Consumerist
disasters
Posts Tagged “
Electronics
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disasters
24 minute guarantee
RESOLVED: Circuit City 24 Minute Guarantee Means Whatever Rob, The Supervisor, Says It Means
Dustin wrote back to let us know that Circuit City corporate had contacted him about his difficulty with their "24 minute guarantee." It seems that the general manger of the store had misunderstood the guarantee completely. Apologies were given and gift cards were received. More »
Here's 4 good reasons to buy a high-def TV now instead of later. [SmartMoney]
insiders
Best Buy Trained MePossibly Trained Other Employees I Heard About To Commit Credit Card Fraud, And 4 More Bad Things
A commenter to our Worst Company in America nominations picked Best Buy, his employer of six years, to win it all. His reasons, including the credit card fraud, phony bundling scams, and other schemes 
Blu-ray players just aren't selling that well, says Business Week. Maybe that's because Sony has said that prices for players "likely won't fall below $200 until the end of next year—at the earliest." [Business Week]
Nigerian scammers
It's Now Completely Impossible To Sell A Laptop On Ebay
The cool thing about eBay's support system is it will always answer your question; unfortunately, that answer will always be a form letter on how to reset your password, as Timothy discovered when he tried to figure out how to sell his laptop to someone who wasn't a Nigerian scammer. Timothy has learned the awful truth behind today's eBay—something many readers here already know—which is that it's become virtually impossible to sell any sort of medium-to-high end electronics there anymore. More »
returns and exchanges
"Free Engraving" For Electronics Really Means "Ha, Ha, You Can't Return This Unless It's Defective"
Certain electronics retailers such as Apple and Sony offer engraving for laptops, cameras and MP3 players. It may seem like a nice service, but it really saves them lots of money. Why? Engraved products can't be returned just because you couldn't figure out how to use the product or because you realized that you spent too much on it and now have to eat peanut butter and corn tortilla sandwiches for a month to avoid defaulting on your student loan. More »
complaints
Anthony paid Circuit City $1,271 for a new 40" Samsung LN40A550, but what he received was a "scratched up, dinged to hell, beaten and abused FLOOR MODEL OPEN BOX" LN40A330. As a Circuit City employee, Anthony thought exchanging the TV or receiving a refund would be a cinch. Boy, was he wrong.
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Circuit City Sells Employee Busted Floor Model TV, Refuses To Accept Return
Anthony paid Circuit City $1,271 for a new 40" Samsung LN40A550, but what he received was a "scratched up, dinged to hell, beaten and abused FLOOR MODEL OPEN BOX" LN40A330. As a Circuit City employee, Anthony thought exchanging the TV or receiving a refund would be a cinch. Boy, was he wrong.
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damage
Best Buy: Only $1700 For This Awesome Broken Computer
Reader Scott says:I was wandering around Best Buy yesterday here in Missouri when we came across this. Essentially, the back of this "open box" tagged computer was completely broken off. I realize that this may indeed be the nature of "open box" product, but seriously... 1700 dollars for a computer with this kind of blatant damage?More »
insiders
7 Confessions Of A Sears Electronics Salesperson
A Sears electronics salesperson has generously offered to share some insider knowledge of how the game is played at Sears. Inside you'll learn why you shouldn't buy the extended warranty, why the salesperson keeps steering you towards one certain brand, and the pricing codes that tell you whether or not you're buying a discontinued product. Enjoy!More »
above and beyond
Best Buy Provides Excellent Customer Service!
You don't become the number one retailer of electronics to American consumers without getting a few things right awesome, as Daniel shows us in this letter of compliment he sent The Conglomerist about a recent experience at Best Buy:
I stopped in the other night because my old HD DVD player died so I went in hoping to get a deal. On the shelf I found 2 open box Toshiba HD-A30 HD DVD players. Looking around I found the department head Derrik and we went back over to the DVD player aisle.More »He tells me that since they're open box he'll sell one for $99 which, IMO, isn't bad it was $30 off their normal price and $20 off Amazon's price...
tips
10 Things To Remember When Shopping At Best Buy
An employee of Best Buy apparently thinks too many days have gone without us posting something about the store, so he sent in his list of 10 things he thinks every customer should know when shopping there. Items 10 through 7 are all about warranties and service plans, so the usual caveats apply (make sure you know what's really covered, and that it's worth the extra cost to you). #4, however, is good to know: "Its pretty much pointless to call Corporate/Customer Service Hotline—they can not override a store's decision. Best bet is to call or email a District Manager or higher." More »
trial periods
When Buying A New Cell Phone, Ask About The "Buyer's Remorse" Period
Jason bought a couple of new Sidekick phones, but quickly discovered that he and his wife couldn't live with the abysmal battery life. He called T-Mobile and found out that he had a 14-day window during which he could return the phones for a full refund. Before he sent them back in, however, T-Mobile offered to send him two more batteries via expedited shipping to see if the experience would improve. Jason agreed and tested the new batteries, but still wanted to return the phone. But now he had a problem: he was one day outside his "Buyer's Remorse" period and T-Mobile wouldn't let him. More »
misleading
Is It Legal To Use Out Of Date List Prices For Comparison On Sales?
Last week we pointed out how Apple artificially inflates the discount of its refurbished units by using the original introductory list price as a comparison, even if the price has since dropped and the true list price is now lower. Now a reader writes in to say he caught Toys R Us doing the same thing on sale prices of Playstation 3 bundles and 30 gig Zunes. Our question: is this legal? New York City's consumer protection law seems to imply that—at least for retailers doing business in NYC—it's not, unless you clearly indicate the trail of price reductions, something neither company is doing. More »
liquidation
CompUSA Sells "Defective" DVD Player That "Does Not Work" "As Is" For $179.98
CompUSA is selling a broken Sony DVD player for $179.98—that's 40% off the sticker price! The Wife over at Bastion of Mediocrity noticed that the sticker also reads: "Defective," "Does Not Work," "As Is." More »
misleading
You Can't Discount The Past, Apple
A reader noticed that Apple is selling refurbished 8gb iPhones for $349, and they're listing the original price as $599. "Save 42% off the original price," says the Apple Store. Gosh, that's a huge savings! Wait... well sure, the original original price was $599, but we all know that Apple knocked that down fairly quickly, and now a brand new 8 gb model sells for $399—which means actually you're only saving 12.5% off the Real World Price Right Now of a brand new iPhone, if you went and bought it today. More »
warranties
Wiliam writes in to point out something he noticed in the fine print of Best Buy's Product Service Plan: it begins as soon as you purchase the item, and doesn't cover anything covered by the manufacturer's warranty. If you have a one-year manufacturer's warranty and a two-year PSP, you effectively get only one year of coverage out of the PSP.
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Best Buy Overlaps Their Product Service Plans With Manufacturer's Warranty
Wiliam writes in to point out something he noticed in the fine print of Best Buy's Product Service Plan: it begins as soon as you purchase the item, and doesn't cover anything covered by the manufacturer's warranty. If you have a one-year manufacturer's warranty and a two-year PSP, you effectively get only one year of coverage out of the PSP.More »
public relations
The Monster Cables Public Relations department sent in a two-page response to our post, "Monster Cables, Monster Ripoff. Without a shadow of a doubt, this is one issue that they are definitely taking seriously. Read their official company rebuttal statement, inside...
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Monster Responds To "Monster Cables, Monster Ripoff"
The Monster Cables Public Relations department sent in a two-page response to our post, "Monster Cables, Monster Ripoff. Without a shadow of a doubt, this is one issue that they are definitely taking seriously. Read their official company rebuttal statement, inside...
More »
