I have been a longtime Best Buy customer, but after this experience, I will never shop at Best Buy again.
On July 4, I purchased an 85-inch TV, an extended warranty, a sound bar, a TV mount, and a Best Buy membership. Because I purchased the membership, customer support informed me that I had a 60-day return window instead of the standard 14 days. About a week later, when I finally opened and set up the TV, I immediately discovered that the screen was broken. I contacted customer support right away and was instructed to take the TV back to the Clovis store for an exchange.
Since the TV was 85 inches, I had to rent a U-Haul just to transport it back to the store. When I arrived, employees immediately took the TV to the back for inspection. No one asked me what the issue was, looked up my receipt, or verified my purchase before inspecting it.
A team member named Serena came out and told me they found the TV was broken because of "pressure points" and that they would not exchange it. I explained that the TV was already broken when I opened the box and that I was simply requesting the exchange customer support had instructed me to make. Her response was, "Yes, but that's also a return."
I asked to speak with a manager, and Robert came over. Shockingly, he also had not looked up my purchase history before questioning me. He asked whether I had even purchased the TV there, and when I bought it. He then told me he needed to do his "due diligence," including reviewing security camera footage. At that point, I felt like I was being treated as though I had stolen the TV or swapped it out rather than being a customer trying to exchange a defective product.
Only after I had been in the store for 20–25 minutes did Robert finally pull up my receipt. After inspecting the TV himself and apparently reviewing additional information, he still said they were leaning toward denying the exchange. He even pointed out fingerprints on the TV as though that somehow proved I had mishandled it. Of course there were fingerprints becauseI had to remove the TV from the box to discover it was broken and then package it back up to return it. There is no way to do that without touching it.
Instead of exchanging a defective $1,000 television, Robert offered to discount my sound bar and TV mount by about $150 and a $100 gift card. He even suggested that if I wanted to buy another OPEN BOX TV from Best Buy, they might be willing to offer me a discount. After the way I had just been treated, that was not a solution. I told him I would never spend another dollar at Best Buy.
That same day, I went to Costco and purchased a replacement TV without issue.
After leaving the store, I contacted Best Buy customer support again and explained everything that had happened. The representative agreed that the TV should have been exchanged and sent a replacement. While I appreciate that customer support ultimately agreed with me, it does not erase how I was treated in the Clovis store.
The most upsetting part of this experience wasn't just being denied an exchange, it was being treated like I was dishonest over something that was completely out of my control. I spent well over $1,000, purchased the membership and warranty, followed the instructions customer support gave me, even rented a truck to return the TV, and still left feeling accused rather than helped.
I expected much better customer service from Best Buy. Unfortunately, this experience has permanently lost my business.
Response from Best Buy
July 27, 2026
Hello Alvishia,
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We are concerned to hear about the difficulties you encountered while trying to exchange your TV, especially after following the guidance provided by customer support and making significant efforts to return the product.
We would like the chance to follow up and ensure this is documented and addressed. Please feel free to reach out to our support teams on social media, so we can better assist you.
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When reaching out, please reference your Google Review 194031.