By Christopher Elliott
Guest Columnist

After the price of Francis Clark’s dishwasher falls, Best Buy agrees to refund him $150. But now it won’t pay. What’s going on?

Christopher Elliott

I bought a Bosch dishwasher for $1,100 from Best Buy recently. A week later, Best Buy lowered the price of the dishwasher by $100 and a week later by another $50.

I contacted Best Buy by chat and asked for a price match. It agreed to issue a refund during a chat session. Best Buy said it could take up to two credit card billing cycles, but after my second billing cycle, I still didn’t see the refund.

I contacted Best Buy again, and this time, a representative said they would not issue a refund because it was outside the return and exchange window. But the reason it was outside the window was because of Best Buy’s delay. Can you help me get the $150 that Best Buy promised me? — Francis Clark, Hudson, Mass.

If Best Buy promised you a refund, it should have followed through. Normally, businesses will price-match a product at the time you buy it, but not afterwards. But it looks like at the time you had already purchased your appliance, Best Buy’s policy was to price match before your purchase and during your return window.

It’s not clear why Best Buy didn’t honor its agreement. You had the promise in writing. You did a nice job of keeping a paper trail. (You should always keep a record of your correspondence with a company, especially when it comes to a refund.)

You asked for a refund twice — the first time when the price fell by $100 and then again when it fell by another $50. That may have confused Best Buy’s system, which had already authorized one refund. It looks like they may have canceled each other out.

But that wasn’t the problem. Best Buy then treated your case as if it was brand new. You waited patiently for your two credit card cycles to end and then asked again, and that’s when Best Buy told you it was too late.

This seems like a case of one hand not knowing what the other is doing, which happens often at big companies. An email to one of the executive contacts at Best Buy might have cleared things up. I list the names, numbers and emails of the customer service managers on my consumer advocacy site.

You reached out to my consumer advocacy organization, and I contacted Best Buy on your behalf.

Best Buy responded to you the next day. A representative contacted you and promised to fix the problem. “Today, I see the correct credit on my card,” you reported. “Thank you!”

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at [email protected] or get help by contacting him.