A woman named Alexa has a boyfriend who was supposed to receive an Apple iPad for Christmas from his mother who had ordered it from Best Buy. Instead, the box that arrived at the mother's house contained five tablets. Alexa asked her boyfriend's mom to double check to make sure that she didn't order five tablets by accident and when she was satisfied that the error was made by Best Buy, Alexa sent a letter to the electronics retailer informing them of the mistake. Best Buy never responded.
So Alexa decided to contact The Consumerist. In the letter, she mentioned that her theory was that the person doing the fulfillment at Best Buy had slapped an incorrect shipping label on a box of five tablets. The box had a label showing it contained five tablets while the shipping label showed just one being shipped. Alexa had done research on the situation and found other situations where a company overshipped an order and rewarded the customer for stepping forward by giving them a gift certificate, But she could not find a situation where the mistake was valued at the price of four Apple iPad tablets.
The 5 Apple iPad units that came from Best Buy
Alexa eventually found a document stating that if a package is mistakenly sent to you, you get to keep it. This is done to prevent scam artists from sending you items you didn't ask for and then billing you for it. So by law, her boyfriend's mom was the proud owner of five new Apple iPads. Meanwhile, The Consumerist was more concerned about the ramifications of the mistake on someone's job, so without mentioning names they got in contact with Best Buy. Eventually, Best Buy was put in touch with Alexa who received a letter that is sure to wet the eyes of every cold-hearted Scrooge. Best Buy told Alexa to keep the extra tablets and give them away to people in need, a charity, a local school, her favorite PhoneArena editor or friends and family.
Best Buy couldn't have scripted this any better than if it were planned out in advance. So let's recap. Alexa's BFF gets his Apple iPad, Alexa's mom has four to sell on eBay to give away. Best Buy comes out looking quite charitable and perhaps there is now an opening in Best Buy's shipping department. Especially since the very same thing happened a few days ago to someone named Nick. Nick ordered one iPad and received a whole box of five tablets. When he called Best Buy, he was told that the retailer shows that he only received one tablet, so Best Buy couldn't do anything about it. If the retailer continues to ship five Apple iPads to everyone who orders just one, it might be time to short the stock.
"Good afternoon, Alexa –
Laura, from the Consumerist, contacted us here at Best Buy on your behalf. First and foremost, I wanted to let you know how much we appreciate your honesty. That is so rare in this day and age and I sincerely thank you!
We, here at Best Buy, acknowledge that we obviously made a mistake, but in the spirit of the holidays, we encourage you to keep the additional iPads and give them to people in need – friends, family, a local school or charity.
I have not shared this resolution with Laura, as you are the customer, but it is up to you if want to let her know the outcome of your discussion.
Thank you so very much for coming forward and I hope your boyfriend enjoys his new iPad. Merry Christmas!"-Letter from Best Buy
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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