Best Buy & Geek Squad Policies

[mel98kay]

When I bought a $400 digital camera from BB in 2007, I also purchased a 4-year protection plan.  This was not the first protection plan I had purchased from BB.

Two years earlier, my husband and I had purchased a $1000 digital camera and it went bad after the first year.  When we took it back to BB, we received excellent service.  We were able to apply the original $1000 we had spent to a new camera.  We were told that we could continue the protection plan we were on, but we also had the option to extend it.  We decided to extend it so that we had 4 years from the date we received the new camera.  We received a pro-rated credit and only had to pay for the additional 1.5 years.

Last week I took my $400 camera in to BB and was told that the Geek Squad would try to repair it.  They sent it off and last night I received a call telling me that I was approved for a new replacement camera.  I went into the store.  Geek Squad gave me some paperwork and sent me back to the camera department.  I found a new $400 camera that was similar to my old one, but with a few newer features.  Someone from customer service pulled me aside and explained to me that I wasn't able to get a new $400 camera.  They said that I had to pick out a camera with similar technology to the one I purchased two years before.  They looked around and said that I had $279 to spend.  I was not happy with this news, but understood that perhaps they changed their policy and I was still able to find a camera I was satisfied with.  When I went to check out, I was asked by customer service if I wanted a protection plan (now called Black Tie) on this replacement camera.  I asked how much it would cost to extend my current plan from November 2011 to November 2013, so I would have another four years instead of just the two years remaining.  They told me that by getting a replacement camera, my current protection plan was void and I would have to buy another one.  I was VERY upset and explained to the person at customer service that this is not how the program was explained to me or how it had worked in the past.  I had purchased protection on my camera for four years and expected to still have the protection until it expired in two more years.  She said that she had to do what the computer said, and that it said I would have to buy a new plan.  She said that I would have to contact corporate if I had any complaints.

Has anyone else experienced this?

Thanks,

Melinda

[CrystalWoW Valued Expert]

It sounds like the first time your husband's camera was under the manufacturer warranty still. That would mean that they replaced it under manufacturer warranty, and gave you a prorated refund of the year you had the plan so the new plan cost less because they applied the leftover money from the first one. Since it was only a year, they evidently decided that his camera did not have a comparable model at the store that was at a lower cost than the original purchase price so he got the entire purchase price back. In your case, I would imagine it has been longer than a year. In that case, they replace it with comparable technology, not to exceed original purchase price, so they found a camera that was worth what yours is today, and gave you that value to apply towards a camera(279). They haven't changed how the policy works. Just two different situations,and in your case, since you are using the protection plan to replace the camera, it fulfills the protection plan. 

[mel98kay]

Perhaps my story was not as detailed as it could have been.

The $1000 camera was returned to the store about 1.5 years after it was purchased.  We were told that it was not covered by the manufacturer because the one-year warranty had expired.  Customer service said "good thing you bought the protection plan".

If I had received a new $400 camera that was better than my original camera, then I could maybe understand having to buy a new protection plan.  But since I received a camera comparable to my old one, shouldn't I still be protected for another two years?  I bought the protection plan to guarantee I would have a camera for four years...unless I lost it of course.  If they had fixed it, then I would have still been protected until the plan expired in two years, right?  But since they thought it could cost them too much to fix it, they wanted to give me a new one.  This means I have to pay $45 for a new 2-year protection plan or $80 for another 4-year plan.  I would have been happy paying $45 to extend my current plan for another two years, but instead they said no and made me an unhappy customer.  Seems like a better business decision to be understanding and work with the customer.  Really, what are they giving up...a $35 discount on a 4-year plan?  Instead they risk losing my business...and right before Christmas.  I honestly don't know if I want to buy my new TV and stereo from them now.  And I have been in there looking several times in the past few months.  I have the money saved and I'm ready to buy...but this policy has me feeling that I can't trust Best Buy and their policies.  I feel cheated.

[JeremyB]

The current policy for BT protection is the process that you went through. Since you were given a new camera at comparable technology your plan was considered fulfilled. Per the Black Tie protection TOS:

"If we determine in our sole discretion that your
product cannot be repaired, we will replace it
with a product of like kind and quality that is
of comparable performance or reimburse you
for replacement of the product with a voucher
or gift card, at our discretion, equal to the fair
market value of the product, as determined by
us, not to exceed the original purchase price of
your product, including taxes"

"Our obligations under this Plan will be fulfilled
in their entirety if we replace your product,
issue you a voucher or gift card or reimburse
you for replacement of your product pursuant
to these terms and conditions."

Since this plan was fulfilled then you would need to purchase a new plan to cover the new plan. Hope this explains this a little bit better. I cannot comment on how the old policies were setup but this is what they are now.

[mel98kay]

The policy you quoted is not the policy that was explained to me two years ago.  If the policies change after I agreed to the protection plan, do those new revisions apply to my protection plan?  I don't believe the conditions should be able to change without my consent.  I should also be able to trust the employee who explained the protection plan to me.  I assume BB would want to keep their customers happy.  I have spent 10's of thousands at BB in the past decade, but recently I don't feel that BB cares about keeping me as a customer.

I understand BB's new policy as quoted by JeremyB, but I worry that BB employees in the store are not explaining the fine print.  For example, if a person pays $400 on a camera and pays $90 for a 4-year replacement plan now, then they may only get a $110 camera in three years when the original camera breaks and have to pay another $40-70 for a new replacement plan because the old one is void.  BB may think it is lucrative to sell protection plans, but isn't retaining good customers most important?

Again I say isn't it worth discounting a plan $35 to keep a customer happy that was mislead by BB employees, so he or she will return to the store to spend $1000s more.  BB spends millions in marketing each year and sometimes it is the small gestures that can mean the most in the eyes of a customer.  Just my professional opinion.  I do appreciate the quick responses to my concerns.  I hope BB considers this approach in the future.

Thank you,

Melinda

[Dorothy-BBY Community Supervisor]

Hello Melinda -

Kyle, one of our Community Connectors, will be reaching out to you regarding your concern over the terms of your protection plan.  I appreciate your patience until he is able to contact you. 

[Kyle-BBY Community Connector]

Hello mel98kay,

It certainly sounds like you value your cameras and get a lot of usage out of them so I can see why you would have been taken aback when the replacement process didn’t play out the same on your second one.  I want to extend my personal apologies for any confusion there might have been surrounding the details of your coverage.

There have been many different versions of our Performance Service Plans over the years.  We even changed the entire name of them to Geek Squad® Black Tie Protection last September.  Regardless of those changes though, we always abide in the terms of the Plan that were active when you purchased the product.  Therefore, it is very well possible that your first replacement played out completely in accordance with the terms of that Performance Service Plan.

 I want you to know that we do very much care about your individual experience though and I am sending you a private message to discuss that in more detail.  I am confident we can work this out with more of the specifics surrounding your purchases.  To check your private messages, make sure that you are logged in to the forum and then click the envelope icon in the upper right hand corner of the site.

Regards,