Buying Macbook from Bestbuy?

Is there anything wrong with purchasing a Macbook from bestbuy? My mom has some unused gift cards, so I figured might as well use it. I was told they're currently honoring the student discounts ($100 off + ipod touch), so as far as pricing goes it should be the same. I don't go to best buy much, so I'm not quite sure how their customer service and return policy are like. Thanks!

 

There is nothing "wrong", per se, with buying from Best Buy, other than the fact that Best Buy is not the least expensive means by which to purchase a Mac.

I bought mine from Mac Connection, because with their listed price, rebate, and the fact that no state tax is charged by them, it was far less expensive than ordering from a retailer like Best Buy.

Your circumstances are quite different, inasmuch as you might look at the unused gift cards as a large reason to opt for buying at Best Buy.

As far as "Customer Service" goes, Best Buy suffers quite a bit from "Manager discretion". Managers are motivated by profit performance and given latitude in how they might achieve these goals. Some will hold a hard line on return policy, with a hefty Restocking Fee for computers, as well as a tight definition of what is, and what is not a "competitor", when it comes to their price matching policy.

Best Buy also is known for reserving quite a bit of inventory for value added stock. This means that you will find many sales items out of stock, unless you opt for "geek squad" added features, like anti-virus and bloatware removal - pre-installed, at an extra price of course. Those items seem to always be in stock. I do think that Mac products might suffer less from this, as it is the nature of the product to never be on sale anyway. Nor can even Best Buy find a reason to force antivirus and bloatware removal service on a Mac, as it has no value whatsoever.

 

No,

Best buy offers a few things that apple does not.
Black Tie Protection - Covers accidnetal damage to the machine.
Apple care does not

Best Buy Offers 18 months 0% interest
Apple offers 12 months

If you need service, you can still go to the genius bar and get tech service for the first year.

 

Thanks for the post. Right now Best Buy is the cheapest for me. None of the online retailers have the free ipod touch sale, so it makes Apple and Best Buy the cheapest. The only reason why I'm going to Best Buy instead of Apple at this point is literally because of the gift cards.

 

I got mine from Best Buy, they are pretty good.

 

Given your situation Best Buy is definitely your best buy .

 

hmmm did you not go directly to apple store? they give you -100$ student and a free ipod touch 8GB that you can resell for 200-225$

Bought my macbook pro 13 like that

 

by pure curiosity, how much are you paying for your mac after all these discounts?

 

I bought mine at Best Buy.

 

One comment regarding the "Black Tie Protection". You do not have to search very hard to find very mixed reviews of this Best Buy program. There are numerous very dissatisfied purchasers of Black Tie Protection. Problems range from exceedingly long repair times, to flat out denial of coverage due to a set of very complex limitations, with many exclusions. In comparison, AppleCare has virtually none of these exclusions that are listed.

I went to BB website and took a look at the contract offered on a Mac system and didn't see that accidental damages were covered unless you purchased a separate addendum to the plan which specifically covers accidental damages. However, that addendum is not amongst the selectable offers for the Macbook. So is it really better than AppleCare?

 

Well I went to best buy today and bought the mac. Came out to be about $1180 after tax (6.85%). They honored the $100 off plus free ipod touch. You don't have buy it first and wait for a rebate or however they do it at Apple. Free ipod touch on the spot.

 

Which model and what specs?

 

Mine came out for around $1196, purchased from the apple store, after rebate for ipod touch and the wifi printer for the 2.26 MBP.

 

Ive bought both my macs from Best buy. a black macbook and an aluminum.

if you can still get the ipod deal i would do it and use up those gift cards.

 

just look at the specs closely... they often try to get rid of older machines at newer prices.. they just don't tell you what they are showing you are older specs... more than likely they'll only try to sell you a current machine, but just look closely at the specs of what your buying and compare to the current sold machines from Apple.

 

Congrats! on a deal!
I had no clue that bestbuy would match the education deal with the ipod and all. Thanks for the info!