Best Buy shows pity on HD DVD owners

Best Buy shows pity on HD DVD owners

Best Buy logoIn what may be the most merciful act of the “format war,” Best Buy will be mailing $50 gift cards to customers who purchased an HD DVD player or Xbox360 attachment before 23rd February. No war tribunal to close this war, the enemy was defeated and now it’s time to care for the injured.

These gift cards are good for purchases in Best Buy stores and at BestBuy.com. You don’t have to turn in your player either, it’s simply an olive branch to consumer who may feel burned with their purchase. They will mail out cards on 1st May to customers who Best Buy can identify. These people would have purchased a player online, or with a Best Buy Reward Zone card or if they purchased a Performance Service Plan along with the player. If this doesn’t apply to you, or if you want to make sure you receive this card, call 1-888-BEST-BUY and provide proof of purchase by either credit card or with receipt.

Additionally, Best Buy will open an Online Trade-In Center on 21st March where HD DVD owners can trade in their players and media for Best Buy gift cards. This program is open to any HD DVD owners regardless of where they purchased their equipment/media. “Visitors to the site will receive instant estimates of the value of their HD DVD players and movies,” says the Best Buy press release. “Those who agree with the estimate can then ship their goods to the Trade-In Center free of charge by downloading a prepaid shipping label and will receive an additional gift card as payment for their trade-in.”

These gift cards don’t have to be used for Blu-ray players or media, it’s a normal gift card. (In California it is state law that gift cards must be cashed out upon request of the customer, so you don’t have to buy anything.) Best Buy is expecting to spend $10-million on this program.

This is a great program to regain the trust of consumers. In today’s economy it must really take a commitment to the consumer to spend this much just to make them happy.

Also see: Forbes

About Steven Kippel

Steven Kippel has worked as a systems designer for a leading high-end audio/video custom integrator in Southern California since 2003. He is responsible for researching new technologies and integrating them into existing systems and new construction projects. He has designed several high-profile systems for discriminating clients on the cutting-edge of technology. When he is not hard at work, Steven is spending time with his wife, playing with his band or promoting concerts and bands in the Inland Empire. His favorite bands include The Cure, U2, Eisley, Living Sacrifice and DragonForce.

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3 Comments on “Best Buy shows pity on HD DVD owners”

  1. An excellent condition HD-A3 with 5 HD DVDs would get you $51 from bestbuytradin.com

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