Best Buy refused refund on defective Chromecast purchased in retail store because of Netflix bundle

[MissyHaney]

I bought a couple of Chromecasts from Best Buy. (on two separate receipts because the manager wan'ts sure if two Chromecasts on the same receipt would result in two Netflix 3 months free codes)

I played with the first one for a day and it worked great. Gave the 2nd one to my 96-year-old grandfather. He was able to start streaming on his Netflix account within minutes. Scary, isn't it? he can also thumb-typ faster than a 12-year-old girl. (but that's another story)

My own Chromecast must have somehow fried itself. The light does not come on the next day.(either the red or white LED). I tried other USB adapters and still got no response. It was as dead as a pebble.

I took it back to Best Buy. The customer service guy started typing stuff into the computer and informed me the price of the Netflix 3-month subscription would be deducted from the refund.($23.97 shown on the receipt) He said that I could have already used the code. Well.. I did NOT. I'm not sure how to prove it. I offered to let him log into my Netflix account to verify, but he said that I could have given the code to somebody else to use. (which I also did not do) The manager walked over to see what all the fuss was about. There were about 12 people behind me and I was holding up the line. Don't know why they don't have more than one employee doing returns...

The manager stood behind what the employee said. After 10 minutes of going back and for in a "friendly" argument, he gave me four options:

(1) accept the refund, less the $23.97 Netflix subscription

(2) wait until they have another Chromecast in stock and come in for an even exchange (not very likely, according to him)

(3) do nothing and leave the store

(4) be escorted out of the store by security

(5) call Google and let them handle it

I chose option (3) and left. I spent the last half hour trying to figure out how to contact Google, but couldn't find anything.

Can anybody help me out here?

 

[digital0verdose]

Did you buy with cash or a card? If it was the latter, dispute it with your bank and see if you can get a refund. If you do get a refund, take the device back to the store, find the manager, hand him the device and tell him the bank fixed his mistake and did so without threatening to use security.

 

[MissyHaney]

Did you buy with cash or a card? If it was the latter, dispute it with your bank and see if you can get a refund. If you do get a refund, take the device back to the store, find the manager, hand him the device and tell him the bank fixed his mistake and did so without threatening to use security.

Unfortunately, I paid with cash. I don't suppose I can file a dispute with the US Department of Treasury who issued the two brand-new $20 bills that I used to pay for the Chromecast?

None of the other 5 Best Buys in my area have the Chromecast in stock, according to their in-store computer. I may just try one of the other Best Buy stores to see if i can find a more understanding manager.

 

[ultravisitor]

I see five options, not four.

 

[knuckhead]

Could you not have kept the $11 refund and used the Netflix code for your own account? You wouldn't have lost any money that way, as it is now you don't have the $11 they offered to you.

 

[jaredsutter]

Could you not have kept the $11 refund and used the Netflix code for your own account? You wouldn't have lost any money that way, as it is now you don't have the $11 they offered to you.

Yeah, the code was still on the receipt, right? You could just go ahead and use the code any time before the end of the year.

I would probably use the code given to me, then wait and do an even exchange when they have them in stock. You wouldn't have use of your Chromecast for a while (but you won't have it anyway, because it's broken and out of stock) and you won't lose the value of the promotion. If you took the $11 now, you would have to pay $35 when you get a new one, essentially wiping out the free Netflix offer.

If you want to take it up with Google, here is the page for the Google Play hardware support team. You might be able to convince them to do an RMA. https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/3053039

 

[MissyHaney]

If you took the $11 now, you would have to pay $35 when you get a new one, essentially wiping out the free Netflix offer.
]

That's exactly what I thought.

Fortunately, Best Buy is extremely inconsistent with their own
policies. Each store is operated like its own little fiefdom.

Guess what?

I drove to another Best Buy a few minutes away. The manager
there didn't have any problems giving me a FULL refund. He just
told the cashier "the

 couldn't have been used because this
Chrome thingy is broken, so just issue a full refund....."[/B][/I]   (was 
that some sort of Vulcan logic?)  I got every penny back! Yay! :)     

Now I just have to find a way to buy another Chromecast.   My grandpa 
tells me that he's definitely enjoying the first one that I gave him.  He 
pulled a Heston and said "you'll have to pry this Chromecast out of my 
cold dead hands first...."  :(

 

[NealJ777]

Considering that the Netflix offer is no longer being offered (except by Best Buy) and you don't know when Best Buy is going to stop issuing the code, I would have kept the code and the broken unit until such a time that an exchange was possible. Yes, I would have been extremely upset that the Cast didn't work, but the Netflix code is good until 12/31/2013.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

 

[Devlyn16]

the Netflix code is good until 12/31/2013.

Interesting, I hope tohse that bought more than 2 are aware their codes will expire before they can use them.

 

[Legobricke]

That's exactly what I thought.

Fortunately, Best Buy is extremely inconsistent with their own
policies. Each store is operated like its own little fiefdom.

Guess what?

I drove to another Best Buy a few minutes away. The manager
there didn't have any problems giving me a FULL refund. He just
told the cashier "the

 couldn't have been used because this
Chrome thingy is broken, so just issue a full refund....."[/B][/I]   (was 
that some sort of Vulcan logic?)  I got every penny back! Yay! :)     

Now I just have to find a way to buy another Chromecast.   My grandpa 
tells me that he's definitely enjoying the first one that I gave him.  He 
pulled a Heston and said "you'll have to pry this Chromecast out of my 
cold dead hands first...."  :([/QUOTE]

Yeah...

You got lucky....

My receipt clearly shows that my purchase is part of a bundle due to the Netflix deal.

It indicates that "upon return, if bundle is broken, the savings will be removed and current prices will apply".

Lucky you are....  Then again, by the time they get theses in again, doubt there will be a netflix deal with them.

 

[MissyHaney]

Yeah...

You got lucky....

My receipt clearly shows that my purchase is part of a bundle due to the Netflix deal.

It indicates that "upon return, if bundle is broken, the savings will be removed and current prices will apply".

Lucky you are.... Then again, by the time they get theses in again, doubt there will be a netflix deal with them.

Apparently Best Buy's in-store employee-only computers can't be trusted to accurate inventory. Store #1 showed none of the other 4 stores had Chromecasts in stock. I basically just gave up... However, I drove past another one during lunch and decided to go in. I asked a 12-year-old employee(okay, he was 18, but looked 12) and he got a Chromecast for me. He said the store never ran out of them.... still a dozen in the closet behind the e-readers. Hmm....

Anyway, I wasn't expecting a free Netflix code. $35 was still a decent price. To my surprise, the Netflix code printed out on the receipt! Cool! Since this store was a couple of miles across the state line, the sales tax was 1% less as well.

 

[Unicorn Rancher]

Interesting, I hope tohse that bought more than 2 are aware their codes will expire before they can use them.

Not if they bought them as gifts.

 

[Matthew Arata]

My Chromecast shipped yesterday and I got the Netflix code and it worked.
Time will tell if my Chromecast itself works or not.