Best Buy & Geek Squad Policies

[rambler88]

I recently purchased an open-box MacBook Pro from Best Buy over the Summer for my internship. I am a graphic designer and needless to say a laptop is a necessity of mine. As soon as I got the product to the office and started working it ceased to. The screen froze and would not do anything. This was a massive inconvenience for me and I almost lost my internship, a requirement of mine to graduate. I returned to the same Best Buy in Chicago and asked how they could sell something that was obviously broken and anyone could see that within three minutes of using it. They said that all I could do was buy a new one or have it repaired. I opted to have it repaired.

Mistake

Following that repair, I purchased a temporary laptop that was later stolen from me. Not Best Buy's fault but this was a long process.

When the initial Macbook Pro in question was repaired I learned that both the track pad and the left speaker were broken. Not wanting to go through this process again while I was still in my internship, I opted to wait and just deal with the awful screeching noise that arose following Best Buy's repair on the product. After the internship ended, I sent it back to Best Buy for service. Well they didn't do their best. When I received the laptop and took it home, it emitted a loud beeping noise, the monitor would not turn on, and I was once again left without a laptop. This would happen off and on. When the laptop would work, I would get about an hour's use out of it and then a dark grey screen would decend and tell me in English, Spanish, French, and German that I had to restart my computer. So I would, and the loud beeping and general screen-not-being-on even would reoccur. 

So I sent it back. Now if you are keeping track this is my third repair of the product. Under the supposed "No Lemon" policy, I should get a new one if this repair fails. Well conviently there was nothing the repair center could find wrong this time.

Even now I don't want to send it in for repair because I can't be without a computer for classes, however I am still dealing with the fact that this think only gets about an hour of use before the dreaded multi-lingual screen of grey doom decends on me. I am petrified my time is short now so I will wrap up with this

NEVER BUY A MAC FROM BEST BUY AND NEVER BUY AN OPEN BOX ONE! Go to the Mac store, they at least know what they are doing.

[Nokia]

If it wasn't working, why didn't you return it?

BTW, if you didn't purchase the GSBTP plan on it, there is no No Lemon policy.

[QuantumThunder]

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rambler88 wrote:

I recently purchased an open-box MacBook Pro from Best Buy over the Summer for my internship. I am a graphic designer and needless to say a laptop is a necessity of mine. As soon as I got the product to the office and started working it ceased to. The screen froze and would not do anything. This was a massive inconvenience for me and I almost lost my internship, a requirement of mine to graduate. I returned to the same Best Buy in Chicago and asked how they could sell something that was obviously broken and anyone could see that within three minutes of using it. They said that all I could do was buy a new one or have it repaired. I opted to have it repaired.

Mistake

Following that repair, I purchased a temporary laptop that was later stolen from me. Not Best Buy's fault but this was a long process.

When the initial Macbook Pro in question was repaired I learned that both the track pad and the left speaker were broken. Not wanting to go through this process again while I was still in my internship, I opted to wait and just deal with the awful screeching noise that arose following Best Buy's repair on the product. After the internship ended, I sent it back to Best Buy for service. Well they didn't do their best. When I received the laptop and took it home, it emitted a loud beeping noise, the monitor would not turn on, and I was once again left without a laptop. This would happen off and on. When the laptop would work, I would get about an hour's use out of it and then a dark grey screen would decend and tell me in English, Spanish, French, and German that I had to restart my computer. So I would, and the loud beeping and general screen-not-being-on even would reoccur. 

So I sent it back. Now if you are keeping track this is my third repair of the product. Under the supposed "No Lemon" policy, I should get a new one if this repair fails. Well conviently there was nothing the repair center could find wrong this time.

Even now I don't want to send it in for repair because I can't be without a computer for classes, however I am still dealing with the fact that this think only gets about an hour of use before the dreaded multi-lingual screen of grey doom decends on me. I am petrified my time is short now so I will wrap up with this

NEVER BUY A MAC FROM BEST BUY AND NEVER BUY AN OPEN BOX ONE! Go to the Mac store, they at least know what they are doing.

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If you have to send it in for a 4th qualifying repair they will replace it (if you had 3 visits prior where they replaced a component)

Whats the difference between buying a mac at best buy v. the apple store? Asking them how they could sell a broken product is a stupid question, they had no idea it was broken...Why would they sell an obviously broken laptop knowing they would just have the headache of dealing with an angry customer later? You make it seem like there is a difference in the quality of the machines? Do you think Best Buy manufacturers and assembles what it sells? They sell the same hardware you find in the apple store... As for the open box deal, Best Buy didnt force you to buy open box. The overwhelming majority of the time they work just fine but that is like you buying a used car and expecting it to have zero pre existing wear and tear. Honestly if it were me and my life depended on the functionality of my computer? Id buy a new in box unit and I would probably have a backup laptop as well....

Sucks it happened to you, but thats life. You purchased a mass manufacturered consumer electronic built in some asian country where its factory workers make about 85 cents an hour....... To expect zero failure rate is unreasonable..

[QuantumThunder]

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QuantumThunder wrote:

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rambler88 wrote:

I recently purchased an open-box MacBook Pro from Best Buy over the Summer for my internship. I am a graphic designer and needless to say a laptop is a necessity of mine. As soon as I got the product to the office and started working it ceased to. The screen froze and would not do anything. This was a massive inconvenience for me and I almost lost my internship, a requirement of mine to graduate. I returned to the same Best Buy in Chicago and asked how they could sell something that was obviously broken and anyone could see that within three minutes of using it. They said that all I could do was buy a new one or have it repaired. I opted to have it repaired.

Mistake

Following that repair, I purchased a temporary laptop that was later stolen from me. Not Best Buy's fault but this was a long process.

When the initial Macbook Pro in question was repaired I learned that both the track pad and the left speaker were broken. Not wanting to go through this process again while I was still in my internship, I opted to wait and just deal with the awful screeching noise that arose following Best Buy's repair on the product. After the internship ended, I sent it back to Best Buy for service. Well they didn't do their best. When I received the laptop and took it home, it emitted a loud beeping noise, the monitor would not turn on, and I was once again left without a laptop. This would happen off and on. When the laptop would work, I would get about an hour's use out of it and then a dark grey screen would decend and tell me in English, Spanish, French, and German that I had to restart my computer. So I would, and the loud beeping and general screen-not-being-on even would reoccur. 

So I sent it back. Now if you are keeping track this is my third repair of the product. Under the supposed "No Lemon" policy, I should get a new one if this repair fails. Well conviently there was nothing the repair center could find wrong this time.

Even now I don't want to send it in for repair because I can't be without a computer for classes, however I am still dealing with the fact that this think only gets about an hour of use before the dreaded multi-lingual screen of grey doom decends on me. I am petrified my time is short now so I will wrap up with this

NEVER BUY A MAC FROM BEST BUY AND NEVER BUY AN OPEN BOX ONE! Go to the Mac store, they at least know what they are doing.

---

If you have to send it in for a 4th qualifying repair they will replace it (if you had 3 visits prior where they replaced a component)

Whats the difference between buying a mac at best buy v. the apple store? Asking them how they could sell a broken product is a stupid question, they had no idea it was broken...Why would they sell an obviously broken laptop knowing they would just have the headache of dealing with an angry customer later? You make it seem like there is a difference in the quality of the machines? Do you think Best Buy manufacturers and assembles what it sells? They sell the same hardware you find in the apple store... As for the open box deal, Best Buy didnt force you to buy open box. The overwhelming majority of the time they work just fine but that is like you buying a used car and expecting it to have zero pre existing wear and tear. Honestly if it were me and my life depended on the functionality of my computer? Id buy a new in box unit and I would probably have a backup laptop as well....

Sucks it happened to you, but thats life. You purchased a mass manufacturered consumer electronic built in some asian country where its factory workers make about 85 cents an hour....... To expect zero failure rate is unreasonable..

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Note: my statement about the no lemon is provided he bought the geek squad protection on it..

[rambler88]

i did actually take it back but they wouldn't accept it. They said the only thing I could do was repair it.

[QuantumThunder]

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rambler88 wrote:

i did actually take it back but they wouldn't accept it. They said the only thing I could do was repair it.

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How long after you purchased it?

[Dorothy-BBY Community Supervisor]

Good afternoon rambler88 -

Aaron, from our Community Connector team, will be reaching out to you regarding your concern.  I appreciate your patience until he is able to touch base with you.

[rambler88]

esentially three days after I got it but the problem began the day I purchased it

[cr_client]

If they didn't have any other open-box laptops available then, yes, if you tried to return it three days after you purchased it, your options would be to return it, exchange it for a brand new one and pay the difference in price, or have it repaired.

Why did you opt to have it repaired instead of exchanging it for a new one and paying the price difference?

[Aaron-BBY Community Connector]

Hey rambler88,

I’m not sure why repairs wouldn’t have been completed on your MacBook’s first trip to the service center, but I can imagine why you’d be upset!  Having to part with a computer you rely on for work is always difficult – especially if something happens to the one you use in the interim – so your disappointment is certainly understandable.

I’d be glad to look into this situation on your behalf, so please make sure to check your private messages.  You can check your PMs by signing into the forums and then clicking on the letter icon in the upper right-hand corner of the page.