Anyone who’s ordered something online knows the struggle of opening up the box—and discovering that what you ordered isn’t what it seemed.
Sometimes, these mixups are gross. For example, one woman said she bought a mini skirt on Amazon for a concert, only to discover that it had stains from what appeared to be bodily fluid.
Other times, these disappointments result from a simple mismatch of expectations—such as this woman’s dismay about how she received her $300 House of CB dress.
In the worst cases, however, one can be outright scammed. That’s what appears to have happened to TikToker Mikey Moore (@mikeymoore991) on a recent trip to Best Buy.
What Went Wrong With This Best Buy Purchase?
In his video, Moore shows an open box on the counter at a Best Buy location. In the box, there’s plastic and pieces of foam. The overlay text notes that he has been “scammed” for $1,000.
“I bought a console for $1,000 from Best Buy,” he says. He specifies the location as the one at 10777 North Fwy in Houston, Texas.
“They gave me a charger without the console, just like this,” he says, showing the box. “They tell me they can give me a number to call.”
“A thousand dollars,” he adds, defeated. “How you get scammed by Best Buy? I don’t understand.”
The video then shows a worker handing him the name of a manager for him to call to resolve the issue. Moore is not satisfied with this.
“This gotta be a prank,” he concludes. “This all y’all can do?”
What Happened Here?
Moore has not provided an update about his situation, nor has he offered any further details about what specifically led him to purchase an empty box.
That said, scams like these are relatively common. They are generally called “return scams.”
Typically, a return scam of this nature will involve someone buying an item, then removing the expensive portion. Then, they will replace the expensive portion with a cheaper item of equivalent weight, or just leave the box empty. Following that, they will reseal the box in a manner that makes it look as though it hasn’t been opened, thus making it ready for return.
While many stores are trained to detect this sort of fraud, accidents can happen. Occasionally, this can result in one of these items being put back out on the floor as a new product. If Moore is being honest about his situation, this may be what happened to him.
What Should You Do If Best Buy Sends You An Empty Box
The internet is filled with stories of people being sent empty boxes from Best Buy, or boxes with items that they did not expect.
There are several routes one can take to resolve this issue. First, they can contact Best Buy directly. Some commenters claim that they’ve found success attempting to directly resolve the issue with the company.
Second, they can file a police report. If they believe their item was stolen during shipping or some other part of the packing process, it is possible that a police report may assist in getting the lost item found.
Finally, they can dispute the charge with their credit card.
@mikeymoore991 They gotta see me?
♬ original sound – I am him don’t play??♂️??
Commenters Have Thoughts
In the comments section, users recounted their own experiences dealing with this issue.
“Something like this happened to my younger brother. he order a $3500 gaming pc when the box came in it only had baby dippers and wipes,” said a user. “luckily he got his money back after a month.”
“As someone who worked as a tech for a veryyy popular company, reconsider buying tech from 3rd parties i.e. best buy, target, etc. ppl swap the real items w/ fakes, return them, and then the next person is sold a fake item,” detailed another. “it’s safer to buy from the manufacturer.”
Others had their own methods for dealing with these issues.
“Open everything before you leave the store,” shared a commenter. “Scamming is at all time high.”
“I would have walked clean on the self and got a new one. Period,” declared another.
The Mary Sue reached out to Best Buy via email and Moore via TikTok and Instagram direct message.
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