Best Buy & Rebates

I was reading through the blogs at FortyFaces and found out from LunarAdventures that Best Buy is Eliminating Mail-in Rebates .

That reminded me of a few experiences I have had with Best Buy, which ultimately exploded into a scene I am not really proud of, but I will share with you anyhow.

If the truth be known, I suppose I have spent in excess of over $20,000 at Best Buy. I have bought refrigerators, many computers, software, TV sets, desks, entertainment systems, stereos, CD players, music, DVD’s. gift certificates, microwaves, George Forman cooking grills, Video game consoles, video games, vacuum cleaners, and this list could go on down to paper and ink. We went there so often, my daughter Laura felt sure there should be a parking space for me in reserve.

Years back, it seemed almost every purchase had a rebate offer. The ad would come to my home, lure me into the store, only to find out that the price was actually a reflected price AFTER you filled in your life story in triplicate, made copies of the register receipt, and cut out parts of the box the item came in, and sent it all to a rebate center.

This happened a series of times in a row, to where it was beginning to exasperate me. I remember on one occasion, going all around to the store where I had to locate a certain person to pick up the specified rebate form. Once the person was found, and they told me all that was needed, I promptly found a suggestion box where I wrote in “PLEASE ELIMINATE REBATES”.

After arriving home with the new items and taking hours to make copies of receipts, filling in very small print forms, and addressing envelopes, and cutting through thick cardboard, I would sit there and say, “Never again will they trick me into coming into that store!”

Until…they had one item no one else had. It was a software graphics program that my friend Marta wanted badly, and she was coming to the states for a visit and I wanted to pick it up for her birthday. The price mentioned in the ad was a lot less than the original price of that program. Marta, being a lover of music, wanted to go to Best Buy anyhow, and pick up some CD’s to take back with her to Spain. Apparently music is a lot less expensive here in the states.

So, I took Marta and her husband Pepe to Best Buy, set them loose in the music section, and I was going to go to the software aisle and without their notice, pick up Marta’s present. It was to be a surprise.

There was only one left, and the box was a little torn, but I grabbed it quickly, only to notice that a sticker glared at me that once again, the price I had seen, was going to require a rebate.

Fine. For Marta, I will do it!

So, I quickly go to locate someone for this rebate form, once again. This took 3 employees. The first one didn’t know, the second one wasn’t sure, and finally the third one, pointed out to me there was a new store policy, “We don’t hand them over to you personally anymore. You may just simply go to the front of the store and find the rebate for your item.”

That simple.

Let me pause for a second here to explain something. I am normally quiet, happy, smiling, reserved, patient and mostly gracious in many aggravating situations. Marta and Pepe knew me quite well, and had come to believe that I was like this always.

Back to me at Best Buy. I go to the front of the store, with Marta and Pepe following me. At this point they had collected their CD’s and were suspicious I was up to something. I marched towards the front picturing in my mind, neatly stacked rebate forms where I could find mine for the graphics program, and still somehow manage to sneak this purchase without their notice.

There were no neat stacks of forms. It was mass confusion. There was no order and when I approached the forms I could see there were literally thousands…all jumbled up and disorganized and there was no chance of finding the one I needed. I approached yet another employee asking if someone could be of help to find one little rebate in that mess. “Oh it should be there, you can find it.”

I looked. What I saw whas there were rebates for every kind of appliance item under the moon. None were in order, and there were so many, it was going to take me all day, and surely the surprise for Marta was already ruined, with me not worrying about being discreet with my purchase tucked under my arm, but fumbling through tiny square papers, none of which I needed.

In an unusual loud tone for me, I let anyone near who would listen know, that my particular rebate was not there. A rather nervous employee said that he was sure it was to keep looking. “In this mess?” I yelled.

And I just don’t know what came over me. “If it’s so easy,” I said, “YOU find it!”
And with one sweeping dramatic motion of my arm, I knocked all thousands of their rebate forms to the floor. My nostrils flaring, my Irish up, and my arms now crossed breathing heavily, it let them all know, I wasn’t going to lift a finger, THEY were going to have to find that form. Marta and Pepe were in shock. They had never seen their “Xerraire” this way before.

The rebate form found, the present purchased, and a quiet car ride home, I rode home wondering if I was going to be banished from the store next time or what, IF there was a next time.

There was a next time. Once again, I needed something and oh yes, it required a rebate, only…it had suddenly become the Best Buy of Stepford. Everyone was smiling, and no longer did anyone need a rebate form, Best Buy had a NEW policy. Their registers now printed the form, and not only that, they also printed a duplicate copy of your receipt so no one had to made copies themselves any longer!

As I marveled at this new shift of policy in their rebates, I had to smile. Picking up my purchase and walking out of the store, I’d like to think, I had something to do with their new policy.

And now that I have embarrased myself with this one, perhaps another time I will tell the story of me, BestBuy, and the HP computer they helped me build…that one is a doozy.