Best Buy’s ‘Free’ Samsung Tablet Costs More Than $2K

Update 12/16/2014: Best Buy says it’s working to make things right with consumers who may have been misled by a free tablet promotion that ran on the company’s mobile site over the Black Friday holiday shopping weekend. Click here to read our follow-up story to our original report below.

Enticed by a promotion on Best Buy’s mobile site over the holiday weekend, two consumers went to the store to purchase an appliance for which they thought they’d receive a free Samsung Galaxy tablet. But the mobile site left out some very important information.

The consumers, each shopping separately but intrigued by the same promotion, thought they would qualify for the tablet with the purchase of a Samsung washing machine, they told TINA.org in separate reader submissions.

But at the store, each received the unfortunate news that they would have to purchase a $2,100 French door refrigerator in addition to the Samsung appliance in order to qualify for the “freebie.”

Unlike the desktop version, products with the promotion on the mobile site (see right) do not link to the terms of the promotion, thus leaving smartphone users in the dark on this important disclaimer:

Free Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 8.0 16 GB Tablet … When you buy a Samsung 28.2 cu. ft. four door French door smart refrigerator (model RF28HMELBSR) and any other Samsung appliance $649 or more, you?ll (sic) receive a free Samsung Galaxy 4 8.0 16GB (a $269.99 value).

The tablet promotion appears prominently on Best Buy’s mobile site with some of the best-selling appliances featuring the incentive. But, let’s be clear, it’s far from free.

For more of our coverage on Best Buy, click here.

This article was originally published 12/1/2014.