PSA - program terms to My Best Buy effective 8/28 - Points nuked in half for regular people, Elites losing the .1 bonus

Dude they at always tinkering the program.....just get rid of it already or leave it alone
 
Weird.. with all this bitching I thought there was another place we could get 20% off on all NEW games at launch... and Amiibo's... and Skylanders... and Collectors Edition games...

Oh wait... there isn't.

 
abbabaab said:
So regular people with GCU will now only get 1 point for every $1 spent on games?
Click to expand...
That's what I'm wondering, but I guess so if GCU just "doubles points" on gaming purchases.

BB was already on thin ice with me. Earlier this month I checked my account and noticed a bunch of my gaming purchases for this year never got the doubled GCU points. I noticed because it felt like forever since I had generated a reward certificate. Posted on the help forums about it, got a PM saying it would be fixed in 24 hours. Finally remembered to check today, 3 weeks later, and my points are still sitting there at the same amount with none pending, so I had to PM the guy again. They owe me like 248 points, it would have been easier to just offer me a $5 cert for my troubles. And when I first posted about it on the forums, I already mentioned how I wouldn't be back with GCU and I'd just switch to their competitors who don't have all these problems.

I'm about 3/4 through my GCU membership that I got around when Bloodborne released in 2015. It has been an absolutely comical 18 months using Best Buy. I really should have kept notes of all the times I've had issues with a simple purchase or online order, just because the list would be mind blowing at this point. Very rarely can you set out to go get something from Best Buy and arrive back home with your purchase without having wasted some amount of time on some extra complication, or even after the fact like discovering missing reward points. Constant excuses about their computer system being updated/having problems, clueless employees, etc.

I loved GCU when I first got it. Never have I been able to support my gaming habit like I have this generation with this 20% discount, $10 preorder bonuses, and all the certificates I generated. Bit by bit they wore me down with all the extra frustration and now this half points thing in just the icing on the cake. So much easier to switch to Amazon Prime and have stuff show up at my door with zero complications.

The real joke will be if they try to tell me I can only have .5 points for those old purchases now that the terms changed. =P~

 
Last edited by a moderator:
According to the tracker, I have only spent $307 this year. That's what I get for using so many gift cards. I'm going to miss ELITE + next year.
 
LOL, the Best Buy haters always come out of the woodwork in these threads. And this is not bait and switch. Some of you need to learn what that actually is.

 
For us long term gcu who used to get a magazine and coupons, we know the whole program can change for the worse at any time. It's no secret Best Buy is losing money and going down the street to pick up any game is about to be limited to stores who do zero discounts or pitiful ones at that if Best Buy dies. They change it, no big deal, roll with the punches or stop shopping there.
 
im shocked best buy is not gone..

i ordered a  3ds  limited ed game   (the 7th dragon thing)  box came crushed and they go  we will give you 15 buck gift card for the damage...  3 weeks past and i never got the gift card.. so i call them back up and they go  since you did not get the gift card and for making you call  back  we will give you a  50 buck gift card   allow up to 2 weeks to get it....      2 weeks  came and went and nothing. Called up they said the  50 card was still processing    but they would ask for the  15 one as well.. Told them why the  50 is more then i paid and they go dont worry about it

2 days later i get the 50 buck card ...  yesterday i got the  15 buck card..  So spend  35 bucks for the game and got  65 bucks in gift cards lol

so mostly free game + 30

 
I remember back in the day when it was $125 in purchases for a RZ cert.

Glad I'm Elite Plus and have no plans to not keep that status yearly.  Easy enough to do, if you put your mind to it. 

 
The $5 once in awhile is nice, but the real reason I shop there is the 20% off, which I think is still in tact. Sometimes I'd lose those $5 cards when they expired, anyway.
 
This is in the deals section?

Tom-Hanks-Saying-Really.gif


 
slidecage said:
im shocked best buy is not gone..

i ordered a 3ds limited ed game (the 7th dragon thing) box came crushed and they go we will give you 15 buck gift card for the damage... 3 weeks past and i never got the gift card.. so i call them back up and they go since you did not get the gift card and for making you call back we will give you a 50 buck gift card allow up to 2 weeks to get it.... 2 weeks came and went and nothing. Called up they said the 50 card was still processing but they would ask for the 15 one as well.. Told them why the 50 is more then i paid and they go dont worry about it

2 days later i get the 50 buck card ... yesterday i got the 15 buck card.. So spend 35 bucks for the game and got 65 bucks in gift cards lol

so mostly free game + 30
Click to expand...


 
shrike4242 said:
I remember back in the day when it was $125 in purchases for a RZ cert.

Glad I'm Elite Plus and have no plans to not keep that status yearly. Easy enough to do, if you put your mind to it.
Click to expand...
If you have the credit card sure, otherwise, unless you're buying laptops for disadvantaged youths, it doesn't make any sense to be dropping 3,500 in cash a year at BB.

 
DannyEndurance said:
So, instead of getting a $5 reward certificate for $250 I spend... Now I gotta spend $500? F*** that.
#BitchingAboutBestBuy
Click to expand...
I need about 27 points for a $5 cert. Guess I will have to spend $54 to get there? Guess now that their stock is doing much better it is time to cut back on the few perks they offered.

 
slidecage said:
im shocked best buy is not gone..

i ordered a 3ds limited ed game (the 7th dragon thing) box came crushed and they go we will give you 15 buck gift card for the damage... 3 weeks past and i never got the gift card.. so i call them back up and they go since you did not get the gift card and for making you call back we will give you a 50 buck gift card allow up to 2 weeks to get it.... 2 weeks came and went and nothing. Called up they said the 50 card was still processing but they would ask for the 15 one as well.. Told them why the 50 is more then i paid and they go dont worry about it


2 days later i get the 50 buck card ... yesterday i got the 15 buck card.. So spend 35 bucks for the game and got 65 bucks in gift cards lol

so mostly free game + 30
Click to expand...
Only YOU would bitch about getting $65 in gift cards for buying a $35 game.
 
ritchardf said:
Click to expand...
once i get my camera back and and working i take a picture of the cards... i think its some workers just trying to force the company to go bankrupt. One of my orders never showed from amazon few months went into chat and worker goes to make up for it Im going to give you 1 year of prime for free ...... never did get it though .

 
Last edited by a moderator:
pdjones said:
The $5 once in awhile is nice, but the real reason I shop there is the 20% off, which I think is still in tact. Sometimes I'd lose those $5 cards when they expired, anyway.
Click to expand...
If you are elite you can bank the points instead of having them auto issue.
 
I see they have updated some parts of their site to show the 0.5 points per $1 spent, but I have never understood the "2X points on new videogames...,etc." I only joined 1 year ago, and didn't know much about GCU before then, but at that time it was 1 point per $1 in videogames (that's what they gave me), and 1 point per $1 when I bought 2 laptops a few months ago. Was this just old language they forgot to clean up, or were they supposed to be giving 2 times the 1 point per $1 spent (even if just on videogames)? I never got more than 1point per $1, and videogames are the only things I have purchased from Best Buy, except for 1 ps4 chatpad accessory, and the 2 laptops. All have the same reward rates.

[attachment=23503:best buy 2x points.png]

One more thing...someone on CAG told me when they preorder, it only temporarily ties up that amount on their credit card, then that authorization goes away, and they are not charged until the game release date. This is not my experience. The "authorization hold" that they put on the funds to make sure the card is legitimate, and the funds are there, stays on the card until the game releases (last one was for 6+ months, and my current order has the funds held for almost a month, and it comes out in February IF there are no delays). Amazon, Newegg, and Gamestop (to name only a few), all do a temporary hold, it is gone within 24 hours usually (freeing up those funds), and the card is not billed until around the day the game ships.

Long explanation -
I did use Paypal (with credit card attached) to buy Bravely Second CE, and from the day of the preorder, my entire amount was placed on hold, never to be released until the charge went through. I can go to the B&M & put $5 down on a preorder, so that seems so stupid. I preordered Persona5 with a normal credit card, and sure enough, it's been on a processing hold for almost a month. I email BBY CSR, and they had someone that does not know English well, or a computer, pick out the words "preorder" from my email and explain to me how preorders work, and that the ship date is clearly listed. I haven't gotten a second reply, after I asked that they get someone else that is more familiar to help me, but I explained to them I have used the exact same credit cards with Amazon and other places, and those businesses take about 1 day to authorized the card. My money is no longer tied up for almost 6 months (in the case of Persona 5). That should be called a pre purchase. I told them what matters is that I can't use that money, regardless of semantics. No other online retailer that I shop at does this, and I don't know if it's an antiquated system, an intentional practice, as I couldn't find anything in their FAQ's or documentation online that starts I will have to pay the full amount of the game when I preorder (especially when I could go in store and only pay $5). This was with no coupons, no reward certs, just a normal purchase. I preempted them blaming the bank by saying that I have used that card at 8-10 online retailers for preorders, and none of them held the money like that. I also gave my example of preordering Last Guardian from Newegg, and pointed out if that would have been a Best Buy preorder, They would have had my money tied up for 4 years (whether they have the funds or not, their policy, their authorization requests, or something that Best Buy is doing is keeping that money tied up so I can't use it).

Can anyone else tell me the preorder process they go through when ordering games online? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I may need to just order the games I want in-store from now on, but that's a hassle. Thanks in advance.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Are there people in here who don't understand that Best Buy will literally price match any major retailer and even Amazon? The number of people talking about Best Buy being overpriced is just silly. Prime is nice, but why would I want to wait any time at all when I can just go there, PM my purchase and move on. If spending $1500-$3500 in an entire year is too much for you, then you likely have decided to choose a terrible hobby in electronics. Between buying games, movies, computers, phones, the occasional appliance, and all of my phone cards (I went prepaid over a year ago and anybody who hasn't that lives even remotely near civilization is silly not to). I spend $4,000+ easy and don't even notice it. I have never had any major issues with my stores, and I am well aware that everybody's experience is different, but calling Best Buy overpriced and saying that people are crazy for shopping there is just straight up naive. This ain't Gamestop everybody. Let's move along.  

 
Xfactor19990 said:
Meh, I have not shopped at Best Buy in months. The stores around me have a bunch of idiots that never do anything right.

On a daily basis I get emails for Project Cars that I ordered when it was $7.99, they took the money but say I never paid. Tried calling them and even showed the email receipt / process of payment. Not worth fighting for $8.
Click to expand...
Used to work at bestbuy. Can confrim. I was one of those Idiots once lol.

 
This is a FREE rewards program, why are people "bitching" about a program that reward customers and cost no money.    I can't name any other retailer that offers this type of benefit.   On top of GCU, this is simply an icing on the cake. 

The people that are "bitching" are more likely paid trolls working for a competitor.   You know who you are.   Ever since Best Buy step up to the plate, life been tough for you guys.

 
GizmoGC said:
I don't really buy from this Amazon showroom
Click to expand...
Now now, they don't have nearly the selection Amazon does.

-----

We need a third option.

I stopped using Amazon because they started charging tax, so that advantage over BB was out the window, and Prime isn't worth it since the price hike - don't care about Prime Music or Video, and the game discount I already get from GCU...without having to wait for delivery). So now that Best Buy's stock is slightly higher than toilet paper they decided to start cutting back on the rewards program. I smell a GCU change sometime in the next 2 years down to 10 or 15% unless you're "locked in" to the 20% ahead of time.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
not getting double points with my GCU anymore.  not sure if intended or not but it is still up on the website as one of the perks of paying the $30 to join.

getting 15 points for a 3DS game when I should be getting 31 etc.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Meh, the majority of my rewards bonus comes from pre-orders and I really can't complain with saving 20% on every game. The $10 VCO promo that keeps happening every other month has been knocking most of my games down to almost 30% off as well for pre-orders. This is such a minor loss to me that it won't even be noticed really.

 
Print is too small... does this have anything to do with GCU My Best Buy Points? Or do we still get the double points? Or are we only getting double points on a new .5 points making it 1 point instead of 2 points? Too much crap to keep track of! Will not renew GCU if this is the case as I'll just buy all my games from Amazon again.

 
LOL @ all these folks saying prices at Best Buy are too damn high.  95% of what they sell, not including the store brand electronics, is sold somewhere else that they price match.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top