What a comedy.

Sunday, I joined the dark side and bought an iPod Touch. This was an impulse buy, pure and simple. It happened while shopping for a b-day present for my grand niece.

Total Charges that day ~$500.

Today I get a call, Tracy (customer disservice) would like me to drop by. There was a problem with the transaction and they need to run my debit card again.

I check my bank account, on-line, the charge shows there. I go down to chat with Tracy. She shows me a transaction record from the POS terminal saying the transaction failed, and tells me the cash register had to be rebooted. (That was after I left the building on Sunday) Minor edit to clarify when.

Something seems fishy to me. I show her a print out of the current charges on my account. She is not impressed.

I call the 800 number on the card and talk. I'm told the charge was indeed debited. No problem.

Ah Ha!. I says. What seems to have happened is that Debit was made but the POS terminal failed to credit the store's accounting system. Their faulty accounting, it's not my problem. I tell them this.

Tracy say's the debit is not going to stand, I must either let her debit my card again or they will come get their toys. Tracy is not happy. I'm not buying the story.

Here is what I think is going on. Tracy is trying to put her problem off on me. The store's accounts are out of whack. I've been debited. She wants to debit me again. Which will put the store's accounts to right. But will result in a second charge against my Debit card. I'll then have to dispute one of the charges with the bank. Ain't going to happen.

I did leave them with a simple statement. If the current debit does indeed drop off my bank account, I'll be quite happy to return and allow another debit transaction to recorded. I'm not trying to beat anyone out of anything.

IANAL but you've paid. The money has left your account and it should have arrived their end when the transaction completed. It is their own fault if they've "lost" the money in their POS system. Are they really allowed to turn up and take back their goods if they believe you've not paid? o.O

You're a good, honest and patient person Glenn. I wouldn't have even gone to the store after their call. Once I leave the store, unless they owe me money, it's between them and the bank.

I don't think they have actually lost the money, It's there in an account somewhere. It's the store's bookkeeping that is out of whack. This is a problem for their IT dept and the BB accountants.

Tracy is far to low on the food chain to worry about.

I've gone on the Best Buy web and filed a complaint. Doubt it will do any real good.

Exactly if I had a receipt showing I paid for it my part would be over.

Yeah. I meant that they've got the money but they've lost track of it in their books. It is their fault that they've screwed up.

As others have said, they're lucky that you even bothered to show up again to check their details. Most people would just ignore them. I don't see how they can send people around to get more money or retrieve the goods tho. Sounds a bit shadey that part.

POS system, indeed! LOL

Monday night after posting here, I decided to visit the BB national web and leave a note using their customer service email form.

That email must have been routed to the right place. The gent who called to follow up, seemed to grasp that the sale was interrupted at a point after; bank debit, receipt printing, and inventory transactions, but prior to the bookkeeping update.

He let me know that a meeting was being scheduled, at the store, to discuss the problem. So it looks to me like Tracy is going to get all the attention she needs.

Great that somebody finally understands what has happened.

It is still dubious that she demanded all this from you. Wonder if the HQ response was to get it sorted quickly before you started thinking about lawsuits.

Nah. Lawsuit would be too much bother.