Best Buy has a new membership program called Best Buy Beta in some test markets. The new program, like Walmart’s Walmart +, is aimed at Amazon’s hugely popular Prime membership service – but does so while focusing on Best Buy’s own strengths, in addition to the usual free shipping benefits.
For $ 200 a year – or $ 180, for Best Buy credit card holders – Beta members receive unlimited Geek Squad technical support, including extended protection (up to two years) on most purchases, free standard shipping and free installation for most products and devices. There is also a 24/7 ‘concierge service’ available exclusively per Beta member by phone, chat or email.
The details that Best Buy’s corporate announcement provides about the concierge service are slim, but it sounds like some kind of generic ‘niece or nephew who is good with technology’ who can answer questions. (Nibling as a Service?)
Beta’s $ 200 annual fee is significantly more expensive than Amazon Prime ($ 120) or Walmart + ($ 100) – but the value-added services focus heavily on a human element, rather than simple economies of scale. The additional cost can seem like a problem for customers who are particularly prone to technological confusion.
The pilot program is currently available in certain stores throughout Iowa, Oklahoma and Eastern Pennsylvania, with plans to expand to Minnesota, North Carolina and Tennessee soon. If you now want to market NaaS 24/7, but do not live in one of Best Buy’s trial areas, you can subscribe to the existing Total Tech Support program for the same price, but with significantly lower benefits.