HACKER Q&A
📣 101008

Help with BestBuy Scam?


Sorry if this is not the place but I don't know where else to share this.

In March I visited NYC (I am not from the USA) and I bought a notebook for my girlfriend. At the checkout, a woman asked me several times if I wanted Office and antivirus. I kept saying that no, because I was going to format it and install Ubuntu. I said several times I did not want it. I checked the receipt and I was getting charged only for the computer.

Fast forward to September, I got an email that my free six months of Webroot Internet Security Yearly Subscription ended and it got renewed automatically, so I was going to be charged 54 dollars. I opened quickly a chat on BestBuy website, first to ask for a refund of something I never asked, and secondly, ask for my credit card to be removed from their file. I never accepted or agreed on them to store my credit cards details (is that common in the USA?). A guy called Sahil told me he deleted my cc from file and that I was not going to be charged for the renewal.

Fast forward today: I found on my credit card summary that I was charged. I opened another chat support on BestBuy. Two agents ended the chat abruptaly when I asked my questions. The third one said that he cannot do anything online. That I must call the billing department. I dont feel comfortable speaking English over the phone, and also that would incurr me on an internatinoal phone call.

Is it legal for BestBuy to just allow cancellations over the phone? Is there anything I can do to stop them? I find it highly unfair for them to take advantage of people like me. I would love to have a recording of that conversation with the woman at the checkout, but it's impossible. I just want to have this cancelled and refunded. But it seems I won't get it refunded, but also I wont be able to cancel it, so I will be charged again in a year time.


  👤 elmerfud Accepted Answer ✓
This could have been hidden in some of the paperwork you signed. Unfortunately this kind of thing is all too common with certain stores attaching free trials that turn paid automatically. Additionally it might be out of the hands of Best Buy at this point too. Often times the point of sale just acts as a broker to pass along your information to another company that's offering the service.

My suggestion would be to contact your credit card company and report the charges as fraudulent or not authorized. Follow the credit card company dispute process. Get a new card number issued to you and your problem is fixed. Additionally the credit card company will pursue this with whoever is issuing the charges and may possibly trace it back to a broader case is fraud.


👤 icedchai
Call your credit card company and report it. Definitely mention you tried to resolve it with the company. They will do a charge back and you won't have to pay anything.