Best Buy & Geek Squad Policies

[notbbfan]

UPDATE!!!!

For anyone who is interested, Best Buy did return my laptop on October 29th. They did repair the mother board but did decide that the keyboard did not warrent replacing ! They sent me mycomputer with a new mother board and my original keyboard. Low and behold! it works just fine! I guess it didn't have the water damage the said it did? !!! Squeaky wheel gets the oil is the only moto if you have anything you purchased from BEST Buy! Don't let them get away with ripping you off!

Original Email

Well, as you can all clearly see from the many messages posted , Best Buy is not in the customer service business ! 

Best Buy is happy to take your money then good luck with that investment purchase of a computer or laptop or ipod or Plasma TV you spent your hard earned money on. It doesn't even help to buy their useless service agreements, you don't get service or respect with those either! It astounds me the level of customer disregard and sheer gall of Best Buy to treat paying customers this way. Consumers are going to have to be smarter with their money since America is heading for a long recession. Do yourself a favor and don't shop at Best Buy! its about time they get hit where it hurts, in the check book!

Here is an account of my most recent dealings with Best Buy.

I recently took my laptop computer into Best Buy to find out why my then 1/1/2 year old computer just stopped working one day in the middle of a program function. The guy at the counter took it and did a test and said it was probably the mother board but with the warranty I purchased on it, it would be covered. Well I was unpleasantly surprized after 10 days when the Best Buy repair center called and left a message to tell me that the estimate on my computer was $157.00. I contacted the store(which was not an easy thing to do since they don't answer their phones). Tommie from the Geek squad finally answered the phone and told me that my computer needed a new key board and mother board due to water damage and the repair center was graciously  allowing the mother board to be covered but not the keyboard (hence $157 was due and then they would repair it and send it back to me). Well, that would be fine .... If I had ever gotten ANYwater on my computer at all !!!!!!! I informed the store and the service center that they must be mistaken but they insisted that there was water damage and that I caused it so I had to pay it or take my computer somewhere else for repairs. I didn't pay for a 2 year agreement for them to tell me to take it somewhere else and pay for repairs when they are supposed to be covered under my agreement. I find Best Buy to be totally ridiculous! 

In this economy, Best Buy better start watching how they treat customers or they are going to be finding themselves filing for bankrupcy. Consumers need to get the respect and service they deserve!  Do what I did and contact the Better Business Bureau! They can help!

Message Edited by notbbfan on 11-06-2008 11:13 AM

[Brandala182007]

I truley agree with your statement all the way, I am also having troubles with my laptop thru best buy and i know the feeling of being angery with them! I am to the point where after my computer gets fixed (If ever), The ni have no reason to step foot into best buy! I recently posted a message labeled "incredably infuriated" if you'd like to read it and give some kind of suggestion on the situation! I didnt even think of calling the BBB and I think im going to do that! I think that Best Buy should fix your lap top reguardless because you took it in for the mother board thats covered on the thing and there telling you about the key board, and the keyboard obviously is working fine cause it wasnt the reason you brought it in! They need to fix what you brought it in for because it is covered in the insurence and weather the key board is or not, it still isnt what you brought it there for! Good Luck with your laptop!

PS~ thanks for the BBB idea!

[notbbfan]

I'm sorry to hear that you got such a run around too. I can't tell you how many people I have talked to in the general public that have stories like yours about Best Buy. If I only knew prior to buying there.

All we can do is spread the word in forums such as this and to our friends co-workers and families that Best Buy is a rip off!

You really need to contact the BBB. I have used them in the past for situations regarding customer service and improper sales tactics. Even if there isn't anything they can do, a report on the company gets filed in their data base spreading the word further to consumers who check the site before buying that Best Buy is not a worthy retailer. In the end it will hurt their corporate CEOs when profits start dropping. Then they can start scrambling to make it different.

[notbbfan]

The story goes on!!!

Got a call from Best Buy store today.I expected to hear that my laptop was back from repair and that I had to come into pay the bill on the keyboard (which is not damaged nor has never been damamged). Unfortunatly that is not what I heard. What I heard is "your laptop is here and you can pick it up, no repairs where done on it" Of course the poor girl on the other end of the phone got an earfull of various rants and raves. I asked why no repairs were done. She responded that I had not contacted the store to let them know I wanted the keyboard repaired!!! I explained to her how I spoke with repair center employees and store employees telling them to repair it even though I did not agree that the keyboard was ever damaged!  Searching futher she found the request to repair the computer and the additional notes regarding the keyboard not being damaged.She chalked it up to the "Geek Squad's inability to get things right "and noted that she was leaving BB to move onto a store where she would not have to babysit people anymore!!!! What does it say for the Geek Squad when one of their own makes note of the incompatence in the face of a customer!! 

Anyway, what does this mean for me. Since the mother board is damaged the computer is useless unless I can have that repaired. Mother boards are expensive to replace so bringing it elsewhere where I am not covered under warranty is too costly for me so not an option. Geek Squad's incompetant staff will now send the computer BACK to the repair shop to have it FIXED this time(maybe) Of course, I expect that they will find something else wrong with it that they will want to charge me for as well! 

If you buy anything from Best Buy after reading this forum , you must enjoy abuse!  

[Aaron-BBY Community Connector]

Hey notbbfan,

 

Whenever our repair technicians indicate that they have found “liquid damage,” this often means that they have detected corrosion or some kind of residue left by a potential spill.  With such accidental damage, Best Buy® generally provides a repair estimate for all defective components – not just the parts that were affected – as we cannot bill the repairs to the manufacturer or under service plans without Accidental Damage from Handling (ADH) coverage.  If the service facility has provided you with a repair estimate for the keyboard only, but will replace the motherboard under your service plan coverage, then you are being provided a one-time exception to our standard repair policies.

 

Additionally, please keep in mind that if our repair technicians determine that there is a second hardware failure that was not detected by your local store, Best Buy® has an obligation under both our service plans and any existing manufacturer’s warranty coverage to address both issues.  If this was not fully explained when you first brought your computer in for repairs, I do certainly apologize for any miscommunication that may have occurred.

Thanks,

 

Agent Aaron

Geek Squad® Community Connector

Go Ahead.  Use Us.

[bobbyd40]

This one is for you agent 007 Aron explain to me this one.If best buy only sells new computers how does a green best buy sticker get on a power suppy inside the cabinet in a inacessable spot with out removing the power suppy when the machine has never been to BB for any kind of service or repairs since purchased ???????????Think hard on this one anxious to hear you explanation on it.

[MtnXfreeride]

Im sorry, but I cant side with you here, water damage is very obvious in a laptop.   I would go so far as to assume its probably the cause of the motherboard damage too.  And I think its a great thing that they are covering the cost of that, a mobo can really really cost a lot in time and labor to repair.

the chances of your keyboard AND motherboard being breaking at the exact same time without some sort of jolt, drop, liquid damage is slim.

[u_hsen]

this is for MtnXfreeride.

how is liquid damage slim? laptops are use to carrying around, especially outside.

so you're saying for a student in college walking around on campus, or a businessman/woman walking to the nearest coffee shop, you're absolutely sure it won't rain and get your laptop wet?

[ybdolph]

Just an fyi, because I'm so happy with Dell.

Dell's coverage is just ridiculously better than BestBuy's and FrysElectronics. 

If you buy Dell's full accidental damge coverage...even if you hammer the laptop yourself on purpose, they'll repair/replace it for you completely free of charge.

[JKennedy]

---

u_hsen wrote:

this is for MtnXfreeride.

how is liquid damage slim? laptops are use to carrying around, especially outside.

so you're saying for a student in college walking around on campus, or a businessman/woman walking to the nearest coffee shop, you're absolutely sure it won't rain and get your laptop wet?

---

No one does or has made a water proof laptop.  But any amount that would penetrate the case, is not a sprinkle or 2 that got on it before you could cover/protect it.  I also find it odd that you seem to be defending water exposure, but originally claim no water ever came in contact with it. 

It's standard in the electronics repair business to NOT warranty water damage; and water damage is very obvious.  In this case, you can't fault them, and actually getting part of it covered is pretty dang good.  I'd pay the $157 and be happy.

Many times, before powering electronics that have gotten wet on again, if they sit in a freezer where the water can be frozen, and likely evaporate, you'll save it.

Paying for extra protection as was suggested (the Dell comment) or taking care to protect the laptop is important if you plan to have it exposed to elements to the level it's not designed to be exposed to.  A retailer can't force anyone to take care of what they buy from them

Message Edited by JKennedy on 11-05-2008 01:57 PM