Manufacturer Warranties and Protection Plans

[nenner1]

Hello... 

We are loyal Best Buy customers.  Even though our local store is much more inconvenient for us to drive to than just hit the discount stores, we always purchase our electronics at BB.

We have always been a big proponent of the extended warranties/service plans.  Issues until the past couple of times have been handled efficiently and to our saisfaction.

I bought an ipod 4G 40GB (actually my husband got it for me) for Christmas 2004.  He purchased the 3 -yr extendended warranty.  In March of 2006 (15 months later) the hard drive on the ipod failed and we brought it in for service for the first time.  At that time it was determined that Apple (presumably BB sends the ipods to Apple) was no longer servicing 4G ipods and at that time on that day right at the Geek Squad counter I was handed a brand new in the box from right off the shelf 5G Video ipod 60GB, which was the  current price equivalent of the model we had purchased 15 months before for $399.  I was so very pleased and excited at this!  At that time, on March 17, 2006 we purchased a new 3 year extended warranty and went happliy on our way. I was so suprised to just be handed a better model than what I had simply because it cost the same as the one we bought over a year earlier!

I was very satisfied with my new ipod and it worked very well for a while before needing service.  I swear on my kids lives I had to take it in sometime in spring or summer 2007 for service due to some kind of error message, but this became a point of contention later on and since no records were ever found I have to just chalk this one up to me not keeping the service records.  Lesson learned.  Fast forward to May 08, we brought it in for the click wheel not working.  At that time the click wheel and headphone jack were reapired.  In July 08 we got the sadface error and brought it in and the hard drive was replaced.  After this service I began having problems, minor issues that were annoying but that did not affect the working order of the ipod.  It would just say there was a drive error and try to get me to scan the hard drive of the ipod when I plugged it in, and often while the ipod was mounted to my computer synching it would randomly dismount or disconnect itself.  Annoying but since it worked fine while I was listening to it, I did not take it in for service. It was during this 7/08 service visit my husband was told by the GS person at the counter that one more major issue with it and it would be replaced under the no-lemon policy.  We didn't even KNOW about the no lemon policy until we were told at this visit. 

Then my battery stopped charging.  On January 31, 2009 we brought it in for service and mentioned the no lemon poilcy we were told about on our last service visit.  I also mentioned the hard drive scan error message and the random dismounting that had been occuring since the replacement of the hard drive.  When the GS agent looked in the computer they could not find any evidence of the ipod being serviced in 2007.  I was certain it had been in, as I had lost all of my music and at that time it was a big deal because I was manually updating my music off of I was told the only way they could investigate the missing serice nuimbers was though corporate.  Fine I said, go ahead and have corporate research it.  Meanwhile, I opted to have my unit repaired yet again. 

We were given an expected completion date of 2/17.  At 3 weeks, that was a little longer than normal for repair.  It is difficult for me to get on without my ipod since I work graveyard shift in a horribly repetitive job and having something to listen to really keeps me awake and going (especially since I have an infant at home that keeps me awake all day).   On Sat, 2/14 we went it to make a purchase and figured we'd check on it since it was due back in a couple of days.  I was told that corporate did not find any service orders other then the two we already had evidence of in 2008 so we would not be getting replacement under no lemon.  Well, fine was our response.  When they checked the repair status, they said that not only was the ipod not back yet, but that parts had been ordered (ordered...not even installed yet!) When we asked why the delay, we were told that the corporate inquiry takes about two weeks.  Well, I didn't realize that would hold up my service, I thought the repair would be going on simultaneously.  I guess it makes sense but I wish I had known. The agent maked sure to remind me that should anything go wrong with it again, next time it would be eligible for exchange under the no lemon policy.  We asked if they still do what they did last time, give you a new product  right there from the store and she said they did. 

We were called on Feb 19 that the ipod was ready for pickup and swung by the store to get it on 2/21, on our way out of town.  We were gone on vacation for a week and I did not take it out of the little plastic baggie until the day after we returned, Sun 3/1.

There was a sticker on it telling me to charge it for 6-8 hours before use.  I plugged it into the computer on Sunday.  It charged for about 4 hours while I was on the computer and then it was on the wall charger (AC adapter) overnight as that is my normal charging procedure on the weekend when I am off work.  Monday I tranferred over part of my library, and after about 2K songs the unit dismounted itself, as it had been doing before.  At that time I got busy doing other things and put it away.  When I used it that night, it worked well, although I noticed the battery drained MUCH quicker than it had in the past.  I used to get 2-3 nights of 6-8 hours of listening to audio, on this first night the battery drained to the red indicator after about 5 hours of use.  At that time I plugged it into the AC adapter at work.  After an hour it had not emerged from the red low battery indicator yet.  I switched wall plugs.  After another hour it was time for me to go home and whn I unplugged it, it still hadn't charged any.

At home I tried yet another wall plug, then my dock radio.  Nothing.  Finally I plugged it into my computer and nothing happened.  It wouldn't mount. THEN it really finally mounted it, I got an error message telling me it was corrupted.  Over the next three days I tried to determine if the problem was with my computer or cords (which it isn't since my husband has a 5G 30GB which is working and synching fine.)

So on Saturday we took it into the store.  Instead of getting exchanged then like I expected (and had been told), we were told it had to be sent in to be evaulated FIRST and THEN they would let us know if we would be approved to receive a replacement.  I let the agent know we had been told otherwise, but he said this is the procedure and it would be two more weeks.  At this point I was frustrated since something had obviously been repaired incorrectly last time, the battery was obviously defective and I had no idea what in the world was going on with the unit malfunctioning like it was with the corruption errors.  I had now been without my ipod since January (6 weeks) and felt like we were getting the runaround.  Then he mentioned that when approval does come back we would be able to  come in and get our product and he looked at mine and said that means you will actually get a better product than what you have now, you'll get an 80 GB model.  And I was very suprised at this, since the 80GB Classics never cost $399.  And the 80 GB model isn't even sold anymore, giving me the impression that I would be receiving a refurbished product which was definetly NOT OK with me.  I mentioned how last time I got a product that was cost equivalent of what I bought, not specs equivalent and he said this is not how it is done anymore, that I would get the closest product in capacity/features not cost.  I was very dissapointed, not only because this is what I expected would happen, but is what happened to me before.    The agent was very friendly but firm and because this is not how it was handled for me in the past, we asked to speak to a manager.

The store manager came and while he was friendly and patient and really listened to us, he did reiterate that policy was not to just give out whichever ipod costs $399.  He said that  probably should not have happened to me last time, although if that was the product available that was equivalent to mine at the time (which I guess it was) that might have been the only option.  Now the product that costs $399 is not equivalent to what I have. And you know what...that makes sense.  I understand where they are coming from.  Plus he said we could pay the difference (about $150) to upgrade to the $399 model from what we will be entitled to and that way we don't get stuck with a model we don't want, and I think that is just fine!) So we told the manager, you know what that's good, but we are STILL without our/any ipod after it obviously wasn't repaired correctly and this is the 4th (actually 5th) time.  He said all he could do was put in an escalation.  He took our information and called and talked to someone somewhere who said in 5-7 days we would have a decision (why there is a decision to be made I don't know since this is related to the last repair which qualified (i.e. was not software issue) I reiterated a couple of times "5-7 days" and "so a week, right?" before we left and the manager confirmed that it would take no longer than that with the escalation.

So during this past week I've been checking it's progress online.  It showed it was checked in and sent on Sat 3/7, which I was happy it didn't sit around the store for a day or two waiting to be shipped..but it did not arrive at the repair facility until 3/12.  I was suprised at this, since when I looked at my old repair history that time it was recieved in 2 days.  The escalation obviously didn't help in that regard.  So we called last night..day 6 of the 5-7.  The clerk looked it up and after holding for 20 minutes (really!) said he didn't see anything on his screen other than we saw when we looked it up online.  We mentioned we had an escalation and he said that is nothing he would see "on his side".

So, today is day 7 of the 5-7 days.  We're heading off to the store and I know we will be told that it isn't finished/no decision has been made regarding the no lemon/there is nothing further they can do.  Our extended warranty expires on 3/19 (don't know why the two extra days...leap year maybe?)

So basically my long winded question is do the escaltion do anything?  can we realistically epect this to take a few more weeks or is it possible something might be done?  Is there a better approach to take?  (Let me add that neither us nor the BB agent or manager were rude in any way.)  We're jsut frustrated and concerned that somehow this warranty isn't going to be upheld since it is so close to the end of it and even though this is still the January problem (only worse), and even though I've been without our ipod for weeks.

(I know not having an ipod sounds trivial but I really depend on mine to keep me alert )

Thanks for any advice you can give us!

[squirrel39]

No, the escalations mean nothing.  My lemon exchange was escalated at least 3 times and the only way I received results was from this forum and the moderators getting involved.  My service plan also happened to expire while I was "awaiting approval" but they go by the day you took it in so this instance would still be covered.  

Good luck

[nenner1]

Well, we went to the store, and of course...nothing.

They can't figure out why it still says only that the ipod was "recieved" and why nothing has been done with it yet.

Why am I not suprised....?

Going back again today.

[Harrumph]

Hi nenner1, I'm sorry to say that the "escallation" is just another step in the Best Buy run-around. 

I wish you luck.

[Elizabeth-BBY Community Supervisor]

Hi nenner1,

I've asked John, one of our Community Connectors, to offer his assistance toward resolution for you.  You should be hearing from him shortly.

Thanks for your continued patience,

[John-BBY Community Connector]

Hello nenner1,

There’s little more frustrating than having repeated repairs, especially for a product you use every day.  I use my iPod at work too; I find that the music I enjoy helps me keep my focus since an office environment can be very distracting.
 
I have some good news about your repair, but I’d like to address the good points you raise in your posting: 

Firstly, repair timeframes can vary.  Most are completed within 2-3 weeks, but some can go on longer depending on such variables as service order backlogs and parts availability.  In each circumstance, we do our best to complete your repairs as quickly as possible because we know you need your iPod!

Secondly, the terms of your Performance Service Plan (PSP) state that your replacement product will be of similar technology to the original, not to exceed the original purchase price.  Because of rapid changes in technology, pricing for many new products is considerably less today than when you made your purchase.  For iPods, this means that the 60 GB model of a few years ago would be replaced with a 120 GB iPod Classic.  Even though the selling price is currently less than you originally paid, you can see that it is a substantially upgraded product over your current iPod.

Thirdly, all product replacement authorizations are made by Best Buy® service centers or the in-home service department after a diagnosis.  Your PSP states that the need for a fourth repair must be determined by us, and that means the involvement of our service centers.  Again, we endeavor to complete our work as quickly as possible so that you’re without your iPod for the shortest possible time.

Lastly, what we refer to as an “escalation” is our means of bringing specific repair situations to the attention of our service centers.  We use this method to request expedited review or repair, to ask for an updated status, or to supply new information to the service center that may impact how they proceed.  The escalation is enforced once the product is received and routed to a technician.  In this case, your iPod was received by us on Saturday, 3/7.  UPS would pick up the shipment from the store on the following Monday and deliver it within the next few business days to our service center.  So, while five calendar days may have passed, the product was only in shipping for three or so.  Once acknowledged as received, the service center will act on any escalation requests received and resolve them as quickly as possible.

As I said, I have some good news for you, so please watch for a private message from me.  To check your forum inbox, please sign in with your user name and password and click the envelope icon in the upper right.

Thank you for taking the time to make us aware of your experience.

Sincerely,

[nenner1 · Accepted solution]

Well ... on this forum and escalation means something...all of a sudden, like magic my problem is solved.

Thank you John!  Thank you Best Buy for having this outlet for us to come to and get some action!!!

I am a happy customer!