The old switcheroo...

[neomaine]

Went to staples last week to pick up a GPS that was on sale, for myself, and a hard drive on sale for a friends computer that I was working on. Neither one were in the store so the sales associate offered to look at the online store and have them shipped to my home. Sure, good prices (unbelievable, US$79 for a 400gb drive...) on what I was looking for. He found them and set everything up and I paid in the store.

Got a call the next day, the GPS was no longer in stock. No big deal, it was a present for the in-laws who don't really go anywhere anyway.

The hard drive comes in, no shrink wrap, the cd was missing but I didn't think too much about it. I load it in the PC, nothing. Forgot I had to set the 150gb jumper. Finally, drive is recognized, comes up fully formatted: at 140gb!

Go back to the store to explain my situation. I ordered a 400gb drive, got a 140gb shipped, have receipt in hand. Ye old staff geek gets the manager. Long story short, after about 15 minutes of checking he says he can't do anything because the serial numbers don't match.....no kidding!!

Luckily, a call to the 800 number on the invoice connected me to a very nice CSR who's shipping me another drive. The wrong drive was picked up a couple of days ago by carrier. I actually feel quite lucky that I was able to get out of this.

Basically, how do they know I'm not pulling the same trick? Saying I got one drive but expected another and in the meantime swapping an old drive? In this case it was a WD 140gb for a WD 400gb. What to stop someone from taking advantage of some unsuspecting floor geek to not even check a returned drive? You can probably catch someone if you use a credit card. But if they use cash?

Buh, this one had me completely floored.... Anyone else run into this?

[Soopafresh]

I once bought a Wireless networking card from a big named store with the initials BB - Opened it up and there was no card. The box was perfectly shrink wrapped, like it was new. Exchanging it was painful.

[Webster]

Buh, this one had me completely floored.... Anyone else run into this?

The same thing happened to me at BB a few months back. I bought two 500GB Seagate drives in shrinkwraped boxes. Got home and open one of the box and got a 250GB Samsung. Couldn't return the 250GB, so I returned the unopened Seagate. Manager said they couldn't do anything about the opened one since the antistatic bag have been open and there is no way that I can prove that the Samsung drive is not mine. That was the last time I bought a drive at a brick and mortar. Nowaday, I alway open the box BEFORE I walk out the door.......

[orsetto]

There are more and more reports of this lately. This being the age of internet shopping, and more importantly the age when obscure retail equipment no one knew where to buy before became easily and cheaply available on eBay. It is pretty simple now for unscrupulous types to Google search for "shrink wrap and heat sealer unit", buy one very cheaply, and use it to re-wrap-seal things you bought at Best Buy so the box looks like it was never opened. Unless the retailer unseals it to check or has some kind of scanner, the customer service desk will simply take it back no questions asked, even an empty box. If the scammer paid cash for the item they swapped or stole, they get cash back on the spot and disappear.

The stores will probably start policing this more thoroughly soon, in the meantime it does pay to open small items like hard drives and network cards in front of a clerk after you pay for the item, just to avoid problems. Even without scammers, the stock room kids can get very sloppy when THEY re-wrap-seal returned items.

[AlanHK]

It is pretty simple now for unscrupulous types to Google search for "shrink wrap and heat sealer unit", buy one very cheaply, and use it to re-wrap-seal things you bought.

Actually, you can shrinkwrap with just a hair dryer on high setting.

[budz]

The same thing happened to me at BB a few months back. I bought two 500GB Seagate drives in shrinkwraped boxes. Got home and open one of the box and got a 250GB Samsung. Couldn't return the 250GB, so I returned the unopened Seagate. Manager said they couldn't do anything about the opened one since the antistatic bag have been open and there is no way that I can prove that the Samsung drive is not mine. That was the last time I bought a drive at a brick and mortar. Nowaday, I alway open the box BEFORE I walk out the door.......

with you on opening the box BEFORE walking out the door. After reading your post a few months ago I now open any box of stuff I buy from BB.

[Noahtuck]

I learned this lesson prob. over 15 years ago...

There used to be a pretty big retail outlet, long before Best Buy, circuit city, ect. existed.....
There used to be a retail/showroom store called "BEST", along with "Whitmarks"/"Witmarks" around where i live, they were a very large cross country retail/catalog store....

One day i went in and bought a $700.00 receiver, remember now, this was over 15 years ago and $700.00 meant more than it does today... brought it home, opened it only to discover someone had bought it, replaced it with a receiver of the same brand that was a 2 year old model!!!!!!!!!!!

It was Pioneer receiver and they used to use a special package tape that had the pioneer logo printed on the tape itself, they may still, i don't remember as it's been a few years since i have bought anything new from them, but the person had cut it very carefully and just resealed it with standard clear packing tape and i did not realise it until i had already opened it and discovered the old receiver in box....
Thankfully with a little attitude they exchanged it very quickly..... since then i always check major $$$ purchases before accepting delivery or walking out of the store......

Most people have to learn this once...... and only once......

[neomaine]

Agreed! Once is all it took...