> PORTLAND -- They say they waited for hours outside a local best buy store to buy
> the new Xbox 360 then were told the price would be different from what was
> advertised. Employees say management took advantage of the situation to make
> more money.
>
> AD"I felt that they were cheating the customers. I had an 11-, 12-year-old child
> come up to me and say, 'I saved $400 -- that's all the money I have,'" Chris
> said.
>
> We'll call him Chris because he doesn't want to lose his job at Best Buy, but he
> says he witnessed firsthand what he calls deception.
>
> Here's the story: The Best Buy ad said the new Xbox 360 would cost either $299
> or $399, depending on the model. But when gamers got in line they were handed
> this flier stating that the ad was incorrect and they would have to buy the game
> system as a packaged deal with all kinds of extras, bumping the price up
> hundreds of dollars.
>
> We were told by managers that the flier was merely a suggestion.
>
> "It was not a suggestion. 'They will be sold as a bundle,'" Chris said.
>
> "To your knowledge, did anyone get to buy it for $299, $399?" I asked.
>
> "No, there were no individual systems sold."
>
> Chris tells us it was his local management that made the change and even
> admitted to him it was wrong to say the ad was incorrect, forcing the sale of
> the pricier packages.
>
> "They admitted to you that it was wrong?" I asked.
>
> 'Yes, they did."
>
> "And what did they say?"
>
> "That they could only hope that it did not come back to bite them."
>
> Again, local management denied our request for an interview even though
> corporate Best Buy has said in a statement, "Best Buy takes these allegations
> very seriously and is investigating."
>
> "What was your response to the 11-year-old kid?" I asked.
>
> "Pretty much, sorry, there's nothing I can do. I'm not a manager," Chris said.
>
> I asked Chris why he wanted to talk to us about this.
>
> "Pretty much because I felt that what the company was doing was unfair, and I
> felt bad," he replied.
>
> We were told Tuesday by management that people could return any of the extras
> they felt forced into buying. But Chris, the Best Buy employee, said that is not
> true. He says one person has tried to return some of the extras and was denied.
>
> The Oregon Attorney General's Office has opened a file on this case. If you
> feel misled by the ad, call the Oregon Attorney General's Consumer Hotline at
> (503) 229-5576.
>
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