Best Buy & Geek Squad Policies

[A1MHIGH]

I am a Silver Reward Zone Member – I spent thousand of dollars at Best Buy ever quarter. Is that relationship about to end? I have a Sony Vaio Notebook that I use for work. I carry it back and forth to the office on a daily basis. On my way to the office one day I set it in the car and when loading the car, the notebook slipped off the seat and landed on the ground. The fall was about 3 feet and was less of a distance than had I been walking with the notebook and dropped it. When the notebook hit the ground the impact was minimal, yet damage to the unit occurred. The screen cracked, the side covers on the different ports fell off and the keyboard became lose. I looked up my receipt for my Best Buy Black Tie Accidental Protection Plan and went to the Best Buy Store in Novi, Michigan #417. I went into the store and the Geek Squad Agent began to check my notebook in. When nearly completing the process, the Geek Squad Agent noticed I did not have some of the parts that had fallen off the notebook. The Geek Squad Agent advised me she would close out the service order and asked me to return to the store with the parts so the notebook could be repaired. I understood and left Best Buy Store #417. I then returned to the other Best Buy Store in Novi, Michigan #1544, which happen to be a bit closer at the time, with my parts and receipt in hand to begin the service order process again. Upon my check in by the Geek Squad Agent she had issues starting a case because Best Buy Store #417 failed to properly close the last open case. After about 5 minutes, that close was closed a new case was finally opened. When checking in the notebook the Geek Squad Agent heard my description of the situation. The Geek Squad Agent said that the notebooks are not made strongly at all and that is why it is good I bought the Best Buy Black Tie Accidental Protection Plan because it looked as if the notebook fell off a balcony or something (Which I did not think it looked that bad – And I live in a ranch so that certainly had not been the case). At the conclusion of the process I was asked to sign an authorization to repair release and a no data back-up request form. A few weeks later I received a call saying the notebook was ready for pick-up. When I returned the voicemail message left for me, I was told actually that the geek Squad City Repair Service Center had denied the claim as the notebook was dropped from a balcony and that was not covered under the Best Buy Black Tie Accidental Protection Plan. This of course was shocking to me and after inquiring for more then an hour on how they even thought that was the situation, I was informed that is what the initial check-in report was noted with by the Geek Squad Agent at the time of opening the service request. I had to demand to speak with the actual store manager and ended up speaking to an assistant manager who lied and told me she was the true store manager. Jennifer was really just filling in for Bill, the real store manager while bill was out of town. Jennifer the assistant store manager claimed she was going to complete a reversal request and correct the mis-information originally provided to with Geek Squad City by the stores Geek Squad Agent. After several days she called me back and let me know that Geek Squad City was not going to change their position and I had no additional avenues or actions that I could take to try to get Best Buy to honor the $300.00 Best Buy Black Tie Accidental Protection Plan I bought with the notebook. I then asked Jennifer the assistant store manager for the regional manager's name and number. Jennifer would not provide any name or contact information for any type of regional store manager or regional office. As I was conversing with Jennifer I was online and found Best Buy Store #1544 store information on www.bestbuy.com and discovered Jennifer was not the store manager. I confronted her about her lie and she admitted to me she mis-represtened herself. I then found the regional managers name and number on the site. Jennifer the assistant manager was not happy that I told her I was going to call Rob the regional manager. When I called Rob the regional manager and I reviewed my situation with him, he said that he would call me back the same day. That call never came. I then called Rob the regional manager the following day and he said he spoke will Bill the store manager and that I was "going to be taken care of". After 4 days of hearing nothing, I called Rob the regional manager back and he assured me that Bill the store manager would be calling that same day. Bill called and told me he was going to offer to refund my Best Buy Black Tie Accidental Protection Plan purchase of $300.00 but not replace, repair or junk-out my notebook as the Best Buy Black Tie Accidental Protection Plan should have done. I told Bill the store manager I was going to call Rob the regional manager back and continue my fight for justice. Rob the regional manager then start ignoring my calls and not returning my voicemails – he apparently recognizes my phone numbers – Because…. I called 800-Best-Buy and filed a complaint and they immediately were able to get Rob the regional manager to answer the same phone number I had been trying to call him on all day and 800-Best-Buy was told that the final outcome as far as Rob the regional manager and Best Buy Store #1544 was concerned is that I would just get a refund of $300 for my Best Buy Black Tie Accidental Protection Plan and nothing else. Rob the regional manager also lied to 800-Best-Buy and said I tried to originally take the notebook to Best Buy Store #417 and that they told me they could not send the unit out because it needed to many repairs… Which has I stated above was not the case… I simply forgot the parts of the notebook that fell off and need them to send the notebook out for service. I advised all involved that the original reason I had been told I was denied for a junk-out of my notebook is because the Geek Squad Agent made a false reported the notebook fell off a balcony. Now the regional manager and store manager claim that makes no difference and that the notebook would not have been covered regardless – Odd isn't it? So does best Buy sell you the Best Buy Black Tie Accidental Protection Plan in hopes that you will never use it – And if or when you do – Instead of fulfilling the plans protect, they force you to take a refund for the plan and leave you with nothing? All I am asking for is that Best Buy honors the Best Buy Black Tie Accidental Protection Plan I bought. I am a continued consumer of Best Buy because I valued the Best Buy Black Tie Accidental Protection Plan. I have never had these issues in the past with service issues. I hope this is an isolated situation due to the original Geek Squad Agents error. However… This customer service treatment is un-excusable and need to me remedied immediately. The issue is now no one will tell me who to call or what is the next step I can take… Who is the regional manager's superior? What good is a powerless customer service team at 800-Best-Buy - Now what?!?!?

[ndg2006]

Well, here's the problem you have run into.  If the Geek Squad Agent that checked you in put a comment that it was dropped from a balcony then you are pretty much at a dead end because you signed a legal document saying that you agreed with those notes.  Granted, it's generous that the management is willing to reimburse you for the plan, but I can see from their point of view that you signed a document that said it was dropped from a balcony, but at the same time, I have no idea what notes were made so it would be safe to have a Community Connector look it over.  Average response is 3-5 business days.

[A1MHIGH]

I did not sign anything stating about a balcony... it was in the notes... 

[A1MHIGH]

Also, what someone else writes, in not necessarily  something I agree with or agree too. 

[ndg2006]

The first line of the service order has you authorize Best Buy/Geek Squad to: Perform the services requested on my product/products and I grant access to my product data and information for such purposes.

The area where service is requested is where notes are made and what needs to be done.  When I fill out a notes section, I put if a client needs a data backup or what happened with the unit and what needs to be done.  If you signed agreeing that the item needed repair because of a drop off a balcony then you are stuck.  I'm not saying you agree with what was put, but legally, your signature means a lot.

[A1MHIGH]

Well, I did not see any notes.. and even if they are there... I was not told that is what I was signing... I was told it was a form to authorize repair - Nothing else.

[ndg2006]

And #12 on the form is that: I verify that I have READ and agreed to the terms of this Service Order Disclaimer....

If you sign it, you agreed that you read it.  Again, I don't personally know what happened and I wasn't there so I can't honestly say what the notes say, but it will be best to wait for a community connector to come along as management is well within their rights to refuse to repair something that you agreed to was dropped from a balcony.

[A1MHIGH]

Again... I agreed to service.. Not to notes made by a best Buy Employee in a computer system owned and operated buy in which I have no access to or control over.

[ndg2006]

Any notes made can be used for service purposes.  If you signed saying to repair your laptop because of a drop from a balcony, you are agreeing to that statement.  I understand you don't think you did, but that's what that service order form is.  Legally, that's what you said.  If a cop arrests you at a crime scene, and you told him you killed someone and he has it recorded, legally you said it; regardless of whether or not it is true (poor example I know).  At that point, you can't go back and say that you were just joking, or that you didn't know it was a legal statement.  When I work, I prefer to side with my clients as they keep me employed, but signing something saying that you need service on an item dropped from a balcony is cause enough for denial of repair.

[A1MHIGH]

As an employee of Best Buy... I can see that they brian you all alike... The bottom-line is that I bought a protection plan and it needs to be honored. Regardless of the errors along the way... I am being treated horribly and best Buy needs to stand behind the protect plans they offer on they need to stop selling them... Have you ever googled best Buy Protection Plan - The search results are frightening.