Best Buy & Geek Squad Policies

[Summit]

Message Edited by Summit on 01-22-2009 09:41 PM

[projectfilly]

Haha, summit...i've made that face ALOT lately. <---that one too.

[bcountry76]

This is truly absurd. You should not have to come here to get a resolution for this issue. It is amazing to me how far they will go to not have to replace something. Dispatching techs and the gas cost associated with that, especially during the time you had the issue, has surely outweighed any profit they made on the original fridge. You certainly should get the identical or closes to model of fridge for free no matter what their new cost for it is now. I just saw on the news that appliance prices have gone up also, so you can bet your bottom dollar they are selling it for far more than they paid.

[AverageConsumer]

Nothing's certain in the new economy, but I do agree that Best Buy is obligated to provide you with a replacement refrigerator of equal quality at no additional cost.  You did pay them for a refrigerator that would keep food cold, and you did pay them for an extended warranty that I'm sure they wanted you to believe would prevent the entire experience you are having.  If they only have more expensive refrigerators that are supposed to do what the one you paid for was supposed to do I don't see how that's your problem!  They took your money, your food should be cold.  It seems so simple.

It's not a good sign that this national company is reduced to nickel and diming miserable dissatisfied customers like you.  Obviously they must think this is how they have to do business now.  Get every penny they can, and screw 'em if they don't like it.  I really doubt that any newspaper articles or TV spots will change this.  This is the attitude of a dying store and there is nothing we can do to advance or forestall their death.  A little competition would help.  But, on the other hand, the automakers are still hanging around...

[SavvyShopper]

I don't know why I am weighing in here, but here's my 2 cents  (remember -- that's all I claim it is worth)

I am a former retailer who is worn down by the deteriorating customer service relationships maintained in this country.  Sadly, consumers are part of the problem, as they make completely unreasonable demands and get righteous when the retailer won't meet them.  In this case, I don't think your complaint is unreasonable -- but your demands may be.  Here's my advice:

1. Read your original service plan Warranty from BB.  The Protection plan you bought (which your friend told you is worthless because of when you bought it) may not entitle you to any better offer than BB has made.  You used this refrigerator for 2+  years with apparently no issues, so I'm pretty sure it's exempted from a lemon law (but I'm not a lawyer, so don't know for sure).    
2. If you are not happy with the type of frig you have, certainly don't pay to buy another one -- at any price.  Note that BB is not shown as a distributor for Haier anymore, so right off, that means they have no pull with them on fixing your frig.  Consumer Reports routinely advises against buying protection plans -- and this is an example of why.  Companies like BB make their money ON these plans -- they are not sold as insurance against repairs -- they are sold because few items require any substantial repairs beyond the manufacturer warranty period.   Haier is not a "high end" retailer -- the distributors for them are large, low margin retailers, but since BB doesn't do business with them (they carry a tiny frig, but they probably get that from another source than the manufacturer -- or do so little business that they don't qualify for any additional attention) they would rather push you for a new purchase to wipe the slate clean of a Haier problem.  Only Haier probalby has relationships with repair sources -- not BB.  This refrig was bought in 2005 when BB probably had an ongoing relationship with the company -- and could fix them routinely.  No longer.
3. Ask BB what price they would sell you the frig you really want.  No ultimatums.  Corporations do not have feelings -- just accountants, stockholders, and store managers held to margin and inventory benchmarks. Newspapers do not care about this unless it's a slow news day -- unless your warranty is fraud.  Know what it says! . DO NOT BUY the protection plan -- at least not until you read it carefully and understand exactly what you are buying.  Use a credit card (plenty of them nowadays) that offers additional warranties.  My family swears by American Express, and we've had things replaced under their extended warranty.   If you don't like the offer on the frig you want, but you don't have a working frig (and obviously need one(, spend the $200 and get the "new one" but be sure you get the manufacturer's warranty with it -- purchasing it "as new" for whatever price you pay.  That $200 buys you probalby two more years at least of a working frig.   Since I assume the initial warranty does NOT guarantee more than that (they usually have depreciation costs built in -- which is why they aren't worth much more than the manufacturer warranty) this would cost you less than a service plan on a new frig.   Sounds like at least a temporary (2 years or more) fix.

 If your response is "yes, but" and you feel that you are wronged,  here's what the Haier website has to say about itself:   

Euromonitor, the world's leading independent business intelligence provider, recently released a report that Haier Refrigeration became the No. 1 brand in the world. Despite the current economic climate, Haier has had a 20% growth in annual sales volume. Founded in 1984 Haier Group Co. Ltd. is the world's fourth largest white goods manufacturer with distribution in over 160 countries.

If you are determined on THIS model, I would suggest you go to the HaierAmerica website -- and hit their customer service button and see where that takes you.  At the very least, I would imagine Haier would offer you a deal on another Haier -- from another source since they don't do business with Best Buy either.... but would obviously like to know there is a satisified Haier customer.  The problem with this option is that you need a working frig, and you don't have one for awhile if you don't get an instant hit with Haier -- which you won't because it will take them time to research the information.... there are LOADS of fraud complaints out here in the public.  People DO want something for nothing, and corporatins cannot tell us apart. 

Don't give up, but don't be unreasonable.  I've said on other forums -- just stay reasonable and persistent, but don't stay focused on YOUR solution.  Identify what is a reasonable outcome given what you have put into this....and what you got out of it (you had a frig that worked for several years).  Likewise, check with the manufacturer warranty going forward for food spoilage...that's the best source of satisfaction.  They have more at stake in protecting their good name. 

Good luck!!!  Please let us know how it all works out.  I've been there girl -- and I know how easy it is to lose perspective.  You will win -- but you have to be sure what "win" you are entitled to.

[HauntedWebby]

Good job. The first complaint I've read with actual documentation and vaild. I hope they accept your offer you wrote in orange ... keep us all posted

Savvy Shopper has some good points except one. You said never buy their protection plan. If she hadn't purchased the plan then she would have nothing. All she could do is contact the manufacturer for them to say ... you have a 90 day limited warranty. Your SOL since it's been 2 years.

While this has been heck (being polite) for her, at least there is some chance of soemthing happening for a replacement. Once a retailers 14 or 30 or whatever return policy has ended they have no responsibilty for the product. But she was smart and purchased the dreded protection plan and has a option still. I don't buy them on every product, but on expensive things I do .... so I don't have expensive paper weights later on.

[SavvyShopper]

I appreciate your perspective on the service plans, but in this economy, you are basically buying insurance against the thing breaking, and the reality is that you can typically pay less for a repair in the rare occurence that the item breaks outside the warranty but before the service plan expires.  The rule of thumb is to purchase the service plan if you cannot afford to replace the item, but know that some astronomically high number of items fail during the manufacturer warranty period.  If you never buy an extended service plan, the amount you will save over time will typically take care of the odds of something breaking.  Consumer reports suggest t hat if you are the type that feels "safer" with these plans, set up your own "rainy day" bank account and put any money you would want to pay for the plan into it.....and in the case where something really fails, use that money to replace it.  And use Consumer Reports to look for the most reliable brands......you do often get what you pay for....and it's our consumer demand for ever lower prices that force even the good manufacturers into making lower quality products (Best Buy's own internal brandes -- Insignia and Dynex have major quality differences).

Remember that some retailers and credit cards extend the manufacturer's warranty -- and buying a service plan basically means you are prepaying repairs that you may never need.  It's a personal philosophy. 

Here is Consumer Reports take on it: 

"For the consumer, extended warranties are notoriously bad deals because:

• Some repairs are covered by the standard manufacturer warranty that comes with the product.
• Products seldom break within the extended-warranty window—after the standard warranty has expired but within the typical two to three years of purchase—our data show.
• When electronics and appliances do break, the repairs, on average, cost about the same as an extended warranty.

We have long advised against extended warranties. In fact, we feel so strongly that consumers are being misled about them that last year we took out a full-page ad in USA Today (see below) to warn shoppers.

In general, we have found extended warranties to be a bad deal for the customer. The most cautious consumers might want to consider an extended warranty for a repair-prone brand, provided that the warranty is both inexpensive and comprehensive and the cost of repairs tends to be high.  

We understand, of course, that a small percentage of people will get stuck with a lemon or be confronted with an unusually expensive repair job. Statistically speaking, someone is going to draw the short straw. But those are the exceptions rather than the rule. And it simply doesn’t make sense to let the tail wag the dog. Not only that, but think about this: Retailers now offer extended warranties for almost everything under your roof. We’ve seen them for $30 cordless telephones. Does it really make sense to purchase extended warranties for your dishwasher, television, DVD player, washer, dryer, stove, computer, and so on?

Insurance, be it for your car or for your home, is designed to protect you from catastrophic losses you can’t easily cover out of pocket. Product repairs simply don’t rise to that level. "

Good luck.

[HauntedWebby]

The things I've used their (and a few other places) plans on has saved me money. Especially in the game or ipod departments.

Recently I had my Guitar Hero World Tour go out. $189 +tax. They only have a 90 day warranty. I'm beyond that, but received a new one because I invested $30. I had a Ipod classic battery go out. A $125 repair, but I paid $30 so BB gave me a new one.

Granted I did loose $7 on a shuffle plan because I washed it My stupid.

Now I do have plans on my Wii and my TV. I doubt I'll use those ones. But I still have invested less in those then what I've saved on the others. I don't have a bunch of them, or put it on everything. I just depends on how much the thing is going to be used. You have to do your homework, and not make a spur of the moment decision at the cash stand.

[SavvyShopper]

Thanks.  Very good examples.  And I will add to it that you have 14 days before you have to buy the plan, so you should wait at the very least until you are sure you will keep it.... and check your options (credit cards, warehouse stores etc. often extend warranties).  Elsewhere on the site, folks are asking about getting refunds for plans if they change their mind.

Good luck all.

[rutgers456]

its not 14 days for all items

14 days to buy a plan on a 14 day return item

30 days to buy a plan on a 30 day return item