Are you a gadget freak?  Are you one of those chronic CD, DVD or video game accumulators?

If so, you probably know at least a few kids who wear blue polo shirts and khakis to work.  I’m talking about the personnel at America’s favorite big box electronic store, Best Buy.

And if you spend some dough at Best Buy, you’ve probably encountered the Best Buy Reward Zone program.  Are you participating?  If not, you might want to consider it.

The whole thing is pretty simple.  Every time you drop a buck at Best Buy you get a Reward Zone point.  Those points translate into coupons you can use to save money at Best Buy.

There are a few other perks.  You can get some free paper if you buy your ink cartridges there, for instance.  Plus, they will regularly offer special in-store deals for Reward Zone members.

So, everything sounds good so far.  What’s the catch?

To tell you the truth, there isn’t one.  It’s a pretty straightforward little customer loyalty plan.  It doesn’t cost you anything to join, so even if you don’t use it you aren’t out anything for being part of the “club”.

Now, that doesn’t mean that everyone absolutely adores the program.  Even though it’s free to join and carries no risk you will find people who don’t really like the whole thing.  Their issues?  Well, they claim that the certificates and coupons come slowly.  Some people also argue that some of those kids in the polo shirts don’t really understand the dynamics of the Best Buy Reward Zone system an tend to provide incorrect or incomplete information at sign up.  The biggest gripe, however, is the expiration of rewards.

When you get your bonus from Best Buy, they won’t let you sit on it for years.  You have 90 days from the date of issue to cash in.  And, since Best Buy can occasionally be slow to deliver, you might only have 60 days or so to actually put your rewards to use.  Predictably, plenty of people who either didn’t read the fine print or who were incorrectly advised by Best Buy staff have tried to use expired points bonuses.  When they find out they can’t, they get a little frustrated.

As you might expect, people occasionally encounter some customer service difficulties when they try to get things ironed out, too.

Overall, though, those gripes aren’t a reason not to join.  It’s just evidence that the program could probably be a little better.

Now, there is a second component to the Reward Zone program that doesn’t get the Lampsen “thumbs up”.  You get a point for every buck you spend as a member.  If you sign up for the Reward Zone MasterCard, however, you can get two points per dollar and a few other added niceties.  The problem?  You’re signing up for a credit card that’s closely tied to a large retailer and that doesn’t offer the world’s greatest terms.  I’m not an advocate of toting too much plastic unless you have the kind of steely determination necessary to avoid the risks of credit over-extension.

Don’t confuse the Best Buy Reward Zone with the Best Buy Reward Zone card, though.  You don’t need to have the card to get some langiappe from Best Buy.

My perspective?  I agree with CompareRewards.com.  It’s free and it might help you out a little if you shop at Best Buy regularly.  So, why not?  I wouldn’t use the program as a reason to prefer Best Buy over a competitor with significantly lower prices, but it’s a nice little bonus for those who make regular stops at the store.