Class Action Lawsuit Claims Best Buy Advertises Fake Sales for TVs, Major Appliances

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A proposed class action lawsuit accuses Best Buy of tricking customers into thinking they’re getting a better deal on TVs and major appliances than they actually are.

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The 44-page lawsuit claims the company has engaged in a “massive” and illegal fake sales scheme at its retail locations and on BestBuy.com. According to the case, Best Buy has, since at least February 2023, advertised certain products—including TVs, refrigerators, ranges, dishwashers, microwaves, wall ovens, cooktops, freezers, washers and dryers—at discounts from higher, “regular” prices at which they were never, or almost never, actually sold.

“Consumers that are presented with discounts are substantially more likely to make the purchase,” the Best Buy lawsuit says.

The filing also claims Best Buy deceptively promotes “limited-time” offers that it knows will be extended or never end, creating a false sense of urgency for customers that pushes them to buy its products.

Per the suit, the defendant’s alleged misconduct has duped consumers into paying more for TVs and major appliances than they otherwise would.

“Best Buy’s false discount advertising scheme artificially increases consumer demand for Best Buy’s Products, which shifts the demand curve and allows Best Buy to charge more for its Products than it otherwise could have charged (i.e., a price premium) absent the misrepresentations,” the complaint contends.

One plaintiff, a California resident, says she fell victim to Best Buy’s alleged scam while shopping for a washing machine at one of its retail stores in December 2023. The plaintiff claims she viewed a price placard affixed to an LG washer stating that the product was $1,099.99 but currently on sale for $799.99 for a limited time.

The woman bought the washer based on the belief that she was taking advantage of a legitimate sale, the case says. However, in reality and unbeknownst to the plaintiff, Best Buy had, for at least three months, continually offered the appliance at its purported sales price and never offered it for $1,099.99, the lawsuit charges. The supposed sale was “perpetual or near-perpetual,” the filing contends.

The complaint argues that the plaintiff and other Best Buy customers would not have made their purchases had they known the defendant’s discounts were fake.

The lawsuit looks to represent anyone who, while in California, purchased from Best Buy a TV or major appliance advertised with a discount on or after February 2, 2023.

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