Manufacturer Warranties and Protection Plans

[ngslzr]

I purchased a JVC television sometime ago for my parents as a gift! What a gift it has been, nothing but problems, the bulb has gone out four times!! Trust me the television does not work without a the projector, customer service told me that the bulb is disposable, that the televisions works, and therefore they will not replace the television!  I explained that this is the 4th time the bulb went out and per the warranty the television should be replaced!! They denied my request!  When i purchased the tv the salesperson said, "buy the warranty in case the bulb goes out, because the bulb is very expensive." Of course since i am not a tv expert i asked the salesperson what do you mean the bulb, and the salesperson went on to explain that the bulbs sometimes go out but that it was not common.  The salesperson went on saying, that the warranty would cover it, and if it happened more than 4 times the tv would just be replaced!!! So of course, as a longtime bestbuy customer, and a current one who just purchased washer, dryer, laptop, fridge, I said perfect I will take the warranty and the tv!!!  BIG MISTAKE!!!!! Now they wont replace the tv my warranty will be expiring and i will be left with a disposable television!!!  I paid over $2200.00 for the tv and warranty when all was said and done! Now customer service's answer is, "i aplogize that you were told that at the store but you were denied for replacement, your tv is like a lamp and the light bulb will continue to go out, and yes it can be quite expensive to fix."  Basically its my problem now and they want nothing to do with me!! Perhaps I should return all of the other items while i still can!  READ THE FINE PRINT - I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS CUSTOMER SERVICE, I CANNOT EVEN BELIEVE THEY CALL IT CUSTOMER SERVICE, THIS IS THE WORST EXPERIENCE I HAVE EVER HAD WITH ANY STORE!!!!  PEOPLE DON'T HAVE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO JUST THROW AWAY AND TO PAY FOR BULBS EVERY 6 TO 8 MONTHS!! IF THE BULB COST AS MUCH AS A LIGHTBULB ON A LAMP PERHAPS IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A GOOD COMPARISON, BUT THE BULB ON THE TV WILL COST ME ABOUT $600.00!!!! THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!!!

[Elizabeth-BBY Community Supervisor]

Dear ngslzr, 

Thanks for posting your concern on our Best Buy® Forum.  Your issue has been assigned to one of our Community Connectors for further review and response, and you should be hearing something within a maximum of 3-5 business days.  Please note that it may be sooner depending on the complexity of your issue and the current volume of posts.  Thanks for your continued patience as we work to assist all of the customers who have reached out to us on this forum.

[ngslzr]

Unfortunately, your customer service dept always says they will call within 3-5 days then they never call!  When I take the time to call customer service again they try to convince me that they called me when I know for a fact that I have never received a call!!  My PSP # 2455425885

[Allan-BBY Community Connector]

Hey ngslzr,

I’m sure having your bulb go out four times in the short time that you have owned the TV has been very upsetting, and I agree that if someone tells me that they will call me in a certain amount of time I expect them to call. It sounds like you purchased a Performance Service Plan (PSP) to provide extended coverage on your TV, and it is true that there are circumstances where a PSP would replace a product it covers. If a product covered by a PSP has had three qualifying repairs, and an authorized service technician determines that a fourth qualifying repair is needed the PSP should replace the product. The PSP should also replace a product it covers if the product is determined to be un-repairable, or if it is determined by us that the repair would not be cost effective. A qualifying repair for a TV is when a part other than a bulb is installed on the TV and due to that part installation an authorized service technician determines that the TV is functioning properly.

It sounds like you own a DLP TV, and if you have had four bulbs replaced already I would be worried that there is something else wrong with the TV that is causing the bulbs to go bad. I would have a technician look at the TV to determine if there is something wrong with the TV, which is causing the bulbs to go bad. The PSP should replace a bulb on a TV once during the life of the service plan, and after that the customer would be responsible to pay for any further bulbs. I would like to see if there is a resolution I can provide to you in this matter so I am sending you a private message, and to check your messages you should log into the forum and click on the letter icon in the upper right-hand corner of the page.

Thanks for posting,
Allan
Community Connector
Best Buy® Corporate

[ngslzr]

I WANT EVERYONE TO SEE HOW UNORGANIZED AND UNTRUSTWORTHY BEST BUY CUSTOMER SERVICE IS!!!  THEY CANNOT EVEN KEEP TRACK OF APPOINTMENTS OR HOW MANY SERVICES I HAVE HAD!!!  I HAVE 4 REPAIR RECEIPTS AT HOME AND SOMEHOW THE CUSTOMER SERVICE ONLY CAN FIND 2!! HOW IN THE WORLD CAN THE PROPERLY SERVICE A CUSTOMER PER THE WARRANTY AGREEMENT!!!!! 

HI ngslzr,

I called our TV repair department and they told me they show that we have replaced two bulbs on the TV, which confuses me since you said you have had four bulbs replaced. They also said that they had requested a diagnostic appointment be scheduled for 1/28/2009, but they weren’t seeing that the appointment was scheduled. They told me that the soonest available appointment was 1/29/2009 and they went ahead and scheduled you for that day, and they are also trying to find you a sooner appointment. I hate scheduling people for appointments when I don’t know what would be the best days and times for them. If you could send me a message with what days and times work best for you that would be great. I know this message has not been the news that would make you happy, but I promise I will do what I am able to do. I can also offer myself as an advocate in this repair and as your contact with Best Buy® so you don’t have to continue to explain your situation to other representatives of Best Buy®. If there is anything you want me to do just ask me, and I promise to do my absolute best to accommodate your wishes!

Thanks,
Allan
Community Connector
Best Buy® Corporate