During our Thanksgiving trip to Missouri, our trusty Canon A80 died. This camera was a wedding gift to us back in 2004 and has seen more miles than most shoes. After doing our research, we settled on the new Canon A650 IS. This camera is fairly new to the market and comes with the same flipout screen as the A80, but obviously with 3 years of technology improvements.

After taking a look at BestBuy.com to determine whether or not the local Best Buy had any stock, I found that the camera could only be ordered online. I was a little nervous about this due to the inability to actually talk with responsible parties if there happens to be an issue with the order. I decided since I am a Best Buy fanboy to trust them and went ahead and placed the order on December 1, 2007.

The thing that tipped me in favor of ordering from Best Buy is their guarantee to delivery, anything ordered by December 20th, by December 24th. This was key due to all the packages flying around for the holiday season, I didn't want my camera to get lost in the mix. On December 3, 2007, two days after ordering, I received an email from Best Buy that says the camera had been placed in a "vendor delayed" status. I called them to confirm that they would not miss their guaranteed delivery date due to this change and the customer service representative for BestBuy.com insisted that it wouldn't be an issue.

December 6, 2007, I receive another email from BestBuy.com that says there has been an issue with processing the payment for the camera and that I should call BestBuy.com. When I call, the customer service representative cant' figure out her computer system and when she tries to transfer me, she actually hangs up on me. I call back again and wait in the holding queue for another 30 minutes and finally get someone that can operate their computer. This person tells me that my Best Buy credit card was declined. Since I know even with the camera order I should have roughly $500 available, I ask her to call the credit card company and determine what has been charged to my account in the past couple weeks. When she returns, she tells me that my available funds are not enough to cover the charge for the camera and that I should call the Best Buy credit card company. I ask her why she didn't conference me in when she was talking to them and she attempts to transfer me to them, instead hanging up on me.

So, I call the Best Buy credit card company and they tell me that it appears that the initial order for a memory card and the camera was cancelled but that BestBuy.com never released the hold for full amount, effectively tieing up $450. Then BestBuy.com replaced an order for the memory card and the camera seperately. I assume this is so they can ship the memory card before they get the camera in stock. However, since BestBuy.com forgot to remove the credit hold, they attempted to hold another $426. This declined because it was over my limit due to the fact that they were already holding $450. I ask the Best Buy credit card company what I need to do to remedy this and the customer service representative tells me that I need to call BestBuy.com and have them conference me in on their call to the credit card company.

I call BestBuy.com back and after spending my fourth hour on the phone with someone calling themselves a manager, I give up on trying to explain the situation to them and having them insist they aren't calling anyone at my request because their computer tells them they only charged me once. I decide to take the issue to a Best Buy store the next day.

The next day, I talk with an Operations Manager named Josh at the Best Buy on Harris Blvd. in Charlotte. He spends two hours on the phone with both departments I had talked with the day before. When he finally gets off the phone with them, he tells me that he has resolved the issue. The camera will be shipped when they receive it from the vendor and my credit card only has one charge on it.

Today, I receive an email from BestBuy.com stating that my order has been cancelled at my request and the funds returned to my credit card. When I call BestBuy.com, the customer service representative tells me that all the managers are in a meeting and that none will be answering phones. I give up and hang up.

All in all, I have spent roughly 7 hours either on the phone or in a Best Buy store trying to get them to fix this issue. I have spent well over $8000 in their stores over the past couple years buying cameras, phones, computers, tvs, etc. I became a Best Buy Rewards customer the in the first or second year they offered the service and have a Best Buy credit card.

I feel that BestBuy.com cancelled my order due to their inability to fulfill their shipping guarantee. Best Buy should be ashamed of themselves and should know that I will be taking my business to one of their competitors. I advise dozens of friends and family members on technology purchases and am a tech consultant for dozens more businesses. I will never recommend Best Buy to another person.

I would advise anyone else having issues with Best Buy's delivery guarantee this holiday season to post comments and file complaints with the Better Business Bureau in Minneapolis, MN 55440, where Best Buy's corporate headquarters is.

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