Ordered RTX 5080 GPU worth $1,200, customer received 4 rocks, Best Buy refused to refund

Every now and then, stories of online shopping that are both funny and sad appear and make people shake their heads in dismay. Recently, an extremely absurd incident happened to a Best Buy (USA) customer.

A user named u/GnarDead on the r/pcmasterrace subreddit said he ordered the ASUS TUF GeForce RTX 5080 from Best Buy on November 25 and received it on November 28. Such AIB RTX 5080 models usually cost around $1,000.

But as soon as he received the goods, the packaging showed signs of tampering. The GPU was not sent in a standard brown carton, and the seal was broken. When he opened the box, he discovered that inside were only… four large rocks wrapped in bubble wrap, and there was absolutely no RTX 5080.

Of course, the customer filed a complaint within the hour. The Best Buy representative initially said they would send a replacement GPU. But today, Best Buy announced that they had 'completed their investigation' and would not be offering a refund or exchange.

Of course, U/GnarDead was extremely outraged and decided to share the story on Reddit to seek advice:

'I don't know what to do anymore. I don't make much money and this is a big purchase for me. I've been waiting a long time for a better GPU price. Now I feel like I've been robbed. The customer service is useless, just coldly saying, 'There's nothing more we can do. Do you need any other help?' I'm desperate. If anyone has any advice, please help.'

While the story cannot be fully verified, the post appears credible and has garnered over 25,000 upvotes and thousands of supportive comments, many of which are from people who have been in similar situations. The most common advice currently is for customers to request a chargeback from their bank and submit all the evidence.

How this story will continue, perhaps we will have to wait for Best Buy's next move.

Samuel Daniel

Update 08 December 2025