Best Buy Accused of Xbox 360 Baiting Tactic

There are allegations that Best Buy has been doing its Best to make consumers Buy a more expensive Xbox 360 package than they had intended, reports the INQ:

KSDK in Saint Louis reports a customer named Ray, who saw advertisements for the Xbox 360 at $399. But once Ray got to the store, that offer wasn’t available and he feels that he was coerced into buying a more expensive package deal. TMCnet news reports similar events in Spokane, WA. Best Buy’s Sunday ad offered the Xbox 360 for $299 dollars, but a sign was posted at the store on Tuesday as a "correction notice" to inform customers that they could only buy package deals starting at $569.93.

Here’s the kicker though. KOIN in Portland says they have a real live Best Buy deep throat, pseudonymed "Chris," who said his higher-ups told him not to sell ANY Xbox 360s that weren’t bundled with at least a couple hundred dollars of peripherals. Chris also said his local management admitted that what they were doing was wrong. Wrong, but gainful, I’d say. One leads to the other.

Microsoft probably didn’t conspire to create a Xbox 360 shortage, but that doesn’t stop retailers and Ebay skulks from turning a profit.

the Inquirer