My identity stolen at Best Buy
OK, I know the title is a little sensationalist, but hear me out.
About three months ago I went into Best Buy - a mistake I will never make again - close to where I live. I wanted to pick up a copy of Elder Scrolls: Oblivion for the XBOX 360. I got a copy, went to the register, swiped me card and was ready to authorize the transaction when the clerk asked me if I wanted to pay an extra $4 for a "defective product guarantee".
Incredulously I asked what that meant, exactly, and he replied "if your product is defective, you can return it for a refund". I asked him to repeat himself, and he said the same thing. I asked - still nicely - if he really meant that Best Buy's policy now prohibits taking back a defective product unless one pays an exorbitant insurance fee upfront ($4 for a $30 game is a LOT), and he repeated it a third time.
So I gave him back the game, said that I am not authorizing the transaction, asked him to close it, and walked across the street to Game Shack where I bought the same game for $27 and no nonsense.
A month later I was looking at my credit card bill, and lo-and-behold, there's a $59 charge from Best Buy. I don't normally shop there - this case being another reason why - so obviously it caught my attention. I looked at the date and time. It was for that transaction, the one I never authorized.
I opened a dispute with my bank. Unfortunately, it takes much longer to deal with these when transactions do not occur online. It's been a couple of months, but I finally received a letter from my bank with the sales receipt draft from Best Buy.
It has a signature.
Not MY signature, mind you, but A signature. In fact, it is so far removed from my signature or even my name that I am amazed someone would go to the trouble of considering it a forgery. In fact, this reinforced my theory on what happened: the clerk decided NOT to close the transaction when I left, and instead grabbed a couple things that were lying near the register, rang them up and authorized the transaction on my card.
I won't be out money at the end, but I was impressed with the nerve of this young guy and the brazen nature of his crime. He was smart about it, too, keeping the transaction to something reasonably low. He probably thought I'd never catch it.
Anyway, I'll let my bank sort out the refund, but I am also going to walk to that store, look for a manager, and present the case and evidence. I will also see if the police will take a report from me. After all, because I have the transaction record, Best Buy can track down the guy who did it. I just think the amount is so small as to not be enough to merit something that will go on his record. A shame, really.
About three months ago I went into Best Buy - a mistake I will never make again - close to where I live. I wanted to pick up a copy of Elder Scrolls: Oblivion for the XBOX 360. I got a copy, went to the register, swiped me card and was ready to authorize the transaction when the clerk asked me if I wanted to pay an extra $4 for a "defective product guarantee".
Incredulously I asked what that meant, exactly, and he replied "if your product is defective, you can return it for a refund". I asked him to repeat himself, and he said the same thing. I asked - still nicely - if he really meant that Best Buy's policy now prohibits taking back a defective product unless one pays an exorbitant insurance fee upfront ($4 for a $30 game is a LOT), and he repeated it a third time.
So I gave him back the game, said that I am not authorizing the transaction, asked him to close it, and walked across the street to Game Shack where I bought the same game for $27 and no nonsense.
A month later I was looking at my credit card bill, and lo-and-behold, there's a $59 charge from Best Buy. I don't normally shop there - this case being another reason why - so obviously it caught my attention. I looked at the date and time. It was for that transaction, the one I never authorized.
I opened a dispute with my bank. Unfortunately, it takes much longer to deal with these when transactions do not occur online. It's been a couple of months, but I finally received a letter from my bank with the sales receipt draft from Best Buy.
It has a signature.
Not MY signature, mind you, but A signature. In fact, it is so far removed from my signature or even my name that I am amazed someone would go to the trouble of considering it a forgery. In fact, this reinforced my theory on what happened: the clerk decided NOT to close the transaction when I left, and instead grabbed a couple things that were lying near the register, rang them up and authorized the transaction on my card.
I won't be out money at the end, but I was impressed with the nerve of this young guy and the brazen nature of his crime. He was smart about it, too, keeping the transaction to something reasonably low. He probably thought I'd never catch it.
Anyway, I'll let my bank sort out the refund, but I am also going to walk to that store, look for a manager, and present the case and evidence. I will also see if the police will take a report from me. After all, because I have the transaction record, Best Buy can track down the guy who did it. I just think the amount is so small as to not be enough to merit something that will go on his record. A shame, really.
posted by Blinkered at 6:48 PM
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