BRAVO!!!!!!!! Extended warranties, except in some unusual situations, are a waste of money. The stores make big bucks off of them, which is why they are pushed so hard. Most who purchase them don't ever use them, and if you do you have to hassle over whether something is covered. Consumr advocate Clark Howard is always warning about them. clarkhoward.com

Excellent Scott... I refuse to buy extended warranties. The one time I did, I got the run around from the store I bought it from. One note though - Sears maintenance plan is on the o.k. side. My mother had a water heater and a dishwasher die after many years of service and they replaced both with updated models. She made a couple of hundred on the deal (cost of appliances - cost of maintenance agreement). Electronics... don't buy it :)

Phil,

Great site. Never heard of the guy. He said my thoughts exactly.

I should use these tips for when I buy a computer for the husband.

lol ya gotta love the unconfident sales guy. while i'd never buy a service contract on a computer i think there actually some items that are worth it to buy a replacement/service plan:

1) items like cheapo printers where replacing the print head will cost more than the printer. service plan = free replacement on a cheapo item.

2) cheap scanners have cheap moving parts. i've replaced mine EVERY year for 5 years now and gotten a better one.->

sorry scott, that part about "If Best Buy can’t fix it, then they’ll replace it and upgrade you if necessary." is actually true. it's great cuz every year the prices of stuff comes down so if yours breaks somehow ;) you get it either repaired (for cheap items they never do) or just replaced with something for the amount that you paid! works for me...

Clark Howard rules... check out his radio show if you get a chance.

The warrantee should never be purchased on computers... They make buku bucks off of these things. They wouldn't offer them if they didn't. The fact that they can support extended warrantees tells us that on the average, they are not needed by most consumers.

The first computer I ever bought was at best buy and they convinced me to take the three year extended warantee. I had given the computer to my inlaws a year and a half into it. What a waste of one hundred and fifty bucks. Parts are cheap... knowledge is even more inexpensive... if something goes wrong, fix it yourself. Stick that hundred and fifty bucks in the bank... in fact, every time you purchase an item with an offered extended warrantee, turn down the offer and stick the equivelant amount in the bank. Before long, you will be able to replace the whatever purchase that fails you. And really, the manufacturers warrantee should offer more than sufficient comfort for those who are tempted to by the extended.

I used to work for the UK's equivalent of BestBuy - on a typical consumer PC, the profit is all in the warranty - on attention-grabbing deals like the one you went for, the margin would be approx 1-2%, add the warranty, you are up to 40%ish. Warranties cost nothing to the manufacturer or the reseller, so they are pure profit. Simply put, don't bother unless it is free!

I have heard stories of retailers who were unable to sell a customer on the extended warrantee, claim that the item is out of stock and not likely to be in any time soon. They would rather loose the sale as it is just not profitable enough without the warrantee. I garnered this info from a former retailer and computer salesman. I was shocked.

I'm convinced that in many cases, and very likely in the case of your computer system buy, they actually *lose* money when you consider all the overhead they have. But if they only sell one or two of those extended warranty scams to every ten shmos that come in, they're money ahead.

And I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that the 'salespeople' get a nice little incentive for each one of these scam jobs they push off on their unsuspecting 'clients'.

Thanks for a great story. And tell your wife 'Bravo' for her performance :D

I would have resorted to fire, fits or rage, and terrorism. :)

I love this layout great work

You sound like the most annoying customer I could ever have. I work for one of the two chains you mentioned, and you act like we're "Nazis?" First off, when we have a deal in the paper and a customer wants it, I don't talk them away from it because it's a conspiracy and I'm supposed to. I do it because the item advertised is usually junk! If I saw you trying to buy a P.O.S. emachines I would talk you out of it too. You obviously didn't search around much if that's the best deal you found - it seems like your just cheap. Then you snap back at him, it's none of your business, thats just rude. I always try to get to know my customers better, and help them pick out a item they want - and one that can do what they require. Because most customers DON'T KNOW ANYTHING about the items, thats why we're there! As for the extended warranty scam, you say that until you are bringing back your item, six months later asking us to take it back. Granted, on a $400 emachines, it's not worth it, but on an expensive computer - why the hell wouldn't you get it? And as for ONLY parts and labor - keep in mind that labor is cut short. You may get a year in parts but only 90 days for labor. Why? Because they MAKE the parts, they cost nothing - it's the labor that is expensive. I've dealt with dozens of annoying, rude, "know-it-all" customers just like yourself. I just had to reply to this story because you're off the mark. (Although Best Buy charging to remove factory installed software is a rip) And I have seen MANY people who bought service plans very satified and save tons of money on expensive repairs.

ok bravo to "Doesn't Matter" for his/ her response. I work for Best buy store 155 greensboro NC and I am actually a Computer sales person. FIRST off I don't try and talk anyone out of buying what they want, but if there is a better deal for them I will let them know. the $400 emachine is crap and always has been crap since I started working at best buy. We ask customers what they want to use their computer for to ensure that they don't purchase the wrong computer, for example, the $400 emachine won't: play high end games due to the p.o.s graphics, burn cd's, allow u to edit movies,multitask well (due to the fact that it only has 128mb of ram and windows XP recomends 128 so unless u wanna look at windows all day your silly ass needs more memory)and is not good for people who look at upgrading their pc in the future. as for the service plan since you bought an emachine your silly ass should have definitely purchased a service plan on it reason #1 your call to emachine is long distance so lets see how long you wait on the phone just to talk to someone. not only that but if it's a technical question you have count on paying $35-$45 before u even get your question answered. #2 once they've determined u need to have your machine mailed in break out the check book and pay for shipping hmm...$35 phone call + $35 + long distance and now your computer has been mailed to emachine and you think all your problems are fixed for $70 but... you failed to realize that your precious manufacturers warranty is only coverage for defects which is why our coverage overlaps the manufactures year because we give you more than defects...so when the storm knocks out your modem because you bought a p.o.s $10 surge protector hmm you'll get a letter or if your lucky a phone call telling you that your going have to pay to have your pc fixed or if they determine your problem is not a defect your part just "wore out" due to normal use your screwed again. to cut this short you'd be surprised to see how many damn emachines come back to the store with problems the people with the service plan are lucky the people without the plan get pissed and wished they had the service plan. all I can say is hind sight is 20/20 and maybe next time they'll learn to listen to someone before they pass judgement and swear that best buy is out to rob people

truth about extended warranties: The company will FIRE that is TERMINATE those sales people who dont sell these things.ie sears,circuit,city... They require a certain percetage to sales or you behind is GONE.That is why some would not want to sell the item without a warranty.They havre meetings to threaten sales people every day sell warranties or GO

we entertained purchasing the extended warranty on a laptop, primarily for the screen protection. we have a speech pathology practice and we use our laptop for games with children who sometimes act "abusive" to the machine. we successfully recovered $1200 from a client once because of the problem, but when the repaired screen broke again (with no abuse this time!!), dell gave us the run around and then tried to charge us another $1200.

we wanted to go thru a site like gateway.com, but they would not sell us the "extended warranty" package because we live in the state of Florida. after much research, we found that none of the online retailers (compaq, sony, etc...) sell those extended warranties in Florida.

we ended up getting a fairly high end Sony (best screens from our comparisions) and the $250 or so extended warranty protection from CompUsa. now if it breaks, without abuse, we are covered, and wont have to pony up for the new laptop...

Just for fun I went to Best Buy this afternoon, and purchased a new printer(I needed one).

However, I stopped to listen to what a new family was being told about buying a computer. After the SAME associate ask me if I have been helped(must have some memory problem), I listened in. This freak tries to sell this family EVERYTHING. He's like, "While your at it, why don't you buy a 3 year warrenty, a portable USB drive, a new Joystick, etx...". Are these guys paid a commision or what??

So anyway, I go up to the counter to buy a my printer, and I ask about their 30 day return policy. "I'm sorry, but this policy does not apply to digital cameras, printers, or scanners." What the heck? So then they try to sell me the three year warrenty. I say: "How is this going to help me if I only have 14 days to decide"....

Holy Cow...im sticking to CompUSA next time!

I was just hired at future shop (best buy owned canadian varient) and am going through the rigorous training program and I couldn't believe how cut throat they are about selling a "product service plan" (fancy way of saying extended warranty)
I felt that there had to be something up with this so I checked out this section and agree totally with what was said. I guess I'll just not sell the crap for as long as it takes for me to get fired. Heh, oh well

You are right about the extended warrant scams!

Did you also know that most credit card agreements also offer a built in extended plan as well. My card does this also with a low interest rate of 10% per year.
They add 2 or 3 extra years to anything I buy on my card!
I also bought a printer at Best buy, they are big on selling you extra things you don't need.

Same for future shop. I just bought a Cd burner there, the guy did not even try to sell me anything extra because he saw I did All my research and was being very careful about what I bought.
I had also seen a Disk Drive online for $20 at another store.
At Future Shop they were $50- the guy claimed becuase they are not a popular item the price has gone up.
I then told him I saw the same thing last night for $20. He them had to call the other store and sell me the disk drive for $20!
(he did not try to sell me an extra service plan even with the cheapo item!)

Hey one more for the PC Sales people. I work for Future Shop 741 in Alberta, Canada. I can tell you're one of those asshole customers, if it had been me you talked to I would have pounded you till you walked (ever seen Boiler Room?). Not my normal approach but personally I don't think it's nessessary to treat people like crap, the guy was only trying to help you out.

Like the other guys said it's our job to ask the customer what it is that their looking for in a computer (besides being cheap) whether that be a gaming machine or an office PC. That way the customer doesn't bitch in a year's time, saying, "Damn Best Buy / Future Shop, they're all crooks selling pieces of garbage." If you want trash go to Walmart, not Best Buy. Going to BB generally means your looking to get a decent quality computer and are looking for some advice in getting it.

"“Parts and labor” means they will they will fix your computer and not charge you for the time it takes to do it or for any parts that need to be replaced. And they will replace it if they can’t fix it. Sound familiar?"

Good luck with that. As was pointed out earlier, manufacturer's warranty is, "Parts and labour, on manufacturer's defects" meaning defects in the workmanship. And if you read as much as you say you do, you would see that it's at the manufacturer's discretion as to what that applys to and to what extent. Plus much of the time, you have to ship it to the manufacturer yourself, paying the bill. Now I don't know how far Texas is from you, but it's a damn long way from here.

"The warrantee should never be purchased on computers... They make buku bucks off of these things. They wouldn't offer them if they didn't. The fact that they can support extended warrantees tells us that on the average, they are not needed by most consumers. "

Excuse me? They sell warrantees because they're not needed? My store employs three full time technicians (twenty between the four stores in this city), and most of the time we have fifty or sixty PC's in OUR tech bay. We're the smallest store in the city.

"truth about extended warranties: The company will FIRE that is TERMINATE those sales people who dont sell these things.ie sears,circuit,city... They require a certain percetage to sales or you behind is GONE."

Thruth is that that is a load of crap. I have been at Future Shop for a year now, and not one person has been fired for not selling warranty.

Simply put, you don't have to be an asshole just because it makes you feel like a big man. Most of the people who work there are trying to find you a product that suits your needs, and is something that you're going to enjoy. The whole idea behind the service plan, is just that, customer service. This way if you do have an issue with a product you can come in and deal with a real human being not a phone number.

If you have any questions feel free to send an email.

Plain and simple ALL sales persons have a price on their heads.
That’s right, they complain about being nice and how they really want to help the costumer ahahahahahahaha, what a joke.
Truth is sales employees have this price on their heads:
1. Sale expensive merchandise they get more bonuses.
2. Sale less expensive merchandise they get fewer bonuses.

If I learned one thing from a sales person it is NEVER talk to them nicely.
That’s right! You do and you’re in big trouble!
They will ponder your ass with so much crap that will have you looking like a fox that just lost its fur. And if you’re an idiot who doesn’t know the details about the product you’re going to buy well god bless your soul LOL.
To prevent these sales pests I suggest the following:
1. Never talk nice to them period!
2. If you have no idea about the product details, take a friend with you who knows about the product.
3. If the pest tries to talk you into something else walk away, you be surprised how they look hehehee.

How I know all this hehehehe, a friend of mine is a sales pest.
If I let the bastard in the door he will try to sell me his soiled underwear’s.
B.M

Hey now! Ive been in sales for 4 years now. I've had a ton of customers come back to me because I am nice. I will always offer a warranty but I try my best to make sure they know if they need it or not. I also worked at Best buy for awhile. A guy once asked me "Why should I buy a warranty" I replied "Because the company knows that you will forget about it or fail to use it and it makes the company money."
Theres some things that dont need one period. But some items such as big screen tvs, well there isnt a reason not to buy it.
I agree, it is sad that we are paid to try to work around every objection you have. I only do it when theres a head over my shoulder.
But overall, we all arent bad salesmen. If you ever met me I'm sure you would agree. I dont sell for the money, I sell to have the guy come back in and tell me its the most badass home theatre hes ever had.
My post is kinda rambling here. But if its one thing I know about salesmen, Dont ask the nicest looking guy for help. He will screw you. Heh never ask a guy who tans or has bleached hair lol hes trying to hard to make himself look good.

LOL
I can say you seem down to earth.
Not many like you, and your right
20% of them arenet bad.
Like my friend he's not bad person.
But damit he takes his sales with
him everywhere we go hahahaahahahaha.
But I guess thats how he is what can I say.
B.M

I was fired from Sears for SELLING TOO MUCH. No joke ALL SEARS WANTS IS FOR SALES PEOPLE FOR TO SELL A HIGH % PERCENTAGE OF PROTECTION AGREEMENTS. protection agreement$'s divided by mechandise$'s times 100 == percentage this is all the top management looks at.For example if you percent was at goal at the end of the month and you sell another item without the warranty( protection agreement) this would bring you below goal and get you fired. This is why people would rather not sell the product without the warranty.THE SALES PEOPLE DONT MAKE THESE RULES.TOP EXECUTIVES DO. AND DONT USUALLY GET EXTRA COMISSION. Just get to keep the job.

Sears,best buy ,circuit city all the same.All the leaders who the customer NEVER will see.Want people to sell and push these warranties,contracts etc.They dont care about anything but Warranties.They will tell the sales people if the customer does not buy the warranty try not to sell the item or items or you will be fired for not selling the warranty

TO:FUTURE SHOP PC SALES: Your company may not FIRE people for not selling a percectage of warranties but,SEARS DOES it all the time I know for a fact.I also know that CIRCUIT CITY DOES TOO. check with ANYONE who has worked there!!!!

Scott, I read you article here and totaly understand where you are comming from. I would, however like to bring up a point that is not mentioned or that you are not aware of (or may not care about for that mater). I have worked in commision sales my entire life at Sears and Wards in electronics. I get paid to talk service contracts and to get you to buy them. I myself rarley purchase them so it is hard for me to sell something I do not belive in on many products. Computers is not one of them! Usualy in my pitch for service which has to be brought up BEFORE going to the register I would say something to the extent of "not 'if' your computer crashes but WHEN it crashes the service agreement will get you back running as soon as we can get a tech over to your house to fix your computer". That right there is enough of a reason for me to buy one seeing as you bought a really low end CPU that has no upgradeable features and probly no extra PCI or RAM slots to add anything you may need. See, Scott you purchased a worthless computer with a worthless monitor and when you were asked questions you shyed away from answering them. I understand the BUG EYES that is what I consider scare tactics and I do not blame you from shying away, but the sales person you were dealing with maybe makes 7 dollars an hour at best. He gets paid reguardless if you buy the CPU or the service agreement, whats he really care about, he gets spiffed off of nothing and he did not educate you at all. This leads me to my point.
In febuary 2003 Circuit City released a press statement after firing all there top commision gainers that basicaly said " consumers are becoming more and more aware and do not need the use of commision sales people".
In your case this is not true and you bought the worst computer you posibly could, I am sure you realize this now or your wife does. I am not taking a shot at you are calling you a bad customer I am just pointing out the proper use of a commision sales person. You said you looked around but you were NEVER educated.
In January 2004 Sears is taking their elctronics department off of commision and in april it is rumored that the appliance sales people will go off commision as well.

Is this what we really need as we near the manditory 2007 High Definition deadline?

Scott,
Just so you and everyone else knows : Best Buy employees, at least in Canada, are not paid commission. This nulifies you comment about him trying to sell you a bunch of things you don't need because it doesn't benfit him one iota.

Just to let you know. Circuit City as of Feb. 2003 no longer offered their employees %'s for selling ANYTHING. The company policy is to hold assoc. accountable for their behaviors (i.e. offering coverages, accessories, etc.). Most people that now work for Circuit City and that work for Best buy make 7 maybe 8 dollars per hour. Computers break. That is a fact of life. File that under Death and Taxes. No offense to the manufactures, but the warranty they give you covers parts and labor against defects and you pay the shipping. Ever paid to have a computer tower or monitor shipped? Might as well have bought the coverage for the retailer at that point. How about calling to get help with your PC. Every heard the prices that they charge per hour just to talk to someone that might fix you PC? Alright, say for a moment that you did have the extended coverage and fired you pc. As a general rule you are going to get store credit, right? Well, if you have bothered to look at pc prices 3 times in the past 3 years or more you would have seen that the cost goes down and the specs get better. So even if you spent the same amount then you are going to end up with a nicer pc than you had even if it is only 6 months after your initial perchase. BB offer to turn on you machine because them and CC run into customers that drive all the way home and there is something wrong with it straight out of the box. It just make both your life and that company's life easier to go ahead and get you another one. And last but not least, Norton and other antivirus programs should be a requirement. How many problems in the past year has the NATION had to deal with and how many more to come in the coming year due to people that don't do patches and don't run antivirus software. Thanks to all that help slow the internet and crash computers.

P.S. Free MSN and AOL are a trap so watch out for them. That much I will give you.

This site is dead on the money! I bought a computer at Best Buy 2 weeks ago after much research, found the exact model I needed and found that they had a current price including mfgr rebates a couple hundred below anyone else. I went in knowing that under no conditions would I buy any extended warraty from these guys! It started off with the first salesman asking if I was ure this was "a good one", because he had his fall apart after only a year and was looking for something else to spend his store credits on. Odd coincidence that story just before the sales pitch for the warranty, I declined even after his disaster story. Then A manger had to open the "cage" and she tried to sell me on the warranty and on financing which I told her was irrelevant up fornt. Then I was handed off to the "Notebook Specialist" Who went into more BS about batteries wearing out faster than they used to, and basically how the computer will self destruct in about a year. Sound familiar yup! It is a clear Standard Operating Procedure. Dont ever fall for it!

Typical penny-pinching consumers....You expect the quality of a Lexus for the price of a Yugo...and when your piece of crap breaks...YOU are the first to go crying to the store manager for a refund or a new one! And then throw a temper tantrum when you are not going to get a new one and realize you F'd up! Keep pinching those pennies LOSERS!!!

I purchased a laptop from BEST BUY in August. The salesman told me that the extended warranty covered virtually everything when I asked about exclusions. I asked if damage from dropping the laptop was included and he said it was. He said that the only kind of thing not covered was if I took a sledge hammer to it on purpose. He said intentional damage was not covered but accidental damage was covered. Cool I said.
A few months later the computer started acting weird until one day it just refused to boot up at all. We took it back into BEST BUY. They claim that there was liquid in the machine. I don't know if there was or wasn't or how it would have gotten in there. They told me that since something was spilled on the laptop the warranty was void! I explained that the warranty included accidental damage according to their salesman. They said the salesman was wrong - sorry - and that I owed them $80 for diagnosing the problem (not fixing the problem) because it was "abuse" that caused the computer to stop working. Number 1 - I didn't abuse the computer nor did I spill anything on it. Number 2 - Even if I did, the salesman who sold me the extended warranty said accidental damage was covered.
Too bad BEST BUY said in so many words. I got the same answer from the supervisor, corporate customer service and the Corporate executive manager. We are sorry that you are unhappy, but it is your word against ours and since we are BEST BUY, we win. Take us to court if you would like, they said.
I will never ever buy anything from BEST BUY again and I urge everyone else to boycott this consumer UNFRIENDLY store. They do not back the claims of their employees and their employees are allowed to lie and say whatever they want to sell their products and their warranties.
BEST BUY SUCKS! Spread the word.

Hi! I have read a bit of every one's letters. Their is something that no one knows at all. I went with my son to Best Buy for he had bought a stereo for his pickup and this was the second time it fryed since he had bought it, I was listening and the lady said the warranty was a sixty day warranty threw their store and their is nothing they could do, but they would upgrade it, Yea! Hear is the catch, when my son said ok they said it would be another 30 something dollars more for the one he picked (now get this), then they added that he would have to! Buy a extended warranty or they could not make the deal, I feel it was their way of getting out of the trade up, But that isn't all, when I looked at the box when we left the store I asked my son do you know that it says used on it, now that is a kicker, he said no! I then asked did they tell you it was a used stereo or had it written on the display, he said no. I told my son, THey had sold my son a used stereo for with tax around 80 somthing dollars that he had trouble with ever since. This reminds me of the trouble I had with future shop along time ago, I went in to the store and I picked out a camcorder, I bought it and then noticed that it wasn't working rite, so I recorded a few things and played it back could hardly see it, so I started checking out the surface of it and found it had scratches on the eye piece and a few other places and the piece that covers the plug in hole was worn out, so I called up the manager and explained to him that I had bought this camcorder and it was a used one, he said to bring it down so I did, then when I arrived I had asked for a trade for a new one, he had sent his two sales people to the back to see if they had one in the back and they had returned and said sorry we can't find one and then they said here is this one on display, can you believe that! I watched as this sales person slapped around this camcorder and asking if I wanted to buy it, I said to him get real, I am not trading for a used one at a price difference of 200 when I paid about around 900 dollars for this one, so I started to walk out and told him I want my credit card credited for the amount that I paid for the one I bought, what happen next, the two sells men hurried to the back, while I was headed for the front desk and at the front desk the sales lady was writing up a slip and then all of a sudden the two sales men had said Oh we found one like yours in the back, then I said ok! I said we are going to open this box and I am going to check it out now before I leave this store.
I made sure that the bag the camcorder came in was sealed along with the brouchers and all the items it came with, the manager gave me a free carrying case and battery and so much off of the camcorder for the faulty mistake the sales men did.
I walked out a happy camper and had my camcorder with no insurance for several years now. Now my son is going threw some what the same thing and I am going to see what can be done.
So keep in mind when you are buying something from any one, look it over very closely and make sure their is no signs of it being used, look under and over and in between. Now as for the warranty, I don't buy them for their is no need for one, unless you are going to take your computer or what ever you bought out and be ruff on it, I had bought my computer from The Geek shop and I did buy her warranty and she does come threw on it, my modem had burned out and she replaced it and when I wanted to trade in my three year old computer for a change up, she had built it and it has been working good ever since.
Let it be known that computers do have a mind of their own at times, so be patient with them don't panic and the problem usually can be solved easly, find a friend of a friend if you want that knows some what about computering. I don't have to worry my service I get with mine I am always calling my tech service and she answers all my questions no matter how dum I think they are. I just hope my son is not at a loss on this for he can't afford to put out this kind of money at all for any sort, he just wanted to enjoy his music like all young men do.
Be ware of and look out for your interest.

I work at Sears as an appliance salesman. I agree that the "Protection Agreements" (PA's) are a load of crap. They do offer more than regular extended warranties, like "annual preventative maintanence checkups," they cover you against power surges and cosmetic damages, also. But still, they are not cost-effective. Sure, people do believe in them. They even work for some people. But for the majority of people, they do not work out.

I am a horrible PA salesperson. I do not try to sell them because I do not believe in them. All I do is tell the customer what it does for them. When I hear "No," I hit the "No" key on the register. I do not overcome objections.

The store manager is trying to change me in this respect. He wants me to push them. When a customer says "no," he wants me to tell them why they are wrong. I consider this unethical and refuse to do this. I have not been fired yet, nor do I think I will be. I do not believe Sears would fire me for not selling PA's. However, I do believe they will put me in a non-PA department where my pay rate would probably drop $8 an hour.

As for all salespeople trying to pressure you into buying more expensive things, I think that is bull$#!t. I do not do that. )In fact, it is Sears policy we do not do that.) When I sell a customer of mine a washer, I show them all of the features on a moderately priced washer and simply tell them what it offers them. Then I will show them a few others and let them decide. I probably don't sell as well as my more pushy co-workers because of this.

Of course, I may place an undue emphasis on some of the features you get on more expensive washers that you don't get on cheaper ones, features that most people wouldn't use. But I've gotta keep food on my table.

My advice, if you want to avoid pushy salespeople and avoid getting swindled, even by those with the best intentions is to do some homework (Consumer Reports) and decline extended warranties. If the salespeople push anything, just say "no." if they try to keep pushing something extra, tell them you will buy from someone else if they ask again.

By the way, Best Buy people are commissioned.

LMAO I think you all are idiots. AWE HE TRIED TO DO HIS JOB HE TRIED TO SALE ME XTRA WARNT. LOL US SALES PEAPLE GIVES A SHIT LESS JUST SO YOU GET THE FUCK OUT OF OUR STORE YOU FUCKING LOSERS.

Hey NONEOFYOURBIZ, you seem to really posses the stellar communication skills I see so often in BB employees. Keep up the good work, guys. BTW - The scam is that the sales people don't get commisions but their bosses do. That way they can tell you that they don't get a commission without lying, not that they really care anyway.

Ha,

Extended warranties are great... I get them on anything for with something that will no doubt have a replacement within a year. For example good ol' future shop started me off on a 4x4x24x cd burner, after 7 'fixings' on my behalf i'm up to a 32x32x40x and the chick working the counter exteded the warranty for another 3 years so come 2006 it's gonna be 'fixed' again and upgraded for free...
same as a computer of mine, one month before the warranty expires i 'Fix' it and take it in, they try to fix it but i've taken care of that possibility and boom brand spanking new computer, going from a 433mhz celeron to a 2.4ghz celeron is alright with me. and for anothe $150 i got a warranty on it for another three years...

at least these smacktards are not making money on the warranties i buy

Normally I don't add to these rants about extended warranties but I felt this time I’d add my two cents. Yes these places make money on there warranties I work at one I know but reality is it’s not how everyone thinks. they make money because they invest it just like your insurance companies do take I notebook service plan roughly 250 times it by 700 plus stores invest half in an account that acquires maybe 5% interest that turns into a lot of money just sitting waiting for something to go wrong with your brand new pc over 3 years you have maybe 3 issues then they exchange it for a new 1500 dollar notebook trow out your old one and still they brake even on the 50% they invested because they added it to an account along with all the other service plans that where sold. NOT because they know that you'll never use it. you rant and rave because your ignorant.

Unfortunately there are some people who think they know it all. When considering buying from places like Best Buy and Circuit City, of course they are trying to make money! That is what keeps them in business as well as the the millions of other businesses world wide. Who ever wrote this article is very confused. For example, when the Best Buy guy asked "what are you going to do with it(meaning the computer)?" the author said he was offended. Later on in the authors "sale pitch and truth" column he states " they have no idea what your needs are." Why do you think the Best Buy guy asked "what are you going to do with it?" He asked this to find out your needs to make sure you are getting a computer that is right for you. As for the manufacturers warranty, although they say parts and labor, it is very limited to what parts it covers. Also, under this warranty you will be shipping the computer to the manufactuer and be without your computer for up to two months.AS for the six month trial of MSN, of course you will be charged after the FREE TRIAL because a free trial is all that it is. Do you think MSN is going to give you free internet for the rest of your life? When it comes down to the companies just trying to make money, consider what you do for a living as well as nearly everyone. Why do YOU get a paycheck? More than likely you work for some kind of profit organization and I'm willing to bet that you and/or your company is always trying to gain more profit. That is just how business is.

I decided to buy my stuff directly off the website than have a half witted sales guy try & act intelligent. To me the best way to avoid these leeches is to buy online.. I once bought a subwoofer from Futureshop in Lasalle Qc, & the sales guy actually took some of the money & put it in his pocket! It seems like all the electronics sales guys are in some sort of scam! Stay away from these places unless you "window shop" & buy on the web after.

Vince

I overheard that Future Shop employees were to lose their comission soon, is that true ?

Hmm, if you are such an informed consumer and know so much about your computer needs, why not build a computer on your own with parts ordered from the internet? If the computer had 128MB of RAM I would have steered you to another computer as well.

Also, it is unfair to peg ALL Best Buy employees as swindlers and whatnot. They DO NOT earn commission either, nor does Circuit City or most other retailers. They don't get bonuses or spiffs or anything for warranties or whatever they sell, in fact. At BB, the only bonus is in the form of small shrinkage, meaning the company projects their losses from theft for the year and if the company is below that amount, the rest of the money they planned on losing is given to employees as a bonus. Often a $500 bonus at the end of the year, to every employee regardless of position. As far as offering anti-virus the comment about how much crap people have gone through as a result of not having virus protection is very valid.

And by far the most uninformed part of this journal is the comment about them putting a bug in your computer to make it not function in a year. If there was such a thing, and you know enough about computers to decline the extended warranty and buy the computer without any input that you would remove it yourself once you got home? Once again, if you knew that much about computers, why would you buy it from a retail store?

Really, the service you get from a store all depends on the employee you are dealing with or maybe a certain location, not the entire chain. To call all of them unintelligent is really quite unfair to those of us who work hard to do our best for the customer. Many customers end up getting 2 new laptops through the extended warranty! And this is top of the line Sonys we are talking about. Giving away a tr3a VAIO (the small white one, costing around $2200) TWICE is not a real money-making move. no one has complained about the technicians either for the in home service. They often say thy are very nice and knowledgable.

Another thing, computers nowadays have quite a few unecessary and even downright dangerous programs pre-installed and paying to have that uninstalled is really worth it for a customer who does not know much about computers. I often do it for free when the computer I am selling is a display and turned on. I go through the add-remove programs list with them and explain what each program I think is useless does and uninstall it for them. WildTangent, for example, is a resource hog and is for GAMES that most people will never play. What about WeatherBug? I believe that it has CyDoor built into it. You are an expert so I am sure that you know what that is. And there is nothing wrong with offering accessories either if we think the customer will end up needing them, it just means less trips out to the store.

And if you think that the sales associates are "pests" (not the author of the article, but BadMouth) WHY ON EARTH GO INTO THE STORE WHERE THEY ARE PAID TO ASSIST AND EDUCATE YOU? Plus, if you walk away, since we don't make any commission, it really doesn't matter to us. No bonuses either. it's actually less work to not complete the sale.

Also it all depends on the management as to whether people are fired for selling the warranties or not. For one thing, if you sell 1 item out of 10 with the warranty you meet your budget. Really not all that steep. i have not seen one person fired for that reason.

And the Clark Howard guy sounds like a real hero, but there's some holes in his facts:
"Don't buy an extended warranty on electronic devices such as a computer or VCR. The value of a new computer will drop to nearly nothing in just a few years, and a VCR can be replaced very inexpensively if it breaks." I would probably agree on the VCR but like one person said, you will often get an upgrade computer if yours breaks. Plus it realy doesn't have to do with "value" because you aren't going to sell your computer after a few years. The point is that you can spend $700 on a computer and guarantee it lasts for 4 years for an additional $150 putting your costs for 4 years at $850. Or, you can buy new computers every year for $700, putting you at $3600. Or even if you have to buy a new one in two years, you are still at $1400.
"A TV or DVD player can be replaced very inexpensively if it breaks." OK, what if you buy a $1000 TV? Then yes, you can get a new one for around $100! The difference is that you now have a 19" standard definition TV. So sure I guess they can be reaplced inexpensively.
"People often lose the contracts, they move, or they forget they purchased the contract in the first place." They may forget, but if they lose the receipt it is on file at any store in the country and if they move they still have the option of going to any nearby store in the country, not just the location it was originally purchased at. Plus, theres a 1-800 number and I'll bet that they can call that number EVEN IF they move.
"You're better off taking the money you would have spent on service contracts and putting it into a repair fund" not really since, as other users have said, repairs will often cost as much as the product itself.

Things like this are really annoying to have to see and people come and read it and get bad information. You can't be absolute about something like this, saying Best Buy sucks! or Circuit City sucks!

I work for Futureshop and here is some real truth to the sale that you described. I do not consider myself a salesperson, and in fact I'm offended by the stereotype, however I do help customers get what they need so that their product works good, and they don't have to run around searching for more accessories to better it. If I did have a customer that walked up and laid down on the cheapest computer that we sold my first thought would be I want to ensure that this is the right product for this customer, and that he will get good use out of it. This is all the salesperson in your story was doing, looking out for your best interest, and it sounds to me like you made him feel like an idiot for doing it. How much more angry would you have been if he'd asked you no follow up questions just pushed you out the door and then you found out that the computer is not what you needed.

Not all salespeople are Nazi's either. I, for one, don't care whether somebody buys extended warranty from me but I will most certainly give them the option, because I have had customers that come back in the store 3 years later and because of that warranty get a full replacement, in that situation they are happy and I am happy. The suprising truth is, yes, Futureshop and BestBuy stores sell Extended Warranty plans to make money, but it should come as no surprise to you that they also make money on the computer your buying, and ever other product that they sell. Business are in business to make monoey.

I will not tell you that you should have bought the extended warranty because to be perfectly honest with you I wouldn't buy it on a computer either. I sounds to me like you had made up your mind before you gave him a chance to explain the warranty.

Listen to the salesperson before you completely reject him and make him feel worthless, because most of the time they will be able to help you out. I don't applaud you for your behaviour, in fact, I think it was rather childish but hopefully one day you'll learn the value of being a good customer, just as every salesperson learns the value of being a good slaesmen.

Hi All,

I just spent $2000 on a notebook computer at Best Buy in Canada and declined all extended warranty. Simply because I had 14 days to try out the product to see whether it fits my expectation or not. I had fell lin love with the product and is deciding to keep it. After reading horror stories about what some other Compaq notebook owner experienced I think I am in need for extra warranty. The only thing is that I am not sure if I should get the extended 3 years service plan from Best Buy or directly from HP/Compaq. What are the pros and cons between the two plans? Any opinions from customers or salesman will be appreciated. Thank you.

Sears electronics people get commisions.. not that that is a bad thing. At least the company allows them to make an ok living.

But the point regarding this discussion is that they do make the most commission off of the store provided warranties and the store does keep track of the percentages for each salesperson. i.e. out of every 10 products sold Jimbo sells 3 warranties, that's 30%, which is a really good number for them.

A friend of mine claims to make a couple hundred extra dollars in one day if he sells a big HDTV and a warranty. Leaves me wondering why I dont do that. :(

there is nothing worse than a rude customer such as yourself scot. i have to say, i would have walked away from you if you said something like it is non of your buisness what i am going to be doing with it. we are just doing our job, and we have it hard enough trying to make all of the %'s that are required, i could do without the smug comments. just yesterday i had a man come into my store bitching about how he spend so much money at this store and he thinks that the computer he bought 6 months ago should be replaced because the manufacturer told him where he could cram his computer after it broke down.
i smiled at him and said that he should have bought a warranty. i think that he will think twice next time before declining the warranty

For the most part I never get the extended warranty, especially on electronics. The one exception was on my palm pilot and I was right to do that as it has had problems from time to time. So while that was worth it I did not know I needed to keep the repair paperwork. I kept the return future shop receipt saying I had sent it in for repair more than 3x. Now they want the repairers documentation. I said if that paper work is so important why didin't anyone tell me to keep it. So while it will be repaired it won't be replaced. Although the future shop guy said he's look into it.

As for sears, I have found their warranties service to be great. Quck fast and no questions asked.

My 2 cents anyways. Palms get the warranty.

Dean

Scott, you are without a doubt the worst kind of person anyone (sales or not) could have to deal with. Annoying, rude, falsely-educated, and cocky. What a dick. First off, youre buying a $399 computer. Perhaps the $150 is a bit much, but theres no need to be a cheap ass and make some minimum wage sales person feel like theyre less than you. Keep in mind that YOU are the one "bargain hunting" and buying cheap computers despite their reliability reviews. Go ahead and disagree with the warranties, many people do. But to talk down to the sales people, and to act as if you know the first damn thing about computers in general is simply laughable. You and Dawn need to get off your high horses and stop being such pricks to people that are just trying to do their job.

ps- a chart?? are you fucking kidding me? put that time into getting a better job so you can afford a Dell or Mac.

I just bought a laptop from PC world and got stuck in the warranty loop, I paid the extra £200 in the end just to shut the sales droid up and get out of the shop.
He gave me all the stuff about repairing it for free, he would not get it into his head that I repair computers for a living and did not need the 'service'.
The computer turned out to be a buggy disaster and on taking it back all the promises of exchanging it were forgoten. Even though I told the manageress I would like to exchange it for a higher spec machine, the one that the original salesman would not let me near, at an extra £500.
The last straw was when the mechanic said in a condescending manner 'Now be carefull if you connect it to the internet' Lord I am running both Apache and MS webservers, a mailserver and a DNS server with a bunch of websites,I was assembling computers from component level while he was still struggling with joined up writing, all I can say is that I am glad that I was not wearing open toed shoes, cause the bull***t was flowing that thick.
If I am ever offered another warranty I will walk right out of the shop.

I as an employee for FS and a customer can honestly say that Product Service Plans, or extended warrantys, whichever you'd like to call them, are very important to get, DEPENDING on what you're purchasing.

It's as simple as thinkign of use. If you're buying a 90 dollar cd drive, do you need PSP (extended warranty). Once again, this is your call. Moving parts, a lens, tray damage, are you goign to be using it everyday, once a day, once a year? That shoudl be your determining factors.

As for tv's, etc, to me, it's a no brainer. To pay for repairs AT ANYTIME for something that costs 1000, or 2000 dollars is going to be at LEAST a few hundred dollars. Roughly the same cost as a PSP. So it would pay for itself in one use.

As for the original poster of this thread. You bought a 400 dollar computer. Bravo, bravo. Complain about Sales Assiosiates doing their job? Oh please. Cry a little more.

Best Buy tries to push Extended warranty too hard. So does Circuit City. I had bought a digital camera from Circuit City about one and a half year back along with extended warranty. The reason I bought extended warraty was that it covered accidental damages! Well, I broke the camera in an accident after 15 days, and Circuit City replaced it. I was glad I had extended warranty.
There days however neither circuit city not best buy covers accidental protection. And they have hiked the price of warranty. I decline to buy warranty from them. About 6 months back I bought laptop from Best Buy, refused their extended warranty and instead bought extended warranty from Toshiba which was cheaper than best buy and covers accidental damages!
I hope I did the right thing!!!
Finally, I have extended warranty on my car which I bought used! I paid $1100 for 2 years with $100 deductable for the warranty and so far have made the extended warranty company pay more than $4000 in repair including replacement of transmission! I am glad that I had this one with me...

I am curious as to the people that have worked at Best Buy the training policy of pushing the warranties? Evertime I purchase anything electronical they try to push you to buy the extended warranty. The also have been pushing the free issues of Entertainment Magazine & Sports Illustrated. Does anyone have any information about the tactics used? I have also read that BB is "cult like" in there employee meetings with chants? Is any of this true =) thanks... Clinton

You know you are right about pretty much everything in your article. The only thing that you really missed is that with a manufactures warranty, you have to pay for shipping to their service center. If you are computer savy at all you are much better off just buying the part that broke and fixing it yourself because it is pretty expensive to ship computer.

Hey Scott, this comic says it all...

http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/images/comics/20031010.jpg

This one works too:

http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/images/comics/20030530.jpg

Just for laughs I decided to take a look at what the internet thought of extended warranties - I stumbled upon this article and I must say it has been quite entertaining.

I have been working at Staples Business Depot as a computer salesmen for quite some time now, and like Future Shop/Best Buy, extended warranties play a big part in our shifts. Interestingly enough, when I was being interviewed for the job I openly stated that I believed extended warranties are a ripoff. I've since changed my mind. I honestly believe that Staples has probably the best warranty coverage you could get, at least on laptops.

Any laptop between the price range of $1000-$2000 (Cdn) can be covered for $179 (Cdn) for three years. All the tech work is done in store (big plus), but the really nice part about the deal is that it covers the battery. So you can call the 24/7 tech support that comes with it as well, say your battery isn't lasting as long as it used to (at ANY time), and you get a new one installed for free at the nearest location to you. In case any of you are unaware of the actual cost of laptop batteries, for most Toshibas you're looking at closer to $250.

Although warranties are pushed at Staples, our management doesn't really force us to sell them, we merely mention them and move on. I would say 98% of laptops we sell in our store leave with ESP'S (extended serice plans).

ok listen up guy...
i have worked for future shop before which is essentially the same training as best buy although FS has a lot more product knowledge training than best buy

so i will tell you a few things

Point 1: when he asked you what you want to use your computer for, that is the smartest question you have been asked ever since you started shopping with your parents when you were a kid.. you would be surprised how many times people come in... dont want to hear anything.. grab the cheapest (sometimes not even the cheapest) thing they see... take it home... it doesnt do what they want how they want it and they bring it right back the next day... the sales guy gets a big fat return, the customer is usually frustrated and disappointed, the store loses money because now they have to sell the product as open box (a lot of the times below cost) just because they customer thought he s smarter than the sales guy (speaking from experience, without trying to offend anyone, that is rarely ever the case (this refers to the products at the store.. i dont mean smart in general)).. a lot of people walk in with a load of plain WRONG information and when they are told otherwise, they thing the sales guy is the stupid one... anyway ... moving on

Point 2: The anti-virus.. it is an undisputable fact that you need it... it is the sales person's responsibility to inform you of it and if i was in your shoes i would be glad he asked me that

Point 3: The warranty.. it is his job to present it to everyone and absolutely anyone on any applicable item... If a customer sees the value, they buy it, if not, they dont... simple as that.. dont badmouth the guy for doing his job

Point 4: Best buy staff (and half of FS staff) are not on commission period.. so there is no reason getting defensive when the guy is probably at LEAST thinking of your needs just as much as his own

i do realize how fun it is to come online and badmouth overworked underpaid sales people... but next time you decide to do it... think a little bit before you do.... thank you

Yeah, Scott have some respect for those who put in their time and effort to help you grab a computer to make 8 bucks an hour. He may be young and unconfident but he is just doing his job.

As for the performance service plans, it all depends on the perspective. My first computer (which was an emachines) broke down after 11 months, and Best Buy replaced it with an even better computer. So based on my experiences, it is worth it to just have a local retailer take care of the situation. I hear that turnaround for service calls under manufacturers warranties are horrendously long.

I always offer the accessories so customers can get the most out of the computer and our company can make a profit. If we do not, then Circuit City or Walmart ultimately will.

One more thing, YOU NEED ANTIVIRUS PROTECTION. Even though it has a 90-day trial, how will you reinstall it if your computer crashes and you find out it doesnt come with a CD? Think about it.

I'm an employee at Best Buy, and though I am not much of a cheerleader for the company, you are incorrect in a lot of the things you're saying with reference to Best Buy and I'm not sure where you got the information.

You're right when you say our warranty doesn't begin until after the manufacturer's ends... kind of. The service plan offered by Best Buy is inclusive of the manufacturer's warranty because we cover some things that a manufacturer does not, such as lightening damage or power surges. It is beneficial that it is done this way. I work at customer service and process service plan exchanges daily. The reason we do this: a customer has a service plan. They come in because they are having problems with their computer. Our techs take a look at it and determine that it is hardware problem, probably due to a manufacturer defect. We will then service or exchange it *under manufacturer's warranty*. The customer has then, technically, not "used" their service plan, meaning they can a) continue to hold the right of returning the service plan at any time at a pro-rated rate or b) not exercising their *ONE* exchange (which voids the service plan) under their Best Buy warranty. It's complicated, I know, but it is with the customer in mind that this is done in this way. So as a correction to your comment, our warranty does NOT begin when the manufacturer's ends.

Another false comment: "Best Buy will only replace the computer with a computer of equal or lesser value. That means if you bought the computer on sale or if PC prices go up, you may have to downgrade or just receive store credit."

The terms and conditions of your service plan state that, upon an authorization for exchange, you will receive a product of *comparable technology not to exceed the original purchase price*. If we do not offer comparable technology, you will receive the next highest. For example, three years ago we sold 2.0 megapixel cameras. We don't anymore. If a person were to come in with their 2.0 MP, three year old camera covered under a service plan, they're going to get at least a 3.2 MP. Period. A customer will never receive less technology than they started with, and we don't issue "store credits" for items covered under service plan. I'm not sure where you got that from.

"Best Buy is trying to make money. You may have originally been lured in by an incredible deal, but they are there to convince that you will need a more powerful computer."

Welcome to business. Retail. In case you haven't noticed, businesses are in business to make money. Best Buy is not a non-profit organization. If you are the type of person who doesn't want to deal with salespeople, buy the computer or whatever other product form Wal-mart. They sell a lot of the same products and we all know they sure as hell won't help you.

"This may be a “free” six-month trial, but if you don’t cancel it, then you’ll be charged a monthly fee (About 22 bucks) after the six months."

I don't know about anyone else, but every free trial I've ever had works this way. Upon registering for the internet service (in this case, MSN), you sign a box saying you know that after the 6 months is up you will be charged unless you have cancelled. There's no sneaky business going on here.

"If you’re not having anything done to your computer, then they do not need to turn it on to make sure it works."

This is a standard functionality check performed by our technicians. Approximately 1 in 25 or so computers that we check at the store have issues and need to be exchanged prior to the customer ever leaving the store. Of course this is an opportunity for our service technicians to offer their services to you as a customer, but you are in no way obligated to purchase them. The setup is entirely free, and keeps you, the customer, from having to come back all pissed off when you get home and your computer doesn't work. I say this because as a customer service rep, I deal with this a LOT. And did these customers have their PC checked out by our techs before they left? Almost always, their response is a huffy "no".

I just don't want your post to mislead people into thinking things that aren't true. One person's experience and opinion should not be a deciding factor for someone else, especially when those opinions aren't backed by reliable information.

I agree. All they do is soak you for every cent. Years ago when VCR)s was the rage we bought one and the sales people hounded us to buy the extended warranty. I said no and after we left they bugged us forever calling us at home and all that. I finaly told them I was bringing this piece of Shit back because it was obvious it would not work. I have also been down the Bestbuy way.I am computer iliterate but my wife is not.They fucked me on a flight game and controller that will not work and the S.O.B. blew smoke up my ASS and told me differant. My fault for not researching, but on the other hand, you fucking assholes are not into customer service, you are into commission BOTTOM LINE. You know who you are. SO FUCK YOU...Sincerily BUBBA...

So true... when buying computers the best thing is:

Even if you lie, say what I tell you

They Say You Say
The extended warranty... I'm a certified tech
Norton AV I use AVG and NAV is a memory hog
Spyware Remover Spybot S&D, Adaware
It will need upgrading after a year Any computer will

Manager will come along, just mention that

I'd really like to respond to some specific peoples comments on here but I doubt that anyone that's already written something on here is reading this (or is likely to care even if they are reading it).

I also doubt that I'm going to bring any new and astounding revelations that haven't been revealed already.

However, and regardless of that trivial little fact, on with the rant...

The facts:

I've purchased two eMachines from Best Buy in the past 3 years.
1. Desktop - I've had for 2 1/2 years. - No extended anything - No Problems.
2. Laptop - I've had it for 14 months. - No extended anything - It's overheating to the point I've considered using it as an electric skillet, but it keeps shutting off after 15 minutes or so of use so I'd only be able to cook things in short spurts.

I do *not* believe in buying extended warranties. I work in Information Technology and manage roughly 100 various "maintenance and support" contracts for a wide variety of software and hardware products. Everything from IBM, Sun, Compaq (now HP), HP, etc. (notice there are no eMachines, Gateways, etc. in that group)

I cringe every time one of our maintenance contracts comes up for renewal because, on the hardware side of things, when you buy a commercial grade system, it better stay up and running. If it doesn't, then someone better be onsite in about 4 hours to fix it. The only way that happens is with a contract. In business it's a given that if you need something up and running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, you pay for it.

The main reason I cringe is that quality of "most" of the hardware is good enough that we might have an average failure rate of about 3% - 5% where a machine requires some part replacement (usually hard drive failures) over a 3 year period. So, we're paying a lot of money for insurance and the companies we buy this insurance from are definitely making a profit. Maintenance is big business and it’s a definite money maker. The IBM’s, HP’s, Dell’s, all know this. Since we’re a large company, we'll never stop paying because of the “fear" factor. The fear factor being, what’s the worst possible thing that can go wrong,. In companies like ours it can also be described as OhmyGodwhathappensiftheserverandmydesktopfails... we'llberuined!!! arrrgghhh!!

Yes, even the brightest business person can have those moments of crisis when they believe the only thing between the company being profitable (and of course getting their hardly earned bonus) or being doomed to a life of extreme and miserable poverty (them, not the company), is the current budget spreadsheet they're working on.

Now, back to the point of my story. I personally don't buy commercial grade computer equipment for home use. I buy (within certain limits that I've mentioned below) the cheapest off the shelf, store advertised, rebateless (I hate rebates but that's another story), POS computer equipment I can find.

I then kneel down and pray to the serious and unsympathetic computer deities, while sacrificing ancient 5 1/4" floppy disks, and pray I'll be in the (I'm guessing here) roughly 80% or so of those whose el cheapo computer and el cheapo computer equipment don't fail in three or four years. Someone stated earlier (I think it was a salesperson) about a customer being a lousy penny pinching customer (like it was a bad thing?). Well, I pinch pennies. No reason I shouldn't since it's my pennies to start out with and, like everything else, sometimes it's fun to gamble with my pennies. I know I’m taking an educated risk that I'll be able to say "no" to the extended warranty (which, on average per visit would probably be more like 5 or 6, no's… per product) and won't have to open my wallet later on if my gamble doesn't pay off.

My fear of having to open up my wallet later on is *much less* than my fear of paying the extended service money to Best Buy (and other companies) and wondering if they aren't laughing hysterically and high-five each other once I've gotten to the parking lot and out of hearing range..

Now, about the "certain limits" I referred to earlier. Unless I read that a particular brand of computer is having some serious issues (radiation leakage, melting through desks, laptops bonding to peoples legs, etc.), and if I look at a demo at a store, and then I wait a couple of weeks and still don't see anything negative, then I consider the risk to be reasonable.

So, I overcome my "fear" based on some basic research and some basic logic based on what I know about hardware failure. Or to put it another way, my fear becomes baseless.

Armed with the knowledge that I “am right”, I go confidently into Best Buy and do what everyone else in here apparently does as a hobby, I ridicule and insult the salespeople.. no.. just kidding. Really, I like salespeople, salespeople are our friends.. just ask them.. they'll tell you.. ummm... are my eyes glazing over?..

(4 cups of coffee later) .. Okay, back to the story...

I want to repeat a couple of things that some people said earlier that are true...
1. Best Buy (and other companies that sell "stuff") is in the business of making money
2. If someone makes a high dollar purchase, they should do some research first.
3. Best Buy (and other companies that sell "stuff") is in the business of making money.. oh yeah.. mentioned that one already...

Now, what I have noticed in *my own personal experience* is that sales people in Best Buy tend to be college age, outgoing, eager, and at times, aggressive in trying to make a sale.

Do they occasionally play on peoples fear of taking a risk. You BETTER BELIEVE IT!. Is that unusual in sales? Umm.. nope. They are doing what all "salespeople" do. They are SELLING. Is it deceptive.. depends on the salesperson. Is Best Buy promoting deceptive acts by their employees.. don't know. Will I buy from Best Buy knowing that they'll try to sell me stuff I don't need, want, or could even possibly fit in the trunk of my car.. maybe.. depends on what I might find elsewhere.

Now, a few of the salespeople that responded in here became highly offended at being lumped in with all of the salespeople who act arrogant, obnoxious, rude, pushy, condescending, deceptive, lying, annoying, and, while I sympathize, the most I can really say is, Tough. It's the profession you chose, so don't whine about getting lumped in with all of those who have taken “salesmanship” and turned it into a mind numbing game of manipulation and annoyances. I don't particularly like getting lumped in with whining, penny pinching, annoying, customers.. but hey, you don't hear me complaining do you?

The point is, salespeople pushing extended warranty in Best Buy is like salespeople pushing insurance, warranty, extended warranty (whatever your pet name is for it) on your washing machine, car, air conditioner, parachute (okay, you may want to seriously consider it on that).

You have a choice. Take the risk of paying "insurance" or you don't. Typically, no one puts a gun to anyone's head to buy it (at least no one admitted to it in this blog.. so I think I'm on safe ground here).

So, like I said at the beginning of this, no new and great revelations. I don't think Best Buy or any of the other stores are out to rob anyone. Are some of the salespeople rude, pushy, arrogant.. well, yeah. They are probably that way in real life to, why do you think they got hired?

The laptop I mentioned earlier, I’m going to tear it into small pieces.. see if I can put it back together.. and if I can’t.. as much as I’m going to hate doing it, I’m going to trash it and buy something else. I’m not going to whine to Best Buy or to eMachines because frankly, I know that once they have my money, they really don’t want to let go of any of it. So, my whining to them would be pointless. Will the next laptop I buy be an eMachines.. nope. I’ll move up a notch on the next one.. and who knows.. I might even let someone convince me to buy the extended service warranty on it….. NOT!

Best Buy, and many other company's have a product that someone can "sell" and some people will see a value in it and others will only buy it because they are afraid and don’t really know any better. Best Buy will, of course, try to "sell" that product to anyone they can.

Now, if anyone doesn't want to be "sold" to, then they need to sit at home with the beverage of their choice, scan the websites for the electronic gadget of their dreams.. and buy it online... and oh, by the way, you may want to click off the checkbox that says do you want to buy the extended warranty... before clicking the Send button.

Bill

p.s. Rebuttals to any part of this commentary/rant will probably be a waste of time since I don’t think I’ve got any strong motivation to come back… but if you wish to, and it makes you feel

I work at Future Shop in Edmonton and have read every single comment on this page. What I am about to say is information, I'm not going to take sides, any questions you can e-mail me because I am manager in training.
What is Product Service Plan

Manufactuer offers 1 yr parts, labor, defects only. If something overheats, that is a defect. If your VCR eats tapes, that isn't.

Future Shop/Best Buy either fix on replace. Replacement comes after fixing on the makority of items.

Of course companies make money on warranty, companies make MONEY on everything, it's not the Imagination Staton or the Salvation Army. You don't want to buy warranty cause "they just make money off it", fine don't, they'll just make the money on the product.

What happens when people don't buy the Service Plan and their stuff breaks down after the year?

"Uh, I bought this product off you guys and it's broken"
"When?"
"2 years ago"
"Did you buy our Service Plan for an extra $30?"
"No, I don't believe in those"
"Ok, here's the phone numbers to service depots where they charge $40/hour and they take as long as they want to fix your product"
"WTF!!!! WHY CAN'T YOU EXCHANGE/FIX/PAY FOR IT!!! WHAT A RIP OFF F'ING TECHNICIANS!!! YOU SHOULD TAKE CARE OF ME!!!!"
"That's why we offer Service Plans"

Customer storms off.

So why does FS/BB and other companies sell ext warranties?

1.Customers want them.
2.Provides the complete solution
3.Provides excellent customer service
4.Has value for the customer, company deserves the money because they are selling a product and saving the customer money plus hassle if they get into trouble.

I'm a salesperson. I advise the customer about the Service Plans because if I don't and something happens, I get blamed for it because 90% of the time something breaks down, the customer thinks it's Future Shop/sales person's fault: "I bought this TV/camcorder off YOU guys...."

Future Shop/Best Buy employees buy service plans on the majority of products because they think customers are "retarded for not buying them". Why do you think that new 2005 DVD player is the cheaper than the 2004 model if the 2005 has similar/more features? Is it because Sony/Toshiba are generous? Those of you who have had $400+ VCR's and compare those to the cheap $80 ones (where pressing the top indents the casing) know why.

The End

If you have an questions or concerns e-mail me because I am quite interested in this topic.

Just to let you all know, I work for one of these electronics stores, and I find it funny everyone thinks we all make minimum wage. Minimum wage is $5.15 an hour, and I am making over $14 an hour. No, I wont get rich doing this, but it isnt bad for a 19 year old. Its funny how uneducated some of you are. And as for "NEVER" needing an extended warranty on a computer...when a 65 year old lady who has never owned a computer decided to by a POS e-machine, I am willing to bet, in most cases, she doesnt know how to fix it. I offer warranties to people based on whether I think they could benefit from it. If someone comes in and looks at a laptop and can't figure out how to get the screensaver off the screen, then yeah, I offer it. If someone comes in with twinkling eyes saying they put the computer together online off of pricewatch, and due to mail in rebates, it is still cheaper here, then I won't try to talk them into it. I always give everyone the option, but I don't push it. I dont lie about it. I dont make a DIME on what I sell INCLUDING warranties. Hourly wage, plus bonuses for stopping shoplifters. If you are buying a $400 dollar computer, you obviously don't know CRAP about them, because its a piece of junk. Yeah, I am gonna tell you how its a piece of junk. And if you still are too much of a cheapskate to realize buying a computer should be an investment, then yeah, I am going to offer you a warranty. And BTW, if a salesperson sells a 400 dollar e-machine, the company might make 10 bucks. Companies try to make money. Thats what they do. Service plane make the company money. They can also save a customer money.

okay lets go over this

1.Customers want them.
2.Provides the complete solution
3.Provides excellent customer service
4.Has value for the customer, company deserves the money because they are selling a product and saving the customer money plus hassle if they get into trouble.

first u should not post FS confidencal stuff online and second poeple here will not buy it if u post something like that.

listen to me bro u r a typical FS brain washed employee. i worked there for 4 years and i tell you w h a t i think of there so called PSP so not only u but other know it as well.

lets say a printer cost 79.99 and the psp is $20 for 4 year contract. now how much is that printer in 4 years. 50$. w h a t can go worng with it in the 4 years?

run out of ink (not covered)
print head (not covered)

if it does print for the first month it will do it till it breaks and by the time it breaks u should buy a new one since tech changed so much.

also 65 years old lady should die not use a computer. and someone not knowing to turn of screen saver should be shot.

remmember this that BB/FS have a target of 10% PSP for each employee and if they don't hit it they are out of the door.

and FS makes at least $100 on a 400 machine since they buy in bulk. not 10$.

also remmeber that by our stupidity we make companies rich and richer. they make as of now 12% of thier warranty and 1% of the product the empolyees.

if u buy a product that u can't afford to buy another one for same price u should not buy it. it is that simple :)

Ok here ya go, I used to work at circuit city, and yes some of the little pointers that person through at you were a little outrageous, but it is his job. As stated above people do get fired if they don't sell enough accessories/warrenty plans and things like that. The associates are only there for your help. Agreeing with the post way up at the top. Be glad your wife is only running word because that emachine is going to pretty much only run word, and that's on a good day.

The warrenty plans aren't an evil thing. You have to look at it in the fact that unless you know how to replace the parts in your computer, the warrenty plan is very worthwhile. Have you ever gone to a repair shop. Hmmm yea 50 dollars for about a half an hours work PLUS the cost of the product. So basically let's say the harddrive shoots out. $80 for a new one plus $50 to get someone to put it in, that's 130 plus tax, pay a little more than that and you are covered for three years on everything other than you throwing the computer out the window.

I will say this right now. On most of the items I bought from CCity, I bought the warrenty on it, Including my computer and laptop, even though i know how to replace parts and it is my job now doing that, It's just the fact that the cost of parts is included in the warrent and that pays for itself. Put in mind my laptop I bought a year ago. Bought the 4 year warrenty for $270 (laptop was 2k, not a bad price for the warrenty) And my power port in the back malfunctioned. This is connected to the motherboard, Now while I could fix this myself. Am I going to, of course not because I could cause more problems to it then fixing and because someone else is going to do it for free because I was smart enough to buy the warrenty.

All I have to say is don't complain about an associate trying to give you good customer service. And when the desktop breaks down on you, the joke shall be on you good sir.

In summary, Future Shop sucks ... they really do SUCK!

Just to let you Best Buy Performance Service Plan owners know, that if you aren't satisfied with your service on your service plan, you can get your money back in form of pro-rated refund. Each year left on the service plan gives you a certain percentage of your original purchase price. You can either resell the product with the PSP, extend it right before it expires, or return it. So why waste your time and complain about people making mistakes. Yeah, there are ALOT of salespeople who don't know wht they are talking about or don't even care maybe, but you can find out the facts yourself by actually reading the terms and conditions. It's not that hard to inform yourself. It's just inconvenient so you b**** about it. The circle of extended warranty tales abound. *sigh*

id like to say thank you to all the customer's out there who DO NOT purchase warranties and service contracts. It's because of you that my appliance and computer repair business are doing so well. See you soon scott and the other 40% of people who are to stubborn and ignorant to purchase such warranties.

Electronics...no warranty? Maybe not for a traditional tube, but for a DLP or LCD projection it is a must. These TV's require the use of a $250 lamp every three to five years, and the Sears service covers that lamp. So you can either spend $250 every time, or just keep renewing the warranty and getting the once a year maintanence and replacement of the lamp.

hope that your computer breaks on you and you do need that extended warranty. Just realize that not all salespeople are out for their own interest , it's statements like this that make me sick.

My wife has been using the computer for 3 and half years with NO PROBLEMS.

Bite me, Donny.

Hate to be a downer...but rather than ranting on about how pissed you are and how all the sales people are nazis and worse, here's an idea....get up off your ass and complain about it to the FS head office, rather than, or even in addition to, whining about it in your blog in an attempt to be witty and clever. btw...comparing the extremist regime of hitler and the nazis trying to committ genocide and take over the world to poor fuckers working for a few lousy bucks that just barely makes it easy to put up w/holier than thou customers (not you necessarily, but there are a hell of a lot of them) We are not brainwashed, we do not believe in it, and we couldn't give two fucks if you buy it or not, i know there are lots of rumors about how much commission we make off of the PSP...but trust me, those 2 or 3 bucks extra on the paycheck might break you, but they dont make much of a difference to me...to close...we hate selling this shit as much as you hate hearing about it...but sometimes you have to whore yourself out to a corporation to make put groceries on the table and pay your way through school (we dont all have rich mommies and daddies) i guarantee you that for most its not a career...
To close...as a Jewish employee of FS i would like to add that I deeply resent the catch phrase that I'm sure you found oh-so-clever and delightful at the time...NAZI MUST BE A GREAT WORD TO THROW AROUND YOU FUCKING INSENSITIVE IDIOT...THE JEWISH POPULATION OF CANADA IS NOT AS SMALL AS YOU MIGHT THINK SO A BIG FUCK YOU FOR YOUR INTOLERANCE AND IGNORANCE NAZI IS NOT A WORD TO THROW AROUND LIKE YOU SO CLEARLY THINK YOU CAN...THERE ARE MANY PAINFUL CONNOTATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT NAME..SO FUCK YOU AGAIN

Imagine this: You are a small business owner. You start a small business selling digital cameras. You choose to sell only the brands you find to be the best. You make an average of $20 on every camera you sell. In the first year you sell about 3 cameras a day. That's a little over 1000 cameras that year. Now, that next year someone brings back a camera. They say they had it out in the summer heat and now the lense won't zoom anymore. It's still under warranty so you call the manufacturer but they tell you that your customer is going to have to pay to ship it to them and pay for a $40 estimate, and that most likely the damage is due to humidity which is not included under the manufacturers warranty terms (ie. manufactueres warranties are limited to "defects in workmanship", humidity has nothing to do with workmanship.)

Figuring how much margin the camera has, you realize that you would have to sell 20 cameras to make up for giving the customer a new one... but in the interest of satisfying an already angry customer you figure, "this is a one time deal, I'll go ahead and eat this one."

This happens 50-100 times over the next year. Some customers products are in the manufactuers warranty, some aren't. Either way they're going to have to pay, going to have to lose their camera for a long time, they're going to be inconvenienced, and it makes you look bad for selling what the customer believes is half rate equipment. In the interest of your business, you have to stop giving away cameras after the 3rd or 4th time this happens.

What do you do about this? 100 unsatisfied, frustrated customers every year? So, in the interest of maintaining customer loyalty you devise a plan!

You think to yourself... "If I can offer the customers my own warranty on MY terms, I can really help keep them satisfied!" You figure, "if I charge $40-50 for my warranty, I can offer the customer the best coverage for not just one year but 3 or 4 years!" You realize that if 3 or 4 out of every 10 customers go with your warranty, and 1-2 out of every 20 need to use it, you'll minimize your losses and maybe even operate at a bit of a profit... not only that, but you'll have the most satisfied customers in your city. You decide that your terms will include everything except for physical damage to the camera, because you realize people would take advantage of this and total the camera near the end of their warranty just to get a new one. But heat, humidity, dust, normal wear and tear... you'll cover that... Heck, you'll even throw in free replacement batteries when their lithium batteries stop holding a charge.

Now you have a system to warn the customers that while you sell the best products, there are a number of things that can happen to them and that you saw about 5-10% of them have problems last year, but for a really nominal fee ($60/4yr=$15/yr), you can guarantee that customer that they will get their camera repaired or get a new one unless they actually physically crack the thing or its been submerged in liquid.

Sounds like good business to me! Some people have lost sight of what these service plans are about. I've worked at one of these stores in the past and have seen that at a minimum, we process 300 digital camera services a year. At the store I worked at, nine times out of ten we just gave the customer a new camera if something went wrong with it because repairs would cost the company more than the value of the camera. We regularly gave customers free replacement batteries, and on camcorders with moving parts we did full cleanings as often as they wanted (recommended once a year). Two of those cleanings would've cost the customer the price of the service plan. The battery alone was 75-100% the cost of the plan. On sony cameras, the batteries cost $60, so did the service plan for most of them.

Those of you who've had issues with this... if I still worked for one of these companies I'd apologize on their behalf. But here's the thing, unfortunately the service techs were not well educated at the store you returned it to... but 9 times out of 10 at the stores I've worked at, if the customer is polite and understanding about it... they get what they want. If they get angry, flustered, and start screaming at people, they rarely get anything. It's in the terms and conditions of your plan that you must "provide a non-threatening environment" in order to recieve service on a product.

You have to realize, Scott and every other spiteful person reading this... maybe only one out of every 50 sales employees are robots. The rest of them are just like you, they have feelings like you, and have to do what their boss says like you. They go home to a wife, a husband, a mom, a dad, a boyfriend/girlfriend every night. They have friends and people who they love and care about just like you. To be so rude and inconsiderate to these people who make *maybe* minimum wage and don't even get recognition or comission for their sales is so inhumane. At th