www.troubleshooter.com

this one should be added to the sites "Sleaze Brigade"

It is too bad the retailers are not as zealous about fulfilling the obligations of the warranties as they are about selling them.

I had a little different experience with Best Buy on their warranty program. My XBox quit reading games, and I had bought the service. Within 1 week, I had the prepaid postage sent to me through the mail, packaged the entire XBox up and gave it to the USPS. 2 Weeks later, I got a check in the mail for a complete refund including tax for the product that I could use to purchase anything inside the store.

While there are many electronics out there that tend to break more than others, if I were to buy a TV today for $350-$500, I probably would not spend the extra $150-200 for the 4 year warranty. With the technology and quality rapidly changing, the warranty is not worth it for a product that is at least back by a 1 year manufacturer warranty.

If I were to buy a laptop through Best Buy, without a doubt, I would by the extra warranty. They break way to easy! Oh yeah, and don't buy them for your cell phone. Most carriers will warranty your phone.

Oh, Boo F'n Hoo! No TV for a month. I hope you didn't miss too many of the complex plot twists of "That 70's Show". You miss one episode, and you are LOST!

Funny article, though.
I miss talking to you.
Not in a gay way or nothin'.

They screwed me also!!! bought an ATI All in Wonder 9600 128MB AGP card, and when I finally was ready to open box and install it, It was stuffed with bubble wrap and a floppy disk drive.

I am pissed!!!! I tried to get it replaced and store staff treated me like crap!!!!!!! To get a little even, I let the entire store know before i left, to check in the box before they leave, to make sure they got what they purchased.

So be careful when you purchase something you could be out $200.00 or whatever. (In my case its $200.00)

I had sold computers for a number of years, and when Best Buy started up a new store near me I applied. I was hired to work the Computer Department. The problem is I am not that pushy of a person which means that I did not push those service plans like they wanted me to. The floor manager kept coming up to me and saying your service plan sales are not what they should be...your not selling enough printer cables, paper and cartridges. Finally after a couple of days I was called in...they said "we are really empressed with your knowledge of computers, BUT we dont feel your heart is in to it" So we are going to transfer you you have a choice of three positions. I asked to think about it ove rnight. The next morning I asked for position 2, and they said No! I asked for position 1. They said No, and then said the only position we feel your qualified for is number 3 which was stocking, and pricing the store before opening.

I even witnessed Best Buy turning down computer sales just because the buyer would not purchase the service plan.

Oh, those printer cables (usb, parellel etc...) are a big rip off in 99% of computer stores. They sell them for $40, but buy them for a couple of bucks. The best deal on those i have seen is at CostCo.
Oh during training the management even had us doing Best Buy jumping jacks. When they saw that I was not doing them they pulled me aside and said I had to do them. My response was "i have a bad knee, so jumping jacks are out of the question. But if you want to take a chance of my being on permanent disability?” They then said “Then stand at the back and wave your arms like your doing them!”

In the end I wont shop at Best Buy ever again!

How about that price match Best Buy offers?

I have been cheated at Best Buy also. My computer's modem went out. They did their checks and said it was working properly....what a pile of crap, why would I bring it in if it was working. But they suggested I pay $80 to have a spyware scan done, because that they believed may be my problem.
My warranty has about 2 months left. I refused, replaced the modem myself. Got a cheap $25 one, and it works. Hmmmm....sounds fishy to me. I think they wouldn't do it because my warranty was at its end. I will never again purchase a computer, let alone anything else from them.

I also bought an extended service contract for a 20" tv/dvd/vcr combo. 2 months later the vcr part of it went out, tracking or something. I took it to our best buy store. They would not exchange it but they had to send it away for 2-3 weeks for what could be a simple repair. Why don't they have a service dept. in-store?

We also bought a service contract for our washer and dryer set. The tranny went out of the washer and the agitator. WHen we went to get service, you never know where it's coming from and they can only give you a 5 or 8 hour window to meet them there. We're probably going to start buying locally from now on.

Just recently I have purchased a $3499.00 HD-TV from Best Buy. The first week, and the first TV would not power down unless unplugged from the wall. Since it was in within the first month, they sent me out a replacement TV, good!! I was happy. The replacement TV worked great, for a while. Two days ago, Christmas weekend, finally time off to sit around and watch movies. Sure enough yesterday, the TV goes on the blips again. OK glad I have the warranty, lets see what happens, tommorrow, even though I just spent 8 bucks on movies I can now not watch, and who knows when I will get a TV that works again.
So I went to the store today, a 15mile drive across town, in the snow on my day off to watch movies, and play playstation. I go to the TV department with all my receipts, the manual, and everything, and they tell me that since I have owned the TV for over a month, I have to call the in home service 888 number. I said OK can you call them for me now. "oh, no we don't call, its a home service number, you will have to call". OK so I left upset.
I got home and called the number. First they go through the information, then they transfer, all the damn number menus, and finally a representative who can tell me when I will get my TV fixed. She says January 26th is the next day available. OK,that is about 28 days away. You call this service. So I asked "just what in the hell am I paying for here, and are you going to pay for my cable, that I am paying for right now because you have sold me two machines that have broken down". Sorry sir, I understand your frustration, but that is the closest open date we have". I mean come on are you serious.
So I got a manager on the phone. She somehow finds a way to get somebody here on the 5th of January, still over a week later than the initial call. The service man is to call me on Wednesday the 5th to tell me when he can be there to fix the TV. Hello, I work on Wednesdays, is there any better day, I work at a hospital and it's busy there on Wednesday? No, Im sorry that is the only day someone will be in that area.
Ok so now I get to miss work because of this supposed to be non issue. If it was thursday or tuesday or friday it would be better, but no only available on Wednesdays. Now why can I have a best buy store in this town who promises service, for a $400 fee, and not have somebody there who can come and troubleshoot the problem? So I will wait til Wednesday, and lose about 25 dollars in cables fees, I will take back my movies I could not see costing about 10 bucks, and I will take time off of work, losing anywhere from 50-150 dollars pay, or Paid Time Off that could be spent in Vegas or somewhere cool, I will carry my phone around at work waiting for them to call me and tell me when it is convenient for them to fix the TV, and my fiance and myself will sit for over a week, and miss all of our favorite programming.
Back to the replacement TV idea> I have had my TV now for about three months. Why won't best buy replace it, just because it wasn't bought less than a month ago. Shouldn't the deadline be more like 6 months or a year, for a 3400 dollar TV. I have bought TV's for 100 dollars that have lasted 10+ years without any problems. But Best Buy only will replace it from the store for the first month you own it, it leaves me wondering "did they know this was probably going to happen???" Why don't they take the crappy TV and deal with the service person themselves, and in turn keep a future customer by replacing the disfuctional machine with one that works. Or are they to busy to do that when the crap doesn't work. 400 dollar service plan, what a joke.

So I am frustrated right now. I will bite my tounge with these people for a bit longer, I will continue to pay my 161 dollar payment to best buy for my broken TV and my worthless service. But I don't know that I will ever make this mistake again.

I purchased a computer from Best Buy and less then 4 months passed when I made the grim discovery that my computer was shutting down after running approximately 10 - 15 minutes. I told the Geek Squad that I believe it's a hardware problem. Possibly the fan. We'll 3 days later I recieve a call that the problem was solved. They accused spyware of being the culprit. I payed the $30 fee for removing the spyware. Then they wanted to sell me SpySweeper for $40. I found it on the internet for $29. A week later, I'm experiencing the same problem. This time I called the manufactuer. They gave me a name of a service provider within 10 minutes of my home. They tested, found that it was the fan and had my computer back the same day. I will never buy an extended warranty from Best Buy again.

A word of advice for the average consumer:

Merchants encourage consumers to buy extended warranties (also called service contracts) when buying autos, appliances or electronic items because these warranties are a source of big profits for stores, which pocket up to 50% of the amount you pay.

Rarely will you have the chance to exercise your rights under an extended warranty. Name-brand electronic equipment and appliances usually don't break down during the first few years (and if they do, they're covered by the original warranty), and often have a life span well beyond the length of the extended warranty.

K IDIOTS do you stupid people not get that what if you didnt buy the warrenty? THEN YOUR SHIT OUT OF LUCK when your damn product breaks, get a life andthink. of course they dont have service in their stores do you have any idea how costly that would be. so you fags think that it would be better to be out a 6000 dollar television then to buy a 300 dollar plan, EVEN if it takes a YEAR! thats better than a 6000 or any amount of money in loss. its not best buys fault if the tv repair people they sub out are late. they have nothing to do with it. best buy uses an outside service contract so they are in no way affiliated in the service that happens. you guys are losers if you really think you are right. stop and think before you hold a grudge in thinking that you can take down a 40 BILLION dollar a year company cause trust me they will win

I apologize in advance, but this may be very LONG =]

ok B ROCK~ you are an IDIOT for calling these people IDIOTS, did anyone one say that they were planning to ruin BEST BUY? i dont think so. I believe they were all sharing their experiences and how much THEY are NOT GONING TO SUPPOERT BEST BUY--because quite frankly THEY DO SUCK.

Everyone, let me tell you my story.

February 22nd '05
I went to best buy to take in my 17 inch flat panel monitor because only after having it for about 7 months it started to flicker, my screen shifted(couldnt adjust it back), my "auto adjust" stopped working ever since one of the buttons fell off, and the surrounding buttons stopped working as well.

This was the second time taking in this monitor with this service plan. First time I had several dead pixels and some guy did not even check out my monitor and just told me to get a new one. My monitor was originally $500 but best buy at the time did not have any similar ones at the time so i had to settle for a monitor that cost $350--they said that if i didnt want to lose my service plan, that i would have to stick with the same brand--samsung.

anyways, so i have this monitor, take it in for the second time this time they said they will need to send it in to the service center--that was totally ok with me. He said that i would get my monitor in no longer than 6 weeks.
*let me make a note that I know the button falling off is a physical damage so i didnt want that fixed even though all the other butoms were just manufactured poorly and were a lil defective*
3 weeks later, i called bestbuy to check the status. they just said "awaiting repair"--no one had any updates. 5th week--still same message cam up on their computer and they tell me that no updates have been made since febuary 24th??? OKAY, right? now i am just starting to get a little worried. its 6th week expecting to get my monitor back. I called, none of the geek squad team knew what was giong on with my item, so they said for me to call back every 2 days because they should have updates and also that they will call the service center personally and call me back the same day--this happend about 4 times and i still hear no reply. half way into 7th week, i am frustrated now, FINALLY FOR THE FIRST TIME since i turned in my monitor, it was a thursday,i get a call from a manager of geeksquad telling me that a lady froma service center was going to call me back that day with what was going on. NO ONE CALLS, i call that manager back, he said he will call her and tell her to call me again-he says wait till tomorrow. NO CALL. so i call best buy corporate. the customer service person calls the service center and i tells me that "there are physical damages done to you monitor so your monitor has not began repair. There is an estimate of $181. when you pay, they will begin repair" I was like WHAT?!?!?!?! What physical damages--the button missing, if so i didnt care about that. the mans tells me its a "Crakced/Broken Front Case of the monitor" Hmm what is that? i asked. "its the front framing of ur monitor. OMG! I am so mad now. i had taken such good care of my monitor there shouldnt be any damages like that. Of course i denied the charges and the man escalated my service item to a high priority item and filed paper work saying the damages were done during the shipping process. Now, he tells me that THAT SAME LADY FROM SERVICE CENTER will call me and talk to me about something. she never called. also the mand told me that for me to call him back 2 days later becauase by then the service center shoudl have the paper work and have a solution to what was going to happened to my monitor.
**i remember the best buy geek squad telling me that if the repair is too expensive, that they would probably terminate the repair and have be get a new one for the amount i have--$500**

I thought, ok maybe i can finally get something worth the same amount i bought my Original-first monitor for--especially since the customer service guy also said the similar thing.

I have been on the phone with them at least 40 min. at a time 3-4 times a week--not because i am a lil annoying pest, but becuase they wanted me to call back a lot. its 8.5 weeks, i still hear nothing from them.
I really need my monitor now--so inconvenient becuase i need to work and do a LOT of school things on my computer. its so hard to goto school/public areas to use computers because i have conflicting schedules.
i am sooooooooo impatient now, that i call and what they finally tell me is that they are going to replace my monitor with another used but repaired monitor...that may sound decent but not good enough for me especially with all the problems they caused for me. i told them, as a sonsumer, i have personal preferences as to what i want to purchase for myself and and all that junk becuase it is true. they should be like...okay we broke ur monitor, we will give you something else thats used and repaired...
i was very upset at the whole thing so i called the superviser of cutomer relations and basically what he told me that once the store receieves the monitor back, that they can decided on whether they want to give me a new one or not if they feel it is not good enough.
So i called best buy yeterday, and the manager didnt even know what was going on. He looked up my records and had no indications of anything. He said he'd call me back and havent heard from him yet and still no sign of my monitor--or the used different one they are supposed to give me.

I basically did alll the communicatin with them, one person called me during this entired time to let me know that someone was going to call me, and i have been told 10 different things, and the corporate is saying that they have no control--its all up to bestbuy store now, but they dont even know what is going on.

after this, i am NEVER going back.

i feel you all.

I will first like to mention that Best Buy does not make the product, they only sell it. The defect problems you may experience are the manufactors fault. Best buy has a return policy in which they obide by, so if you didn't get the service plan and are out of the policy it is between you and the manufactor ( many times the issues you have the manufactor does not cover). In many of the issues that I heard everyone felt inconvienenced with the amount of time wasted before receiving new or serviced product. First, you did have your problem remedied which would not have been the case if you didn't have the service plan. Second, there can not be a service department in the store that can possibly fix every electronic, so they must contract a third party company to fix different products. If Best buy is told of an issue with the company, just like an employee, best buy will give them a warning then terminate them and find a new one. Just like if you get a contracter to fix issues in your house, if you have issues with one you get a new one. There is no way to predetermine that these issues will accure. Many times customers will come into a store already upset of the fact that there system messed up. They will take it out on the assisting associate. Even if they are understanding to the customers situation an assiciate is not expected to endure the verbal abuse many seem to give them. If you are yelling or using profanity you must expect people to get upset, so expect the same professionalism that you give. I know this comment probably hasn't help matters any but people will always focus on the bad and never express any siver lining. There are also people who come in and expect more than one can give. If you have a tv and your child spilled juice in it don't expect it to be returned, if you threw it and broke it then it's your own fault.

Turn on the Fun...Best Buy!

Best Buy's Geek squad personnel employ deceptive tactics in order to coerce customers into paying for repairs that are actually covered under the Best Buy, prepaid, service plans

THE SERVICE PLAN
I purchased Best Buy's service plan for my notebook computer several years ago
Recently took it in for repairs
...battery failing
...plastic busted off USB port
...and other minor stuff

After several weeks.
Repair people called and said there was "liquid in the computer"
and that it would cost $700+ to repair it.

Arriving at the Best Buy store
Brandon Wolf informed me that the service plan was void
This was confirmed by his manager Charles Noling
They said the liquid had voided the service plan

We powered up the computer and everything seemed operational as before

THE MYSTERY LIQUID (note: there is no liquid in the computer)
We turned computer upside down
...no liquid???
We removed the battery pack
...peeked inside ......no liquid???
I requested a screwdriver to open case
...was informed by Mr. Wolf that this would void (the already voided) service plan
......hmmmmmmmm
Requested that they open the case
...Mr. Wolf said they were not authorized to open the case
......hmmmmmmmm
and recommended that computer be sent to the repair people and
they would open the case and photograph the mysterious liquid

CONTRADICTION
The service plan covers
"product failure due to dust, heat, humidity and normal wear and tear"
Later in the service plan it contradicts itself saying
"This plan does not cover repairs caused by ....condensation ..or.. spilled liquids....etc.."
I would think that condensation could be caused by humidity which is covered under the plan?????
and of course spilled liquids would be covered under the concept of normal wear and tear (especially a notebook computer)

I then proposed that they repair parts not affected by the mysterious liquid
........like the piece of plastic missing from the USB port
........or the ageing battery
They said that these defects could be caused by the mysterious liquid
....ha ha ha

GOING HOME
.... Started to leave with computer.
Mr. Wolf informed me that I would required to sign something to get out the door
...The something I was required to sign, said that "I was happy with the repairs"
.......ha ha ha
.......I declined
.......Finally scratched out that clause, and signed it
...........Note: there was no mention of liquid or $700+ on the form
Arrived at the stores exit and was informed by security that
...they needed keep the piece of paper that I signed -- LOL
......finally we compromised and they made a copy

At home, I called Best Buy's Corporate Headquarters - talked to Karen (no name). She confirmed the position taken by the store personnel i.e... that they would not repair parts related or unrelated to the non-existent liquid, she generously offered to transfer the call the her manager
...click click and was put in to the infinite phone queue
......LOL