Gaming Support

[daventry]

I am interested in purchasing a PS3 Slim from Best Buy, but I am not sure whether to get the warranty or not.  I just had a few questions that I was hoping someone here could clear up for me:

This is my understanding (please correct me if I'm wrong): Best Buy offers the "Geek Squad Black Tie Protection" for the PS3 for $79.99.  The Geek Squad Black Tie Protection functions as a repairment plan for *most* products.  If the product needs to be repaired over four times, then it is finally replaced (i.e. the "no lemon" policy).

This is what's confusing me: According to the Geek Squad website (http://www.geeksquad.com/services/content.aspx?id=2017&menu_id=495), Best Buy also offers a "Geek Squad Black Tie Protection Replacement Plan" for qualifying products.  Under the list of qualifying products, Best Buy writes "Certain MP3 players, GPS units and gaming consoles may qualify for a Replacement Plan. See Customer Specialist at your local Best Buy for details."

So my question is this: Is the PS3 "Geek Squad Black Tie Protection"  a repairment plan or a replacement plan?  I have tried to find the answer to this question online, but I keep getting conflicting reports.  Is there a Best Buy "Customer Specialist" reading these forums who can give me a clear answer?

Thanks for your help!

[CrimsonRain]

My knowledge might be a little outdated on this subject but from what I remember, the PS3 is covered under a replacement plan provided the store can verify a hardware defect with your PS3 should you bring it in. Only the XBox 360 is a "repairment plan." Although it is not really repaired, you get it "rapid exchanged" for a refurbished one that is sent to the Best Buy within 3-5 business days depending on availability. The XBox 360 used to be covered under the replacement plan but Best Buy was losing too much money on the backend (Microsoft would not reimburse Best Buy for repairing or taking back the bad XBox 360s) due to the high number of defective XBox 360s. I'd generally recommend it for the PS3. The PS3 has a much lower rate of failure than the XBox 360 but it's just in case. I know most consumer-crazy websites do not "extended warranties" but I usually get it for piece of mind. Plus, I am an avid gamer and there is no way I am going to be out $300 for a PS3 after the MFG warranty expires.

[daventry]

CrimsonRain, thank you for your reply!

Can anyone confirm what CrimsonRain said?

I'm still not sure, as I just found an older topic vouching that the PS3 Geek Squad Black Tie Protection Plan is NOT a replacement plan: http://forums.bestbuy.com/t5/Manufacturer-Warranties-and/PS3-still-under-PRP-warranty-a-few-quick-qu... (see the last two posts).  Note that this assessment was not provided by a Best Buy official, but an active forum user.

[Nokia]

I believe it was Aaron who confirmed that the PS3 is repaired.

[daventry]

Nokia, do you by chance have the link where Aaron said this?  If not, can one of the Best Buy mods confirm this?  Thanks.

[Nokia]

http://forums.bestbuy.com/t5/Manufacturer-Warranties-and/Playstation-3-Purchase-Question/m-p/33516#M...

http://forums.bestbuy.com/t5/Manufacturer-Warranties-and/Problems-with-my-ps3-warranty-questions/m-p...

[daventry]

Thanks for the links.

The following comment from Aaron is dubious though:

"There are, however, sometimes vendor agreements in place that preclude us from providing repairs on select products, so we simply replace them instead. Regrettably, I cannot guarantee that PS3s fall under this category."

If Aaron cannot guarantee this, who can?  During my own (inconclusive) research, I read that Sony is one of the companies who has a replacement agreement with Best Buy.  Aaron is saying that this *may* or *may not* be the case?  Who can tell me for sure?  Is there a phone number I can call or a higher-up from Best Buy who can clear this up?

Also, the last post in the second link says the following: "i had the geek squad 2 yr warranty and all i had to do is take my system in complete with everything that came in it and i got a brand new one sweet"

I would just go to my local Best Buy to ask, but Best Buy employees may be confused themselves, right?  http://forums.bestbuy.com/t5/Manufacturer-Warranties-and/PS3-still-under-PRP-warranty-a-few-quick-qu...   (In that topic, the poster was told in-store that his recently-bought PS3 service plan was a replacement plan, but Nokia posted that the employee was simply misinformed.)

It sure seems strange that the Geek Squad website doesn't plainly outline what the PS3 service plan includes.

What's the deal?

[Josh-BBY Retired: Community Connector · Accepted solution]

Daventry,

I would be glad to try to clear this up a little bit. Currently we do not have a repair option for the PlayStation3. Therefore we do provide replacement as the course of our service plan. The Geek Squad® Black Tie Protection plan is first and foremost a service agreement. That means that when the time comes that we are able to offer a service option for the PlayStation3 we would no longer be providing replacements. Hope that helped.

Game on!

[daventry]

Josh, thank you very much for clearing this up!  I think many people on this forum (and elsewhere) have been misinformed.  I hope they will refer to your post so that no false information is spread to Best Buy customers (and employees) in the future.

[JustCounting]

This is a very interesting thread with answers that my local Best Buy seems to know nothing about.  Or, I could be simply confused.

My PS3, still under BT Warranty ($79 plan in 12/08) recently went out.  I bought it online and was told to take it to my local Geek Squad, which I did.  They said they had to send it in for repair, which they did.  One week later, a "refurbished" unit arrived at my house, which was defective.  The eject button refused to eject the game, so I had not only lost the PS3 again, but a new game.

I took it back to the local store and asked for the Manager.  He apologized and offered to just "replace the unit".  They told me to go pick out a new unit and we'd exchange it.  45 minutes later, they're trying to get my new PS3 into the "system" and decide they "can't do this".  They take the new unit away from me and give me back my old refurbished one and told me to take it to the Geek Squad, it'd have to go in for repair.. AGAIN.  I asked them how many times I had to go through this before I got a new unit and they said "FOUR".  (by that time it will be out of warranty, how convenient)   They also said this was "Sony's fault" and Sony's policy.

When I got home, I called Sony, who said it was indeed NOT their policy, but was Best Buy's policy.  I called Best Buy Consumer Relations, and spoke with a very nice man who apologized profusely, but was unable to offer me anything but a gift card for my trouble.

I again called my local store and NOW they say the reason they can't REPLACE my PS3 is because I "bought it online", and because it's "almost 2 years old".

This is truly the most horrendous experience I have EVER had and will certainly not be buying from Best Buy ever again.  I just can't wait for my second "refurbished" unit to arrive. This is just simply wrong, and certainly I would not advise anyone to count on "BLACK TIE PROTECTION".