Best Buy & Geek Squad Policies

[SoleoftheCity]

yeahhh so i just received information that my laptop will be ending on June 16. Seeing this I noticed my laptop needed some fixes. The fan was going crazy, it was getting overheated, the battery was dead, & the lid was falling off (due to shipping from the last time I let Geek Squad fix it). To get these probelms fixed I headed over to Best Buy and let Geek Squad send it out to HP for fixing.

The guy that took care of me was really helpful and nice. He then imformed me that this will be my 3rd fixing. (the other 2 were because of hardware crashes). He then told me that because of my super awsome warranty that if i get it fixed 4 times they would just give me a new laptop. He then insisted that once I  get my laptop back from getting fixed, I should just "accidently" drop it on the floor & then i would receieve a brand new laptop matching the price I spent on my old one to get the new one. 

So my question is can that really happen & should I do it? 

i mean it would be upgrading from XP to Vista

& I do like new things

I don't know the exact model of my laptop

its a HP & a very large screen w/ widescreen & the full keyboard (number pad on the right)

[RealGeorgeW Emerging Expert]

I can't tell you to do it, nor should have the employee, but yes technically it "might" work. Though you're pushing your time frame. If you did do it, and the service center deemed it still economically feasible to fix it, the plan would fail.

[Nokia]

Do you have a GSBTP with Accidental Damage coverage?

George, he'd be covered under No Lemon.

[RealGeorgeW Emerging Expert]

Nokia, yeah but if they deem the damage to be misuse/abuse then it would put them in a bad spot. Especially for the employee who recommended them doing it.

[SoleoftheCity]

yeahh i have the best warranty that it came with it

[Nokia]

Well, whichever GSBTP you have, don't listen to the employee. While it may be classified as accidental, do you want to take the chance that it'll be pegged as abuse? Also, since you've now posted it here, your service order could be flagged and automatically denied.

Also, I don't believe No Lemon applies to physical damage.

And furthermore, the employee told you another incorrect piece of info. If you are approved for replacement, the store picks out a comparable model which is not necessarily equal in price to your current product. Actually, purchase price is not even a factor when deciding on a comparable model.

[Sassums]

If I push my laptop off a table by accident, say I push a book, that pushes the laptop, and it smashes into the floor how can you tell me it was abuse?

If I drop the laptop from the exact same height, on purpose, how can you tell me that is abuse?

You cannot tell me which was actually abuse of the product, they could have both been accidents for all you know.

Nokia is correct though, they will set you up with a new laptop of compareable specs, however, if you chose to upgrade, they will give you some sort of credit towards a new one, from the one being replaced.

[JM]

As far as I know, accidental damage does not count towards the "no lemon" policy. It's only standard mechanical failures that apply under no lemon.

Otherwise, someone unhappy with their laptop could drop/spill something on it several times within a relatively short amount of time, and be qualified for a new unit. 

And secondly, that employee is suggesting some rather unethical things... 

[Dorothy-BBY Community Supervisor]

Good afternoon SoleoftheCity -

When I first read this, I was stumped that any Agent would make such an unethical suggestion, and I am pleased to see all the employees who have responded and clarified how unethical this would be.  First and foremost, please allow me to apologize if you were suggested to perform any action that would deliberately break your laptop. As was pointed out, this would most likely be considered abuse and not be covered under the terms of the service plan.  

One other point that I must clarify is the replacement of the unit.  When any product is replaced under the terms of a service plan, the unit is replaced with comparable technology not to exceed your original purchase price.  This means that your new unit would not reflect your original price, but the closest technology that exists today.  If your unit is even two years old, there is going to be a considerable amount of depreciation to take into consideration.  

In closing, to answer your question, no it most likely cannot really happen, and I would strongly advise against this course of action. 

I hope this helps!

Dorothy

Community Connector

Best Buy® Corporate