Manufacturer Warranties and Protection Plans

[Keriokeeee]

WOW mrpmpfan !

Do you still work for BB?  Because your attitude is exactly what is wrong with most of the Best Buys in my area.  (Virginia Beach, VA)  and my sister in Southern NJ says her boyfriend won't even drive into a Best Buy parking lot because the rudeness of the employees he has encountered.

My issue with Best Buy is not about the warranties or the "getting something for free" scam you seem to think we are after as customers, it is lack of respect.

No, the customer is not always right... but they should be treated as a CUSTOMER, as the person with the $$$ in their pocket without whom there would be no Best Buys.

I saw an employee say on another forum, that Best Buy can't act like their employees are expendable... well, they need to stop acting like there is an endless supply of customers and that they have no other competitors.

Simple basic "Do UNTO OTHERS" would be some great "coaching" for a LOT of Best Buy employees.  This to me is a direct reflection on the MANAGEMENT, not the underlings.  If they are trained properly, or coached on how to handle tuff situations, of course they are going to mess up.

It is the higher ups in Best Buy I have my real beef with.  And I don't make "Threats" even out of anger.  I have only stated what I have already done.  (BBB for example).

CC thought they were a forever company too... so did GM for goodness sake...

Be kind, it doesn't hurt, honest!

[Elizabeth-BBY Community Supervisor]

Hi fishhead,

Allan, one of our Community Connectors, will be following up with you soon regarding your post.  Thanks for your continued patience.

[Allan-BBY Community Connector]

Hi fishhead,

This repair sounds like a very frustrating experience and hopefully I can provide you with some information that should make it a little less frustrating. I did look into your repair and I found out the part was available, and it has been shipped to and received by the service center on 6/5/2009. The service center should have given you a call to schedule an appointment to install the lamp, but if they haven’t send me a private message with what days and times work best for your schedule and I would be more than happy to get you the soonest available appointment they have.

If for some reason this lamp was not available to order by us or the service center then your Performance Service Plan would replace your TV with a comparable unit. The only reason I mention this is because you had posted that you felt like we were trying to force you into purchasing a new TV, which I can assure you we would not ever try to do. If you want my personal assistance in this matter just send me a private message by logging into the forum, clicking on my icon, and then clicking on the send this user a private message link.

Thanks for posting,
Allan
Community Connector
Best Buy® Corporate

[GeraldRose]

In general I think it is more than a one sided problem.

I DO feel stores, (management especially) puts unjust pressure on sales people to push warranties and or accys. Management does this for a couple of reasons, 1.) they get that same pressure from their bosses, 2.) Management is bonuses on the store comps, margin percentage and other things. Obviously the management wants to make more money and keep their jobs so they filter that pressure downwards. The staff hears the pressure and if they aren't trained properly or don't land many service plans then they start to bend the truth or not explain the policies correctly. Most of the salespeople tend to be younger and this is just a job to them, so they don't care if the customer comes back with a problem because chances are they wont be there when the customer comes back.

I also think the management turns a blind eye because they see their numbers doing good and most managers have a "by any means necessary" mentality.

It's just a large trickle down effect, do I think Corporate openly endorses people lying to customers? No. But they also probably don't do enough to stop it either. Everyone wants to get paid.

Live by the saying "if it sounds to good to be true..It probably is" read everything before buying it, even though you don't expect to be lied to, still take the time. If you catch an associate in a lie, make a smart decision if this is the place you wish to shop or not.

[Bethany2010]

I have not had problems with the warranties themselves, however, BB obviously has a problem with their employees giving inaccurate information about what the warranties cover. For instance, I was told that my warranty would replace my ipod immediently with a brand new one if it broke, but it doesn't. BB is obviously aware of this problem, but doesn't seem to be trying very hard to fix it, norr do they honor what THEIR employees say.

[Bethany2010]

It's usually not the customer's fault that they think they will get a new product if their's breaks. If you go into my local store and ask an employee what the protection plan covers, and they'll tell you that it will replace it. I know, because I did it just to see what they'd say after I found out that I'd been misinformed.

[Nokia]

I hate to say it, but the consumer does share a small part of the blame. Caveat emptor. I always research everything before I buy it. Remember, you have 30 days to purchase the plan on most products, so you can ask for a brochure, take it home, read up, and decide later. Customers say this all the time and I'm not offended in the least.

[fishhead · Accepted solution]

Got my tv fixed!  I went instore to talk to an MOD, he was totally useless and a walked away from me.  Two customer service reps overheard the conversation and watched my amazement as the MOD walked away.  They took over, looked me up in the computer, asked a few questions, sent an inhouse email, my tv is fixed two days later.  Those two customer service reps were awesome and restored my confidence in BB, the MOD on the other hand...

[Keriokeeee]

From Bethany 2010  "I have not had problems with the warranties themselves, however, BB obviously has a problem with their employees giving inaccurate information about what the warranties cover. For instance, I was told that my warranty would replace my ipod immediently with a brand new one if it broke, but it doesn't. BB is obviously aware of this problem, but doesn't seem to be trying very hard to fix it, norr do they honor what THEIR employees say. "

AMEN!!!  She couldn't have said it any better!