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Best
Buy accused of overcharging buyers
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[May 25, 2007]
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Connecticut's
attorney general announced a lawsuit Thursday against Best Buy Co.
Inc., accusing the nation's largest consumer electronics retailer of
deceiving customers with in-store computer kiosks and overcharging
them.
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The lawsuit accuses Best Buy of denying deals found at the company's
online site, http://www.BestBuy.com. Attorney General Richard
Blumenthal said store employees charged customers higher prices
found on a lookalike internal online site. "Best Buy gave
consumers the worst deal -- a bait-and-switch-plus scheme luring
consumers into stores with promised online discounts, only to charge
higher in-store prices," Blumenthal said.
Calls seeking comment were placed to the company.
The complaint was dated May 18 to be served on the company, which
must return a response by June 13. The lawsuit, which seeks refunds
for consumers, civil penalties, court costs, a ban on the practice
and other remedies, would then be filed in Hartford Superior Court.
Blumenthal opened an investigation into the Richfield,
Minn.-based retailer in March. About 20 customers complained to his
office after a columnist for The Hartford Courant reported the
experience of one Connecticut man who found a laptop computer
advertised for $729.99 on BestBuy.com, then went to a Best Buy store
where an employee who seemed to check the same site told him the
price was actually $879.99.
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 "There may be people who are entirely unaware they may have been
overcharged," Blumenthal said.
Previously, the company confirmed that store employees have
access to an internal site that looks nearly identical to the public
BestBuy.com site, but the company's policy is always to offer
customers the lowest quoted price unless it's specifically
identified as a deal available only to online shoppers.
Jerry Farrell Jr., Connecticut's consumer protection
commissioner, said the lawsuit should be a warning to companies to
be more transparent in their business practices.
"There certainly was an element of deception here," Farrell said.
"There certainly was an element of creating consumer confusion
here."
[Text copied
from file received from AP
Digital; Article by Stephanie Reitz, Associated Press writer]
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