Best Buy & Geek Squad Policies

[Myriad]

Beware! I bought a laptop, assuming it was new, from bestbuy.com on 3/26/12 and discovered it had been used! The first sign was that the screen protector plastic was held on with scotch tape! I look back at my email receipt, and no mention of this laptop being anything but new. BestBuy clearly marks their refurb items with "Geek Squad Certified Refurbished" in the item header. This item displayed no such disclosure. As the link has been removed from the bestbuy.com site, there is no way for readers of this post to see the web page. But My email receipt says only  " Dell - Inspiron Laptop / Intel® Pentium® Processor / 14" Display / 4GB Memory / 500GB Hard Drive - Lotus Pink SKU: 1179654". I would display it, along with nice pictures of a scotch taped screen, but this site doesn't allow pictures to be posted directly, rather only links to a picture already on the Internet. Bestbuy.com email receipts always mirror the item header, so the fact the Best Buy page is not longer online is a moot point. If you google the UPC code (884116051275) you will find pages from the bestbuy.com site dealing with reviews, etc. (Hmmm the last review posted was over a year ago. Hmmmm), and the item header is the same.

Anyway, back to my Dashiel Hammet activities. I knew something had gone wrong, and started looking at the unit closer.  The rubber bumpers on the bottom were clearly worn with use. I took out a magnifying glass, and there appears to be multiple scratches on the inner metal housing of the USB port. The power plug also looks slightly suspect, but seeing as I used the power cord, I can't be certain.

I then decided to do some research online, and it appears this is not the first time Best Buy has been called out for suspicion of selling refurbs as new. So I continued, finding that the 16 month warranty from Dell expired on 3/18/12, a scant 8 days prior to my order - nice! The unit was shipped from Dell on 11/19/10, and according to Paul, a manager at the Mansfield Mass. Best Buy store, the laptop is brand new. With scotch tape all over the screen. I myself find that hard to believe.

So on to the next step. I contact Dell to find out my tech support status - can I call in without having to pay? NO! If I had bought a laptop from Dell, they offer free tech support for the life of the warranty (which starts on the ship date). Fine. No Problem. Let's be clear, I have zero issues with Dell on this. But because it was shipped to BestBuy on 11/17/10, the clock starts then. So I decide to call Best Buy to see if maybe I get tech support through Best Buy. What I was told is that I have a manufacturers warranty that does not start until the day I buy it. Which means Dell will cover this unit for at least a year. so I call Dell back, tell them what Best Buy told me (1 year mfr warranty from ship to me date), and while they thought it was a great idea, I was informed again that I have no warranty on this laptop, as it expired on 3/18/12. They suggested I call Best Buy back. So I did. And was told that Dell was wrong, and that I should call Dell back. So I do, because i love punishment. I had a great conversation with a Dell tech support rep, who did deny me the tech support for free, but passed on a little tidbit to me from the Dell internal database. Pssst. This unit was refurbished. He would not provide any exact details, but his message was clear to me. So while I would love to blast this wide open, I don't want to be responsible for some poor IT guy getting fired. So I call Best Buy back, ask if they would reconsider because this unit is clearly not brand new, and I just want to be able to get tech support! Denied. Call Dell.

At this point I am getting, oh, just a wee bit frustrated. And that's when I decided the Best Buy forum would be a good place to tell my story, and hopefully get people to pay very very close attention to what they buy from BestBuy, to make sure it's actually what they paid for. I wouldn't think this to be a conscious business practice by Best Buy, rather someone just made a mistake. However, because of their persistent denials in the face of obvious evidence, coupled with the fact that I cannot get any tech support coverage during the warranty (unless I pay), I felt it necessary to write this post.

[Bob_A]

Myriad  -  

You are eligible to return the Laptop for a full 100% refund.  

I would strongly recommend that you immediately do so.  

Good Luck  

[deusexmachina Valued Contributor]

Your MFG warranty starts the day you buy the unit. Regardless if it has been opened and returned and then re-purchased again. Dell has to honor those terms as that is the contract between them and Best Buy. Even if the computer was made in 2008...if you buy it in 2011 and have a receipt for it, they have to honor the 1yr warranty from your purchase date. WIll they try and deny coverage, maybe. That's why you can also go through BB to get repairs done under the mfg warranty as well as through Dell directly. The only thing that would change is if the unit was a refurbished product, but if it was, it would have a 90 day warranty with whatever company refurbished it. The details would be in the box for the company that refurbished the computer and would be clearly marked. 

Also, Dell techs, especially their tier 1 support would have absolutely no way of telling the state of the computer. Can they make it up? Sure... but they do not refurbish them and have no way of knowing what happened to it. They can see the serial number and the mfg date...none if which matter. 

If the box was sealed when you got it, it's probably Dell's fault if anything. I've seen computer with Pentium processors in core i5 boxes all time.  It seems the one you purchased was one of the last of that series as I no longer see it on bestbuy.com or anything. There also don't seem to be any refurbs of that computer for sale. So you probably either got a returned laptop, or Dell messed up in shipping. It's an older unit, so I don't doubt that the MFG date is old or that the reviews are old. Regardless, if you're within your return period you can return the laptop for any reason. So take Bob_A's advice for once and return it if you feel it isn't correct or aren't happy with it. However, keep in mind that bestbuy will not provide you with tech support unless you purchase their tech support plans. They will fix any HW issues that Dell covers under the 1yr warranty, but os issues and tech support is not included. 

On a side note, the bezels and the laptops are taped up by the MFGs...if you buy another one, you'll see that it's a common practice...not all the plastic wrapping used is self-adhesive. 

[rellarillear]

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deusexmachina wrote:

On a side note, the bezels and the laptops are taped up by the MFGs...if you buy another one, you'll see that it's a common practice...not all the plastic wrapping used is self-adhesive. 

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100% many many laptops come with tape holding the screen protector on. (i've unboxed my fair share in the past)

Return the unit, and be done with it.

[Myriad]

Deusexmachina, thanks for the advice on packaging techniques. I should menton that I have been an IT professional for over 25 years, and have purchased (either for myself or for the companies I have worked for) literally hundreds of new laptops during my career. I would have put it in my opening post but felt it would have been a bit self-aggrandizing. 

Yes, I have seen small pieces of tape holding on plastic before. This is not the case, it is PLASTERED around the screen. 2-3 inch long pieces overlapping each other. It looks like my grandson taped the plastic back on. Yep, I am that old. Well, not really, under 50. Oh, and does Dell pre-scuff the rubber bumpers too?

Secondly, I am not suggesting that the Dell tech could see that the unit was repaired, what I imagine he was looking at was previous calls in to TS about that service tag # - that, I would suspect, he would have access to, and would prove what my eyes tell me - this unit was NOT untouched by another consumer since it left Dell and was placed in BBs possession.

Third, I find your statement that "it's probably Dell's fault if anything" to be self serving. Are you kidding me? Stop defending your employer just because you work there. Think about it. Dell shipped the unit to BB on 11/17/10. What BB did with the unit after that is most certainly NOT Dell's fault! If you can't be 100% objective (and you can't, because you like your job), don't include subjective language in your post. Have you ever posted a reply where you concurred that BB was to blame?

Fourth, this is not about tech support. You are correct that I "probably..got a returned laptop". This is the issue here.  I am not going to return the unit so they can just ship it out to someone else (as new). In addition, I have already configured the laptop for use, and the user has already seen it and loves the color and wants it!!!. Ok, it's my girlfriend. So I really don't want to go through the hassle of returning, getting another one, removing all the garbage software that is preinstalled, and installing all my custom software.

So I am NOT going to return it, but I AM going to keep pursuing this egregious ethical breach, especially because BB reps who have physically seen the unit continue to deny that it is anything but brand-new-out-of-the-box-never-touched-by-anyone-since-it-left-the-Dell-factory. Repeat after me, if you say it enough times maybe you will believe it but I don't. This is insulting to my intelligence, not as an IT professional but as a breathing human life form with an IQ over 90. It's kinda like when your kid continues to deny eating the brownies when his face is covered in chocolate. As a parent, do you just let him go back out to play with his friends? Letting it go with no consequences just guarantees repeat behavior. And I'll be damned if I am going to let someone else get victimized. BB needs to be held accountable.

If I make a mistake, I don't cover it up, obfuscate the truth, and inconvenience the people (users) that I serve. If BB would just admit (not here, or in writing. Just verbally at the store would suffice) that they made a mistake, I would be appeased, and mark this post solved with no details. But steadfast denials in the face of damning visual and other documented evidence? Unacceptable.

In my opinion, the more people that are aware of the documented facts of this situation, the more educated and protected consumer they become. Perhaps what is needed is an arena that is not filled with BB zealots, and a wider audience that demonstrates a more balanced perspective should be sought out.

[Ryan-BBY Senior Social Media Specialist]

Hello Myriad -

Doug from our Social Media team, will be reaching out to you regarding your concern. Thank you for your continued patience!

[Douglas-BBY Community Connector]

Hello Myriad,

Thank you for sharing your story with us here on our forums.

You’ve spent a lot of time back and forth between Best Buy and Dell on this and I’m sorry for all of the confusion. There is a difference between what we consider returned (open box) and refurbished, but you shouldn’t be receiving either on a BestBuy.com order.  You should only get a refurbished computer when you buy a refurbished computer, which  is clearly marked on the product’s page.

There is nothing on your order which indicates that it is a refurbished product and it is entirely possible that this unit has been in our inventory, on sale, for over a year.  Dell should honor a manufacturer’s warranty from one day after the date of purchase no matter when you purchase it from us.

It’s unlikely (but not impossible) that an error was made, and I would encourage you to discuss this further with the manager at your local Best Buy.  Our local team is going to be in a better position to assess the situation when they have the chance to physically inspect the unit.

We likely aren’t going to be able to offer you free Tech Support for your purchase, but are always glad to help you find another computer that will work better given the circumstances.  Please let me know if you need help connecting with our local team for further support or if you would like to get started on an exchange by mail for your online order.

Regards,

[Myriad]

Hi Doug,

Thanks for the reply.

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Myriad wrote:

"and according to Paul, a manager at the Mansfield Mass. Best Buy store, the laptop is brand new."

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I did go to that store, and was unable to reach a resolution. The desk staff were very courteous, and directed me to Paul (a "process manager" or something like that). I understand he was just doing his job, but his adamance that this was normal was at best unnerving and at worst insulting.

I do not feel a return visit will yield any different results. I am not interested in free tech support from Best Buy. And I previously stated my reasons why returning the unit was not acceptable.I opine that Best Buy's handling of the situation is simply bad business.