I am the technical coordinator of a volunteer group that facilitates interaction between outstanding high school students here and their counterparts in the 2nd and 3rd world. These kids are as sharp as it gets! They are also very adept in juggling acedemia and a busy social and family life. I mention this because I asked one of these students to find a couple of laptops to purchase for a trip we have planned in a short while. He methodically did his homework and researched what was available with the best possible features considering our meager project budget. The first unit he came to me was found on the Best Buy web site and was an open box Asus laptop with a big screen and reasonably fast processor marked down about $130-160 from a new one elsewhere. So I had him call the store and verify that they had it available and also to inquire if it had physical damage and to find out if the screen and keyboard were in good shape. We've bought open box items before from a myriad of vendors including Best-Buy and for the most part they are either demo units or customer returns that never made it back to the manufacturer. There have been occasions where there's been a missing manual or an accessory but usually nothing that would preclude the normal operation of the unit. The agent over the phone told my student that the unit was a demo and was in good shape, she said she thinks the only thing that is missing is the manuals and discs IF it came with it. So we treked over to pick up the unit and after some persistence finally found the unit in the showroom still plugged in as the demo. However, the salesperson was not to eager to sell us the unit and whomever she was conferring with during the several trips to the back room didn't seem to keen on selling us the unit. First there was no box, then no power cord or AC adapter, and finally someone must have noticed that I saw the unit was plugged in and obviously had an adapter so she came back and told us that it had no battery. When my student companion explained that he called and no mention of the missing battery or box was made, she quickly dissmissed it as "Standard Policy" and made it clear that he must have understood incorrectly. While I was dissapointed at the prospects of spending $125+ for a battery, time constraints and the fact that this kid had spent so much time trying to get us the best deal, dictated that I still go ahead with the purchase. During the transaction the sales agent mentioned that there was an "Extended Geek Squad Something or Other" that I could purchase for $60 that covers the unit against damage but also has a battery replacement option one time during the year period. We often leave the computers we take on these trips behind at the schools and facilities we visit so the warranty feature didn't interest me but I thought $60 was better thatn $120 so I agreed to the warranty, we paid, dropped off the laptop at the service desk to be reloaded to factory specs, and left. I returned a few hours later and while I was waiting in line I overhear another sales agent discussing the very same question of box contents with "open Box" items as she wanted to be sure the TV and other electronics she was taking home to her husband was complete. The agent then explained that with the demo units like the one she had, they often have a sticker with items that are missing from the box. He also said that other than the manuals and other non essentials, any major defects or items lacking are posted with the adverts online... so this long diatribe leads me to my question; Did we get duped to buy a warranty we don't need just so we get a battery that Best Buy has had in it's possession the whole time? Even though no one really knew which laptop we were referring to when we first walked in, they were adament when we did find it that the battery for that unit was lost to the extent that no one even bothered even pretending to look for it. I also went back home after I picked up the unit and the ad was still online on the store's open box section and no mention of the missing battery was made. In fact, the description underneath the listing clearly stated 4CELL Battery! Now I know... I know... we were made very aware that this was a "GRRREAT PRICE" for the laptop and I'm sure that BestBuy isn't making anything on the sale but I don't see how that makes a difference. Frankly, we were to buy a new battery at retail the difference in price between what we paid for this "physically broken-in" laptop is a mere $50 from its' Suggested Retail price! I am a loyal and frequent customer of BestBuy and while I've had some customer service roadblocks before, nothing that made me feel as I do now with this transaction; deceived. I'd like to have someone at BB explain how this policy is defined and maybe say something that will quell both my suspicions as well as my astute young collegues frustrations... I am sure he is not mistaken when he says that they told him noting was missing other than possibly the disks and manuals...
Thank You in advance for your prompt response.
RM