Best Buy ‘Repaired’ a 64GB Laptop by Making It 32GB

One Best Buy customer is fuming after receiving a laptop with just 32GB of RAM after a warranty repair. The reason? It had 64GB when they sent it in. To make matters worse, Tom’s Hardware reports that Best Buy now claims the laptop only has 32GB at its maximum configuration, potentially highlighting a listing issue with the original third-party seller.

Memory prices are many times higher now than they were just a few years ago, so warranty repairs, replacements, and faulty memory can end up costing companies a lot. In some cases, this is leading to tighter return and repair practices, such as Micron attempting to refund faulty memory at the original sale price rather than the current value.

And Best Buy, it seems, might be trying to pull a fast one on a customer, too.

The Reddit thread detailing the saga shows user u/Grinz_Doctor having sent in a Lenovo Legion 5 gaming laptop with a 14900HX and RTX 5070 mobile, along with 64GB of RAM. However, when it was returned to them, it only had 32GB. When pressed, Best Buy’s Geek Squad seemed to think the buyer was trying to pull a fast one and said that the laptop is only sold in a 32GB configuration.

Except that’s not true, as this live listing shows.

The repair document from the technician reads: “Unit has two 32GB sticks for a total of 64GB; this unit only accepts 32GB RAM maximum. One stick of 32GB has been removed and sent back to client with unit.”

Even if that was the case, Best Buy should have returned the faulty stick.

There are a number of reasons this could have happened: Maybe the repair technician wasn’t aware of the original purchase configuration, or there was miscommunication during the repair process. It could be a simple labeling or shipping mistake. It could also be Best Buy trying to avoid replacing expensive memory, or even a repair tech looking to pocket a pricey stick.

Although some commenters have suggested the user file a credit card chargeback, this eight-month-old laptop is likely hundreds of dollars more expensive now than when it was originally bought. The buyer has resolved to go into Best Buy in person and escalate the issue. That’s usually the easiest way to get a real human response.

This piece contains links to PCMag, a site owned and operated by ExtremeTech’s parent company, Ziff Davis.