Manufacturer Warranties and Protection Plans

[Ryannn]

Hello,

I'm Ryan. I'm a webpage designer and graphical artist, and this is my story. 

So a bit less than three years ago, for my birthday I decided I wanted a laptop from Best Buy. After I found the one that I wanted, (a Gateway MX6440) the sales associate told me and my mother that it would be a good idea to purchase the ADH (Accidental Damage from Handling) plan to protect my $850 investment in my new computer. Being young, and stupid, I paid the extra three hundred dollars to do so, and was relatively happy to hear that in the event of me dropping or breaking my laptop accidentally, Best Buy would repair or replace the laptop with one of the same purchase price that I originally paid. ($850)

It turns out that due to a mistake on my part, this is not the case.

About 20 days ago after school, I was carrying my laptop home in my backpack. (Which is something I do regularly.) As usual, my friend was to drive me home, then we planned on attending an off roading event. As I was getting into his truck, I slipped off of the running rail near the door, and fell onto my backpack, and more importantly, my laptop. I opened my backpack to find my laptop bent and broken all over. Horrified at the fact that I would no longer be making an income through the use of my now broken laptop, I rushed to Best Buy to see if my warranty was still in effect.

Turns out, it still was. Problem solved right?

Nope.

I brought my laptop (still in my backpack) to the Geek Squad counter to tell the "agent" what had happened. I made sure that he knew that the destruction of my laptop was entirely an accident, and that it broke while it was on my back, inside my backpack. I mentioned to him at first something about tossing my backpack into the back of my friend's truck, but realizing what I had said, I corrected myself, telling him that it was my friend's backpack that was tossed into the truck, and not mine. I made him aware of my job, the off-roading event I was missing, and how I needed my laptop fixed right away. He told me he would ship the laptop to the repair center as soon as possible, and that I needed to sign a form to allow him to do so. Still quite shaken up about the whole ordeal, I signed the paper without reading it, and went home.

About two weeks later, I received a call stating that the repair cost would total about $1800 to fix my laptop, and that it WOULD NOT BE COVERED by Best Buy or Geek Squad because it was deemed "customer abuse".

I went to my local Best Buy to figure out why Geek Squad told me that I had abused my laptop to find that the form that I needed to sign to have my laptop shipped was not that at all, but actually was a Geek Squad Service Order form, stating the following.

Condition: "Cracked - Laptop is smashed and broken all over."

Symptoms: "Customer is not sure when laptop was destroyed. He had it in a backpack unattended at school and also the laptop was in a backpack either thrown into the back of truck or cab during off-roading event."

(As for the off roading event that I mentioned to him, it had nothing to do with my laptop at all. I was merely making small talk with the Geek Squad agent. Secondly, I said that I was not sure how it got so severely damaged from the single incident of me falling on it after slipping.)

So after seeing the form that was sent to the repair center, I spoke to a manager to organize a reply, or "Escalation". In this escalation, I hand wrote what I felt they needed to know, and a Geek Squad agent put it in his own words through his computer, and emailed it.

I was particularly satisfied to see that my words were still intact for the most part, and that he quoted me directly. Stating that : Customer would like it noted that the unit was not broken due to customer abuse. "The laptop broke when I slipped off my friend's truck's running rails. The Comment about the off roading event had nothing to do with the laptop. My laptop and backpack were with me the entire day. Friend was driving me home from school."

I was sure that my problem would soon be resolved once the repair center saw my personal reply.

Once again, I was wrong.

Tammy Carpenter emailed my local Best Buy back saying that they would not cover my laptop because... "Being thrown into a truck bed or leaving it at school and not knowing what happened what happened to it is customer abuse."

She obviously didn't read a single word of my escalation, nor does she, or anyone at Best Buy seem to care about me, the customer.

So apparently, by signing that first form, I handed Best Buy an extra three hundred dollars of my own money, so that they can sit in their comfy executive chairs and laugh at the little guy who needs a source of income to pay his car insurance, while their pockets are stuffed to the brim with money swindled from the average guy like me.

I advise to all potential customers of Best Buy to beware the "Mind easing" Black Tie Coverages, as they are simply in existence to make the customer "feel" safe from such catastrophes as mine, while in reality, they are not.

I hope my letter does some good for somebody out there.

Thank you for reading,                                                                                               Sincerely, Ryan C.

[Ryannn]

bump.

[Ryannn]

I'd like to add that if an admin or someone working for Best Buy would be willing to help me with my current situation, I'd be happy to take back what I said telling other customers to avoid the PSP/ADH protection plan.

-Ryan

[RealGeorgeW Valued Expert]

Although I'm sure you want a quick resolution, you only posted this 20 minutes ago. The moderators have regular business hours so it may take them a bit to get to your post. But rest assured, they will do everything in their power to assist you.

[RealGeorgeW Valued Expert]

Sorry 2 hours. Regardless, hold tight

[lmarine]

Don't feel bad - brought mine in for *stuck in a loop & battery not charging* - they put on my ticket Unit will not boot, repair per PSP.  We were asked to provide more information & showed up at the store - in front of us - they opened up the hard drive - it is missing....  Sorry I've never removed a hard drive in my life.  Their staff has come to the conclusion that I took it out & decided to comp me a hard drive after my partner & I both got belligerant.

I've lost a lot of my customer's files, been called a lier/thief.  Also their paperwork is inconsistant with a lot of things - including phone call records.

After getting on this board, I've seen a lot of bad.  I've been a Best Buy customer over15? years & obviously things have come down hill.  I've had a lot of repairs done before & correctly - but the last one was 3 years ago.

I don't know what the answer is, but Best Buy needs to look at their customer service.

[4schatzie]

I feel for you, Its very wrong what they do, and they will not let you speak to anyone who could help.

[Elizabeth-BBY Community Supervisor]

Hi Ryan,

I've asked Aaron, one of our Geek Squad Community Connectors, to review your concerns and respond.  You should be hearing from him within the next few business days.

Thanks for posting,

[Ryannn]

I have tried to contact Aaron, but due to the fact that he only works mornings, and i have school, it is very difficult for me to do so.

Yet to make contact :/

-Ryan

[Aaron-BBY Community Connector]

Hey Ryannn,

The prospect of repairs is rarely something to look forward to, so I can certainly imagine how disappointed you must have felt to discover your laptop was broken. I rely on my computer as well and would probably feel the same in a similar situation.

Now, while there may have been some initial confusion over what transpired, it is important to remember that “accidental damage” is only considered to be what could reasonably occur during normal operation of the product. True, ADH plans will cover your laptop if you spill a cup of coffee on it or if it falls off your desk. They will not, however, cover damage caused by any of the following:

• Accidental loss
• Biological contamination
• Complete immersion in water
• Dropped or falling objects
• Extreme environmental conditions (heat or cold)
• Falls from moving vehicles, balconies or windows
• Insect infestation
• Rodents
• Theft
• Unauthorized repairs or modifications

If this damage was caused by you falling onto the computer, then it still would not be covered under your ADH plan. For additional information I would strongly encourage you to review the terms and conditions outlined within your PSP brochure.

It’s regrettable if this does not meet your expectations, but remember that you may always cancel your PSP and obtain a pro-rated refund if you are not satisfied with its coverage. To do so, simply speak with a customer service associate at your local Best Buy store.