Under pressure from state investigators, Best Buy is now confirming that its stores have a secret intranet site that has been used to block some consumers from getting cheaper prices advertised on BestBuy.com. What is more troubling 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. This is not the first time the giant electronic retailer has gotten into trouble misleading customers. The firm, based in Minneapolis, operates more than 1,100 electronic retail stores in the U.S., Canada and China. It has more than 125,000 full-time employees. Attorneys general in New Jersey and Ohio have accused Best Buy of deceptive sales practices, repackaging used merchandise and selling it as new, and failing to pay rebates and refunds. It paid $135,000 in New Jersey three years ago to settle that state's suit, which was based on hundreds of consumer complaints. The Ohio case is ongoing.
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