The Best Buy Scandal

Bring printed proof! If you go to Best Buy, Sears, Circuit City or any store that offers price matching, you must bring a print-out of the lower price. That's been the prudent way to go for years.

And now that strategy is confirmed by the Best Buy scandal of the month. You see those half-witty bargain hunters who arrived at BB with knowledge of a lower web price - they were let down when they looked up the BB site online in the store. Lo, and behold, the lower price had disappeared.

Or so it seemed. Actually BB sales-scammers were showing people a rigged look-alike site without any lower online prices.

Didn't they think they'd be caught? Of course they did. But BB has been in business for more than 30 years. How do you think they managed to do that? Pure honesty? I shopped in BB in 1976 on Lake Street in Minneapolis when it was still called Sound of Music. I bought a nifty Panasonic stereo system from them that I enjoyed for years and years. They do have the best product selection and darn good prices to start with. That's why we always forgive them for their scandals and for the poor attitude of the sales staff. Here's the top of the story (thanks Jamie for sending me this):

Best Buy Confirms It Uses Secret Website

Under pressure from state investigators, Best Buy is now confirming my reporting that its stores have a secret intranet site that has been used to block some consumers from getting cheaper prices advertised on BestBuy.com.

Company spokesman Justin Barber, who in early February denied the existence of the internal website that could be accessed only by employees, says his company is "cooperating fully" with the state attorney general's investigation.

Barber insists that the company never intended to mislead customers.

State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal ordered the investigation into Best Buy's practices on Feb. 9 after my column disclosed the website and showed how employees at two Connecticut stores used it to deny customers a $150 discount on a computer advertised on BestBuy.com.

Blumenthal said Wednesday that Best Buy has also confirmed to his office the existence of the intranet site, but has so far failed to give clear answers about its purpose and use.

"Their responses seem to raise as many questions as they answer," Blumenthal said in a telephone interview. "Their answers are less than crystal clear."... etc.