Manufacturer Warranties and Protection Plans

[Boots13]

I have a definitive tech center speaker with a broken binding stem.  I contacted Definitive to inquire about its possible repair and how much it would cost me. The very helpful definitive associate informed me this repair would be covered under the definitive manufacturers warranty and Best Buy was obligated through the warranty to assist me.   The Definitive associate was even kind enough to send me an email explaining BB's obligation and in addition instructed me to give BB a copy of the email if BB attempted to deny service.  Well no surprise BB attempted to deny service.  I then provided BB with a copy of the email I received by definitive.  The BB associate then gave me a song and dance that this was physical damage (what other kind of damage is ther?.....God knows it was not emotional) however he would send it to BB's repair warehouse.  The associate then printed me  a service # form claiming my speaker had deep scratches and signs of "physical damage"...My speaker has no scratches and no signs of wear and tear. This was an outright lie.  The only thing wrong is the broken binding stem.  However I let this slide, I was just happy the were supposedly going to repair it.  3 days later I recived a call from another BB associate stating they will not repair it under the warranty and they would charge me $137. to repair a $15.00 part.   This is more than half of what the speaker is worth.  I refused.  I went to pick the speaker up at the BB then the associate informed me i owed BB $35. for looking at the speaker. I refused to pay. At no point was i informed about any fees prior to BB taking my speaker.  I have since contacted Definitive who expressed their dissapointment inBB's handling of the situation.  Definitve have agreed to fix it no charge and sent me a prepaid mailing slip.

        I literally spend thousands of dollars each year at BB,  "I am a premier silver member" (doesn't mean much) and have thousands of dollars of credit through HSBC.   This will now change.   BB does not have anything Amazon or companies like Crutchfield can not supply.  BB has lost touch with customer service and could learn a few things from Definitive Tech who I would recomend to anyone ( Good product and wonderful customer service). 

[CrimsonRain]

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Boots13 wrote:

The very helpful definitive associate informed me this repair would be covered under the definitive manufacturers warranty and Best Buy was obligated through the warranty to assist me.

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Best Buy is not obligated in any way to honor manufacturer warranties. They do it on most products (depending on their contract or agreement with specific vendors and manufacturers) out of customer service. Best Buy could very well direct you straight to the manufacturer (assuming your product is not covered under their Black Tie Protection Plan) and they would be legally fine. If your product is not covered under the BTP or out of the return and exchange period, then you are pretty much on your own. With that said, they can have your defective product sent out to their service centers (or the manufacturer) to be repaired under the manufacturer's warranty if they are contracted to.

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Boots13 wrote:

The Definitive associate was even kind enough to send me an email explaining BB's obligation and in addition instructed me to give BB a copy of the email if BB attempted to deny service.  Well no surprise BB attempted to deny service.  I then provided BB with a copy of the email I received by definitive.

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I love it when vendors/manufacturers mail paperwork, send emails, and provide case numbers as if they had some power over Best Buy. Here's some food for thought: If the Definitive rep you spoke to had the power (and audacity) to send random emails to a company they do not even work at, why couldn't they just have you send the product to them for repair or replacement? They are the manufacturer!! They can instantly replace it for you. Why even have the middleman (Best Buy) in the mix? Sounds like they passed the buck.

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Boots13 wrote:

The BB associate then gave me a song and dance that this was physical damage (what other kind of damage is ther?.....God knows it was not emotional) however he would send it to BB's repair warehouse.  The associate then printed me  a service # form claiming my speaker had deep scratches and signs of "physical damage"...My speaker has no scratches and no signs of wear and tear. This was an outright lie.  The only thing wrong is the broken binding stem.  However I let this slide, I was just happy the were supposedly going to repair it.  3 days later I recived a call from another BB associate stating they will not repair it under the warranty and they would charge me $137. to repair a $15.00 part.   This is more than half of what the speaker is worth.  I refused.  I went to pick the speaker up at the BB then the associate informed me i owed BB $35. for looking at the speaker. I refused to pay. At no point was i informed about any fees prior to BB taking my speaker.  I have since contacted Definitive who expressed their dissapointment inBB's handling of the situation.  Definitve have agreed to fix it no charge and sent me a prepaid mailing slip.

        I literally spend thousands of dollars each year at BB,  "I am a premier silver member" (doesn't mean much) and have thousands of dollars of credit through HSBC.   This will now change.   BB does not have anything Amazon or companies like Crutchfield can not supply.  BB has lost touch with customer service and could learn a few things from Definitive Tech who I would recomend to anyone ( Good product and wonderful customer service). 

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I find it somewhat amusing that Best Buy carried out the terms and conditions of Definitive Tech's warranty but they are the ones you are angry at. When Best Buy honors a manufacturer's warranty, it is the manufacturer that approves or denies any repair on your product. Best Buy is not going to perform a repair that they will not be reimbursed for. So when a claim goes to the manufacturer for approval and the manufacturer denies it, then Best Buy will not repair it under the manufacturer's warranty. Again, the middleman who spent money to ship your product and pay their techs to inspect your product will not be reimbursed for their efforts to honor a manufacturer's warranty, but the company that made the decision to repair (or not repair in this case) is the hero? Awesome... Like I said, you should have just sent it to the manufacturer yourself. You should have had the manufacturer back up their own product instead of hiding behind a retailer and a phone.

[Boots13]

LOL......Whatever man.....I guess the old saying the customer is always right just isn't true nowadays...Doesn't matter i'll be bringing my business elsewhere.. goodluck to you and your BB.

[Ryan-BBY Senior Social Media Specialist]

Hello Boots13-

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

[ConcernInNY]

They sure don't seem to care if they sell unreliable products.   I purchased a 42" RCA television that was part of the Best Buy circular for the Super Bowl. Now, three months later, it won't turn on. The manufacturer's service provider, Sears A&E, is still trying to get a backordered part and I was told this morning it could be April until they know anything more. RCA wants to attempt the repair first, which the Sears technician isn't comfortable with, then consider replacement. So here is where I stand right now:

• The television stopped working on March 3 and it is now March 21.
• The part will be shipped from the RCA factory to the Sears parts provider on March 31 at the soonest.
• When the part finally arrives at my home, I have to call Sears and reschedule my appointment (and take another day off because they won't come on weekends or at night).
• If the part doesn't work, then Sears can call RCA to request a replacement which takes up to 10 days.
• I have left messages for RCA (can't speak to people, only a voicemail) and no return calls.

I called the store where I purchased the television in January and was told I'm out of luck because I didn't spend the $200 on a protection plan for a $400 television. I asked the woman on the phone why I would spend this kind of money and she told me, "because the manufacturers are a nightmare to deal with". I then asked if Best Buy is in the practice of selling bad products to generate revenue in service contracts and she didn't have an answer.

Sorry to air my opinion on here, but no one seems to care about the customer anymore. I'm the guy with a 42" paperweight in my living room and there is a wall of new televisions in any Best Buy location. Sometimes doing the right thing is worth more than saving a few bucks for shareholders.

[ConcernInNY]

They sure don't seem to care if they sell unreliable products.   I purchased a 42" RCA television that was part of the Best Buy circular for the Super Bowl. Now, three months later, it won't turn on. The manufacturer's service provider, Sears A&E, is still trying to get a backordered part and I was told this morning it could be April until they know anything more. RCA wants to attempt the repair first, which the Sears technician isn't comfortable with, then consider replacement. So here is where I stand right now:

• The television stopped working on March 3 and it is now March 21.
• The part will be shipped from the RCA factory to the Sears parts provider on March 31 at the soonest.
• When the part finally arrives at my home, I have to call Sears and reschedule my appointment (and take another day off because they won't come on weekends or at night).
• If the part doesn't work, then Sears can call RCA to request a replacement which takes up to 10 days.
• I have left messages for RCA (can't speak to people, only a voicemail) and no return calls.

I called the store where I purchased the television in January and was told I'm out of luck because I didn't spend the $200 on a protection plan for a $400 television. I asked the woman on the phone why I would spend this kind of money and she told me, "because the manufacturers are a nightmare to deal with". I then asked if Best Buy is in the practice of selling bad products to generate revenue in service contracts and she didn't have an answer.

Sorry to air my opinion on here, but no one seems to care about the customer anymore. I'm the guy with a 42" paperweight in my living room and there is a wall of new televisions in any Best Buy location. Sometimes doing the right thing is worth more than saving a few bucks for shareholders.

[CrimsonRain]

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Boots13 wrote:
LOL......Whatever man.....I guess the old saying the customer is always right just isn't true nowadays...Doesn't matter i'll be bringing my business elsewhere.. goodluck to you and your BB.

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It matters not to me what the outcome of your issue is. I have no affiliation to Best Buy. Instead of "whatever man," you could have just said, "Yea, everything you typed makes sense. I have no idea what I'm talking about. I should have dealt directly with the manufacturer and made them back their own product, but instead, I chose to be unjustly angry at the middleman."

Do you even the know the origin and true meaning of the slogan, "The customer is always right." came from? Because it's not what you think it is. For one thing, it goes back to the early 1900s, and I'm sure we all know that commerce and business has changed a lot since then. And here's a fun article on why it doesn't exactly apply to today's standards. Don't misunderstand though that today's businesses still holds the customer/client at its core. It's just letting the customer dictate the terms of your business with ridiculous slogans is a quick route to doom.

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ConcernInNY wrote:

They sure don't seem to care if they sell unreliable products.   I purchased a 42" RCA television that was part of the Best Buy circular for the Super Bowl. Now, three months later, it won't turn on. The manufacturer's service provider, Sears A&E, is still trying to get a backordered part and I was told this morning it could be April until they know anything more.

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The minute I saw RCA, I knew it was going to be bad. You get what you pay for and RCA is not exactly a Samsung or Sony. Personally, I'd be embarrassed to even have an RCA TV let alone display it. But hey, to each his own right?

Back on topic! How would you expect a business to test a product such as a TV before they sell it? Technology progresses too fast for this to happen. Most TVs and computers are refreshed every 2-6 weeks. Some defects are noticeable at the offset, others may take some time. So seriously, how do YOU expect Best Buy to know ahead of time whether or not they are selling an unreliable product? Banish the companies that make historically unreliable products? But we're Americans! We love cheap stuff! Plus, you just purchased an RCA so obviously you love traditionally crappy stuff! It's up the the manufacturer to identify any defects in their product and to either issue a recall or repair the defects on their dime. The best recent example I can think of this would be Intel and their faulty Sandy Bridge chipset on select motherboards. Btw, I highly doubt the price of the service plan was $200 on your $400 TV. Service plan prices scale with the cost of the product. If I had to take a really good guess, I'd say the price of a 4-year service plan on your TV would have been $80.

[CrimsonRain]

They sure don't seem to care if they sell unreliable products.   I purchased a 42" RCA television that was part of the Best Buy circular for the Super Bowl. Now, three months later, it won't turn on. The manufacturer's service provider, Sears A&E, is still trying to get a backordered part and I was told this morning it could be April until they know anything more.

[Boots13]

You are obviously affiliated with BB.....Your opinion does not matter to me.
I posted my comments as a means to vent my frustration with in what in my opinion was poor customer service. I have been a loyal BB customer for several years......It does not matter why I am unhappy.....just that I am unhappy.
CR, if your role on this forum is that of an antagonist you have done a fine job....However if this is how you truly feel then you do not get the greater picture and i truly pitty you...I will no longer reply to your comments. Whatever relief i had gained by venting has been spoiled by your ignorance to my situation ( im assuming is an example of an overall ignorance and lack of experience)....Now I truly hope you enjoy your next comments because I wont be reading them.
Thank you BB for creating an atmosphere in which one can not truly vent there frustrations without being ridiculed by an obvious affiliate........Goodnight Crimsonrain and remember you will have to come out of your mothers basement someday......I hope your prepared for a rude awakening.

[rellarillear]

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Boots13 wrote:
You are obviously affiliated with BB.....Your opinion does not matter to me.
I posted my comments as a means to vent my frustration with in what in my opinion was poor customer service. I have been a loyal BB customer for several years......It does not matter why I am unhappy.....just that I am unhappy.
CR, if your role on this forum is that of an antagonist you have done a fine job....However if this is how you truly feel then you do not get the greater picture and i truly pitty you...I will no longer reply to your comments. Whatever relief i had gained by venting has been spoiled by your ignorance to my situation ( im assuming is an example of an overall ignorance and lack of experience)....Now I truly hope you enjoy your next comments because I wont be reading them.
Thank you BB for creating an atmosphere in which one can not truly vent there frustrations without being ridiculed by an obvious affiliate........Goodnight Crimsonrain and remember you will have to come out of your mothers basement someday......I hope your prepared for a rude awakening.

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Actually his statement was spot on, and factual.

Best Buy is not "required" to send anything under manufacturer warranty, and if they do, they simply diagnose the problem, and then contact the manufacturer about it, and ask them whether they will cover it or not.

Sounds more like your friend with the Manufacturer didn't convey to his own folks that the issue you were describing should have been covered. Because, more than likely they were the same ones who denied your repair when it was sent off.

[Mbrguy Emerging Expert]

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Boots13 wrote:
LOL......Whatever man.....I guess the old saying the customer is always right just isn't true nowadays...Doesn't matter i'll be bringing my business elsewhere.. goodluck to you and your BB.

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I don't think you read anything that CrimsonRain said.

[Justin-BBY Community Connector]

Hi Boots13, 

It's obvious that you're extremely irritated about how the service repair ended with your Definitive Speaker, and it's very disheartening that we will no longer receive your business. It is never our intention for this to happen, because we do care about you, our customer, and I'm sincerely sorry that you do not feel this way. 

Although you do not agree with CrimsonRain's explanation of the process, it was excellent. Since I personally didn't inspect the speaker's condition at the store or while in service, I cannot comment as to the alleged scratches on it. On the other hand, if this was the case, then I agree that repairs would cost. As far as shipping charges, you should have been informed and I'll surely address this instance with management. Again, I'm very sorry about the outcome and that we did not meet your satisfaction. If you'd like to address anything else about this topic with us, feel free to reply here or send me a private message. 

Thanks for sharing your experience with us here on the forums!