Best Buy — Attraction in Alafaya

July 2nd, 2025 I took my HP Envy, which I’ve had since 2020 and has been in great condition since purchasing at Best Buy in Waterford Lakes. I went to Best Buy, solely to have more storage added to my laptop. All the years I’ve taken my laptop to Geek Squad, never had an issue. Prior to leaving Geek Squad, I was told someone would call to confirm that my computer was capable of having more storage installed. The Geek Squad (GS) rep Dabin called and confirmed I could have 4TB installed, and that he’d back up all my files. I get a call the next morning, July 3rd, from that same GS rep telling me my computer won’t turn on and only the light for the charging port is lit. GS rep says he’s going to transfer all my files to a DELL Plus laptop, “an equivalent”, that Best Buy would give on an exchange for my damaged HP. I asked for another HP. Wasn’t an option. Told him I don’t like DELL, I wanted another HP that’s equivalent. I took the DELL. The DELL is crap. Can’t work on my files in Photoshop. Googled reasons, other people mention incompatibility with Photoshop on DELL. Some features don’t cross over or just aren’t available on DELL. I also cannot use the snipping tool, can’t open basic Adobe files or files in general on the DELL. AND he didn’t transfer all my files. I freaked out and was like I need to get my computer back. My files may still be on it. THE DAY I GOT THE DELL AND REALIZED THIS I called that same rep, told him I want to return the DELL and I want my HP back. I purposely made sure Photoshop worked, all my files transferred, and just made sure of no issues with this “New” computer. After some back and forth I was told my HP Envy is “technically Best Buy’s property”. And the way he said it... I left this man a positive review with his manager Natsha so HE wouldn’t feel bad for what HE DID? I checked out after that. He then offered me a Lenovo. Anything but another HP. My receipt says I had until August 31, 2025 to return the DELL. I felt like him and his manager, which her name is mentioned on other complaints in reviews here, he and she both were being condescending towards me!? However, I wonder if the full story from her GS rep was told entirely. The manager said because I want to return the DELL, they’re “not going to offer another exchange on the HP”. YOU BLEW MY MOTHERBOARD or whatever? My computer had no issues. How dare y'all make me out to be the scapegoat. I went there ONLY for storage and got a call that my computer is now no good. Then you offer me a DELL instead of another HP? I can’t even use the snipping tool??? The DELL is corrupt. No way this is “New”. The next day, 4th of July, I ended up buying the HP OmniBook with 2TB because I don’t have time for this or Geek Squad... $1299… a whole new laptop. I’m so irritated with this entire experience. Thursday, July 10th I get a call from the GS manager saying she was calling because she understood “I had some confusion”. I’m not confused. Your employee is confused or is confusing you!? THEN the Geek Squad manager tells me I OWE $53.25 since I didn’t pay taxes at the time of purchasing my HP back in 2020!? I show her my receipt that I did… it was $52.01. When we did the exchange, the cost of the laptop WITHOUT TAX was used to “exchange” the HP for the DELL. Geek Squad did that. Why? Idk??? The HP was $799.99, the DELL $749.99. Do the math. $799.99 - $749-99 = $50!? I owe NOTHING. No money was tendered from neither party. After complaining to another manager, because I was pissed she made me pay $53 for my HP back, is when I mentioned I’m tax exempt. It had been 10 minutes, said she couldn’t process a refund. Then says “You didn’t tell me you were tax exempt” then refund the tax? The difference of $50 (a credit) from the exchange of the 799 and 749 was clearly on the receipt and used towards the tax of $48.75 for the DELL, which I was credited $1.25 on a gift card!? Stop trying to have the upper hand because Y’ALL are in the wrong!? Omg!!! Ugh!!!

Update 8/27/25: Within 10 minutes of taking my laptop to a computer repair guy, my...

I'm writing to share the most frustrating and ridiculous experience I had at the Best Buy Waterford Lake location when I went to exchange my printer model ET-2850 on May 31, 2025. The printer had stopped working and was still under warranty and online support advised me to go to store and exchange the printer. I bought this printer for $236.99 and utilized $130 in reward certificates and rest ($106.99) by credit card.

The team leader along with the team members gave me such a hard time and run around for exchange. Everyone gave me different answers, like one person said there are five items in the stock and next person said there is none in the stock. Then I was told we can exchange to any different one and pay the difference if it higher in cost and vice versa. Sales associate processed the transaction and informed afterwards that Best Buy rewards certificates ($130) has been cancelled which was used in the original purchase and cannot be applied towards exchange anymore, as this is the BB policy. I refused to agree to that logic. Salesperson went to get his team leader; they had a discussion for 3 to 4 minutes behind customer service cash register (closed doors) and the team leader then came out with a fabricated story. Even though we were willing to pay the difference in case the new printer was higher price, the team leader very disrespectfully denied to that request .

We had even offered to exchange to a one level lower model (ET-2800) since they did not have the original model (ET-2850) in stock, but the team leader did not even allow us to do that for even exchange as well. She very strongly said that the Best Buy reward certificate (value $130). Everything I was suggesting to resolve the situation, she very strongly kept denying and was stuck to the only point that we have already lost our reward certificate worth $130 and there is no alternative left. After leaving the store I saw my purchase was cancelled and issued $85 rewards certificate towards $106.99 paid by credit card. We asked her to cancel the whole transaction and give back our defective printer and she told I cannot take my original printer back either. I was not left with any other choice besides leaving the store empty hands, because they cancelled my $130 rewards certificate. There is no answer for the following: Reward certificates were cancelled even without telling me and was told this is the BB policy for exchanges I was not allowed to take back my own defective printer (ET-2850) – forcefully acquired by BB I was not allowed to pick even a different printer (as original item was not in stock), even when I was ready to pay a difference. Misinformed us about the reward policy for exchanges – see below the screen shot I am very much frustrated for unfair treatment I received in the store and trying to understand the reason behind such an act. This is very strange and unacceptable behavior from Best Buy management team leader. If they treat established "My Best Buy Total members" like this, I cannot imagine the treatment for the standard customers. Team leader was very disrespectful, illogical in front of bunch of other people in the cashier line. After leaving the store I saw my purchase was cancelled and issued $85 rewards certificate towards $106.99 paid by credit card, but reward certificates...

So I've had to purchase multiple GPU's and CPU's in the effort to build a stable gaming PC. If you follow any recent news, you may know this has actually been an issue for 18 months in this world, but I had figured it out after many days' of work. Intel and Nvidia only recently figured it out: how motherboards have been setting totally incorrect power limits by default that resulted in either crashing games and other programs all the time or degrading the silicon over time if you ended up with a good chip to handle that power for a while. And while it took Intel 18 months to figure it out, for most people it's too far gone, and they will need new CPU's as they have degraded too much to where even proper power limits are too high and will continue to crash. Now I have received two damaged 4090 GPU's from this store. One of which was the FE and another Gigabyte's. Ordered another FE. Now the FE's you have to order online and pickup in store. No other option for the FE's. Only after receiving a working FE did I discover you can't have the RGB settings stick between reboots. If it did, I would have kept it. Ended up with another Gigabyte since all the settings save and it's noticeably quieter and cooler. When I went to return the FE within my return period, they refused the return since in their system in the store it was outside of the window even though on my account it is (which should not be my problem but now it is), and I was informed it's the discrepancy between the order date and pickup date. The manager, Alex, became extremely condescending and judgmental after having me wait an exorbitant amount of time only for him to say he looked at my purchase history and "can only make one conclusion," and chose not to do an override. So now Alex was making assumptions like I was perhaps doing something illegal, I really don't know. He said I'd have to return via the online process. Even though, mind you, not like I could have purchased the card in the store! So after wasting an hour of my time, I had to waste yet more time and buy shipping materials for something that I was within my return period and because Alex was making assumptions and asking all sorts of questions (obviously Alex doesn't follow any technology news or cares to and yet is a manager of a technology store...). He even was like "I can show you your purchase history." Umm no I think I know my own purchase history as I was there. I was also barely able to return the item online since it was the last day to return and on my account it said Best Buy would have to receive it by that same day, which is physically impossible...unless they accepted a legitimate return within the return window at the store, which is also what Best Buy chat suggested to do...hopefully they accept it when they receive it. I'm also a TotalTech member, but how 1. I was treated, 2. talked down to with assumptions as if he is pretending to know me like he is God, and 3. the sheer amount of headaches and hoops you have to jump through at Best Buy (like you can't call the store anymore), I cannot recommend anyone to spend their hard-earned money at Best Buy. Amazon doesn't make you jump through hoops or have a thesis statement ready for a return that is totally legitimate and within the...