Can’t Get To My Money
By sovknight | July 1, 2008
I got a snazzy little brochure from Best Buy the other day detailing how at the end of July the company is going to switch the provider of my financial benefits over to some other company. I still have a 401K through Best Buy, and I haven’t done anything with it since my termination. I figured it was safe for now, until I get settled and start looking into doing something with it.
Since they are switching things around, I figured it was time to get my money. My plan is to go to my bank and have the 401K switched over to an IRA or some other kind of interest-bearing account. There isn’t too much money there, less than thirty thousand, but it’s a good start. Since I don’t work for Best Buy anymore, that money isn’t doing me any good just sitting there with no income flowing into it, so today I set about getting access to the account to start the process. To my amazement and my fury, I can’t get to it.
Best Buy has a benefits website that is a portal to all things money and benefit related. This website used to be great, because it was a one-stop-shop to all my information. I say it used to be great, because I used to be an employee. You see, this website requires an active employee number and password to access. Two things which I no longer have.
Unfortunately, the website used within the company is the same website used outside the company. My 401K information is safely locked away in a website I can no longer access.
At the bottom of the log in page, there is a little section that says "for former Best Buy employees." OK, I’ll just click that and all will be right with the world. WRONG! Guess what that link does? It takes you to a LOG IN PAGE THAT REQUIRES AN EMPLOYEE NUMBER AND PASSWORD! AHHHRGH! You can even see for yourself. Go to http://www.mybbyrewards.com and scroll to the bottom, where it says "If you are a former Best Buy employee." Click it and tell me if that’s not the most asinine thing you’ve ever seen?
Luckily, the wonderful color brochure I received also includes a number for helpful customer assistance via telephone. I cheerfully dialed this number, making my way through various unrelated menus and attempting to follow the instructions of someone speaking a completely unintelligible Indian accent, when I finally came upon a menu containing the information I need. I pressed the number, and waited for the computer voice to give me further instructions. Much to my chagrin, but not my surprise, accessing my information via telephone requires an ACTIVE EMPLOYEE NUMBER AND PASSWORD.
I’m thinking there must be some sort of legal recourse here. They can’t just hold my account hostage like this simply because I’m no longer employed there. I want my money. Furthermore, I’d like a level of service that isn’t completely idiotic and impossible. Is that so much to ask?
I’m off to try and find an actual human being to scream at now. They better not even ask for an employee number.
Topics: Thoughts |
8 Responses to “Can’t Get To My Money”
Comments
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July 1st, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Oh they will…just don’t give up or in! That is a lot of money! I know we had a similar problem last year with Ben’s 401k when he was laid off. Eventually we were allowed access with his social security number.
Try to be nice to the poor person on the other end…after talking to real humans a few times, if it gets you nowhere, then you yell!
July 1st, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Did you try entering your old employee number and password? You probably did, just checking, though. It’s weird, cause if you click on the stock link below it takes you to Fidelity and you just need your SSN and pin, so I don’t know why the 401 K link isn’t the same. It’s weird that they didn’t give you information about who’s housing your 401 K, so that you can access it on your own. I mean, I know that mine is at Fidelity, and it’ll still be there after I leave here, until I decide to roll it into something else. But I can access it myself online through Fidelity.
July 1st, 2008 at 8:38 pm
I wouldn’t worry about it. You are obviously well off enough that it wont be missed.
Trovans last blog post..Flinging Blood and Flip-Flops
July 1st, 2008 at 9:09 pm
Not well off so much as just worked for the last 20 years and managed to put a little away here and there.
July 1st, 2008 at 9:57 pm
The company’s started recycling employee numbers, so your number might not even be yours anymore.
Hopefully you get this all squared away! I find yelling at people will eventually get you somewhere, because they don’t like being yelled at, so they try and find the answer you want as soon as possible! At least, that’s how I’ve experienced it.
July 2nd, 2008 at 4:10 pm
Hope you don’t mind my testing the waters…I wanted to add my website and see if it changed my name to being a link.
Taunis last blog post..Tales of Fablehaven
July 3rd, 2008 at 11:49 am
Use your SSN for your employee ID and whatever password you were using on the site previously.
I couldn’t remember my password so I needed to go through the whole reminder thing. I just did it and managed to get onto the site with no problem.
Goodluck!
July 5th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
I went to Best Buy today (had to do something while I waited for my new tire to be put on). I walked around and picked things up like I was going to buy it. I went through every department doing that, effectively keeping every employee busy. My brand of payback for you
oh, and when I went to the DVD department, I dropped a case on the floor…. just for you