Best Buy Sends Customers 5 iPads by Mistake — And Wait Until You Hear the Company’s Response

(Credit: AFP/Getty Images)
Two Best Buy customers’ giving spirit will be put to the test this Christmas season. The customers were shocked after they ordered a single Apple iPad, but received five of them by mail.
Wanting to do the right thing, one of the customers contacted the Consumerist for advice and they got in touch with the retail giant. Best Buy actually told her to keep the extra iPads, but that’s not the surprising part. The company instead asked the customer to donate them to people in need or a charity.
“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,” Best Buy said in a statement.
Shortly after, another customer contacted the Consumerist with the exact same dilemma. He was also told to keep the iPads, but not for such a noble reason.
“I called Best Buy’s 1-800 number and the rep told me there was nothing he could really do because the system only reported one as being sent to me…He told me I could try and drop them off at the Best Buy store, but I had reservations about how traceable this return would be,” the customer wrote to the Consumerist.
“You know, case the inventory person at Best Buy ever tracked me down and wanted them back. So right now I am just keeping them in my closet until Best Buy comes knocking at my door or a reasonable amount of [time] goes by,” he added.
What do you think the customers should do with their extra iPads?
Featured image AP
(H/T: Yahoo! News)
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Comments (129)
swoods08
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 10:18pmThey said keep em’ why all the fuss?
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Keep Your Skepticals On
Posted on December 8, 2012 at 2:32amI’ve had similar issues in the past – one with a cell phone about 10 years ago. I got a free phone after a year of service but they messed up and instead of sending me the $50 the were supposed to they sent me a $200 phone. I went in to the store and asked about it – they said to keep it. I even got a copy of the memo the stores got regarding this issue and to let customers keep the phones. Surprise surprise some months later a $200.00 “Misc.” charge showed up on my bill. I went into the stores and contacted customer service but nobody had “the authority” to remove the charge since they did not know what the “Misc.” charge was for. Regrettably I ended up paying it and cancelling contract when I got threatened with collections and a mark on my credit. Would have fought it if I knew then what I do now – scoundrels.
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DSTSS2010
Posted on December 8, 2012 at 12:03pm6 months from now one of the bean counters will discover the error and automatically bill the customer. This will turn into a knock-down drag-out fight. The store will file a negative credit event, ruining their customers credit rating.
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aproudinfidel
Posted on December 8, 2012 at 1:35pmI’m with you… seems pretty nice of BestBuys. Hope the people pay it forward.
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Brooke Lorren
Posted on December 8, 2012 at 2:19pmThat is when you need to take the phone company to small claims court. We ended up taking a phone company to small claims court when they didn’t cancel a service when we asked them to, and then charged us extra fees when we refused to pay for the service that we had already cancelled. It was more than $100. We had them served with papers, and they decided to settle out of court. A lot of times companies will do this to people because they know that they won’t fight back.
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garbagecanlogic
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 10:03pmBest Buy has had the most declining atmoshpere and environment I’ve seen in the past 10-12 yrs. They have cut every corner they can and irritated the customer in the process. Their clerks are almost as dumb as rocks. Personally, I’d do the same thing the guy was doing – put them in my closet in case B/B came after him later.
Praise Be To Obama. Psalm 109:8
The U.S. Out Of The U.N.
The U.N. Out Of The U.S.
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SolitudeBliss
Posted on December 8, 2012 at 8:51amC’mon, it’s not only Best Buy. The lack of education, work ethic and sheer mediocrity abounds these days. People might as well get used to constant mishaps, bleep-ups and things not done right because people are either getting dumber, lazier or are high on pot these days.
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benrush
Posted on December 8, 2012 at 10:40amI had the same experience. I once asked a Best Buy clerk why they were charging double the price for an item I could get from Amazon. All he said was, “that’s Amazon”.
Logic doesn’t enter into it.
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grayling646
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 9:59pmI think he should send one of them to me. Don’t you?
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Bluzie
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 11:36pmHe sure should Gray, lol. BTW, did you serve on the Grayling? I had a second cousin serve on the Grayling….. They came to port here in Fl one time in the mid 70′s and invited us on board. Not sure if he was commander of that one or her reached that rank after.
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American_Christian_Capitalist
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 9:54pmCaught anything yet? Sheesh….
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ThatsJustCrazyTalk
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 9:21pmBy Law, the items are yours to keep. The consumer didn’t order them, and they were sent to his/her residence so they’re able to keep them anyway. Obviously, Best Buy and Apple have such “mistakes” added into the cost of the merchandise. I do think giving several as gifts to those you think could benefit from them would be good. Selling them would be immoral (in my world view).
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SgtB
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 11:37pmWhat? So if a company sends me something, it is mine to do with as I please. Unless it runs counter to how you would do things, then its immoral? Sounds like someone has issues…
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huufarted
Posted on December 8, 2012 at 6:10amSGTB the law says anything shipped to you that you didnt order is legally yours to keep. lts a throwback law from the time when the book-of-the-month would send out books you didnt order and bill you or demand you send them back…
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CommonSenseTalk
Posted on December 8, 2012 at 9:58amSo if the IRS send me a refund of 1.2 million, instead of $1.20 I can just give your name for legal advice. I’ll just tell them, well you sent it to my house and the check cashed so it mine. I’m sure they will tell me, yes you are right, just keep it.
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RightThinking1
Posted on December 9, 2012 at 9:25amThatsjust,
That is not strictly true. Simply because an item has been inadvertently delivered to you, it does not follow that title to that property has been conveyed to you.
Imagine that you have ordered a car, and arranged for delivery. The seller screws up and delivers two. Do you suppose that you are legally entitled to ownership of both? Of course not.
In point of fact, you become an involuntary bailee, and are tacitly obligated to provide minimal care of the item. Of course, the actual owner is obligated to reimburse you for any expense incurred, including the cost of storage.
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corbecket
Posted on December 9, 2012 at 10:47am@commonsense
One is not “entitled” to the $1.2 million mistaken payment from the IRS, but in the days when we actually had reasonable interest to be earned on a savings account, one could (and still can) pocket the interest that is earned while the IRS figures out what happened.
In the 70′s a lady in Nebraska received an IRS overpayment in the million dollar range. She took it to her lawyer. They put it in the bank at interest, notified the IRS of their error, and waited, and waited, and waited…….
Nearly a year later the IRS finally asked for their money back, which was immediately provided. The lady pocketed the interest from the deposit. The IRS was happy, and so was the lady.
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hcartexas
Posted on December 9, 2012 at 7:14pmBy law? Huh? If you ever recieve “Extra” money in your account…. try keeping it….. tell them its yours… “by law”……. You should stick to your day job, and just keep making fries… leave the law to lawyers.
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flyere45
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 9:13pmSomething dosen’t smell right here. Two different customers contacted the “Consumerist”, who does that?
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Choctaw25
Posted on December 8, 2012 at 7:58amI agree, if it smells like a rotten fish, it probaly is a rotten fish. Just saying
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rabblechat
Posted on December 8, 2012 at 9:18amSounds like a good way to generate hits for the consumerist…
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RemoteCoderz
Posted on December 8, 2012 at 5:57pmI am betting that this was set up by Best Buy. Possibly to entice more customers (they will go down the tubes soon), possibly to generate more sales, or a combination thereof.
I have not stepped foot into a Best Buy when they announced they no longer cared about their rebate program, or saving their customers money. That was it for me, I was done with them, and haven’t looked back since.
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South Philly Boy
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 8:56pmI don’t use AppleCrap
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SUNTZU
Posted on December 8, 2012 at 12:06amholy crapple,Philly boy
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marssnw
Posted on December 8, 2012 at 3:00amMe neither. I think apple sucks. Anything you buy on Itunes you do not really own. Even if you did purchase from them.
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MrObvious
Posted on December 8, 2012 at 9:24amApple stuff is good, works reliably, and prices on much of it are not that bad.
Having said that, I do wish they would add an SD slot to their iOS devices.
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JeffDeWitt
Posted on December 9, 2012 at 7:32pmI don’t use iStuff either, but not because there is anything wrong with the products. Apple makes some seriously cool gadgets. However Apple is awfully narrow minded and greedy… why should anyone have to buy an overpriced adapter to use something as common as USB with an iPad? Why no SD slots? Why do they have to use proprietary power supplies for the Mac Mini (the company I work for has scrapped a bunch of these little computers because they came in without power supplies). I like the gadgets, but not that company… they make Microsoft seem like a champion of freedom and open source!
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Beck_Art_Obama_In_PeePee
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 8:50pm“Best Buy Sends Customers 5 iPads by Mistake — And Wait Until You Hear the Company’s Response”
I couldn’t wait at the main page any longer … it must be broken. (Same thing with your STOP signs; they never change back to GO; what’s wrong with you Earthlings?)
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Beck_Art_Obama_In_PeePee
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 9:13pmOkay … just kiddin’ about the broken main page. :) But not about your STOP signs. >:(
“What do you think the customers should do with their extra iPads?”
Company systems make mistakes, but sometimes the correction isn’t worth the added expense — to get back worth-less-than-return-shipping items.
Even with Apple items at such low wholesale compared to their list/retail pricing, one would expect this to be a significant loss and so should verify with “higher-ups” the disposition of the mistaken shipment.
If STILL in one’s favor … send one to Barack Hussein Obama because he likes it when you spread your wealth around. On second thought, never mind that … he’s taking your wealth anyway.
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ICRedifURBlue
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 8:35pm…………eBay…………………
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americansfightingforcommonsense
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 8:26pmWounded Warriors! They can find someone that could use them.
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billrow
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 8:52pmI agree they are a good outfit.
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myptofvu
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 8:12pmHad an issue with an insurance company once that over payed me. Tried to alert them of the mistake they told me to keep the money. 6 mos later a collection agency calls.
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lthm
Posted on December 8, 2012 at 4:01amIt’s important to get those kinds of things in writing and hang onto it for the rest of your life…. Sad, but true. And you can’t really blame the companies (not too much, anyway) because they undoubtedly deal with dozens or hundreds of customers who are lying about that kind of thing compared to ones who are being honest. Much like police who deal with the dregs of society day in and day out, so they treat everybody like they’re peasant filth. It’s unpleasant, but understandable.
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hi
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 8:11pmGive one to your kid then shoot it when they misbehave…They get 5 chances to get it right.
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NewDaddy2011
Posted on December 8, 2012 at 2:17amBest idea ever.
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Talent-Keyhole
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:56pmBest Buy is practically bankrupt and not expected to survive another year in business. Wonder why?
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hatchetjob
Posted on December 8, 2012 at 7:13pmPlease don’t get my hopes up.
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Hearmenow2
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:53pmReturn them and get a receipt. They will bill you later for them. Do not take anyones word. Apple stock went down to two year lows this week. They are trying to push sales
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TulsaYeeHaw
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 8:59pmWith this story out, the company would lose their ass in a legal fight.
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LB
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:41pmCharity….it’s good for the heart. Maybe a soldier or their spouse for some skype time
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jodi
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:30pmThey could give them to church’s and auction them off
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Dseosg
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:27pmI could use a new iPad. HoHoHo
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DougHuffman
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:26pmNow we know what they are really worth. Do we really know what are their capabilities, that the purveyors are so anxious to get them into the public’s un-skeptical hands? Are they another BLACKBOX to leverage the capabilities of the automobile privacy violation. Stupid sheeple, trix are for didz.
Good people ought to be armed as they will, with wits and Guns and the Truth. God Bless Bitter Clingers, damn progressives.
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danbarlinmar
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:38pmthat is the strangest thing i have ever read…
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DesdemonasCrew
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:46pmWow! Clinging real tight to those Bitters, aintcha?
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3-Blue
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 8:35pmI say sell them on eBay and buy something really great (like gold or bullets) because when the right hand finds out what the left hand is doing they will send the account to a collection agency. Might as well get some money for the annoyance in advance. Obama is going to destroy the country anyway so what does it really matter? Best Buy already knows this so they don’t care. We’re already going to hell in a hand basket because we are stupid and that’s just the fax, mam.
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Con_Sanity
Posted on December 8, 2012 at 2:14amUh, did you type into the wrong window, again? This was about a shipping error. Maybe you typed it backwards? ebyaM uoy depyt ti sdrawkcab? Yeah. haeY.
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The_Edge
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:23pmGimmick. They knew the story would go out. Do you know how many people just ordered their new IPads hoping they get five? Friggin brilliant marketing.
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johnsell
Posted on December 8, 2012 at 1:14amYup, brilliant!
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ShiprockBilagaana
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:17pmSame thing happened to us about 5 years ago. My youngest wanted a MacBook for her birthday. We ordered her one, but received two, two days apart. It took us a while to convince them we really did want to return the extra, as we had paid for only one. They never told us to give it away, but we did finally return it to an Apple store. Could we have kept it and said, “finders keepers”? Sure. Then again, doing the right thing always turns out better in the end. The universe, whether because of God, intention, or just plain karma, has a way of balancing itself.
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Julz
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 11:59pmKarma…I agree.
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RJJinGadsden
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:17pmI do like the idea of giving them to charity. That is rather nice of them. Hopefully the other persons eventually gets that suggestion too.
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temple62
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:17pmWhat happens when the IRS sends a refund by mistake? They expect the money plus18% interest return to then asap!
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right-wing-waco
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:13pmHave grandkids will travel.
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shagstar
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:08pmexchange them for a new president.
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chuckwalla
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:17pmYou are my hero. Great reply!!
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chips1
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:51pmAnd keep the change.
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safetharbor
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 8:16pmIf Only
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ranepowel
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:07pmHopefully they will give them to people. iPads, while fun toys, can also help keep some small business and charity organizations more efficient with numerous productivity and business apps. I would personally give them to either small business owners in my community, or a charity that I approve of. Giving them out to your friends/family is cool, but in the spirit of the holidays I would say give them to people who can use them the best.
Could also, if you don’t know anyone/any group that needs them sell them all off and donate the cash to a small business or charity, too. An iPad will generally sell for 300-500 dollars, depending on the model, and that seemingly small amount of money may be just what a charity or small business needs in these hard times.
Hope these individuals do what is right in their own eyes, though, as no one can make the decision for them at this point.
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