BestBuy apology - $100 savings on all PLASMA TV's

As a valued Best Buy customer, we want to inform you of an error that will appear in the September 23, 2007 Best BuyTM ad. On the front cover we mistakenly listed the price of the 50" Panasonic Plasma TV (TH_50PZ77U- 8501711) at $1709, after $90 savings. We intended to advertise the 42" Panasonic Plasma TV (TH-42PZ77U-8501757) at $1709, after $90 savings.

Best Buy will not be honoring this price on the aforementioned 50" Panasonic Plasma TV.

We apologize for any inconvenience, and we will offer a $100 Instant Rebate on all Plasma Televisions from Sunday, September 23, 2007 through Saturday, September 29, 2007. This Instant Rebate will be deducted from the price you see in the store, including our regular sale prices.

Thank you for your understanding. We look forward to seeing you in our store soon.

should have read...

"We are sorry that we made our consumers think for just one minute that our price on electronics would actually be competitive. To make it up to you, we will offer $100 off all plasma TVs which will still end up priced hire than almost any retailer in the market. We will try and convince you though that you should not get a 720p tv and jump up to 1080p for real HD. We will make up stories on how it is better, but really we are just trying to get more money out of your pockets to pay our incredibly clueless sales and management team."

Best Buy needs to get hit for deceptive practices like KB Toys did (although the "hit" ended up being nothing more than a sale for them.. they probably made money on it...) I personally believe they do this stuff on purpose to generate traffic.

Only time I shop at BB is when they have price mistakes! bastards caught on this time around

PM to Circuit City / Sears ...?

The latest one is Epson? $45 store credit.

Claymore said: tyrone3971 said: I'm not liking this trend where retailers rip off consumers first then offer apology savings.

Well sure, it's great. Ripped you off once, and THEN apologize by inviting you to come buy something from them. They've been using this tactic ever since the GeForce 3Ti product release preorder scam; Maybe sooner.

PinwiZ said: I love how you people expect them to give you a TV for free otherwise they're a ripoff. They made a printing error, they could simply tell you "shove off, we're not honoring that", they could simply pull all of those TVs off the shelves and tell you they're out of them and not honoring rain checks, or they can say "sorry, our mistake, but we'll give you $100 off any Plasma".

None of you were in any way harmed by their error, so get over yourselves about being victimized by their "deceptive practices"

Couldn't agree more,
BUT BEST BUY SUCKS ANYWAY
like the previous poster mentioned

overpriced and clueless.

PinwiZ said: I love how you people expect them to give you a TV for free otherwise they're a ripoff. They made a printing error, they could simply tell you "shove off, we're not honoring that", they could simply pull all of those TVs off the shelves and tell you they're out of them and not honoring rain checks, or they can say "sorry, our mistake, but we'll give you $100 off any Plasma".

None of you were in any way harmed by their error, so get over yourselves about being victimized by their "deceptive practices"

I think the 'take home' message here is that this isn't the first time they've done this or similar events... yes accidents happen. Accidents happening frequently, people begin questioning motives. That is all these people are saying, that and expressing yet more frustration for a retailer that doesn't seem to respect their customers (that is based on years of interaction with BB and simply on this printing mistake).

So if I buy this advertised Plasma at Circuit City today can I still use my CitiBank rewards card to pricematch to WorseBuy next week ? I may give it a go.

fake ads and now no monopoly game!!
guess getting rid of many ccities and
CompUSA's is going to their heads! they are now the MONOPOLY AND OWN
THE SPACE!

verklempt said: should have read...

"We are sorry that we made our consumers think for just one minute that our price on electronics would actually be competitive. To make it up to you, we will offer $100 off all plasma TVs which will still end up priced hire than almost any retailer in the market. We will try and convince you though that you should not get a 720p tv and jump up to 1080p for real HD. We will make up stories on how it is better, but really we are just trying to get more money out of your pockets to pay our incredibly clueless sales and management team."This is incomplete. Need to add:

"Since we are giving you $100 off, we strongly recommend that you take that money and put it towards the purchase one of our over-priced, money in our pockets service plans. As a convenience to our customers, we will automaticlly add the most expensive service plan at time of purchase."

WHOA BUDDY- This is a withdrawal of a future offer!?!?

Difference here to the susposedly unintentional price mistakes retailers make to get folks in and then switch is it's been brought to their attention- they say it's "wrong", but they're going to publish it anyway. Definition of intentional fraud is knowing something is invalid and offering it anyway. Hope some states nail em on this- it's taking bait and switch to new levels.

tomdc said: WHOA BUDDY- This is a withdrawal of a future offer!?!?

Difference here to the susposedly unintentional price mistakes retailers make to get folks in and then switch is it's been brought to their attention- they say it's "wrong", but they're going to publish it anyway. Definition of intentional fraud is knowing something is invalid and offering it anyway. Hope some states nail em on this- it's taking bait and switch to new levels.Ads are not offers to sell, they are invitations to come in and bid. Everyone needs to take a class in contract law and become an informed consumer. Even if this was an offer, they have rescinded it before it even became effective, and they have the right to do that. BB might be a crappy company that sells $25 USB cables to 80 year old ladies, but they're not doing anything illegal yet, and that's why we hate them.

Dude I am an expert in contract law and believe me it is illegal to publish an ad you admit in advance is invalid. You don't make the offer- ie withdraw the ad. BB does this toooo much for coincidence. "We're going to make a phony offer on our front page but the million people coming in for it will get a wonderful $100 off any of our plasmas that are priced hundreds over what others sell them for- we'll convince you once you're here!" BB is starting to stand for Big for Britches.
TOMDC,Esq.

knickdigger said: "...and to apologize, we at Best Buy will offer you a FREE one-year Rewardz Zone membership..."

hey, don't knock the bestbuy reward zone program... i bought up quite a few of those bestbuy clearance laptops and ended up with over $200 in reward zone certs! add that to the $50 concession coupon they handed out for the Lenovo laptop fiasco and I was able to grab a Panasonic DMC-TZ3 digicam for almost nothing after a PM to CC AND Madden 08 for $10!

it beats the heck out of OD's crap rewards imo.

i'm sure there are some who like OD's rewards but i just hate the way you get zilch in the way of reward points on pc purchases.

I am sure their ads are printed in advanced by weeks to months. If someone didn't catch it, it's their fault.

tomdc said: Dude I am an expert in contract law and believe me it is illegal to publish an ad you admit in advance is invalid. You don't make the offer- ie withdraw the ad. BB does this toooo much for coincidence. "We're going to make a phony offer on our front page but the million people coming in for it will get a wonderful $100 off any of our plasmas that are priced hundreds over what others sell them for- we'll convince you once you're here!" BB is starting to stand for Big for Britches.
TOMDC,Esq.

Dude lawyers talk like that? DUDE! Totally rad dude!

Noahbody123 said: And if you believe that a real "expert in contract law" actually says 'Dude, I am an expert in contract law..." then you deserve whatever scam you fall for. But then again free legal advice is always worth what you paid for it.

J.D. UGA Law 1975 (studied under Wellman who wrote the hornbook on Contract Law and drafted the Uniform Commercial Code), Diploma Hague Academy of International Law 1976 in international private law, 28 years practice in international contract law. Dude.

qcumber98 said: Only time I shop at BB is when I have Best Buy Bucks! Shove it up their asses.
So...what's the ratio of a Best Buy Buck to a Schrute Buck? --- Sorry, couldn't resist

BTW First post!!!

tomdc said: Dude I am an expert in contract law...

Dude looks like a...moron.

JimsEmptyWallet said: tomdc said: Every jurisdiction has different laws on false advertising. Under contract common law they are about to make an offer, couched in tons of fine print, they will not honor, and seem to be making no effort to stop it's publication.

Agree about different laws in different jurisdiction but can you give us just one example? For someone that has over 25 yrs of law practice, surely naming one law should not be an issue.

I don't know what to think but I am pissed off at Worst Buy for other reasons (such as them selling my instore pickup item before I get to the store)

Ok, here is the issue. If BestBuy could reasonably cancel their advertisement, then legally they must. If they choose to run with the advertisement, then it can open up a lot of consumer complaints and class actions. Just because it has been printed, is not a good enough reason not to cancel.

If we can prove this was planned, then they will get in trouble. If we can prove that they could reasonably cancel the add, then they will get in trouble. Otherwise, they are safe.

People asking for the laws should look up variations of false advertising and bait and switch. Also pure contract law.

There are a lot of laws. How about this one in california:

California Business and Professions code 17500.5.b
Any person, firm, corporation, or association who, by means of such false or negligent advertisement or publicity, induces any individual retail purchaser and consumer to enter any place of business designated therein seeking to buy any article so advertised or publicized, and then refuses to sell to such person the article at the price advertised in any quantity then available for sale on said premises, shall be liable to each person so induced and refused, for the losses and expenses thereby incurred, and the sum of fifty dollars ($50) in addition thereto.