Reader F.’s air conditioner was broken, so he called the company that installed it when the house was built. They came out, charged him $100, and told him that he could repair the unit for $3,000 or replace it for $5,000. It’s a good thing he got a second opinion, because the second repair guy fixed the problem for $250.
repair
First Air Conditioner Guy Says Replace It For $5,000, Second Air Conditioner Guy Fixes It For $250
By 8.4.08
Microsoft Left A Sheet Of Stickers Inside My XBOX 360
By 7.21.08
Of all the good places to store a sheet of stickers, “inside someone else’s refurbished XBOX 360” is fairly low on the list. Maybe even at the very bottom. Unfortunately for reader Nick, Microsoft appears to be using his XBOX as sticker storage. Read Nick’s letter inside.
Wal-Mart Planning Its Own "Geek Squad"?
By 6.6.08
MarketWatch says that Wal-Mart is “very interested in expanding into installation and repair services in its fast-growing electronics segment.”
Dell Offers To Repair Your Broken Monitor Over The Internet For $40
By 6.6.08
Reader Robin is wondering what sort of new technology Dell has invented that will let them physically repair a broken monitor over the internet. Must be some serious science.
Target To 80-Year-Old: Yeah, We Sold You The Wrong Watch Battery, But We Won't Take It Back
By 5.26.08
My mother in law, recently went to Target to get a battery installed for her watch. The watch was a common Timex model and the associate told her that she would have to buy the battery first. So she purchased that battery, and the associate attempted to install it in the watch. The battery did not fit the watch, so the associate said “sorry, we don’t have the right battery” and then refused to take the battery back and refund her money. She was told they don’t take back opened battery packages.
Lies: Verizon Tells Your Husband That You Weren't Home When You Said You Were
By 5.19.08
It’s a good thing Lynette has a healthy relationship with her husband, because Verizon is telling lies about techs showing up at her home. In addition, Lynette is getting really sick of answering calls for some other family whose phone number now randomly rings her house.
Warranties: "It's Been 3 Weeks. I Don't Have Hot Water, And Sears Doesn't Care"
By 4.16.08
Reader Christina has a (broken) water heater from Sears. It’s covered under a warranty, but Sears isn’t willing to replace it. She’s been without hot water for 3 weeks and Sears just doesn’t care.
Bungie Sent All This Free Swag To The Gamer Whose XBox 360 Artwork Microsoft Destroyed
By 3.8.08
Remember Nathanial? Microsoft’s repair center senseless erased the valuable signatures and cool artwork he had painstakingly collected on his XBox 360. When Bungie, the maker of Halo, saw what happened, they wanted to help—even though they had nothing to do with the calamity. They decided to ship Nathanial an awesome swag bag stuffed with signature-adorned freebies.
Microsoft Scrubs All The Valuable Signatures And Artwork Off Your XBOX 360 Case
By 2.29.08
We read a lot of stories about companies doing boneheaded things but rarely do we read anything like what reader Nathanial sent in.
When "FireDogs" And "Geeks" Don't Know What's Wrong, You Pay
By 2.25.08
Channel 10 out of Columbus, Ohio recently conducted a sting operation in which they equipped themselves with an easily repaired laptop and took it to Geek Squad, FireDog and Micro Center to see who could figure out what was wrong.
Not Even Geek Squad's CEO Can Get Your Computer Fixed
By 2.11.08
On May 3, 2007 a reader wrote in to explain an issue he was having with Best Buy’s Geek Squad. His computer was randomly shutting off and generally acting crazy. His warranty was with Geek Squad so he took the computer in for repair. Geek Squad wiped his hard drive and returned the computer without fixing the problem.
10 Confessions Of A Circuit City FireDog Technician
By 2.1.08
A FireDog Technician writes in with the following confessions.
GameStop Will Not Accept Defective PS3 Exchange Because Of Serial Number Mistake
By 1.17.08
Reader Ben’s receipt doesn’t match the serial number on his defective PS3, so GameStop and Sony are refusing to repair or exchange it.
Sears Repair Doesn't Show Up, Claims You Weren't Home
By 12.26.07
I’m not actually concerned with receiving an extension on my warranty as I just purchased another 5 year warranty from Sears on my fridge. Which brings me to my point…
Best Buy Employee Unhappy With The Customer Service At The Apple Store
By 11.20.07
Here’s a letter that just goes to show that customer service depends on which employee you get. Reader Cody works at Best Buy (in the Apple department, apparently) and his brother is getting the runaround at the Apple store. Is this the ultimate retail showdown?
If Your Apple Is A Lemon, Try Emailing Steve Jobs
By 11.15.07
Yep, it’s another one of those “email Steve Jobs” posts.
Recalled Simplicity Crib Owners: Your Repair Kits Are Ready
By 10.27.07
If you have one of the Simplicity cribs that was recalled due to a design flaw that made it easy to assemble incorrectly and dangerous to use, your repair kits are ready.
