Best Buy's "Buy Back" Program Kinda Sucks

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Consumer Reports has come to the same conclusion we did a week ago...Best Buy's "Buy Back" program kinda sucks. Trust me, you can do a lot better on Craigslist or eBay.

So under this plan, we decided to see what we'd receive if we brought in a 46-inch Samsung LCD TV (UN46B6000), purchased in December 2009 for $1,600. If the TV was in good condition, we could receive up to $480, although as HD Guru points out the term "up to" is somewhat vague, and it's left to the discretion of CWG. But if the TV is deemed to be in poor condition, the most you'll get back is $240. In both cases you'd have to subtract the upfront cost of the plan—$180—from the amount to see what you'd net. Under the best-case scenario the amount is $300, but it's only $60 if the TV is deemed to be in poor condition.
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it sounded like a scam when i saw the commercial. great now the bb salesmen are gonna hound you to "buy" into this program when you purchase a tv. ohhhh joy.
 
I should have taken my 3 or 4 year old Samsung 61" DLP there when I replaced it with a Samsung 55" Plasma 3D TV, that's way better than the 400 I got for the old TV on craigslist lol. I think I paid about 1600 for the DLP back in the day too
 
Hmmm, I bought my 37" Westy 57 months ago (May 2006), and it came with a five-year warranty for right around that $180 mark, so it still even has transferable warranty to a new owner for another three months.

Now, It's only 37" and is almost five years old, so I perhaps doubt netting $300 in selling it? But if it's got problems and is now only worth a net of $60? I'd get a replacement through my warranty plan, then sell the replacement!

Transferable multi-year warranties are the way to go...
 
Snooper said:
I should have taken my 3 or 4 year old Samsung 61" DLP there when I replaced it with a Samsung 55" Plasma 3D TV, that's way better than the 400 I got for the old TV on craigslist lol. I think I paid about 1600 for the DLP back in the day too
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I dont know when you sold that DLP on C-L but if that was recent then you made out like a bandit. My Father in Law was a die hard DLP/RP guy till he got his new LG 57 3D LED tv. I always got the old tvs and sold them on C-L to fund my new tvs :) and this time around I couldnt sell a 3 year old 57 LED DLP for more then 375 as of last month. People were lowballing the crap out of me.

Anyhow Its silly they are trying to sell this service now when they have always had that crappy etradein program which was a rip too.
 
wow.. Radioshack gave us $160 last weekend for our Iphone 3GS toward the $200 upgrade fee on the 4.. $40 for an upgrade.. thats cool in my book.

this Best Buy thing is a scam it seems..
 
When has trading stuff in ever been a good deal for the consumer? Look at game trade ins, jewelry, cars, electronics, cell phones, etc. You're always better selling your stuff yourself. That said, Best Buy seems to have really took the whole trade-in rip-off scheme to a new level. You stay classy Best Buy ;)
 
The fact that you have to pay for this program to begin with shows how much of a scam it is. They know that people may pay up front but then when push comes to shove, won't want to take a shit amount for their stuff. In the end, you've just given Best Buy a large sum of cash to be in a program you'll never take advantage of.
 
TheBluePill said:
wow.. Radioshack gave us $160 last weekend for our Iphone 3GS toward the $200 upgrade fee on the 4.. $40 for an upgrade.. thats cool in my book.

this Best Buy thing is a scam it seems..
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You could have gotten a minimum of $250 on Ebay. Probably closer to $300. I got a little over $200 for my 3G 8GB. So yea, you were kinda getting ripped off.
 
I'm sure they'll have a lot of success with this program. It's about as good of a value as those new car extended warranties that have an exclusion for just about everything. Luckily for Best Buy, there are plenty of satisfied Geek Squad customers that would gladly purchase this along with their premium installation service.
 
If you're planning to get rid of something soon, it's a fair deal, if you don't want the hassle of selling something yourself.
 
Fuck Best Buy. I'll give something to Goodwill or Salvation Army before I sell it to Berst Buy.
 
"In many cases, the cost of the plan will exceed the trade-in credit you'll receive."

That's a pretty big D'oh! right there BB. Hopefully the people who still shop there can see through this "service" as just another thing to avoid like extended warranties, rust-proofing and scotchguard.

All you get out of this program is convenience. If that is worth it to someone, good for them- they obviously have more money than me. I'll continue to use CL.
 
I don't normally sell my crap back to the store, think of the offer as you would a car dealership, you know your going to get shafted on the trade-in value.

I'd steer clear of this kind of "bargain".
 
For anyone that isn't completely outside of the world, I'm sure you know that Best Buy had a complete epic fail on Black Friday. Like, seriously... they went above and beyond fucking up expectations. It's no surprise that this happens because they are no longer the "one and only computer n00b electronics store".

Places like Target and Walmart now have everything that Best Buy has... the difference is without all the bullshit. without all the hassle. without all the "Geek Squad support for only an extra $99.99!!!". without all the "re-stocking fee" to returns... etc... etc... They are destined to die in due time IMO.
 
bfellow said:
Amazon pretty much does the same thing with Blu-Ray buy backs.
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From what I've seen, Amazon is a joke.

Every time I look around to purchase a game, it asks if maybe I have a copy I'd like to sell? Kicker is, I sell it to Amazon for the amazing value of "$0.50" Amazon credit.

Jeebus, only two quarters? Burn that much gas taking the item to the post office, even if maybe Amazon's paying the shipping. Just put it on CL. Someone will pay $1 and drive themselves to you.
 
I'm sure this plan will appeal to all the ibots with more dollars than cents.

Upgrade your ipod/ipad/iphone to the latest color/style!
 
nutzo said:
I'm sure this plan will appeal to all the ibots with more dollars than cents.

Upgrade your ipod/ipad/iphone to the latest color/style!
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Yea, that's so totally different than the person getting a new android phone every few months.
 
Snooper said:
I should have taken my 3 or 4 year old Samsung 61" DLP there when I replaced it with a Samsung 55" Plasma 3D TV, that's way better than the 400 I got for the old TV on craigslist lol. I think I paid about 1600 for the DLP back in the day too
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Whaaaa?!?!! :eek:

A 36 month old DLP that cost you $1600 when you bought it would only be worth a MAXIMUM of $160 on buy back. The program cost $180. You would owe Best Buy $20 at the time of trade in.

Not sure how that beats the $400 you got on Craigslist. :confused:
 
Tolyngee said:
From what I've seen, Amazon is a joke.

Every time I look around to purchase a game, it asks if maybe I have a copy I'd like to sell? Kicker is, I sell it to Amazon for the amazing value of "$0.50" Amazon credit.

Jeebus, only two quarters? Burn that much gas taking the item to the post office, even if maybe Amazon's paying the shipping. Just put it on CL. Someone will pay $1 and drive themselves to you.
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Must be shitty games. I got $35 from amazon for the 2 games that came with my PS3. Amazon does pay for the shipping too.
 
Its fairly obvious any "buyback" option that requires you to PAY TO USE IT is horrible. I don't care these buy backs are generally rip offs, I like using these simple stuff just to unload a ton of crap I don't have time to peddle over CL.

This is hilarious, I don't know weather to hate BB or respect them. First they made the first overly priced computer repair shop that isn't any better then the rest but its bringing them a TON of money, now this? they will rake in the money on all the unknowing. I know a few people (those being my parents) that will buy anything and everything the sales man tells them or puts in front of them.
 
I was returning something at BB last weekend and read a brochure about the new program while waiting in line. I just shook my head in disbelief when I read the prices. I had to wonder about all the "geniuses" up in the BB board room coming up with this "program"...
 
seanmcd said:
I was returning something at BB last weekend and read a brochure about the new program while waiting in line. I just shook my head in disbelief when I read the prices. I had to wonder about all the "geniuses" up in the BB board room coming up with this "program"...
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Well, they are geniuses in some sort... They knew that there would be suckers that would fall for this hook, line and sinker. I just wonder what took them so long to implement this.
 
sKiDmArK said:
Must be shitty games. I got $35 from amazon for the 2 games that came with my PS3. Amazon does pay for the shipping too.
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Bioshock 2. Amazon has it for $16, but were just offering two quarters.

Now the price has lowered even more, and they're only offering a single quarter.
 
Tolyngee said:
Bioshock 2. Amazon has it for $16, but were just offering two quarters.

Now the price has lowered even more, and they're only offering a single quarter.
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That's because it's the PC version...the xbox is 4.75, ps3 gives you a whopping 9.25. I'm surprised at the price differences. Must have a surplus of the PC version.
 
I can't believe their buy back program actually makes you pay money to be in the "program". It should be illegal, it makes absolutely no sense.

When I first saw the commercial I thought it might be a halfway decent idea, but I would rather donate to goodwill then do something like this. They don't even give you money, they give you best buy money...they are just making money hand over fist in this scam for the suckers that fall for it...
 
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