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[cvxfreak]

I'll post a letter from my bank from a few months back regarding the fund holds:

Dear [cvxfreak],

When you make a purchase using the MasterCard debit feature, the merchant will request authorization for the purchase. This authorization will place a hold on your account for up to four business days. The merchant will then submit a settlement transaction to claim the funds for the purchase. If the merchant duplicated an authorization, they will usually correct the error by submitting only one settlement transaction. The duplicate authorization hold will be released within four business days. Merchants generally submit the settlement transaction by the second business day after the purchase. If the settlement transaction is not submitted within the four business days, the hold will be released and the balance on the account will increase by the amount of the hold.

Merchants requesting authorization for purchases = automatic in most online processes.

 

[mrroboto]

So the good news is that BB will still be taking pre-orders

Not so fast. I asked him specifically about them taking preorders at a later date and he said they'd most likely be for "future" shipments past the launch date. In other words, they'll send you a system after they're replenished by Sony.

He said it would be first come, first serve at all your local Bestbuy's on launch day.

 

[turtle553]

If they're going to do an online pre-order anyway, then why go through the hastle of cancelling and relisting? If they oversold, just make the later ones get put on backorder and limit it to one per household.

I think the only reason this became such a big thing is that so many people just had to CALL BEST BUY and make a stink about it. Some people just don't know how to let things go.

 

[Sean*O]

I'm pretty sure someone will at least be fired over this... will that make you feel any better?

 

[kamikaze]

ah well, fun while it lasted.

 

[mrroboto]

I pretty much agree. I had no idea that the page wasn't accessable from the BestBuy web page when I ordered mine (I only found out a few hours later from reading this thread). It looked completely legitimate on my end... even to the point of getting a mail from them and getting my card charged.

There's nothing strange about it.

Froogle somehow was able to find Bestbuy's fully functional preorder pages for the PS3 systems.

Corporate told me the pages were NOT MEANT TO BE FOUND NOR ACCESSED at the time.

It's not uncommon for major websites to have areas of their site(s) "off limits" but fully functionable until a certain time or "unveiling" if you will.

 

[sugarhigh4242]

Computer error or not, shouldn't Best Buy still have to honor offers made at their store (aka bb.com)?

I mean if Apple put a bunch of ipods on apple.com priced at $100, wouldn't they have to honor that price?

 

[Draft]

There's nothing strange about it.

Froogle somehow was able to find Bestbuy's fully functional preorder pages for the PS3 systems.

Corporate told me the pages were NOT MEANT TO BE FOUND NOR ACCESSED at the time.

It's not uncommon for major websites to have areas of their site(s) "off limits" but fully functionable until a certain time or "unveiling" if you will.

exactly. 90% of the content on that page was procedurally generated by the website, and then the copy about how great PS3 is and the picture and the price were called up by some database. Then it sits there, unlinked, until Best Buy is ready to put it up. It's not like there's some code monkey chained to his desk at 11:59, 11/16/2006, feverishly typing up the PS3 page HTML :lol

 

[commish]

Computer error or not, shouldn't Best Buy still have to honor offers made at their store (aka bb.com)?

I mean if Apple put a bunch of ipods on apple.com priced at $100, wouldn't they have to honor that price?

Ohhhh, contract law.

 

[sugarhigh4242]

Ohhhh, contract law.

Well what's the answer?

 

[chespace]

:lol Oh the injustice!

Better put that PS3 money towards a lawyer now guys.

 

[Jeff-DSA]

I'm actually already beyond pissed at Best Buy and this would just push me over the edge. I caught them in an in-store bait and switch scam but just went elsewhere for that item. If they screw me over on this one now I'm done shopping there completely.

 

[LJ11]

If they're going to do an online pre-order anyway, then why go through the hastle of cancelling and relisting? If they oversold, just make the later ones get put on backorder and limit it to one per household.

I think the only reason this became such a big thing is that so many people just had to CALL BEST BUY and make a stink about it. Some people just don't know how to let things go.

QFT. Everyone was calling asking if this was a legit order. We basically told BB that we thought the orders weren't credible with all these incessant phone calls. Now we're surprised that they canceled out orders?:lol We should of just sat back and let the chips fall where they may.

In all honesty though, the phone calls probably didn't make an ounce of difference in getting these orders canceled.

 

[mrroboto]

Computer error or not, shouldn't Best Buy still have to honor offers made at their store (aka bb.com)?

I mean if Apple put a bunch of ipods on apple.com priced at $100, wouldn't they have to honor that price?

The problem is, Bestbuy didn't put the preorder page up on their site officially. It was circumvented by another site's search engine or whatever. At no time could you go to the regular Bestbuy site over the weekend and find *anywhere* a preorder page for the systems.

You'd have an argument if you ordered a system on their site which they had up and officially running and then decided to cancel your order. That's bait and switch and that's a big no no.

In this case though, I don't feel this is Best Buy's fault in the least.

Funny how fast the tide turns from Best Buy being "cool and awesome" with everyone getting their hopes up to now a big, greedy company that doesn't care about you. :lol

 

[commish]

:lol Oh the injustice!

Better put that PS3 money towards a lawyer now guys.

Hey...uh... i'm in law school, so I'll take the job but only charge half price!

Sugarhigh, the key with your example vs this situation is that the PS3 page was inaccessible through "normal" means. Then you have to go into the whole pre-order thing (no money is actually changing hands). Apple would probably have to honor an advertised price (within reason), but this case wouldn't fly.

 

[Beer Monkey]

Maybe they are going to make them available to their 'best' RZ members as they did with 360.

 

[LJ11]

The problem is, Bestbuy didn't put the preorder page up on their site officially. It was circumvented by another site's search engine or whatever. At no time could you go to the regular Bestbuy site over the weekend and find *anywhere* a preorder page for the systems.

You'd have an argument if you ordered a system on their site which they had up and officially running and then decided to cancel your order. That's bait and switch and that's a big no no.

In this case though, I don't feel this is Best Buy's fault in the least.

Funny how fast the tide turns from Best Buy being "cool and awesome" with everyone getting their hopes up to now a big, greedy company that doesn't care about you. :lol

mrroboto, they put the page live. End of story. People use search engines to shop. If BB didn't want the page accessed then make sure to keep it offline, not just off the main page or what have you.

 

[sugarhigh4242]

The problem is, Bestbuy didn't put the preorder page up on their site officially. It was circumvented by another site's search engine or whatever. At no time could you go to the regular Bestbuy site over the weekend and find *anywhere* a preorder page for the systems.

You'd have an argument if you ordered a system on their site which they had up and officially running and then decided to cancel your order. That's bait and switch and that's a big no no.

In this case though, I don't feel this is Best Buy's fault in the least.

Funny how fast the tide turns from Best Buy being "cool and awesome" with everyone getting their hopes up to now a big, greedy company that doesn't care about you. :lol

I do web development professionally, so i know you can do a lot of tricks on these big database-driven sites by messing with the POST arguments.

That being said, i don't know what the law is. On the one hand, you could argue that this preorder is comparable to a customer entering an employees-only section of a store.

On the other hand, if a company is going to have an electronic store, they should take responsibility for the content of that store.

I'm not saying anything about Best Buy as a company either way, i'm just wondering what their responsibility should be here.

 

[cvxfreak]

A lot of people can testify that they spoke with customer service reps calling them legit. It may not mean much, but it really speaks volumes about BB's customer service.

I have a chance at a Japanese unit at flat retail price + shipping + generosity. So I have no real worries.

That being said, i don't know what the law is. On the one hand, you could argue that this preorder is comparable to a customer entering an employees-only section of a store.

...with the sign taken down, that is.

 

[LJ11]

Maybe they are going to make them available to their 'best' RZ members as they did with 360.

If they cancel our orders and allow RZ members to pre-order it would be pretty ****ed up.

 

[commish]

I do web development professionally, so i know you can do a lot of tricks on these big database-driven sites by messing with the POST arguments.

That being said, i don't know what the law is. On the one hand, you could argue that this preorder is comparable to a customer entering an employees-only section of a store.

On the other hand, if a company is going to have an electronic store, they should take responsibility for the content of that store.

I'm not saying anything about Best Buy as a company either way, i'm just wondering what their responsibility should be here.

Before you even get that far in the analysis, though, I don't think a preorder constitutes a contract.

 

[Xenon]

If they're going to do an online pre-order anyway, then why go through the hastle of cancelling and relisting? If they oversold, just make the later ones get put on backorder and limit it to one per household.

I think the only reason this became such a big thing is that so many people just had to CALL BEST BUY and make a stink about it. Some people just don't know how to let things go.

Then you wouldn't have to go to all the lovely stations they'll have setup with software and accessories, which is where they are going to make most of their profit from.

 

[LJ11]

Before you even get that far in the analysis, though, I don't think a preorder constitutes a contract.

What's a pre-order though? Isn't an IOU? I agree to pay X amount of dollars to receive Y in the future. Sounds like a contract to me.

 

[Matrix]

If they cancel our orders and allow RZ members to pre-order it would be pretty ****ed up.

They did that with the 360.

I'm shocked no one from this board who was here for the 360 launch doesnt remember what happened with bb.com

I knew this shit was going to happen again,so I didnt bother ordering one.I was just as pissed as you guys are now.

I do feel bad for you all,I was hoping it worked out this time.

 

[sugarhigh4242]

Before you even get that far in the analysis, though, I don't think a preorder constitutes a contract.

I give them money, they give me a confirmation email.

 

[turtle553]

Then you wouldn't have to go to all the lovely stations they'll have setup with software and accessories, which is where they are going to make most of their profit from.

But how many people that are camping out just go and buy the system and nothing else? Honestly, I've never camped out so I don't know, but I would imagine after 24 hours, a lot of people just want to get in and get out or would have already bought games/extra controllers before. It's the same with buying anything online, the company doesn't get a chance to upsale you with extra stuff, but they also have a lot less overhead.

 

[commish]

What's a pre-order though? Isn't an IOU? I agree to pay X amount of dollars to receive Y in the future. Sounds like a contract to me.

Without getting into what constitutes a contract (cuz I have class soon and have to read), right on bestbuy's website it states:

"Order Acceptance/Confirmation
Your receipt of an electronic or other form of order confirmation does not signify our acceptance of your order, nor does it constitute confirmation of our offer to sell. The Best Buy Web site reserves the right at any time after receipt of your order to accept or decline your order for any reason."

Edit:

Also...

"Errors on Our Site
Prices and availability of products and services are subject to change without notice. Errors will be corrected where discovered, and Best Buy reserves the right to revoke any stated offer and to correct any errors, inaccuracies or omissions including after an order has been submitted and whether or not the order has been confirmed and your credit card charged. If your credit card has already been charged for the purchase and your order is cancelled, Best Buy will issue a credit to your credit card account in the amount of the charge. Individual bank policies will dictate when this amount is credited to your account. If you are not fully satisfied with your purchase, you may return it in accordance with Best Buy's Return Policy."

 

[IJoel]

Well, I guess this makes it easier to buy the $250 Zelda game.

 

[LJ11]

They did that with the 360.

I'm shocked no one from this board who was here for the 360 launch doesnt remember what happened with bb.com

I knew this shit was going to happen again,so I didnt bother ordering one.I was just as pissed as you guys are now.

I do feel bad for you all,I was hoping it worked out this time.

I got in on the Wal-Mart deal and missed out the BB **** over. I'm not angry, as I knew BB past history with online screw ups.

Really goes to show you what kind of company Wal-Mart is. The same exact thing happened to them last year with the 360's, yet they honored every last order.

 

[kaching]

Surely BB has heard of staging new pages on an intranet or DMZ that's not connected to the public internet? Whether or not most of the order page is automatically generated, someone at BB was responsible for activating it on their public site, mistake or not.

 

[Beer Monkey]

Surely BB has heard of staging new pages on an intranet or DMZ that's not connected to the public internet? Whether or not most of the order page is automatically generated, someone at BB was responsible for activating it on their public site, whether it was a mistake or not.

There would be a field in a database record that would tell the system when to start offering it. They need some kind of failsafe requiring extra approval for new game hardware before it is offered (categories and groups in the database can certainly isolate it from other products).

 

[eudaemonic]

In this case though, I don't feel this is Best Buy's fault in the least.

I can't feel that way about it - that none of it was their fault. Yes, so it was discovered other than their front door, but it's not like we are ripping them off and trying to buy it at a lower price by hacking their site. The page did exist and if they thought that they were safe from people trying to find it, then that is ignorance. I know the way people comb websites when they are excited about something... the persistance is amazing.

If they were planning on putting them up, in a non-bundle type of way, the results would be the same UNLESS they were trying to do something other than open it up to the public. Which is something I'm not cool with when it comes to a product like this - everyone should have a chance.

 

[LJ11]

Without getting into what constitutes a contract (cuz I have class soon and have to read), right on bestbuy's website it states:

"Order Acceptance/Confirmation
Your receipt of an electronic or other form of order confirmation does not signify our acceptance of your order, nor does it constitute confirmation of our offer to sell. The Best Buy Web site reserves the right at any time after receipt of your order to accept or decline your order for any reason."

Edit:

Also...

"Errors on Our Site
Prices and availability of products and services are subject to change without notice. Errors will be corrected where discovered, and Best Buy reserves the right to revoke any stated offer and to correct any errors, inaccuracies or omissions including after an order has been submitted and whether or not the order has been confirmed and your credit card charged. If your credit card has already been charged for the purchase and your order is cancelled, Best Buy will issue a credit to your credit card account in the amount of the charge. Individual bank policies will dictate when this amount is credited to your account. If you are not fully satisfied with your purchase, you may return it in accordance with Best Buy's Return Policy."

This applies to any and all orders, however your previous posted made it seem as if pre-orders were treated differently.

From the info you posted, BB reserves the right to **** you at any point.:lol

Thanks for posting the info.

 

[mrroboto]

Surely BB has heard of staging new pages on an intranet or DMZ that's not connected to the public internet? Whether or not most of the order page is automatically generated, someone at BB was responsible for activating it on their public site, mistake or not.

Yes but all this here pretty much covers their asses as Commish pointed out:

"Order Acceptance/Confirmation
Your receipt of an electronic or other form of order confirmation does not signify our acceptance of your order, nor does it constitute confirmation of our offer to sell. The Best Buy Web site reserves the right at any time after receipt of your order to accept or decline your order for any reason."

Edit:

Also...

"Errors on Our Site
Prices and availability of products and services are subject to change without notice. Errors will be corrected where discovered, and Best Buy reserves the right to revoke any stated offer and to correct any errors, inaccuracies or omissions including after an order has been submitted and whether or not the order has been confirmed and your credit card charged. If your credit card has already been charged for the purchase and your order is cancelled, Best Buy will issue a credit to your credit card account in the amount of the charge. Individual bank policies will dictate when this amount is credited to your account. If you are not fully satisfied with your purchase, you may return it in accordance with Best Buy's Return Policy."

 

[lachesis]

If the link wasn't live, it shouldn't have worked, nor even on-line to begin with. It was on "live". It was fully functioning. Now, that's not something you can just explain with "oh no, it wasn't meant to be", which is just very subjective and vague explanation.

 

[kaching]

There would be a field in a database record that would tell the system when to start offering it. They need some kind of failsafe requiring extra approval for new game hardware before it is offered (categories and groups in the database can certainly isolate it from other products).

That's the point of the staging area - I do this for a living too.

Yes but all this here pretty much covers their asses as Commish pointed out

Yeah, I'm not disputing whether they are covered just whether they are sloppy beyond measure.

 

[commish]

This applies to any and all orders, however your previous posted made it seem as if pre-orders were treated differently.

From the info you posted, BB reserves the right to **** you at any point.:lol

Thanks for posting the info.

I do believe preorders are different than normal sales, but I'll go into that after class. Not that it matters, i guess. No PS3's for us

 

[Patrick Klepek]

If the link wasn't live, it shouldn't have worked, nor even on-line to begin with. It was on "live". It was fully functioning. Now, that's not something you can just explain with "oh no, it wasn't meant to be", which is just very subjective and vague explanation.

So you honestly think Best Buy executives were like "shit, we didn't think this many people would order PS3s!" and are backing out?

 

[Tarazet]

So you honestly think Best Buy executives were like "shit, we didn't think this many people would order PS3s!" and are backing out?

Unfortunately, what they're probably thinking is that we're all a bunch of scalpers who will add nothing to their bottom line and, indeed, take money out of their pockets in the big picture.. and people like me who used their RZ card and ordered some games as well are by far the exception.

 

[Pimpwerx]

Meh, who cares? If they cancel, they cancel. If not, then not. FUD all-around, the official word is when that email comes to EVERYONE and we know it's over. I don't need to call some number to find out. If it's cancelled, then that's just money I have to spend again, and I'll try getting one at the BB in Aventura in a few weeks. But life goes on, regardless. PEACE.

 

[chespace]

Uh, I haven't read this entire thread... but I noticed that BB.com charged 671 bucks to the credit card I used to preorder the PS3 this weekend. Yet, I've gotten an email saying the system was backordered for me.

So what exactly does this mean? And should I call BB.com to cancel and get my card credited?

CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT - GO!

 

[Patrick Klepek]

Unfortunately, what they're probably thinking is that we're all a bunch of scalpers who will add nothing to their bottom line and, indeed, take money out of their pockets in the big picture.. and people like me who used their RZ card and ordered some games as well are by far the exception.

I doubt eBay scalpers are in their equation -- sure, you're gonna make more off selling the machine, but what do they care? They still get your $600.

 

[WickedAngel]

(612) 291-1000

Get involved. Threaten them with bad press and misleading advertising (Regardless of whether or not the website was a glitch is irrelevant; the page clearly said Pre-Order and the orders were linked to the system, so it was a live page).

 

[Jeff-DSA]

Uh, I haven't read this entire thread... but I noticed that BB.com charged 671 bucks to the credit card I used to preorder the PS3 this weekend. Yet, I've gotten an email saying the system was backordered for me.

So what exactly does this mean? And should I call BB.com to cancel and get my card credited?

CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT - GO!

It's probably just an authorization charge and will disappear in a day or two.

 

[Tarazet]

I doubt eBay scalpers are in their equation -- sure, you're gonna make more off selling the machine, but what do they care? They still get your $600.

If the 360 launch is any indication, the system itself will be a loss-leader even for the retailer. They were charging $301 or something for Core Packs and maybe a dollar under $400 for Premiums. Add in CC fees and the prospect of shipping overnight onto a Saturday, and you have a loss per unit...

 

[commish]

Uh, I haven't read this entire thread... but I noticed that BB.com charged 671 bucks to the credit card I used to preorder the PS3 this weekend. Yet, I've gotten an email saying the system was backordered for me.

So what exactly does this mean? And should I call BB.com to cancel and get my card credited?

CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT - GO!

Tell them that they took your money and now you want specific performance.

 

[Patrick Klepek]

I called in, too. Heard the same thing. Anyone who was "charged" will have it refunded when the authorization receipt expires, or something to that effect.

 

[DenogginizerOS]

It's probably just an authorization charge and will disappear in a day or two.

Agreed. But I believe it does affect your average daily balance.

 

[Crackerman16]

LMAO, this is one of the biggest "punks" in gaming history. Everyone got "punked." Too damn funny...

With that said, I do hope that BB gets in some sort of trouble for this. I also hope that the people who put in their credit card info. gets their refunds fast and efficiently. Except for the profiteers who tried pre-ordering multiple PS3s. I hope their credit cards are maxed out, taking as long as possible to get it cleared up.

 

[chespace]

Agreed. But I believe it does affect your average daily balance.

Yeah, this is money that's gone from my checking account now.

NOT THAT I NOTICED REALLY BECAUSE I'M ALL M$ AND SHIT AMIRITE LOL