Manufacturer Warranties and Protection Plans

[MartyR]

I saw that several other customers had similar if not the same experience I had, and I want this rectified.  I purchased two Blackberries in July of 2010.  At the time, I purchased the $9.99/month Black Tie Protection Program that covered anything from wear and tear to accidental damage.  It was stated to me that in the event that my phone had issues, it would be replaced on the spot with a new Blackberry.  I bought the plan because of the convenience it provided, until this evening it worked great.  Until now, I had two Blackberries on my plan swapped out on the spot with no hassle, no deductible...just like promised.

Today, Best Buy disappointed me.  I was having issues with dropped calls and the phone crashing, and I wanted to use my benefit again.  After waiting over an hour to be seen at the FAIR LAKES, VIRGINIA location, an associate at the Mobile booth told me that she knew exactly which plan I had, and that they are no longer issuing new phones on the spot.  If I wanted my problem solved, they would have to send the phone in to a repair center, and that I would be without my phone, and with a loaner for 6-7 weeks.  At this point, I would probably receive a refurbished phone.

This is unacceptable.  This is not what was stated to me when I purchased the phones, and has not been the policy any time I have gone to swap out a phone under warranty.  The manager of the store explained to me that the policy had changed (Nobody can tell me when it changed), and that in a tough economy corporations have to make changes.  Here is my problem: Best Buy chose to mislead me and not tell me that I was no longer receiving the same benefit I signed up for.  However, Best Buy has no problem charging my credit card every month for this service.  When I called the black tie warranty number (866-5487-0885), instead of helping me come to a reasonable solution, the lady wanted to keep offering to cancel my plan.  She had the gumption to tell me that I had to understand that it would be "really hard" to contact all the affected customers to update them on the change in policy.  Unbelievable.

Regardless of the policy, it is my opinion that Best Buy is committing fraud by false advertising. It doesn't matter if the policy states that the equipment can be replaced with refurbished equipment, because it was ADVERTISED that customers would receive a new phone on the spot.

I am a Premier Silver member because I spend too much money at Best Buy, including the purchase all phones for my family here.  I want my phone replaced with a new one.

Best Buy, how will you make this right for me, the customer?

[RealGeorgeW Valued Expert]

Per the terms of your BTP, it has always stated that it could be repaired first, only until a few months ago did they swap out phones instore. Now all phones go through the repair/exhcange process.

This was all in the plan that you agreed to upon purchasing the BTP.

[mrraloha]

I got scammed too. I'm sure at least several hundreds got scammed. Pretty soon you will get a bunch of forum spoofs that will tell you it's your fault and you should have read the term and conditions. I wrote to the CEO Brian Dunn over a week ago certified mail. I am still waiting for a response. Best Buy has serious issues they need to contend with. Most of us bought the Blackberry warranty through black tie because we were specifically told by Best Buy associates that we would get a BRAND NEW PHONE from the store ; if we had "ANY" problems with it. REALLY??? I'll keep the board posted when I get a response. I'm sure his secretary is inundated with work and complaints.

[Dorothy-BBY Community Supervisor]

Good afternoon MartyR -

Melissa, from our Communtiy Connector team, will be reaching out to you regarding your concern.  Thank you!

[Melissa-BBY Senior Social Media Specialist]

Hello MartyR,

Having issues with dropped calls and your phone crashing would be a very frustrating experience. On top of that though to find out that the service plan you had purchased, didn’t cover your phones as you had initially thought, would have been disappointing, even to me. I am very sorry to read that the changes in how Blackberry phones were handled under our Geek Squad Black Tie Protection (BTP) plans had taken you by surprise.

Per the Terms and Conditions of the BTP that should have been provided at the time of purchase, when an item fails that is covered by one of our BTPs, service is always to be the first option provided by our stores if it is available. Service can include repair or our Rapid Exchange process where your phone is sent to one of our service centers and a replacement phone is returned to the store typically within just a few days. Repairs typically will take about two weeks, though there are times when they may take longer. Regardless of the option, we do provide our loaner phone program, which provides our customers the use of a phone during their repair to make and receive calls. If service options are not available however, a new replacement phone should be provided in store.

Until April of this year, repair was typically the only option available for mobile phones under our BTP. As we were previously not authorized to provide repairs to Blackberry phones, a new replacement was generally, what was provided if a Blackberry were to fail. Now that service options are available for Blackberry phones, this option would only be provided if service could not be completed for some reason, or under our No Lemon policy. The No Lemon policy will provide a new phone if you have had three qualified repairs on your existing phone and a diagnosis has determined a fourth repair is necessary.

That being said, I did do some checking into the BTP you purchased, and I would like to discuss this further with you. I am sending you a private message to begin that discussion, which you can view by first verifying you are signed into our forum, and then clicking the envelope icon in the upper right corner of this page.

Sincerely,