Best Buy Vita BS

[Smashed Brother]

That is rather odd considering they are legally obligated to accept cash, unless you tried to pay with pennies.

This isn't necessarily true. Retailers are legally required to take US funds, but how those funds are paid (payed for some of you) and/or received is up to the retailer. I'm not comfortable with the idea that we may be headed towards an all-credit based monetary system, but if that's how retailers want to accept payment, there's nothing we can do about it.

[Kitsune Sniper]

This isn't necessarily true. Retailers are legally required to take US funds, but how those funds are paid (payed for some of you) and/or received is up to the retailer. I'm not comfortable with the idea that we may be headed towards an all-credit based monetary system, but if that's how retailers want to accept payment, there's nothing we can do about it.

Sure ya can. You can buy the stuff somewhere else.

[Bojay1997]

Well, again, they lied about that and backed out of it. I felt cheated because I ordered my system long before this bundle was offered, and best buy made no attempt to notify me that, despite me believing I would get my machine on launch day (which is the whole reason one preorders) I'd actually be getting it a week late. Then when I inquired about it they were rude and dismissive.

Technically, yes, I ordered the sku that isn't released until next week. But you'd be pretty pissed too and you found out people who ordered the product AFTER you got it BEFORE you, and you weren't informed in a timely manner that this was happening.

And I could give a fuck about little deviants. But I may have plunked down the extra cash to get it earlier if I knew I had that option. They dropped the ball.

Edit: on rereading your post, I think I didn't understand your point initially; they were going to give me a preorder bundle unit. But they're not now.
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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=34.064014,-118.291393

Look, I agree with you that the manager and employees were poorly informed and for that they owe you an apology. Everything else, however, is entirely your responsibility. Contrary to your assertions, there is no such thing as a $5 preorder and pick up of the bundle you ordered on the 14th or the 15th. Your bundle and the $250 WiFi version will be available on Wednesday the 22nd as advertised.

Sony made a decision in late November/early December to create this newer bundle exclusively for the 3G edition (Canada actually got a WiFi version which would have been nice for those of us who think the 3G is a waste of money), likely because preorders for that version were low in Japan and also low here. That bundle is $50 higher in MSRP than what you ordered and it includes a $30 game, a $20 4 Gig memory card and a case which is exclusive to that bundle. For your $300, you are going to get the system plus an 8 Gig memory card and a download of Super Stardust and one month of 3G service. Keep in mind that when you preordered, all you were supposed to get is the system and again Sony bumped up the freebies to encourage people to buy the 3G.

Yes, people that spent the extra $50 and ordered the later bundle are currently enjoying their Vitas. Having said that, they really overpaid and were stuck with stuff they might not really want including a mediocre game and a small memory card. Sure, Best Buy probably should have contacted you to see if you wanted to spend the extra $50, but frankly, I don't want stores calling me and one of the reasons I never shop at Gamestop retail locations is that I don't want to be harassed about pre-orders.

I have had my share of issues with Best Buy. I ordered several games at Christmas for store pick-up that the employees literally bought themselves when they saw the orders come through, leaving me with nothing. Best Buy customer service has always made things right, however, giving me another $50 Kinect game free, letting me buy a $60 game for $5 and finally giving me a $25 and $75 gift card for two other holiday issues. So, yes, they can really be hard to deal with and frankly not well informed at times, but if you come in armed with a little knowledge, you can actually get things resolved in a way that satisfies you and allows them to build the goodwill to keep you as a customer.

[kedawa]

So, in a nutshell, you're pissed off because the thing you ordered is being shipped on the date that it is supposed to launch, rather than getting shipped to you extra early for no good reason?
Why do you care if someone who bought the crappier bundle has theirs already?
What the hell does it have to do with you?

[Zing]

Seriously? You should be embarassed, not bragging. Returning an opened game that you didn't like is not within any store's policy, nor is returning a copy of Win95 that your system wasn't capable of running.

The game in question was Mortal Kombat Trilogy for the N64. Anyone else who was scammed into paying $70 for what is Superman 64 level of bad would understand.

As for Win95, the box itself instructed consumers to return the product to the store for a full refund if unsatisfied. The manager still didn't want to do it.

[Zing]

This isn't necessarily true. Retailers are legally required to take US funds, but how those funds are paid (payed for some of you) and/or received is up to the retailer. I'm not comfortable with the idea that we may be headed towards an all-credit based monetary system, but if that's how retailers want to accept payment, there's nothing we can do about it.

I have trouble believing this is true. It is usually written in statute that "legal tender" must be accepted. In Canada, the statute goes so far as to state the limits on each coin type after which you can refuse. For example, if someone tried to pay their $100 electric bill with dimes.

[calthaer]

OK so...I totally understand why you'd be a little miffed at them. This was a marketing failure, for sure: they made a second offer that violated the "first-come, first-serve" principle. Those who were first come and not first served won't be happy, and the person who thought up this second offer should have known this. Furthermore, when you came in and brought the problem to the attention of the staff, they really should have tried to make you happy - by giving you a discount, or free merchandise, or doing something else for you. This is the real failure, right here: the fact that they weren't even nice to you. The service personnel who dealt with you should be demoted, fired, reprimanded - something.

But: BB is a big company. There are many thousands of SKUs, and probably hundreds of promotions. They should, but may not, have a comprehensive system to keep track of all of this. It makes a lot of sense to you that they should have notified you that there was a "new deal," but the fact of the matter is that their system would not have caught that unless someone programmed that in - and someone didn't program that very specific logic into the system (if any new product has a second deal, the people who got the first deal should get first dibs or be notified). It got lost in the shuffle.

This is the type of service that a small, mom & pop shop would give you - because mom & pop would think things through and realize how the customer would feel if Second Deal customers were served before First Deal customers. At the very least, mom & pop would be nice to you when they realized they made a mistake, because mom & pop would care about your business. But you didn't buy your Vita from a mom & pop store - you bought it from a big box retailer. If there were any mom & pop stores around - and there probably aren't, because you and me and everyone else fled to big box stores, and Sony probably wouldn't even give them stock of new products, to boot - they would charge you $20 more for the system.

It's a tradeoff: low price for low service. Service is getting better over time as people are figuring out the mechanics of database marketing, but it hasn't quite replaced the service that you could have gotten from the mom & pop stores. There is no big-box-store customer-service artificial intelligence that would think about these things the same way human beings would. You really shouldn't expect such an AI to exist, either, at this early point in the ascent of big box retailers - you should take your lower price and realize that there are things you're giving up to keep that extra $20 in your pocket.

[Graham Mitchell]

OK so...I totally understand why you'd be a little miffed at them. This was a marketing failure, for sure: they made a second offer that violated the "first-come, first-serve" principle. Those who were first come and not first served won't be happy, and the person who thought up this second offer should have known this. Furthermore, when you came in and brought the problem to the attention of the staff, they really should have tried to make you happy - by giving you a discount, or free merchandise, or doing something else for you. This is the real failure, right here: the fact that they weren't even nice to you. The service personnel who dealt with you should be demoted, fired, reprimanded - something.

Bingo, somebody gets it.

I know it's an unrealistic expectation from a company of that scope and size, but that doesn't mean I can't get pissed when it affects me adversely. This pre-order bundle was given as an incentive to encourage pre-orders, but it inadvertently punished those who had already placed an order.

I know the bundle pack was a rip off, but it's the principle of first-come-first-serve that was violated here. When I brought it to their attention, there were many things they could have done to diffuse the situation. They didn't even have to comp me anything. If they would have just admitted that it was unfair and apologized SINCERELY (I'm a shrink. I can tell when people are bullshitting) I would have dropped it then and there. But instead, they were callous and unhelpful. I caught the girls behind the counter at the pickup site rolling their eyes.

And I said it before, and I'll say it again--I ordered the machine literally within the first week it even showed up on the website. I made my order, I figured I was set. Why would I need to read about all these pre-order bundles? I have a life. I have two jobs and a wife. I can't watch Kotaku every 5 minutes to see what Sony's doing now, and make the series of phone calls to determine whether or not it affects me. That's why you pay them, and that's why you preorder--so the store takes care of you. And Calthear is right. I guess that this isn't something you can expect from a company like Best Buy. But that doesn't mean I can't be pissed about it, and doesn't mean that they are completely absolved of all responsibility either.

[dairugger]

i was able to get my first ed bundle from frys electronics, everybody else was sold out (a fact gamestop loved telling me, i shouldve preordered), i on a whim called frys electronics the day after it was released and talked to a rep who told me to order it on their site but select the pick up at store option. ten minutes later and a email letting me know it was ready for pickup, i was on my way to my precious. they had 3 others left.

[Bojay1997]

Bingo, somebody gets it.

I know it's an unrealistic expectation from a company of that scope and size, but that doesn't mean I can't get pissed when it affects me adversely. This pre-order bundle was given as an incentive to encourage pre-orders, but it inadvertently punished those who had already placed an order.

I know the bundle pack was a rip off, but it's the principle of first-come-first-serve that was violated here. When I brought it to their attention, there were many things they could have done to diffuse the situation. They didn't even have to comp me anything. If they would have just admitted that it was unfair and apologized SINCERELY (I'm a shrink. I can tell when people are bullshitting) I would have dropped it then and there. But instead, they were callous and unhelpful. I caught the girls behind the counter at the pickup site rolling their eyes.

And I said it before, and I'll say it again--I ordered the machine literally within the first week it even showed up on the website. I made my order, I figured I was set. Why would I need to read about all these pre-order bundles? I have a life. I have two jobs and a wife. I can't watch Kotaku every 5 minutes to see what Sony's doing now, and make the series of phone calls to determine whether or not it affects me. That's why you pay them, and that's why you preorder--so the store takes care of you. And Calthear is right. I guess that this isn't something you can expect from a company like Best Buy. But that doesn't mean I can't be pissed about it, and doesn't mean that they are completely absolved of all responsibility either.

I think all of us get it. The problem is that beyond the fact that they didn't treat you with respect which everyone can agree is accurate, your expectations are unrealistic. Big box retailers aren't designed to be full service operations that follow-up constantly. Moreover, you admitted that you may have deleted or ignored the e-mails they did send you. That's how big box retailers communicate and personally, I prefer it because I get to decide if I open it or not rather than having someone calling me or otherwise harassing me.

I get that not everyone can keep up on every video game news story, but it seems like you're on here posting quite a bit, so you obviously have some free time. Similarly, it seems like you are pretty obsessed with having the Vita on day one which just seems bizarre. Is your life really being negatively impacted by waiting seven days to play a video game system? The system has been out in Japan for months, does it upset you that people imported it and have had it for months longer than you have?

Pre-ordering is not a concierge service no matter where you place that pre-order. All it means is that if everything goes according to plan, the day the system is released, you can walk in, pay the balance and walk out with your Vita. If next Wednesday you walk in to Best Buy and they don't have your Vita for you, then you should be upset. As it stands, you haven't lost anything and frankly, you're getting a free memory card that you weren't even going to get when you agreed to preorder the Vita. So, maybe it's time to not stress so much about it and take a step back and wonder why not having a Vita a week early is such a big deal in your mind. Perhaps it's also time to speak to a colleague who can help you manage what seems to be a very unhealthy sense of entitlement and obsession with something so trivial.

[duffmanth]

I would cancel your pre-order, get a refund, then wait until the price of the Vita, the memory cards and the games drop, then buy it.

[Graham Mitchell]

I think all of us get it. The problem is that beyond the fact that they didn't treat you with respect which everyone can agree is accurate, your expectations are unrealistic. Big box retailers aren't designed to be full service operations that follow-up constantly. Moreover, you admitted that you may have deleted or ignored the e-mails they did send you. That's how big box retailers communicate and personally, I prefer it because I get to decide if I open it or not rather than having someone calling me or otherwise harassing me.

I get that not everyone can keep up on every video game news story, but it seems like you're on here posting quite a bit, so you obviously have some free time. Similarly, it seems like you are pretty obsessed with having the Vita on day one which just seems bizarre. Is your life really being negatively impacted by waiting seven days to play a video game system? The system has been out in Japan for months, does it upset you that people imported it and have had it for months longer than you have?

Pre-ordering is not a concierge service no matter where you place that pre-order. All it means is that if everything goes according to plan, the day the system is released, you can walk in, pay the balance and walk out with your Vita. If next Wednesday you walk in to Best Buy and they don't have your Vita for you, then you should be upset. As it stands, you haven't lost anything and frankly, you're getting a free memory card that you weren't even going to get when you agreed to preorder the Vita. So, maybe it's time to not stress so much about it and take a step back and wonder why not having a Vita a week early is such a big deal in your mind. Perhaps it's also time to speak to a colleague who can help you manage what seems to be a very unhealthy sense of entitlement and obsession with something so trivial.

Thanks for the concern, but really, I was over it yesterday.

Trouble is, I made that post when I was mad (maybe not the greatest idea, admittedly). When people are mad, all sense of logic and fairness goes out the window, and their sense of entitlement goes through the roof. So, I posted that, played some Gauntlet 4 and went to bed. Now I accept it.

The thing about these threads is that everybody's looking at the OP and commenting on it, so I find myself having to continually defend how I felt when I was mad about it (again, admittedly not the greatest idea.) There's just no defending a psychotically angry, irrational person (ie--me 2 nights ago).

I think the situation had a very personal resonance with me because I work in a place where angry people (specifically, incarcerated persons) demand narcotics from me several times a day. The way we deal with that is not unlike the way Best Buy dealt with me. The difference is, I wasn't a criminal askig for something I wasn't entitled to have. I was a paying customer wondering why I didn't get what I thought I was getting. I felt a bit betrayed, and when I attempted to pursue the issue, they were rude and unhelpful. I maybe don't deserve a Vita for this, but an apology would be appropriate.

So, what did I learn from this?
1) Let the dust settle before you go posting on DP
2) Best Buy sees you as a mindless husk with a wallet, and any expectation that they would guide you reasonably through a purchase is foolish
3) Don't preorder stuff from them. They mess it up regularly (as other posters on this thread will attest).

I humbly apologize to the DP community for spraying my emotional BS on this thread. I just hope you guys understand--I felt a bit betrayed and I was upset. I don't' want ya'll to think I'm an over-entitled douchebag.

[Rickstilwell1]

Pretty much what happened here was that Sony pulled something similar to a Sega Saturn move with the Vita, but for different intentions.

[InsaneDavid]

Big box retailers aren't designed to be full service operations that follow-up constantly.

Hate to say it but the next generation of big box retail is pushing toward this. Calling you if your "order online pick up in store" item can't be found and pushing for 100% fulfillment of said orders daily. Harassing you to no end if you are in a store and try to leave empty handed, "offering" to order anything you may need from the "online warehouse" and have it shipped to your door. Contacting you when normally out of stock / high popularity items come back in stock in an attempt to get you to use the first ordering method. I'm telling you, the next three years are going to be a widespread attempt to squeeze out that last couple dollars here and there.

Thing is the customers really don't like it and the employees certainly don't like having to do it. I miss the prime days of The Good Guys and Circuit City but I don't go to regular retailers to have pressure put on me to buy like I stepped onto a used car lot.

[Graham Mitchell]

I would never want them to call and harass me, but an email (especially if it involved something I preordered) wouldn't be so bad.


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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=33.928073,-118.226516

[The 1 2 P]

Graham Mitchell(and anyone else picking up a Vita) I'm not sure if you are aware of this but all next week Target is having a "buy 2 games get one free" deal for all Vita games. It starts tomorrow(Sunday) so you might want to jump on that. I know this isn't the deals thread but since this one has gotten so much traffic I just figured I'd direct new Vita owners to the deal. That way yall can justify paying $50 for Uncharted: Golden Abyss....well, almost justify it

[Graham Mitchell]

Graham Mitchell(and anyone else picking up a Vita) I'm not sure if you are aware of this but all next week Target is having a "buy 2 games get one free" deal for all Vita games. It starts tomorrow(Sunday) so you might want to jump on that. I know this isn't the deals thread but since this one has gotten so much traffic I just figured I'd direct new Vita owners to the deal. That way yall can justify paying $50 for Uncharted: Golden Abyss....well, almost justify it

Hey, cool thanx for the heads up. Itd be a quick way to build up a decent library.

Btw- I opened up wipeout this morning, and...welcome to the future. No manual. I know some console games have been doing this for awhile, but this is the first time I've seen a launch game come without one.

I guess we're entering a new era, boys and girls!


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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=33.928297,-118.226620

[substantial_snake]

I really wish I would of know about the Target deal sooner, I had already opened up my newegg package with Uncharted and Wipeout by the time I had herd.

On the no manual thing be prepared, Uncharted doesn't have one either. Not even an add or scrap of online code nonsense. The game doesn't even have a reverse cover like the first and second ones did. Its a bit surprising since with big first party stuff they tend to go all out. I honestly don't know what I am going to read on the toliet from now on.

[Dangerboy]

GameStop's got the Buy 2 Get 1 as well starting Sunday. - New Vita games. Weee!

[Bojay1997]

Hate to say it but the next generation of big box retail is pushing toward this. Calling you if your "order online pick up in store" item can't be found and pushing for 100% fulfillment of said orders daily. Harassing you to no end if you are in a store and try to leave empty handed, "offering" to order anything you may need from the "online warehouse" and have it shipped to your door. Contacting you when normally out of stock / high popularity items come back in stock in an attempt to get you to use the first ordering method. I'm telling you, the next three years are going to be a widespread attempt to squeeze out that last couple dollars here and there.

Thing is the customers really don't like it and the employees certainly don't like having to do it. I miss the prime days of The Good Guys and Circuit City but I don't go to regular retailers to have pressure put on me to buy like I stepped onto a used car lot.

I know that's the case. A couple of the Best Buys in Los Angeles and San Diego that I frequent have converted over to the new store format and I can't stand for two minutes in the game section without an employee bugging me about preordering something or trading in used games. Yesterday when I was looking at Vita games at the Best Buy in Burbank, a Direct TV rep came up and asked if I "knew about their deals". When I quickly realized he was talking about Direct TV I politely told him "no thanks". Do people really buy satellite service from some random rep that walks up to them?