Good Guy Best Buy sends customer(S) 5 extra iPads in error; Says 'Keep Em'"
33 replies, posted
[h2]My Mom Ordered One iPad And Best Buy Sent Five[/h2]
[b]Update: [url=http://consumerist.com/2012/12/06/hey-best-buy-also-sent-me-five-ipads-when-i-ordered-one/]It happened again, to another reader.[/url][/b]
[quote]Alexa’s boyfriend got an iPad for Christmas from his mother. Well, that’s not quite true. His mother ordered one iPad, and had it shipped to him. What arrived on their doorstep was a very large and heavy box that was big enough to hold five iPads. Because it did.
[img]http://consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/somanyipads.jpg?w=610[/img]
At the core of this story is an ethical dilemma. Best Buy wasn’t calling Alexa’s boyfriend or his mother to find out where the iPads had gone. The average customer service call-center rep probably doesn’t have instructions for this situation in their binder of scripts. Alexa sent off an e-mail, but received no response.
Now, then: here’s the original message that Alexa sent to Consumerist. We wrote back and asked for the photos, because a story this wacky requires visual proof.
[I][B]Got a fun story and ethical question for you. My boyfriend’s mom bought him an iPad from Best Buy for Christmas. It arrived at our apartment yesterday evening in a rather large, heavy box. We opened it and, to our surprise, there were five iPads in the box. We checked the Best Buy invoice on top of the package and it said “Quantity: 1,” but the box itself clearly states “Quantity: 5.”[/B][/I]
[img]http://consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/best-buy-invoice3.jpg?w=610&h=816[/img]
[tab]There’s the invoice.[/tab][img]http://consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/5count.jpg?w=610&h=518[/img]
[I][B]For a while we just sat there shocked, not knowing what to do. It’s not every day five iPads show up. We called his mom to make sure she wasn’t charged for five; she wasn’t. It looked to us as though whoever was fulfilling this package simply slapped our shipping label on the wrong box.[/B][/I]
[I][B]What do we do? What would most people do? We did some Internet research and came up with a lot of instances of people notifying companies and those companies thanking them, giving them gift cards, etc. But we couldn’t find an instance where the wrong product was such an expensive item and with such a large quantity.
Eventually we found a document from the FTC that said if an incorrect package was shipped to you, you can consider it a gift. Is this true? Can we keep these five iPads?[/B][/I]
That’s true. Legally, anything that is shipped to your home is yours to keep. This is in order to prevent companies from shipping you merchandise that you never asked for, then hounding you for the money. So they’d be well within their rights to keep or sell the iPads, or even hit them with sledgehammers if that’s what they feel like doing.
Even if you think that taking from a big-box store and giving to a Consumerist reader is a net good, what if someone at the Best Buy warehouse is eventually held responsible for the four missing iPads? Could you use them or count your stacks of cash without feeling guilty?
We contacted Best Buy’s media hotline, without passing on any names or contact information, to see what they had to say about Alexa’s dilemma. They wanted to talk to her, so we connected them. That’s where things turn downright heartwarming. Alexa forwarded the email that someone from Best Buy’s social media team had sent her.
[I] [B]Good afternoon, Alexa –
Laura, from the Consumerist, contacted us here at Best Buy on your behalf. First and foremost, I wanted to let you know how much we appreciate your honesty. That is so rare in this day and age and I sincerely thank you!
We, here at Best Buy, acknowledge that we obviously made a mistake, but in the spirit of the holidays, we encourage you to keep the additional iPads and give them to people in need – friends, family, a local school or charity.
I have not shared this resolution with Laura, as you are the customer, but it is up to you if want to let her know the outcome of your discussion.
Thank you so very much for coming forward and I hope your boyfriend enjoys his new iPad. Merry Christmas![/B][/I]
Sure, it probably helps that the eyes of Consumerist’s readership were on Best Buy here, but this was a solution where everyone wins. Best Buy looks generous, nobody gets fired (we hope), Alexa’s conscience gets to rest, we get to post wacky photos of a huge retail screwup, and someone out there will get bonus iPads. [/quote]
[url=http://consumerist.com/2012/12/05/when-we-ordered-one-ipad-and-best-buy-sent-five/]SOURCE: THE CONSUMERIST[/url]
If I was her, I'd sell those iPads immediately.
Christmas shopping status: Done.
Someone in shipping is being a bro and giving people extra iPads
[IMG]http://puu.sh/1z3cT[/IMG]
[QUOTE=LordCrypto;38766401]Someone in shipping is being a bro and giving people extra iPads[/QUOTE]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6J5GEfw7ig&feature=player_detailpage[/media]
GAME ON SANTA
[quote]
That’s true. Legally, anything that is shipped to your home is yours to keep. This is in order to prevent companies from shipping you merchandise that you never asked for, then hounding you for the money. So they’d be well within their rights to keep or sell the iPads, or even hit them with sledgehammers if that’s what they feel like doing.[/quote]
Wow. That sounds like a great and not-so great law at the same time.
amazing pr if nothing else
Dear lord, the resale value on those!
Just sell them for 50 bucks less than retail and it's still about 2000 dollars profit!
This is publicity. Best Buy finally realized people fucking hate them for being an asshole of a company, and are desperate to try and look good. Yet they won't stop treating employees and customers like shit.
[QUOTE=Demolitions2;38766709]This is publicity. Best Buy finally realized people fucking hate them for being an asshole of a company, and are desperate to try and look good. Yet they won't stop treating employees and customers like shit.[/QUOTE]
yeah fuck best buy, any good deed by them obv does not count because they are assholes and theyre doing it for the publicity
I love that title
okay so $2500 lost by Best Buy, no obligation whatsoever to return.
I am jelly.
[QUOTE=Elecbullet;38767370]okay so [B]$2500 lost[/B] by Best Buy, no obligation whatsoever to return.[/QUOTE]
you have no clue how retail works.
[quote]Laura, from the Consumerist, contacted us here at Best Buy on your behalf. First and foremost, I wanted to let you know how much we appreciate your honesty. That is so rare in this day and age and I sincerely thank you![/quote]
The honesty of contacting a third party to see if you can keep the iPads without facing legal ramifications?
But I digress. Good on them for at least bringing the error to someone's attention.
I'm sure who ever fucked up is getting their ass handed to them for it.
Losing that much won't be covered by no spirit of the holidays.
[QUOTE=Sgt. Khorn;38767766]I'm sure who ever fucked up is getting their ass handed to them for it.
Losing that much won't be covered by no spirit of the holidays.[/QUOTE]
They'll probably have a stern talking to, but I can't see them being fired for this when Best Buy can use it as a great public relations example, firing the employee who caused this then leads to the problem of that employee telling everyone "I was fired when they agreed to leave the iPads with the customer". Not quite as good for PR.
[QUOTE=Greenen72;38766774]yeah fuck ebay, any good deed by them obv does not count because they are assholes and theyre doing it for the publicity[/QUOTE]
Uh no, not ebay. Best Buy. Having worked for the company myself. They tried to fire me on my 2nd day because i let a customer go without buying something from me. It was an old lady who just wanted to get some info on the current generation systems. I took her through each one and explained them, what they were good for. Then I asked if she wanted to pick one up today or just needed info. She said she'd talk to her family about it, and i said no problem, glad i could help, heave a fantastic day.
My supervisor came up to me and said, and i quote "If i had the ability to fire you right now i would. Your job is NOT to give the customer info, and NOT to help them out. Your job is to tell the customer what they want and then MAKE them buy it. Otherwise you're just a failure and we dont want you here".
Thois is beyond the fact that after i left they put a new policy in place for selling the Best Buy credit cards. If you go 3 shifts without selling a card they bring in the DM and store Manager and ask you for 20 minutes why you aren't selling well enough. If you go 12 shifts without selling a card they straight up just fire you. No meeting just "youre fired, leave".
So maybe i'm biased, but if someone punches you in the face you don't think much of them helping an old lady cross the street afterwards.
Well best buy is still shit then, that is what i am getting from demolitions2. Even if they try to cover up bad business practice for the employees.
[QUOTE=Demolitions2;38768763]Uh no, not ebay. Best Buy. [/QUOTE]
Whoops, typing best buy while seeing the ebay image
Similar thing happened to a mate of mine. He bought a computer case online and 2 were shipped to him, held onto it for a while and then sold it. A month after selling it the company ask for it back.
It means they already fired the guy responsible and don't want to deal with letting them come back to work.
The title is like a Reddit post.
[QUOTE=Demolitions2;38766709]This is publicity. Best Buy finally realized people fucking hate them for being an asshole of a company, and are desperate to try and look good. Yet they won't stop treating employees and customers like shit.[/QUOTE]
Or maybe somebody hit the wrong number on a keypad. Also, I've also had nothing but great experiences with Best Buy, and their customer service is amazing.
I want one...
[QUOTE=demoguy08;38766435]Wow. That sounds like a great and not-so great law at the same time.[/QUOTE]
Yeah it's not really great. I much prefer essentially our standard way of dealing with it, using the institute of meritless enrichment.
If someone performs an action in error or without reason and you gain from it, one could consider it meritless enrichment and they can ask for it back. But usually with necessary costs on them, if it was in good faith.
So basically stuff like a bank accidentally dumping 1000USD on your account. Someone erronously shipping you a product as opposed to someone else, or even you erronously paying an invoice wrong.
But if they don't do it without reason, or refuse to bare the associated costs with their error you can keep it.
[QUOTE=Demolitions2;38766709]This is publicity. Best Buy finally realized people fucking hate them for being an asshole of a company, and are desperate to try and look good. Yet they won't stop treating employees and customers like shit.[/QUOTE]
depends where you go. the best buy near me actually helped my brother find a really good laptop for a really low price
[QUOTE=Demolitions2;38766709]This is publicity. Best Buy finally realized people fucking hate them for being an asshole of a company, and are desperate to try and look good. Yet they won't stop treating employees and customers like shit.[/QUOTE]
Man this is certainly going to stop me from shopping at the Best Buy nearby I've never had any problems with!
I'm thinking of how awesome it'd be to have extra iPads to give as presents to friends of mine. I have one friend who I always let use my iPad and Galaxy Nexus for Garageband and other games since he doesn't have a whole lot of that stuff. Just a basic phone and an iPod Touch while everyone around him is playing on their smartphones; I don't have the money to go out and buy him an iPad or phone, but I totally wish I could get him something.
Only issue gifting these would be when you'd have more friends than iPads.
I'd have a hard time picking who'd get one.
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