"Dollar to points" systems are naturally intended to disassociate purchases with their dollar values, but they also allow for the selling of prepaid cards and make microtransactions possible, so we'll forgive them for their inherent trickiness.
What really irks us, however, is that the monetary value of Microsoft Points is never at a nice one to one ratio. No, it's $1.25 for 100 points. The only thing this serves to do is confuse consumers. It's much more obvious how much you're spending when the ratio is a simple 100 points per dollar, but tack on a quarter and everyone will round down, ignoring the extra money.
For the curious, 100 points is also equivalent to 1.16 Euros, 1.65 Australian Dollars, and 148 Yen.
Your defense? If you've been skipping out on the math homework to play Mass Effect, whip out a calculator and take note of exactly how much you're spending. You may be surprised.
In Best Buy's defense, every retailer has been known to shaft consumers at one point or another - Best Buy just happens to have the absolute worst track record (if Internet rants are to be believed). Those untainted by the ol' BB probably have a similarly infamous retailer to rag on.
Best Buy has been accused of maintaining a secret in-store website with prices different than those available on the real website, calling the cops on a guy for using a $2 bill, refusing to honor coupons, refusing to sell an M rated game to an adult because his little brother was with him, and a host of other ridiculous examples of customer service buffoonery.
How do you fight retail madness? Once again, it's all about research. Read the fine print. Make sure you're prepared to get what's been advertised at all costs. If you have to, don't be afraid to call the corporate office and tell them how it is. Climb the ladder high enough, and usually you'll be taken care of.
If you feel you've been shafted by a retail store or otherwise, and no number of customer service calls help, shoot an e-mail to [email protected].
Perhaps you'll at least receive vindication by exposing the offending company to the world.
