You’ve heard it from us before, but we can’t remind our readers too many times: extended warranties are usually not such a wise investment. Here’s an excellent case study. Ryan pays $9.99 per month for a Geek Squad Black Tie service contract on his HTC EVO. For that much money, he logically assumed that when his phone malfunctioned, he would not be left phoneless for 30 days or more. He was incorrect. That may actually be worse than getting a replacement or repair under the normal manufacturer’s warranty.

Ryan wrote to Best Buy’s Twitter support team:

I have an HTC EVO which I bought from Best Buy 6/04/10 and it has been malfunctioning lately. The issues I had with the unit was the screen would go into what i call seizure flashing like crazy then the unit would try a reboot and would stay on a white screen and vibrate until the battery was dead. I pay for the black tie service $9.99/month. I took the phone in this morning to the Best Buy here in [redacted] and was told they would have to send it off and it could take 30 days or more to get it back. This is my primary phone and I really can’t go more than a few days without it as i have a business trip next week and then have another trip the next week. I am hoping you guys expedite this.

Here is the info on my receipt: [redacted]

Best Buy wrote back:

Hello Ryan,

I can imagine how disappointed you must have felt to discover that your EVO might take up to 30 days to be repaired. Unfortunately though, we do not have a way to expedite the repair process. All products repaired by our service centers are repaired on a first-come, first-served basis and are subject to part availability. Additionally, we allow our service centers 30 days from the date a phone arrives to complete repairs before alternative solutions can be considered.

I realize that this may not be the answer you were hoping for, so I would encourage you to speak with a Best Buy Mobile associate at your local store regarding our loaner phone program if you have not already done so. While we do not have the ability to provide you an identical loaner phone while your EVO is out for service, I have full confidence that one of our in-store associates will be able to help you out. In the meantime, rest assured that I will monitor your EVO’s repairs and provide you updates as they become available.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Agent [redacted]
Geek Squad® Community Connector

The loaner phone program is a good option, especially if you like free porn. But is a whole month without one’s smartphone what you really expect for $120 per year?

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.