We just got an email from reader Mike, who claims to be a former Best Buy employee who regrets selling all those extended warranties now that he’s actually trying to use the one that he purchased.
While my story hasn’t cost me thousands of dollars, it’s brought me a lot of disappointment with the company I used to work for. For two years and three months, I was employee [redacted] at Store [redacted]. I sold computers, service plans, accessories, Geek Squad services and everything else they wanted me to like a good employee. I often defended the company online from people who had complaints and offered advice on what to do, based on my “inside” knowledge, to get these issues handled. So imagine my disappointment in the Geek Squad upon having to use a Performance Service Plan (PSP) on a Samsung monitor I had purchased.
On the morning of August 20th, I discovered my Samsung 204T was not responding to anything I was doing. After determining it was not the computer, based on a second monitor I have, I decided to make use of the PSP I had purchased for the monitor nearly three years prior when I was still working for Best Buy. I brought it to a different store than the one I worked at, and after having a small chat with the Geek Squad employee about it, he determined it would need to be shipped off to the repair facility. That’s fine, I was expecting that. I asked him point blank “What are the turn around times like these days?”
“7-10 days” was the response. I commented “Oh, back when I used to work here it was closer to 2-3 weeks. Good to see it’s gotten faster.”
I figure that this is great, I’m going on vacation anyways and when I get back, the monitor should either be repaired or ready to be exchanged. Geek Squad even sends a tracking number to track the repair status of the monitor.
But nothing changes. Until August 29th, when it says it’s arrived at the repair facility. Again, as a former employee I know that the service centers are USA based. Nine day shipping on the continental United States? What? I decide not to question it at the time. Status updates later in the day saying Parts Have Been Ordered. I’m a little disappointed that they’re going to fix it instead of giving me a new one, but whatever. On September 4th, the status updates are saying that it’s being repaired currently. No update until September 10th, at which point it is changed to “Exchange Assessment.” “Product is in the process of approval or has been approved for an exchange. Please contact the Geek Squad Precinct within your Best Buy store for additional information.” Great, I can get it exchanged finally!
So I head to the store with the paperwork from the Geek Squad page. Hey, it’s the same guy that told me 7-10 days. But I let that slide at first when I show him the paperwork. He looks into the system and can’t find any information on exchanging the monitor. He calls over a customer service representative, Rebecca, and the two of them look over the information on my repair. I hear some mumblings about the monitor being “junk out”, and knowing what that is, I’m annoyed they’re even looking at that since it has nothing to do with the exchange or repair. They also mention to each other about the parts for the monitor not even being available to order. Which makes me wonder where did 4 days of ordering parts and 6 days of repair go to when the parts didn’t even exist? But I bite my tongue, hoping they’ll just exchange it. At this point, they both inform me that the exchange has not been approved yet. I’m pissed now, and for the most part I keep my cool. The exchange I have with the Geek Squad employee goes like this.
Me: “When I first brought this in, you told me 7 to 10 days.”
Him: “Business days”
Me: “That was like three weeks ago!”
Him: “Well there’s nothing I can do about the service center being backed up.”
Me: “You know, I used to work here. Why would you lie to me about the turn around time? That’s bullshit.”
Him: “All I can tell you is that this is the second to last step and the turn around for this should be pretty fast.”
Me: “Whatever, I’ll be back.”At that point, I leave. That was September 10th. At the time of this e-mail, it’s September 15th and the system still has not updated.
I’m so disappointed in the service I’ve received on this monitor. It makes me feel bad that I sold these services for over two years, only to see this is how they were treating customers. One of the core things we were taught was to “Under promise, over deliver.” Meaning that if a customer asks how long something is going to take, always go with the high end, and if takes less, great! Happy customer that we did something faster than we stated. If it takes the time we quoted, still happy that we did it on time. To see this core idea violated to this degree, it really cheapens what I did for them.
We recommend sending an EECB (Executive Email Carpet Bomb) to your former bosses. Just because you used to work there doesn’t mean that you’re not a customer, too. For more information about launching an EECB, click here. Maybe hearing from one of their own will be a wake-up call.
If not, if you used a credit card to pay for the monitor and warranty, you can always contact your credit card company and see if they’ll help you get what you paid for.
(Photo: dooleymtv )
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1) At Future Shop the salesperson told me specifically that the extended warranty for a Playstation 2 console would include the controller and anything I bought like memory cards (but not games disks). When my controller died after a couple of weeks I went back and they told me just the console was covered not the joystick. So I had to go buy a second controller and I went right back up to the same service person and made them swap my controller using my new receipt from five seconds before.
2) After a few months my five disk changer DVD player from Toshiba died and when I went back (to Futureshop) they didn’t have the same model in stock anymore. I had an extended plan from them. I needed the feature where the drive played VCDs and I like the 5 disk changer so I could watch VCD films which were spread across three disks without getting up to swap. They only had one player that read VCDs but it didn’t have a 5 disc tray only one disk and they didn’t want to give it to me even though it cost 150 dollars less than what I paid for the Toshiba because it had progressive scan, a function I didn’t need and the model lower didn’t and also didn’t read VCDs. I had to loudly argue with the salesman (who didn’t give me any customer service until I grabbed the player I wanted off the shelf and went for the cash) and the returns person to get a player which was a definite downgrade.
3) I bought a SONY miniDV camcorder (from Futureshop) and one day it stopped working, no response from the unit. Here I had again a warranty that the salesman told me would cover everything. The problem was I needed the tape I had inside back to do an edit for a job I had that was worth money to me. They didn’t want to open it (pay a tech to get the tape out) because it wouldn’t open as the device was inert and power was needed to open the tape hatch. They wanted to give me newer model of camcorder without giving me my tape and this was a pain actually because all the stuff I got for the first one didn’t work now. The 2 spare batteries charger and case now were all the wrong size. The store wouldn’t take back any of my accessories and I had to get new batteries etc, at a different store naturally. I finally got my tape back 2 months later after I went in and pretended that my friend was my lawyer and I told them we were going to take legal action.
4)I brought in a printer that I got at Futureshop with a warranty but I knew that the warranty had expired. I said just fix it and call me, there’s no warranty. I wait a few weeks (!) and they call me saying “it’s ready to be picked up”. When I get there, they say that “this isn’t under warranty so we didn’t fix it” and I am like, are you morons? I just wanted a fix but they couldn’t even do that so I had to bring the printer to a place where they would be able to fix it for money without being idiots.
5) I went to buy a laptop at Futureshop (I know I shop there too much) and when the salesman, Chris, started doing the warranty dance I said straight up no thanks, I have had bad experiences with that in the past. Well then he just started acting like a total fool and wouldn’t sell me the laptop. He became a real jerk and refused to talk with me anymore and got all haughty and snooty. I found out when the other guy came out and started unhooking the display model that Chris was going to sell me that one for full price. But he didn’t mention that to me during the time when he was still helping me. So I went next door to Staples where they had the same laptop, but new in box and with no warranty needed. Futureshop in London, Ontario, lost a sale because of Chris’s douchbaggish greed when he would have gotten a sales commission anyway even had I not gotten the warranty. (This creep still works there.)
6) Everyone should know by now that if you buy 10 items and one breaks, that the cost of the replacing the one item outright will be less than the cost of ten warranties. The likelihood of more than one item in ten breaking is slim according to industry standard failure rates of electronics which are kept under 5%. As well, most items that will break because of manufacturing defects (not regular consumer use) are shown to do so in the first several weeks of use and most if not all electronics makers offer a free in-house warranty which covers this period. These sales people just pocket the warranty cash and they will say anything to get you to buy it including that the manufacturer’s warranty will take a long time in the mail and they will not want to help you get a new iPod or whatever. Just tell these guys that your credit card company already gives you extended protection and you won’t buy their store warranty. Be firm.
I’m a computer dealer and the manufacturer’s warranty, purchased through a reseller and not Best Buy, is 3 years. No Best Buy $59 extended warranty, no Geek Squad, no bullshit.
1-800-SAMSUNG and a replacement monitor in 48 hours.
Yes, Best Buy does sell products with shorter than normal manufacturer’s warranties so they can advertise the product cheaper and then up the price with the warranty.
Batteries not included.
GeekSquad sucks I am a tech for another major extended service plan company
and I constantly hear horror stories about people taking their computer into
GeekSquad when they have a simple software issues and they diagnose the
issue as either a bad hard drive or motherboard. Extended service plans
don’t always suck, the ones you buy from OfficeMax and Walmart are great
values. There are unfortunately logistical issues that can cause a
particular issue to take longer to be resolved but these aren’t common and
are just a part of reality.
Steven
I work in car audio at best buy currently.
That being said, i sell speakers subs, amps, and gps.
I myself do not buy warranties on everything, but i will tell you anything in my car has one, and my tv laptop, and other large items.
the way i look at it is this, people tell me all the time warranties are stupid, but the fact is, the reason i suggest them, is because the people who dont get them, have something go wrong and come complain to me about it. There is nothing best buy can do 2 years down the road when your laptop dies (without a warr.)
sales people are not, ever made to sell these. It is a service that best buy provides. if you dont want it then dont make a big deal about it. but dont come back and complain that something went wrong 2 years down the road.
I understand that PSP’s take a while to complete, but would you rather buy a new laptop (or other item) or get it fixed or replaced free of charge? It will save you money in the long run….thats all i have to say
Mike after 6 weeks you can force an exchange through the service center. You can also ask for an escalation. They should send one for you once every 48 hours. I would have called 1800GeekSquad and 1888BestBuy, along with emailing my old bosses.
i don’t know what the hell store you worked in. “junk out” is geek squad terminology for “approved for exchange under service plan due to the fact that repair wouldn’t be economical in terms of time and/or money”
I don’t care what credit card company you have, they don’t cover accidental problems. They only cover what the manufacture covers, which for the most part is not much. Do a search on the internet to see how many people are complaining about how their credit company will not repair their item.
The product has to be shipped out to get repaired. That process alone takes 2-3 days one directions. That’s a total of 6 BUSSINESS DAYS. The company does not have every single part for you product, so they have to order that part. That takes more time. This is common sense stuff.
As for the person who said to go elsewhere other then best buy. You go ahead and buy that computer that they had an abundance of and sold to Costco for ¾ the regular price. You get what you pay for. Yeah its half price but we will see when your motherboard burns out. OH my Costco will cover it I have a membership. HEY GO search Google all the complaints for their customer service.