Last week, Best Buy issued a coupon to save $50 off purchases of $100 or more when the customer paid with a MasterCard. Although some exclusions applied (the offer wasn’t valid on iPods and certain TVs), there was no limit on how many coupons a customer could use — making it an incredible deal.
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Shoppers quickly headed to their local Best Buy stores to take advantage of major savings. Although some customers reported needing manager overrides to use the coupon, most were able to redeem it easily. On Slickdeals, one shopper posted that she scored $1,600 worth of gift cards for $800, another bought $1,000 in Amazon.com gift cards for $500 and another used the discount to purchase three Apple TVs.
The savings were too good to be true. On the first day of the promotion, Best Buy issued a correction for the coupon, saying that the offer “was sent out with incorrect product inclusions, product exclusions, single product call out and end date.” While the original coupon was supposed to last a week, the revised discount only applied for that one day — now with a limit of one per household and excluding gift cards. After the offer was cancelled, Best Buy employees were left to explain to angry customers that the coupon was no longer valid, according to Business Insider.
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On Twitter, many frustrated shoppers expressed their outrage:
I'm never stepping foot in another @BestBuy and never will use a coupon of theirs unless it's to get a price match someplace else.—
Jack (@TexasBlindJack) January 24, 2013
Dear @bestbuy, tried to use the @mastercard $50 off $100 coupon tonight, only to be told you've unilaterally killed it. VERY disappointed.—
Steve Friedberg (@StevePR104) January 24, 2013
.@BestBuy 's horrible customer service just denied my elderly father use of a coupon that says it's valid till the 27th.—
J Mikkelsen (@Thin_J) January 23, 2013
@BestBuy Never shopping at best buy again. They refused to take my $50 off $100 Mastercard coupon after I spent over an hour shopping there.—
Mike Evan (@mikeevan87) January 22, 2013
Although the updated coupon was still a pretty good deal, even with the exclusions, it doesn’t seem fair for a business to penalize shoppers for their error. Plus, customers who might have received the offer but planned on using it later in the week missed out on the savings entirely.
Related: The Coupons in All You’s February Issue
Here’s the original coupon (courtesy of Consumerist).
Photo Credit: Flikr / jiazi
Tell us what you think: Did you try to use this coupon? Will you trust deals from Best Buy in the future?
I think it stinks! I was one of those people who have been unable to make it to the store yet, and now looks like I don’t have to. I have a 3 year old, an 8 month old (who has an ear infection so Dr. visits) and work full time. I was going to use it this weekend. Not happy at all. This is the 2nd promo I have heard with Best Buy that has gone ugly. It is obvious that their marketing and promotions department have their heads where the sun “don’t” shine.
I dont blame best buy nearly as much as I blame the people who took advantage and ruined it for everyone else.
Best Buy should have been smart enough to post proper restrictions on the coupon before revealing the promotion to avoid said issues.
I agree with Sarah. I did used the coupon to buy a much needed laptop. I had needed one for a while,but the coupon motiviated me to get to the store and Best Buy got my business because of it!
I completely agree with Sarah.
Definitely an epic fail on best buys part but also agree slickdeals members took advantage of it.
I did not have this coupon. However, I do not shop at Best Buy because of their awful customer service. They do not mind getting really ugly.
Those old sayings are still ring true:
BUYER BEWARE
If it’s too good to be true then it probably is!
This coupon looks like a coupon that was issued in conjuntion with Mastercard. Ty calling Mastercard and see if they will honor it. It worked for me.
I received the original coupon in my email.We finally went last night and picked up a few things we wanted to purchase only to be told at the checkout the coupon would not be accepted. What a complete let down. I have purchased all of our electronics at Best Buy for years.
They will lose a lot of business over this including mine.
I have not shopped there for years because I had to wait 45 minutes once for them to carry a tv to my car. Their customer service has always bee n lousy.
The people that took advantage of using these mistaken coupons are at fault. Best Buy would have been bankrupt if this continued. Many people would be out of jobs. Best Buy still should have honored the corrected coupon for the remainder of the week. They have lost some customers for sure.
I planned to use the Best Buy coupon on the 27th to get a wireless mouse for my grandson (he lives with us since the untimely death of his mother) and some printer ink for myself. Luckily I called first and was told too bad, the coupon is no good! Best Buy will never see me in their store again.
I didn’t get a coupon so I can’t be mad that I didn’t get to use it. However, those people who were so greedy and ruined it for others are the real culprits here. Kind of like watching the “extreme couponing” shows where someone walks out of the store for almost nothing. The store is hurt not the coupon issuer.
I had to wait till Thursday the 24th before I could make it to Best Buy, I shopped for an hour amd settled on the Kindle Fire, I read all about it, played on the display and then I even had a salesman ask me if I needed any help,I showed him the coupon and ask if it was good to use on the Kindle Fire he read thru the whole coupon and said if I had a Mastercard I was good to go. I made my way to the register only to be told I was gonna be really mad! She then turned around the paper on the counter for me to see saying in fact the coupon was no good other than for the actual day it had came out. I said just keep the Kindle and walked out of the store. Not good business, Best Buy should have honored the coupon for those that had one printed and came to the store.
I too attempted to use the coupon to purchase some k-cups but to no avail. My cashier asked another cashier about the coupon as she could not get it to work. The other cashier rudely chimed in that the coupon had been discontinued by Best Buy and that it was not issued by them but Mastercard. My husband who was with me was very angry. He has previously had a run-in with Best Buy and vows never to shop as their franchise again.
I’m one of those who went on the 27th and was told it was not good any more. Very unhappy. I bought the items I went for because I needed them, but am very angry with Best Buy.
@Nancy – There is nothing wrong with extreme couponing, only with those who don’t follow the rules and try to fraudulently get away with using coupons improperly. Stores are not hurt, they actually benefit – manufacturer’s coupons are legal tender, and the stores are reimbursed by the manufacturer for the amount of the coupon + a handling fee.
With any kind of couponing, bottom line, it is up to the users of the coupons to use them legally, ethically, and responsibly, so that they don’t ruin it for everyone else. Sorry to hear about the people who missed out on the deal because of those that abused it.
I can’t believe (well, sadly I actually can) that people are so ANGRY over this! It’s a coupon, for goodness sakes! If you’re the kind of person who says “because of this, I will NEVER set foot in Best Buy again”… I’m sure Best Buy is grateful. They don’t need people like you to deal with.
Stores have coupons and sales at their own discretion. It’s nice when you can get a great deal. But in the grand scheme of things, it’s just stuff. It breaks, it fails, it gets old and outdated, and it won’t go with you when you die. Try to keep some perspective here. Be grateful you had that $ to spend in the first place, and that you weren’t so desperate for food and shelter that you could afford to even consider shopping for electronics.
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