jopoe said:
So, why do you have to pay the orig price and go back and get PM? Why can't you just purchase it with PM the first time?
Because it's just plain safer.
I don't know how much PM'ing you've done in the past, but some of these stores can be extremely nit-picky. For example, some time ago I PM'd an item @ Best Buy. But I made the mistake of doing so AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE. IOW, I didn't purchase the item first, then PM'd it after I owned it. As a result, BB would only PM at 100% (not the 110%) claiming that the extra 10% does not apply to initial purchases, only on return for PM. That little mistake cost me $20 + tax!
Some time later, I purchased another item @ BB, but made sure to buy it first. Several minutes later, I visit the customer service desk to PM. Now the CSR tells me I'm only entitled to 100% (not 110%) claiming they only provide the 110% guarantee as a "convenience" for those who have to go through the trouble of driving back to the store.
Of course, I had PM'd @ BB many times before, no one had EVER made such claims (it was even the same store location). All this crap about not providing the 110% PM before purchase, or not on the same day of purchase, are rules that NOT part of their written policy, nor even enforced consistently. It varies store to store, clerk to clerk, even time of day. I suspect many are simply made up by local merchants to thwart PM'ing attempts.
I even complained one time when they denied a PM because they had rebates which dropped the AR price below the competitor. So I asked, if the competitor has rebates, will you honor it as part of the PM. He says yes, we do it all the time. Of course, I knew he didn't. I told him, that's strange, I'm denied all the time by your CSRs when I attempt to PM based on the competitors AR price. But he insisted that they do. Anyway, I'm denied the PM, and return the item. A few minutes later, I come back into the store and picked up a Western Digital 250HD, selling at regular price, w/ NO rebates. I purchase it, walk over to the customer service desk, SAME GUY, and ask for a PM to CC, who was selling the same HD for about $80 AR. THE BASTARDO DENIES THE PM CLAIMING THEY DON'T MATCH REBATES! I'm not kidding, the SAME GUY who just denied the previous rebate, then claimed they will match competitors rebates, not 10 minutes later, denies me a PM on that basis! Of course, it was a lie from the start, he simply wanted to pacify me on the previous denial by making the outlandish claim they will match competitors prices WITH rebates. When I put him to the test, of course it was denied. He was so embarassed by the situation, esp. with everyone else standing around watching all this, he wouldn't even look me in the eys. Just kept shuffling his feet. After 30 seconds of hemmin' and hawin', and a lot of other ppl watching w/ interest how all this will turn out, he relents and PMs the item to $80.
What's my point?
PM'ing is *extremely* YMMV, a very dicey proposition. There's just way too much leverage that favors the retailer. Policies are inconsistent, vague, and often verbally contradictory to written policies. When they don't want to PM, they ALWAYS find an excuse. Too few ppl realize that those PM guarantees are filled with endless exceptions. Of course, some stores are harder than others, CC being one of the worst. Yes, yes, yes, there will always be someone here and there that finds smooth sailing, nothing is absolute. There's always some store run by ppl who don't care, that ignore store policies, that are too lazy to challenge you, that don't have the time given the dozen other ppl waiting behind you, there are always exceptions. We're talking GENERALLY SPEAKING here. On the whole, CC is very tough to PM. And there are rules most ppl would be well advised to follow to maximize your chances for success, such as detailed in this deal. If you feel confident in NOT following the advice, by all means, go for it. But this advice comes from years of experience, I suggest most ppl follow it.
Spoofed
