Best Buy & Geek Squad Policies

[DrewDCA]

I cannot begin to describe the frustration with the repair process for my Canon 40D.  At the end of June my shutter release button stopped working.  On June 24th the camera was brought in and dropped off at the Geek Squad desk.  Service was fine although the representative didn't seem to be having a very good day.  No big deal.  Two weeks later the camera was ready.  So far so good.  When I picked it up, the shutter button was working, the sensor was cleaned, and even the outside of the body looked like it was cleaned off.  Once I got home though, I noticed that the large dial on the back was no longer working.  Great.  So back to Best Buy.  This time they said that because it was a "Redo" it would be bumped to the front of the line.  Now, keep in mind that the original ticket took exactly two weeks.  So I am thinking this "expedited" service should be less than that.  Silly me.  22 days later my camera comes back.  The excuse that it took so long was that UPS screwed up.  Uh huh, sure.  Well, I went to pick it up yesterday 7/30.  According to the ticket they found nothing wrong with the dial.  Ok, doesn't matter because whatever was wrong was fixed one way or another.  Although it is more than a little frustrating that it took over a week longer for the "expedited" service when apparently there was nothing wrong.  Anyway, I double checked that the sensor wasn't mucked up in the repair process and what do you know, there is a gigantic hair visible in all the pictures.  Really?  Now, I originally dropped this camera off 6/24 thinking that I would definitely have it back by 8/1 as I had planned on shooting an NFL training camp that starts that day.  I guess that's not going to happen now.  The camera is now going back for a third time to have the sensor cleaned.  I inquired about a loaner camera as it was offered the second time I dropped off the camera but I declined at the time.  So I requested the loaner this time.  Apparently, the process is that I have to BUY a new camera which I can later return for no restocking fee and they will extend the return time.  WHAT!?  I have to lay out $1,300 dollars out of my pocket, even if it is temporarily, to fix a problem that is not my fault in the least?  You have got to be kidding me.  Well it turns out that even if I wanted to take that option, the camera model I would need, the 50D, is not in stock.  So, here I am, 5 weeks later with no camera, and apparently no options.  This is ridiculous.  It seems I am going to have to rent a camera body now which means I have to spend a couple hundred dollars that I never planned on spending.  Awesome work Geek Squad.  Way to keep the customer happy. 

[Dorothy-BBY Community Supervisor]

Good afternoon DrewDCA -

I have asked Allan, one of our Community Connectors, to review your situation.   You can expect to hear from him in the next few days.

Thank you for your continued patience.

[Allan-BBY Community Connector]

Hi DrewDCA,

I can definitely understand you frustration in getting your camera repaired, and after looking into your repair I can say I would be upset at this point myself. I will also agree that 22 days doesn’t seem like an expedited repair to me either, and the fact that it came back with a no problem found diagnosis and a dirty sensor is concerning.

I honestly do apologize for the miscommunication that happened when the store offered a loaner camera the second time it went out for service. Our stores do not have any loaner camera, but sometimes do allow a customer to purchase a camera to use while theirs is out for service (waiving any restocking fee or return period).

I would like to look further into this and see if I can get you a quicker resolution. I am sending you a private message, and to check your messages you need to log into the forum and then click on the letter icon in the upper right-hand corner of the page.

Thanks for posting,