When it comes to the latest tech and gadgets, I just don’t talk the talk on this blog. I like to back it up by taking my paychecks down to Best Buy and taking a few toys off of the wish list. But of course, Best Buy is just a store providing a product like many other stores out there. Not including online merchants that offer better prices. Despite the competition, Best Buy over the years has a proven track record with me for customer service.
I am not talking about the Geek Squad or good employees here. I am talking about price matching, rewards programs, and a full featured spread of tech.
Lets start of with the Best Buy Rewards program. I have been a member of the Reward Zone program for over three years now and have accumulated approximately $250 of free gift certificates. These certificates have been used to purchase many items of my choice from their store. It’s a pretty simple process. You spend money, you earn 1 point per dollar spent, and then you get a $5 gift certificate for every 250 points you earn. If you spend $2500 annually (which I do) at Best Buy, then you receive even more perks like free shipping for online orders and no certificate expiration dates! I am sure you have heard of credit cards, airlines, and other services paying you back for your loyalty. So if you enjoy your tech toys like me, it pays to be a loyal customer.
The next big deal maker for me is that if you ask (Keyword ASK!), Best Buy will match the prices of any competitor (Target, WalMart, Office Depot, ect). I cannot tell you the last time I walked out of a Best Buy after paying full price for one of their items. The key here is having a way to scan for cheaper prices. Since I am an IPhone user, I rely on the app RedLaser. Simply scan the barcode with your IPhone and it will look up all the stores that have that product along with their corresponding prices. Scroll through the list, find the cheapest price and show it to a customer service rep, and walk of Best Buy with a little more money in your wallet. An argument here is that the lowest price is usually an Amazon price. Amazon is not considered a direct competitor to Best Buy because it is an online-only store. But if you find the right person, my experience has proven that a lot of times they will match the Amazon price as well (depending on the demand of the item).
The last point that puts Best Buy way over the top for me is the fact that they go above and beyond what is expected from a store. Case in point, I recently purchased a new desktop computer from Best Buy. The computer cost $640, but my handy RedLaser app told me that another store had the same computer for $600. I purchased the computer and took it home, used it and loved it. It was just what I was looking for. Everything was great for about a week when I spotted an add for the exact same computer at Office Depot for $500!!! I was immediately bummed because I thought I missed out on a better deal. But I didn’t give up…… I took my receipt into Best Buy along with the Office Depot add and the customer service representatives immediately agreed to credit my credit card the $100 difference. In the end, I saved nearly %22 percent on the overall cost without any resistance from Best Buy. They were there to serve.
Moral of the story is, be a smart shopper. Let Best Buy work for you and get paid back for your loyalty.
Enjoy your TECH!
