Shoppers who thought they'd finished up their gift lists, must return to the mall as the retailer cancels orders of a number of hot items.
View full sizeShoppers rush into a Best Buy store during the consumer electronics chain's midnight opening on Black Friday. Many customers who stayed at home and bought Best Buy deals online heard this week that some items aren't available and their orders have been canceled.
The nation's largest specialty electronics retailer won't say publicly what merchandise is affected or how the problem emerged. Nor would it disclose how many orders would go unfilled.
In an emailed statement to a Minneapolis television station, Richfield, Minn.-based Best Buy Co., said, "Due to overwhelming demand of hot product offerings on BestBuy.com during the November and December time period, we have encountered a situation that has affected redemption of some of our customers."
A number of customers have complained on Best Buy's online forum, noting that some of the items were Black Friday specials or deals offered online the following Monday.
"I ordered a laptop as a gift for my son on Cyber Monday and (like many other people who ordered this item) a week after I ordered it, it went on backorder. I called twice the first time (20 minute hold) I was told not to worry I should have it by Christmas," wrote a forum member identified as "Bigbee." He went on to say he'd made a second call on Monday and was told it was on back order for 10 days. "Now I just got an email saying my order is going to be cancelled...
"I live about an hour away from any of the major stores," he wrote. "Best Buy has forced me to take this hour trip and find another gift to buy my son days before Christmas."
Others wrote of receiving news from Best Buy about backorders on Gateway laptops (a Cyber Monday special at $309.99), Playstation3 game and accessory packages (reportedly priced at $200) and a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.
Retail analysts say Best Buy's sales likely won't be hurt by the slip-up, yet sentiments such as Bigbee could hurt the retailer's reputation and customers' willingness to return after the holidays.
Best Buy already was struggling after disclosing last week that it had missed Wall Street estimates; shares plunged 15.5 percent on Dec. 13. The retailer blamed the missed revenue projections on having to spend big on advertising and cut prices deeply to attract customers this holiday season.
Best Buy has responded to some customers on its forum, offering understanding and apologies.
"The purchase of a brand-new computer is by no means a small investment, so I can imagine how disappointed you must have felt to discover your order had been canceled," a Geek Squad agent named Aaron responded. "Although I may not be able to undo your recent experience, rest assured that the appropriate parties will be notified of the situation."
Retailers add return shipping perk
In happier retail news, folks who don't get exactly what they wanted this year may not have to pay for it.
A number of online retailers have included free shipping on returns for years, including shoe retailers Zappos and Piperlime. Others have added the service through the past year and some, for the holidays.
Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Costco Wholesale and Neiman Marcus offer free returns. Macy's falls into this category, too, depending on why you're returning merchandise: If the department store chain goofed up, it's free; if you want a different color or size, Macy's will deduct the shipping charge.
Next year, even more retailers are expected to join the list.
-- Laura Gunderson