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Best Buy Reneges On Online Purchases

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- There are some unhappy shoppers this holiday season.

Best Buy shoppers across the country are not getting the products they ordered.

Some of those orders were placed on Black Friday, and now, they've been canceled.

Just days before Christmas, Best Buy is telling some customers that it is cancelling orders made online weeks ago.

Point Park University business professor Paige Beal has been following the controversy.

"Many of these people are saying they actually received notice that their order went through, confirmation of shipment," Beal told KDKA Money Editor Jon Delano.

But now an about-face by Best Buy which issued this statement to KDKA-TV:

"Due to overwhelming demand of hot product offerings on BestBuy.com during the November and December time period, we have encountered a situation that has affected redemption of some of our customers' online orders. We are very sorry for the inconvenience this has caused and we have notified the affected customers."

"What I find amazing about this is that Best Buy has really made no attempt to reimburse these people for the time spent, emotional investment they had," notes Beal.

The Federal Trade Commission would not comment on whether Best Buy has engaged in unfair or deceptive trade practices, but did tell KDKA-TV:

"While the FTC does not resolve individual complaints, the agency encourages consumers to file complaints about any concerns they have. These complaints can help us detect patterns of wrong-doing, and lead to investigations and prosecutions."

"To simply just say, we're sorry, we don't have it, is inexcusable," adds Beal.

Beal says that it may be in the fine print of their online contract that Best Buy can refuse to honor its own sales agreements, but it is hardly a good business practice.

And if anyone wants to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, click here.

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