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Best Buy Confirms 'Secret' Version of its Website

Posted by Zonk on from the probably-should-have-kept-that-under-wraps dept.

Iberian writes "The Courant site confirms an oft-rumoured possibility: Best Buy does indeed maintain a second website for what one could assume is for the purpose of defrauding its customers. State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal ordered the investigation into Best Buy's practices on Feb. 9 after columnist George Gombossy disclosed the website and showed how employees at two Connecticut stores used it to deny customers a $150 discount on a computer advertised on BestBuy.com. Says Gombossy, 'What is more troubling to me, and to some Best Buy customers, is that even when one informs a salesperson of the Internet price, customers have been shown the intranet site, which looks identical to the Internet site, but does not always show the lowest price. [State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal] said that because of the fuzzy responses from Best Buy, he has yet to figure out the real motivation behind the intranet site and whether sales people are encouraged to use it to cheat customers.'"

11 of 356 comments (clear)

  1. Well, at least competition from CompUSA should.... by TomHandy · · Score: 5, Funny

    .....err, never mind.

  2. GeekSquad by AmigaHeretic · · Score: 3, Funny

    The GeekSquad charges a $29 Software Installation fee to let you use the "real" internet inside BestBuy so this lady would have only saved $121.00 anyway.

  3. Re:I've seen it. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Those are TWO suggestions that are TOO good TO overlook.

  4. Couldn't be a BB employee. by suso · · Score: 4, Funny

    You cannot possibly be a Best Buy employee because you know what the difference between an intranet and the Internet is.

  5. Obligatory Simpsons Ref by PoopDaddy · · Score: 5, Funny
    "I'm sorry, I cannot divulge any information about our company's secret, illegal website."



    "Oh crap. I shouldn't have said it was a website.

    Oh crap! I shouldn't have said it was a secret!

    Oh crap! I CERTAINLY shouldn't have said... it was ILLEGAL!"

  6. Re:I've seen it. by mastershake_phd · · Score: 4, Funny

    OMG CORPORATIONS!!

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    Libertarian Leaning Political Discussion Forum.
  7. Re:I've seen it. by JackMeyhoff · · Score: 3, Funny

    But I wanted to purchase a laptop, do you suggest I wheel in my wifi enabled desktop intead?

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    http://www.rense.com/general79/wdx1.htm
  8. Re:I've seen it. by bbcisdabomb · · Score: 3, Funny

    Yes, I do. Bonus points if you wheel in your friend's wifi enabled desktop to purchace your own desktop, though.

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    Please put some pants on before you post again.
  9. Re:I've seen it. by BigFoot48 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I due the same thing two!

  10. Re:I've seen it. by Columcille · · Score: 4, Funny

    Perhaps I'm just getting dumber.

    This is the real slashdot effect.

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    I love my sig.
  11. I'm confused by ady1 · · Score: 2, Funny

    If they show it to the customer, it's no longer secret or is it?