(For people who don’t know, BestBuy is an electronics store that is common in the USA)
This would be in c/ActuallyInfuriating if the consumer protections weren’t as good, but for now, its just a chargeback away from fixing the problem. (I hope the bank doesn’t fucks me over. If they fuck with me, then this is gonna end up in Actually Infuriating). Anyways:
Two days ago, I bought a laptop on BestBuy, but they didn’t use UPS like they had in the past, instead they used Doordash 🤦♂️. When I saw that, I wanted to cancel because I didn’t trust fucking Doordash, but it didn’t let me cancel, so I just hoped nothing bad happens.
Oh wow, my gut feeling about Doordash actually predicted the future.
So, today it was supppsed to be delivered, I saw the guy park in front of my house for a few minutes (I know that’s him because I saw him on the map on the Doordash tracking link), dude walked out, looked my house, went back into his car, drove to the back alleyway (its a neighborhood of single family row-houses), I saw him on my CCTV cameras, he place down the package at a neighbor’s back door, take a pickture, then grabbed it place it back in his car, then quickly drove away.
Bruh.
Now I have to make some phonecalls. Thanks, corporate, great fucking job. I hope the CEO of bestbuy can choke on his pay increase.
And if you are wonder why I didn’t just go to BestBuy, I live in a car-centric city and I don’t have easy access to a car, and carrying big electronics in public transit is just asking for someone to mug you.
At this point, corporations are just in a race to see who gets to be crowned the worst corporation. I mean I hate Amazon and Bezos too, but at least they have a PIN verification system now, so drivers can’t just steal stuff, wtf is BestBuy doing? Fuck these shitty corporation.
I wish I could show you the camera footage, but don’t wanna get doxed.
Probably not using ~~best~WorstBuy again, not with this bullshit “Doordash” delivery. What an actual disaster.
Btw I tried calling bestbuy, they had a fucking voice-bot thing that refused to let me talk to a human until 48 hours has passed. So I just go straight for the dispute, right? I don’t wanna wait 48 hours.
Update: So I got through the bot thing by spamming 0 (or perhaps some other key, I can’t be sure), I got to a rep and explained the situation, they said they send a request to BestBuy and BestBuy will do an “investigation” with Doordash, whatever that means, and then refund. They said it’s supposed to take 3 bussiness days. Well, today is Thursday, Tomorrow is Friday, so I’m guessing by Tuesday end of the day it’s supposed to be resolved?
I mean, I’m giving them 1 week. I’m definitely filing that dispute the Friday next week. Technically I have 60 days to dispute, but I’m gonna stay on the safe side and 1 week is all I’m giving. I’m really wanting to just file right now, but I’m don’t want to get banned from BestBuy for life just yet, but if they don’t refund within a week, I’m just gonna have to be banned from bestbuy, I guess… 🤷♂️
Gonna update later if y’all are still curious in a few days.
Just a little PSA for anyone who’s wondering, any retailer that offers you same day delivery of goods is using DoorDash or one of its clones. Apple does same day delivery and I think they use UberEats.
Wtf
I remember like 6 years ago chatting on Reddit to some American about how the system of just leaving packages at the door is unsafe as fuck and I would never trust it with anything more expensive than a pizza.
Here there’s delivery points and automats in pretty much every grocery store. So you can have shit delivered, but unless it’s something massive (or delivered food), people rarely do. You just get a notification on your phone and pick up your package from the point you chose to prioritise. Sometimes it can be full and you have to pickup a package from the next point over, but they’re all over the place so.
The American went on a huge rant about how porch pirates are rare as can be and how it would be beyond frustrating and a waste of time to pick up packages from your nearest grocery store.
I agree with you to an extent, but the other American was right, they’re really not as common as you might think based on internet posts. I’ve never once had a package stolen, and I get deliveries multiple times a week. For me, going out to pickup a delivery would be inconvenient because I work from home and don’t want to have to make a 10 min trip by car just for that.
This situation is a whole other story though. That’s the delivery driver straight up stealing the package. Absolutely bonkers.
other American was right, they’re really not as common a
He most certainly wasn’t.
He was practically denying that it ever happened, when it’s common as pickpocketing. Meaning more common in some places, less so in others, but definitely a known and existing issue.
Would it matter in this case though? If the person delivering it was going to steal it, they would just tell you it was in the locker anyways right?
The lockers usually have surveillance around them.
So you’d go there, open up an empty box and it would be incredibly easy to show who stole it. Plus even if there wasn’t surveillance, you could film yourself opening the slot, which would then show an empty slot.
So yeah, it does make a difference. The package is never left unattended, it’s never “up for grabs” by anyone.
That being said thieving and whatnot is comparatively rare in Finland anyway. We’re #1 in the wallet drop test. https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/least-honest-cities
They stole it explicitly because they thought they could get away with pretending someone else stole it from the door by photographing it by the door… Nobody can steal it from inside a locker. It follows that they wouldn’t have done it in that scenario. Also doordash basically hires everyone on planet earth. It hires some folks it doesn’t even know its hired because they are obviously working on someone else’s account.
Except there are cameras on porches too, so it isn’t like they got away with it, but it doesn’t seem to matter right? In a locker situation who is going to review thefootage, how would you go about that? Couldn’t they put an empty package in there and claim someone else did it anyways?
Never heard of this happening to anyone whereas porch pirates are literally everywhere doesn’t seem reasonable
Yeah, dispute the charge and do it quickly. They like to pretend the window to dispute is short
When I worked for a bank call center the first question before initiating the dispute/chargeback process is “did you attempt to resolve this with the merchant first?” It is a requirement for doing the dispute. OP needs to clearly say yes, and they prevent it by not letting me speak to a human.
OP should also file a police report immediately. They won’t care, but at least the store can’t accuse OP of not following properof procedures.
The standard window for a chargeback with both Visa and MasterCard is 120 days. Don’t let the retailers bully you into thinking otherwise.
Usually just threatening to do a chargeback, without actually doing it, is sufficient to get them to comply. Every chargeback costs the company money (usually around $10 to $50 depending on the bank) and time (dealing with the bank, collecting evidence, etc) even if they win the dispute, so they try to resolve issues without the customer involving the bank.
They can also entirely lose the ability to process cards if they have too many chargebacks. It’s largely an issue for smaller businesses, (there’s no way Visa is going to cut off a giant retailer like BestBuy), but it’s something to keep in mind.
What if my USPS packages keep disappearing, asupposedly reputable sender. I don’t know if they are making it to my mailbox, or if they’re stolen after making it to my mailbox.
First I’d ask if they’re requiring a signature, and go from there.
Don’t worry about getting banned. They’ll just backlist the card you used and close your account. Easy enough to get around. Send them your video and demand they refund you while you’re on the phone with them. Use the word chargeback liberally. You’ll either get refunded quickly or fuck them, make them get dinged with a chargeback.
Ya, do this! Dont wait a week. Call or March in and demand a refund or you’ll be placing a chrageback. Speak to a manger
Having worked at best buy, I’d say there’s a very small chance the manager can even do anything at this point. They already have such a small level of power. Maybe the store manager, like the manager of the other managers at the store, usually the store locator can do that. They have authority to actually just give away a laptop and eat the cost, maybe they can disable the cheap ass shipping options
I ordered a laptop from BB for an executive at work, they tried delivering it on a Saturday and texted me about it, offered to deliver elsewhere instead, so I’m like, sure bring it to my house. Then when they get there, it’s a third party delivery service (not Doordash but like it) - woman and her boyfriend - hat out looking for a tip. Umm I didn’t ASK for some weird tip-based delivery service, I thought they were UPSing that shit. I can’t put tips on my corporate card, for laptop delivery fees?! So I looked like the asshole after they booked it across town. Haven’t ordered from Best Buy again, what a terrible customer experience.
Its not a food delivery, you shouldn’t need to tip, they had too high of an expectation. I searched up some youtube videos, they get an average of $20-$25 an hour if completed within the estimated time. Its similar to Amazon Flex, they get paid real money (the only dowside is, they are considered “independent contractors” therefore no healthcare and other benefits, but otherwise, it pays pretty much like a normal job). In contrast, for food delivery, base pay is $2.5 and you should tip like $5 minimum + $1 per mile distance because otherwise they wouldn’t have even minimum wage (or just don’t use the service). When they accept an offer, they can already see the estimated total payout, if they don’t like the amount (eg: if someone didn’t tip for food deliver), they should have just declined it, there is no penalty for rejecting an offer (there is a penalty for accepting, then not completing the order). They saw the whole payout for X number of packages, they shouldn’t have accepted if they didn’t like it. (Not blaming the drivers btw, just saying they should stand up for themselves and not let Doordash bully them)
meanwhile if my US friends come to australia and try to tip i will angrily tell them where to shove it
tipping is a fucking scourge
I have things delivered all the time from Best Buy for my home business. Doordash sometimes does the delivery, but I have never had an issue in all of these years. Nothing missing, nothing stolen, never a problem.
I don’t look both ways before crossing the street, and I’ve never been hit! It must be safe!
And if you are wonder why I didn’t just go to BestBuy, I live in a car-centric city and I don’t have easy access to a car, and carrying big electronics in public transit is just asking for someone to mug you.
Is that actually an issue in the US?
Depends on where you live. I grew up taking Oklahoma City public transit, and you could get mugged for pocket change at some of the bus stops. Now I’m in Washington and my area is pretty safe.
Is that NOT actually an issue where you’re from?
Not in my experience, no. That’s why I am surprised.
Given that this is a laptop we’re talking about, OP is definitely over selling it. Bring a backpack, unpack the laptop box into your backpack (assuming the box is too big to fit in the backpack itself). Something bigger like a TV would be more problematic.
The main worry is that being seen with new-in-box fancy electronics makes you look like “guy with money”. It’s not so much that someone’s gonna steal your TV on the subway, but if you can afford a new TV your wallet probably has good stuff in it. Then it’s just a question of “how bad is the crime actually on this commute?”. Most places it’d be fine but some rough parts of some cities I’d be worried.
Then it’s just a question of “how bad is the crime actually on this commute?”
Yes this is what I afraid of. Some creepy guy hanging around the mall parking lot, seeing me, a not-so-tough looking young man with a backpack of stuff walking out of an electronic store, then waiting at a bus stop. I’m likely gonna get mugged. (Maybe I’m just being paranoid?)
A few year ago, my mom was about to deposit some money (like few hundreds, its after a holiday season where money/gift exchanges are common) to a nearby bank like 10-15 minute walk away, and someone just strong-armed grabbed her purse that also had her phone in it. The cops were all like “we’re gonna do an investigation”, I never heard about the perp getting caught.
At least if a package is stolen, you have some consumer protections, especially when the thief is the driver themselves. Getting mugged could end up with you being in the hospital + PTSD from the whole ordeal.
I used to do Postmates, and I used to get these kinds of deliveries. I’m not trying to defend BestBuy or DoorDash. This is entirely on the driver. I never even thought about stealing people’s expensive electronics, and I would text or call the customer to ask where they wanted me to leave the package.
I would send the evidence to the police & file criminal charges against the driver.
Still, you should hassle the corpos, but don’t forget that the driver is the real criminal here.
I’m not trying to defend BestBuy or DoorDash. This is entirely on the driver.
You are defending Best Buy in the very next sentence.
DoorDash is designed to deliver food, not expensive electronics. You can bet that if somebody designed a delivery service for electronics, they wouldn’t make it this easy to steal shit. If the driver decides to take your food and eat it themselves, you’re out…what? $25-35? A $700+ laptop is a whole other level.
Toyota didn’t start out making cars. Does that mean they shouldn’t have started making cars?
Yes, DoorDash got its start delivering food, but that doesn’t mean they are restricted to that permanently.
And yes, I recognize that electronics are expensive, but that’s why I said to press charges on the delivery driver. DoorDash & BestBuy didn’t steal the package, even if they are being lazy about their delivery protocol.
But…
If we have enough evidence of instances where DoorDash drivers steal with impunity… we should be able to start a class action lawsuit against DoorDash since they are basically being negligent.
No, it is on Best Buy. They could’ve shipped it via a known carrier but elected to go a cheaper route to save money. One bad egg doesn’t work when you’re a large company. Raise the price five dollars or eat the shipping costs and use UPS.
Best Buy is not setup like Newegg. This is in store pick up with an extra step.
They still have stock in warehouses/distribution centers that they can move with real logistics companies like UPS.
If they want to offer shipping to their customers, they need to use a method that ensures it makes it there safely. DoorDash, instacart, etc are not such methods.
Kinda missed my point. It’s the driver’s choice to steal.
So if Bestbuy asked Slick Rick and his boys from da hood to deliver the item and it got stolen by the boys, Bestbuy would be 100% off the hook?
Well BestBuy would be like 95% off the hook. You’re gonna just let Rick & the boys off the hook? Unless BestBuy is running an op with Rick & the boys, it’s Rick & the boys that stole your shit.
If it keeps happening, and BestBuy keeps using Rick & the boys, then they’d be 100% liable because of negligence.
Still, you should hassle the corpos, but don’t forget that the driver is the real criminal here.
Honestly, I put 50% blame on the thief, 50% blame on Bestbuy. Theft from your fellow working class people is fucked up, but BestBuy using shady delivery services is also unacceptable.
I can definitely agree that BestBuy & DoorDash are on the chopping block for negligence, but they aren’t the ones who stole your laptop.
In a better, and perhaps idealistic, world DoorDash would be a perfectly acceptable & respectable option for BestBuy to contract for deliveries. And even in that better world, the driver is still the real criminal; fellow working class or not.
Justice should fuck everyone that needs to get fucked; whether they are a big fish or a small fish.
In a better world the driver wouldn’t be exploited in a gig economy and have little incentive to risk criminal charges for a fucking laptop.
You are completely running past socioeconomic factors to be the main driver of small scale crime.
Some people are thieves no matter the socioeconomic factors.
And instead of getting them help with their kleptomania, we built an economy where the richest thieves control the world.
Some people are gonna be thieves even if you give them that help. Still others will take advantage of you for having the heart to help.
I’m deliberately vague about the form of this help because I think that trying to keep track of who owns what is actively harmful to human society and we should abolish private property entirely.
It won’t help the kleptos so much as it will limit the impact of their offenses to the personal scale rather than industrial or national scales.
Thanks for the warning. I’ve crossed Best Buy of my list of places to shop.
ok but isn’t the problem clearly with doordash? why would this be bestbuys fault?
Because they’re using an inherently insecure delivery service for expensive electronics. Extremely clear case of negligence.
if doordash is inscure, why does it exist? how are they still in buisiness if they can’t be trusted?
Most of what they deliver isn’t worth stealing. If they continue trying to take over the high end courier business, though, I doubt they’ll last long.
Yeah because you’re totally a 65 year old that buys electronics at Best Buy
I thought best buy was out of business.
Far from it, Circuit City, Fry’s Electronics, all shuttered physical stores, RadioShack shuttered 99% of them, but BestBuy marches onwards- they did remove all of their physical media in 2023 though.
So did the short sellers
A lot of companies have moved towards using Uber or Doordash for same day deliveries.
I don’t like buying stuff from Amazon, but they’re the only company I’d trust for same-day at the moment. They directly employ the delivery drivers (via Amazon Flex) so you don’t end up with issues where Doordash and Best Buy blame each other and neither takes full responsibility.
They directly employ the delivery drivers
Amazon’s legal department would definitely disagree with this gross mischaracterization of the independent contractor relationship they have with their flex “partners”
They’re independent contractors but they’re still working for Amazon, and Amazon does the job of recruiting and training them. My point was just that they have to take responsibility rather than saying “that’s Doordash’s fault and you need to speak to them”
If you used a credit card you can just chargeback. I’m sure the video is more than enough evidence. Best buy will be out a laptop and the money for it so it’s their problem from there.
Also file a police report and let the police identify the thief from video. Then they will get to deal with doordash.
Also file a police report and let the police identify the thief from video.
Not clear enough to identify. Also, cops are highly unlikely to do anything especially if the refund happens and theb I techically wouldn’t be out of pocket for anything (besides the time wasted and mental energy drained on this issue).
The cops definitely won’t do anything, but the paperwork can be useful if Best Buy decides to be worse than usual about it.
You should ask Best Buy why a signature was not required
Even if there was a signature required, the driver could just forge it.
I’m sorry, but that’s a dumb argument. The presence of a signature doesn’t imply you accepted a shipment. Even if you know my name, you have no idea how I sign it. It’s trivial to prove a forged signature doesn’t match the one on my license, credit card, lease, etc…
Plenty of companies don’t actually check signatures these days.
What does this even mean? Who would “check”, and why? It makes no sense. If someone says I signed for a delivery or agreed to a contract, I guess they’d confirm the existence of a signature before filing it away, if that’s what you mean… But again, if it wasn’t me, I could easily prove that signature doesn’t match my past signatures and dispute it with my bank or in court. To reiterate: a random delivery person won’t know what my signature looks like.
When you sign for something, they’re supposed to verify your signature against the signature on your ID, credit/debit card, etc. Companies have gotten lazy about this, though. For example, the last time a store asked to see the signature on the back of my credit card was maybe 10 years ago?
then you gain the extra potential illegal action due to forgery. so its a game of risk management for the drivers.
