Short version:
Bulb in TV goes bad after just a year after the last replacement. Found out that the bulb problem--far greater than was communicated to us by the tech who replaced the bulb in 2007, is the subject of a class-action law suit which we cannot participate in because we bought a warranty instead of paid outright for the bulbs. Okay, our bad, but the real problem is the process Best Buy puts us through for our $400 foresight!
Early January, decided that the flickering and growing darkness of our TV picture is signaling need for another bulb replacement. Called Best Buy; appointment set for 1/16
1/16 Tech shows up over an hour after the END of the time he said he'd be here; don't know when or if he would have come if I hadn't called him to ask if he was still coming. He swaps a bulb that is going bad with a bulb that isn't appropriate for the tv and one so dim that the picture is not watchable. Dismisses my suggestion to put the original bulb back in with condescension and quickly leaves us with a non-working TV.
1/20 Geek Squad calls to say the part is in; I schedule a return visit, set for 1/26 (yesterday)
1/26 The same tech as before comes--early (whoo hoo). Replaces bulb with one that works. We get to watch a new Blu Ray movie on our new Blu Ray DVD player and are very happy.
1/27 7:15 AM Time to tune in for Mike & Mike. Uh oh. No picture. Bulb does not work. TV is useless.
Long version:
I'm one of the idiots who, way back in December of 2005, fell for the Best Buy pitch on why a Toshiba DLP was a better buy than an LCD AND bought the crap about getting an extended warranty because the bulbs don't hold up. And yes, I have a receipt, even though the ink has disappeared and it is completely unreadable, thereby taking me out of any help I might receive from the impending class action law suit--thank you, Best Buy for using "disappearing ink" on your store receipts!! As upsetting as all this is, it pales in comparison to the fiasco we are in the middle of trying to get a working TV. A couple of weeks ago, we noticed our TV’s picture is getting darker and saw that occasional flickering was getting more frequent. This is the same behavior it demonstrated last year when the bulb went out. The Best Buy tech who fixed it then (a very nice and completely competent tech, btw) advised us to call right away when symptoms come back so that the bulb can be ordered an on hand for the first visit. Otherwise, there will be an "assessment" visit, THEN the part will be ordered and THEN an appointment made for the true repair, figuring a week between each step. Okay, 3 weeks seems completely ridiculous for a problem hundreds and hundreds of people consistently experience, but we appreciated his advice and followed it. So I called Best Buy, was routed to the Geek Squad, told them the bulb was going bad, and scheduled a repair. All I can say in hindsight was SILLY ME for thinking (a) the person taking the call was actually listening to what I said, and (b) that appropriate action would be taken. So a week later, on 1/16 at 7:58am, the tech calls in the morning, and gives me the range of time he will be at my house. About an hour and half after the end time the tech specified, I find his incoming call in my phone's memory and dial it. He answers and after stammering to reply to my question of is he still coming to fix my TV, "I'm on my way" is the response. He arrives about 15 minutes later, comes in, and without even powering up the TV to see what's going on, opens the panel to the bulb. He didn't ask what was going on, either, just gets right to business. At this point, I'm thinking, "Hey, all that bad stuff I've read about Geek Squad poor quality is clearly hogwash; this guy's good". But, not so fast. My husband is in the living room at this point, so I move through to my office and go back to work. They're chatting a bit and then I hear the door. I come out to see the back of the Geek Squad van open when my husband tells me that the tech "is seeing if he has the right bulb." WHAT?? Now, I'm thinking this doesn't look so good. Back to my office. After a while, it's time to get water in prep for my next teleconference. As I walk through the living room, I look over my shoulder to see the TV powering up. But it's really really dark! I stop, watch it continue to power up (DLP's don't usually take so long to power up) and say, "Uh oh! Looks like we need to get that other bulb back in and get a different replacement!!” Now the trouble starts. The tech, sitting on the floor, begins his condescension: "Maaaaammmmm, let the TV come the rest of the way up! Just give it some time!"; he shakes his head and chuckles. Hmmm. I've been around enough to know when I'm being (a) condescended to, and oh btw, I've watched that TV power up a LOT in the past 3 years, and (b) when I'm being "dismissed". I got my water, went to my office, and began prep for my meeting. In less than 2 minutes, I hear the door. Having a few minutes yet before the start of my meeting, I go out into the living room to see our repaired TV. Instead, it's just as dark as it was when I got my water and looking out to the street; I see the Geek Squad van pull away. My husband: "Well, he THOUGHT he found the right bulb, but it turned out that it was not high enough wattage, so he needs to order one now." That was 10 days ago. We got a call on 1/20 that the part came in, so I scheduled another visit. He came yesterday and put the new bulb in. I was in a meeting and didn't get the pleasure of being condescended to or dismissed, as I was in a meeting, but my husband confirmed that our TV watching days were back. We joyfully watched a movie on our Christmas gift Blu Ray player, happy after over a week of darkness. This morning when we turned on the TV, NO PICTURE!! The bulb is completely gone. So, not only had we been without a TV for 10 days unnecessarily; not only did a tech swap a bulb that worked better than the replacement bulb, but did so TWICE!! Oh and I have a lovely receipt withOUT disappearing ink for the first bulb replacement in 2007, but no evidence that anyone from Best Buy has been here twice in the last 2 weeks. Moral of this very long story: 1) DON'T DON'T DON'T buy a warranty; if you were dumb enough to purchase from Best Buy, don't repeat your mistake by asking them to repair the crap they sold you. 2) DON'T DON'T DON'T fall for a price-performance sales pitch; do your research and then FOLLOW THE DATA!! 3) DON'T DON'T DON'T buy from Best Buy; there are plenty of other places to purchase appliances, computers, TVs, and other stuff without that hassle that comes with the Geek Squad. By the way, I have been in Information Technology (a.k.a. "Geek") for over twenty years and am here to tell you that a TV repairman who doesn't know what inventory he has in his truck, and can't read a parts book to see what bulb goes with which model ISN'T a geek! The tech that came here wasn't a bad guy, just probably tired of working for a low quality business with ultra low quality processes that its customers know is inferior but has no choice but to use. Like us!
