Back in 2008, Courtney bought an Asus laptop at Best Buy and decided that plunking down $329.99 for Geek Squad Black Tie Protection would be a good investment in case something went wrong with the computer. That extended warranty included one free battery replacement so with the clock ticking until it expired, Courtney decided to take advantage of this benefit to replace the current not-so-great laptop battery.

So Courtney went to Best Buy and filed a warranty claim for a replacement battery. The Geek Squad staffer was very helpful and provided a service order number and a number to call to check on the order status.

That’s where the fairy tale ends.

After receiving the e-mail that the request had been received, Courtney called the 888-BESTBUY number to get a status update:

Upon speaking to the Parts Specialist about my order, I was informed they would be sending me an AC adapter cord and not a battery, which is the only thing I need. The battery is what is not working so I have no need for another AC adapter cord.

As you can imagine, I was a bit taken back when the employee then told me they would not be providing me with a battery. I was not contacted at all to be informed they would be sending a power cord only and no battery. The employee on the phone told me the only way I would be able to get battery would be to find one myself then submit paperwork for a possible refund. Having paid $329.99 dollars for this service plan, I found this to be inconceivable that I would have to pay out of pocket to find the product myself, order it, then submit paperwork with no guarantee I would be repaid.

After this phone call, I decided to go into the store to speak with the Geek Squad employees at Best Buy about this issue. The employee I spoke with said once a request was sent out they have no way of tracking whether or not I will get the battery requested. The best advice they could give was to create another service order where they would try to order a standard battery instead of the extended capacity which is what my laptop originally came with. Once this service order was submitted I was once again given paperwork and told to call Best Buy to confirm I would be getting the battery.

When I called this afternoon I was told they were not sure if I would receive a battery and I was given the run-around giving several contradictory excuses of why they could not confirm I would receive a battery or not.

The bottom line is that the Black Tie Protection policy by Best Buy has failed numerous times and I am receiving no help from your service department. Every employee I have spoken to tells me something different and does not seem to care about my situation, but would rather pass me off to someone who might lend some knowledge or attention in their place. I purchased the Black Tie Protection Plan to protect me from this exact situation but am now being denied my rights under the agreement.

The details of this woeful warranty have been sent in an Executive E-mail Carpet Bomb to the biggies at Best Buy, which has been trying to bolster its image as a place with tech-savvy, knowledgeable employees that care about customer service. Courtney’s experience demonstrates that this is not always the case, and hopefully the company will do something to make things right.

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