Best Buy specific SKU which prevents you from price matching on amazon, because amazon doesn't sell the same exact product. I had this happen a few years ago when purchasing a router.
  • reaperducer 8y ago
    Yeah, lots of companies do this. Wal-mart is another one. My television comes with a built-in DVR in most stores. But I got it at Fry's, so it has a special SKU and the DVR disabled so it can't be price matched.
    • jrnichols 8y ago
      My recent experience trying to get Fry's to price match something on Amazon was horrible. It was a simple USB - Serial cable, and Fry's had it for about $9 more than Amazon. They (Fry's) insisted on factoring in sales tax and then calculated UPS 2nd day shipping, even when I told them I was already a Prime member, and then argued that it was their company policy. That was the last time I shopped at Fry's, and after 20 years of shopping there, I find myself unlikely to go back.
  • ams6110 8y ago
    It's in their interest to do it anyway. Going back 30 years to when I was into photography, the local camera stores had a huge problem with customers coming in, consulting on cameras or lenses or other stuff, and then buying from Adorama or another big mail-order house. If Best Buy doesn't price-match, some people will browse at the store and then buy online wherever it's cheapest.
  • hokumguru 8y ago
    Also, the item needs to be sold by amazon itself - even if it's shipped prime. That's unfortunately easy to overlook.
• sonnyblarney 8y ago
  "I don't have to give my information so I don't feel like I am being tracked." Uhhh, you for sure will. First - BB is very aggressive on getting this stuff from you cleanly, i.e. name, addy, phone number - so they can 'track you'. Second - VISA/MC transactions will absolutely be used for that and they'll try to match up their in-store with online experiences. FYI - Visa/MC/Amex will literally sell your transaction data to almost anyone. I went in to do a deal with Amex, their only concern was selling us all sorts of your buying data. But it's nice to get stuff 'same day' :)
  • kop316 8y ago
    I am curious how they are "very aggressive". What happens with me is they say "what is your phone number?" and I say "no thank you", and they just skip it. Though it may just be my experience with them. You are correct with the credit card, they will most likely track you, but you have the option to use cash if you wish.
    • 3rdAccount 8y ago
      Yea, I politely say no to everything. Boy, do they have a lot of questions though.
      • twothamendment 8y ago
        I love the puzzled looks of clerks when they ask for my phone number or address and I decline. I've only once had to resort to "I can make up a phone number if you really want one".
        • 3rdAccount 8y ago
          Haha, or when they tell me the data will be kept confidential. I can't help but laugh at that.
    • pm90 8y ago
      The only way to be free from tracking is to: 1. Not provide your email address 2. Pay in Cash 3. Don't give your home address That is literally the only way you can't be tracked. But there are so many times you are prompted to provide that information: * would you like a receipt to be sent to your email address? * would you like to sign up for our debit card and get $40 in savings? * would you like us to home deliver this free accessory which is unfortunately not in stock at this time? You have to have Stallman level of rigor if you are serious about not being tracked.
• Stubb 8y ago
  I was sold a set of counterfeit Powerbeats3 headphones at Best Buy about a year ago. No reason to be suspicious initially, but battery life, range, and pairing were never great. They stopped working after a month, and I brought them back to Best Buy. The attendant looked carefully at the headphones and told me that they wouldn't accept the return because the serial number on the headphones didn't match the one on the box or receipt. Anyone want to tell me how that could happen? In any case, I called Apple, and they said that the serial number on my headphones was a duplicate and sent me a new set. Range, battery life, and pairing with the legit model are now all great.
  • acct1771 8y ago
    Yeah, someone returned fake gear before you bought it. Or, a middleman unloaded, knowingly or unknowingly, a shipment of fake shit to Best Buy.
• misterbwong 8y ago
  Generally agree w/ your sentiment but don't assume you aren't being tracked. You most assuredly are. If you get a chance, try looking up how retailers are now sharing/selling "Level 3" data with some 3rd parties.
  • kchoudhu 8y ago
    Cash is still a thing.
    • kitotik 8y ago
      not just at the point of sale though. from license plate scanning in the parking lot, to facial recognition and traffic analysis in the store, modern brick and mortar retail is not far behind e-commerce when it comes to privacy intrusions to collect data.
      • mieseratte 8y ago
        Never thought riding a bike and wearing a hat would help me out in the privacy department. Do they usually have cameras at the face-level or just eye-in-the-sky cameras?
      • forapurpose 8y ago
        Also, you are probably bringing your phone into the store, and it's emitting all sorts of identifying info. I've read about businesses selling tech that uses that info to identify you and uses the signal to track where you go in the store.
    • Cd00d 8y ago
      You need to turn off bluetooth on your phone too.
      • larkeith 8y ago
        Huh, I wonder if that means you should disable WiFi discovery too. Never thought I'd be that glad to be in the habit of mobile data only (not that there aren't problems there too...)
• tyu100 8y ago
  Bought my tv from Best Buy (in Canada) last year. Better selection than Amazon for electronics plus free delivery and wall mount and a store in my city in case of service issues. For small electronics I can also just drive there instead of waiting two days for delivery. I like Amazon a lot but Best Buy is doing well for themselves in the new retail era (so far). In some ways, I think Walmart may be a bigger issue for Best Buy because they have a huge selection and a bigger physical footprint.
• victor106 8y ago
  The worst thing about Amazon is that they never ship on time. They used to be really good but its been horrible lately. Also love BestBuy's work from home policy.
• daveFNbuck 8y ago
  Best Buy also has a much nicer return experience if you have an issue with your purchase.
  • mirthflat83 8y ago
    I haven't had a bad return experience with Amazon either though. Way more pleasant and hassle-free than other online retailers
    • daveFNbuck 8y ago
      I find having to mail a package to be a worse experience than just driving to a store. Also, Amazon doesn't have free returns for every return reason.
• coleifer 8y ago
  The counterfeit issue seems to be getting worse, not better. It's also become harder to differentiate legitimate listings from the manufacturer versus a third-party. I bought my smart TV from Best buy simply because I don't trust Amazon anymore. I'm having a hard time thinking what I wouldn't be suspicious of on Amazon...clothes are regularly counterfeit, colognes, electronics... Maybe books?
  • jstarfish 8y ago
    Anything worth counterfeiting likely is. A mass-market Dan Brown novel? A book is a book; as long as it's in English, you don't expect much from it, and it won't explode if improperly printed. A first-edition Lord of the Rings? Yeah, no. At that point it's less a book and more a collectible. Software is also pirated on Amazon/eBay-- everything from resold OEM licenses (sans disc) to hacked binaries (sans DRM).
• chaostheory 8y ago
  > it will certainly NOT be a counterfeit This is the competitive advantage that retailers without 3rd party sellers need to further emphasize
• nilkn 8y ago
  There's both a Best Buy and Microcenter near me (I feel very fortunate about this). I always buy from one of those two when I can instead of Amazon. It's always preferable to not deal with shipping at all, especially considering receiving packages at an apartment complex is never quite ideal, and it's always same-day. There are other benefits as well. A year ago, I was trying to decide between a 27" 1440p 16:9 144hz monitor vs. a 34" 1440p 21:9 100hz monitor. Microcenter made it super easy for me to just try out both and return one. I suppose I could've done this with Amazon but it wouldn't have been as straightforward. (I went with the latter, for what it's worth.)
• biggc 8y ago
  One issue I have with Amazon is the lack of a concrete return policy. I was looking in to order a relatively bulky item (soundbar) and I wasn't sure if I would like it. The best item-specific return policy information I could get was that I "may" have to pay for return shipping and that I "may" be charged a restocking fee. I went to a brick and mortar store instead, bought the same product for the same price with a well-defined return policy. I ended up not being impressed with the sound and was able to return it without hassle. For small items where out of pocket return shipping wouldn't be too expensive I'll go to Amazon, but for large items I'll stick to places with a local presence.
  • joemi 8y ago
    I agree that they don't have a clear returns policy, and this is a huge problem IMO. Also, if you buy from a "marketplace" (aka third party) seller instead of Amazon, they can have a return policy that's different from Amazon's (or other marketplace sellers). As far as items ordered directly from Amazon, I've found them to only give free return shipping if the item is broken or there's another issue that's Amazon's fault. They don't seem to give free return shipping if I just don't like the product. (At least that's how it is for my account. I've heard some of these policies are different for different account holders!)
  • dplgk 8y ago
    For things like that,I generally order from Target or Walmart so I can an return it, hassle free and no worry of shipping fees or damage on the way back.
• kilroy123 8y ago
  I agree about the counterfeit items on Amazon. I'm a long time fan and user of Amazon. My account is from the early 2000s. After getting a few counterfeit items from Amazon, I'm officially done with them when it comes to electronics.
• otterpro 8y ago
  I always use B&H or NewEgg and avoid Amazon, when buying flash memory and SD cards (in order to avoid counterfeits). I also bought an SD card from Best Buy recently because i needed it immediately. Anyway, as for physical brick-n-mortal presence, I just wished that I had Micro Center where I live, instead of Best Buy, though. MicroCenter has far more inventories, more interesting stuff (like Raspberry Pis in store) and better prices as well.
• ajross 8y ago
  > vs. Amazon's "two day shipping" that regularly turned into three or four days Where are you that this is true? This is directly opposite of my experience. I genuinely can't remember the last time a Prime/2-day shipment was delayed. In fact, I'll routinely and deliberately pay a premium to purchase something via Amazon Prime (both within Amazon and across internet vendors) precisely because of the confidence I have in their shipping reliability. No one else comes close, frankly. That said, in fact I don't tend to buy BestBuy-style products at Amazon very often, precisely because these things are available at competetive prices at retail. Amazon wins for things I don't feel like "shopping" for.
  • 394549 8y ago
    > Where are you that this is true? This is directly opposite of my experience. I genuinely can't remember the last time a Prime/2-day shipment was delayed. It happens all the time where I live. It's also not uncommon for my Prime packages to get totally lost by Amazon Logistics (I've never had that happen with another courier). At least now they automatically cancel those orders, I previously used to have to call them to tell them what to do when they lost my packages.
    • p-funk 8y ago
      I've had multiple bad experiences with Amazon Logistics. They routinely ship things 2-3 days late and update the tracking information with some nonsense about "attempting to deliver the package but no one was home," which I don't buy for a second. They also routinely deliver to the wrong address. One time tracking information was updated to "delivered" and my package showed up at the building next door to mine 3 days later. I came close to canceling prime the last time this happened.
    • acdha 8y ago
      Where is this? It’s been years since that’s happened here in DC and the last time it happened they gave us a pretty generous credit.
  • gshulegaard 8y ago
    I live in the Bay Area...I've had items be very delayed. Used to never have an issue, but recently (last 12 months or so) it seems like every other order has a delay of some sort (1 day or much longer). My favorite last experience was: - Amazon saying a package was delivered, it was not since I was at the delivery location... - Amazon sent me an e-mail the next day saying they were deeply sorry for losing my shipment (unprompted since I didn't report it lost yet) and they needed to contact me regarding refund or re-fufillment... - Finally a "neighbor" a few streets over came by with my package the next day. So all in all a 4 day delivery experience instead of a 2 day one. Anyway, I don't know what they changed up about their supply chain, but something is much less reliable than it used to be. My hunch is their move towards more usage of their own "contract driver" model rather than something like FedEx or UPS. But that's just speculation.
• mygo 8y ago
  I often times go to Amazon to read the reviews and then buy at Best Buy in person. it’s also easy to do returns. walk in with product, leave with cash. Also they can order products from other best buy’s, including geek squad certified open-box.
• eblanshey 8y ago
  Didn't know they price-matched Amazon, thanks for pointing it out.