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

Dec. 7, 2012 7:00pm
Best Buy Sends Customers Five Apple iPads by Mistake, Tells Them to Give Them to Charity

(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)

1 2 3 4
  • swoods08
    Posted on December 7, 2012 at 10:18pm

    They said keep em’ why all the fuss?

    Report this comment

    swoods08  
    • Keep Your Skepticals On
      Posted on December 8, 2012 at 2:32am

      I’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.

      Report this comment

      Keep Your Skepticals On  
    • DSTSS2010
      Posted on December 8, 2012 at 12:03pm

      6 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.

      Report this comment

      DSTSS2010  
    • aproudinfidel
      Posted on December 8, 2012 at 1:35pm

      I’m with you… seems pretty nice of BestBuys. Hope the people pay it forward.

      Report this comment

      aproudinfidel  
    • Brooke Lorren
      Posted on December 8, 2012 at 2:19pm

      That 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.

      Report this comment

      Brooke Lorren  
  • garbagecanlogic
    Posted on December 7, 2012 at 10:03pm

    Best 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.

    Report this comment

    garbagecanlogic  
    • SolitudeBliss
      Posted on December 8, 2012 at 8:51am

      C’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.

      Report this comment

      SolitudeBliss  
    • benrush
      Posted on December 8, 2012 at 10:40am

      I 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.

      Report this comment

      benrush  
  • grayling646
    Posted on December 7, 2012 at 9:59pm

    I think he should send one of them to me. Don’t you?

    Report this comment

    grayling646  
    • Bluzie
      Posted on December 7, 2012 at 11:36pm

      He 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.

      Report this comment

      Bluzie  
  • American_Christian_Capitalist
    Posted on December 7, 2012 at 9:54pm

    Caught anything yet? Sheesh….

    Report this comment

    American_Christian_Capitalist  
  • ThatsJustCrazyTalk
    Posted on December 7, 2012 at 9:21pm

    By 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).

    Report this comment

    ThatsJustCrazyTalk  
    • SgtB
      Posted on December 7, 2012 at 11:37pm

      What? 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…

      Report this comment

      SgtB  
    • huufarted
      Posted on December 8, 2012 at 6:10am

      SGTB 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…

      Report this comment

      huufarted  
    • CommonSenseTalk
      Posted on December 8, 2012 at 9:58am

      So 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.

      Report this comment

      CommonSenseTalk  
    • RightThinking1
      Posted on December 9, 2012 at 9:25am

      Thatsjust,
      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.

      Report this comment

      RightThinking1  
    • 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.

      Report this comment

      corbecket  
    • hcartexas
      Posted on December 9, 2012 at 7:14pm

      By 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.

      Report this comment

      hcartexas  
  • flyere45
    Posted on December 7, 2012 at 9:13pm

    Something dosen’t smell right here. Two different customers contacted the “Consumerist”, who does that?

    Report this comment

    flyere45  
    • Choctaw25
      Posted on December 8, 2012 at 7:58am

      I agree, if it smells like a rotten fish, it probaly is a rotten fish. Just saying

      Report this comment

      Choctaw25  
    • rabblechat
      Posted on December 8, 2012 at 9:18am

      Sounds like a good way to generate hits for the consumerist…

      Report this comment

      rabblechat  
    • RemoteCoderz
      Posted on December 8, 2012 at 5:57pm

      I 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.

      Report this comment

      RemoteCoderz  
  • South Philly Boy
    Posted on December 7, 2012 at 8:56pm

    I don’t use AppleCrap

    Report this comment

    South Philly Boy  
    • SUNTZU
      Posted on December 8, 2012 at 12:06am

      holy crapple,Philly boy

      Report this comment

      SUNTZU  
    • marssnw
      Posted on December 8, 2012 at 3:00am

      Me neither. I think apple sucks. Anything you buy on Itunes you do not really own. Even if you did purchase from them.

      Report this comment

      marssnw  
    • MrObvious
      Posted on December 8, 2012 at 9:24am

      Apple 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.

      Report this comment

      MrObvious  
    • JeffDeWitt
      Posted on December 9, 2012 at 7:32pm

      I 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!

      Report this comment

      JeffDeWitt  
  • 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?)

    Report this comment

    Beck_Art_Obama_In_PeePee  
    • Beck_Art_Obama_In_PeePee
      Posted on December 7, 2012 at 9:13pm

      Okay … 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.

      Report this comment

      Beck_Art_Obama_In_PeePee  
  • ICRedifURBlue
    Posted on December 7, 2012 at 8:35pm

    …………eBay…………………

    Report this comment

    ICRedifURBlue  
  • americansfightingforcommonsense
    Posted on December 7, 2012 at 8:26pm

    Wounded Warriors! They can find someone that could use them.

    Report this comment

    americansfightingforcommonsense  
  • myptofvu
    Posted on December 7, 2012 at 8:12pm

    Had 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.

    Report this comment

    myptofvu  
    • lthm
      Posted on December 8, 2012 at 4:01am

      It’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.

      Report this comment

      lthm  
  • hi
    Posted on December 7, 2012 at 8:11pm

    Give one to your kid then shoot it when they misbehave…They get 5 chances to get it right.

    Report this comment

    hi  
  • Talent-Keyhole
    Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:56pm

    Best Buy is practically bankrupt and not expected to survive another year in business. Wonder why?

    Report this comment

    Talent-Keyhole  
  • Hearmenow2
    Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:53pm

    Return 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

    Report this comment

    Hearmenow2  
  • LB
    Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:41pm

    Charity….it’s good for the heart. Maybe a soldier or their spouse for some skype time

    Report this comment

    LB  
  • jodi
    Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:30pm

    They could give them to church’s and auction them off

    Report this comment

    jodi  
  • Dseosg
    Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:27pm

    I could use a new iPad. HoHoHo

    Report this comment

    Dseosg  
  • DougHuffman
    Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:26pm

    Now 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.

    Report this comment

    DougHuffman  
    • danbarlinmar
      Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:38pm

      that is the strangest thing i have ever read…

      Report this comment

      danbarlinmar  
    • DesdemonasCrew
      Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:46pm

      Wow! Clinging real tight to those Bitters, aintcha?

      Report this comment

      DesdemonasCrew  
    • 3-Blue
      Posted on December 7, 2012 at 8:35pm

      I 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.

      Report this comment

      3-Blue  
    • Con_Sanity
      Posted on December 8, 2012 at 2:14am

      Uh, 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.

      Report this comment

      Con_Sanity  
  • The_Edge
    Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:23pm

    Gimmick. 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.

    Report this comment

    The_Edge  
  • ShiprockBilagaana
    Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:17pm

    Same 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.

    Report this comment

    ShiprockBilagaana  
  • RJJinGadsden
    Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:17pm

    I do like the idea of giving them to charity. That is rather nice of them. Hopefully the other persons eventually gets that suggestion too.

    Report this comment

    RJJinGadsden  
  • temple62
    Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:17pm

    What happens when the IRS sends a refund by mistake? They expect the money plus18% interest return to then asap!

    Report this comment

    temple62  
  • right-wing-waco
    Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:13pm

    Have grandkids will travel.

    Report this comment

    right-wing-waco  
  • shagstar
    Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:08pm

    exchange them for a new president.

    Report this comment

    shagstar  
  • ranepowel
    Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:07pm

    Hopefully 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.

    Report this comment

    ranepowel  
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