Manufacturer Warranties and Protection Plans

[vearroyo]

Well to start from the very beginning. I first purchased an Ipod Nano back in 2007 with a PSP which was giving me problems and I dealt with for almost a year. I finally brought it in to BB/GS and they replaced it on the spot. Which to say the least I was very happy with. So instead of getting another nano I paid the difference and got a 32G Ipod Touch and the sales person pretty much sold me the same way with a new PSP for it. Saying look how easy that went, if anything were ever to happen to your now 500 dollar purchase you can rest assured that it would go just as easy. So of course I spent the extra 60 bucks and bought the plan. 3yr Ipod PSP (6963663)

Fast forward now to a year later and my battery is dying pretty quickly. Definitely not the 20ish hours it is rated at for playing music. It lasts maybe 3 hours or so before going dead. So of course I say "hey I have a psp. Let me run it by to BB/GS and see if they will repair it, or replace the battery." So I go over on 07/06/09 to drop it off and see what my options are. The GeekSquad tech was fairly nice and tried to explain to me what needed to be done especially the part about it maybe being out for 4 weeks. Which made me very upset to say the least. He looks it over ( which he finds normal wear to the back of the ipod, those little scratches and a tiny nick on the corner). Writes up my service request and I agree to leave it since I would like to have it fixed. He also mentions that I might be eligible for a rapid replacement which got my hopes up. Then pretty quickly says nope your not. OK fine just send it out.

Well now 3 weeks have passed and they email me and phone me to tell me my order is ready, in the store and waiting for pickup on 07/24/09. I come in on 07/25/09 sadly to say excited that I was getting one of my toys back. I walk up to the counter and hey its the same GS tech that helped me send it out. He knows right away why I am there (I must of left an impression =)). Go's to the back, gets my Touch and looks up the case to see what was done. I saw the look on his face before he even said anything.... They sent it back unrepaired, with an excuse that there was water damage to the unit. Needless to say I get upset at this point cause he is giving me back my ipod with out being fixed and trying to push a bill on me for it. So straight off I tell him that I don't want it. Im not happy, there has to be a way to get it fixed under the plan since I paid for it and the unit has never... I mean never gotten wet.

We go back and forth for a good 15 - 20 minutes. I am trying to keep calm and I know this guy see's that I am so he says "well we can try to send it back out, but they will just send it back and said it was water damaged again. So basically it is your word against they techs". Which now I really am unhappy, I ask for a manager which comes after another 10 minutes and his big breakthrough is to waive the 32ish dollars they want to charge me for shipping and not doing anything to my ipod. I get from him the idea to call the 888BestBuy number to take it up with them. First I get normal customer care and they pretty much tell me "ah well we cannot do anything you need to call corporate" which I am transferred to. I get another young lady which now tells me pretty much the same thing. Your SOL. I cannot help you the techs word is pretty much law. "take it into apple and have them fix it. If they say its not water damage we will set up to reimburse you".

We are in the middle of a recession, I myself have been out for 5 months now and still continue to buy from major retailers, BB included. I cannot believe that this is what the PSP is coming to making the costumer feel like a liar, there is no visual water damage to the unit. Just your word that you even looked at it. And you want me to lay out the cash to fix it on my own and wait for you to reimburse me. I will think twice next time before making a purchase thanks for this very non helpful moment. You have left a sour taste in my mouth after so long of having a good relationship as a local retailer.

After all the other horror stories I have heard about the same situations I don't know why people keep on purchasing these PSP that are often not honored. That is the fastest 60+ dollars you guys make.

Regards,

Victor.

[Adamtech Emerging Expert]

Hi there and welcome to the Community!

I apologize for the issues you are having getting your ipod repaired. One of our Geek Squad Community Connectors should be getting in contact with you this week to see if we can help. You should get an email when they reply to this post.

[Elizabeth-BBY Community Supervisor]

Hi vearroyo,

I've asked Melissa, one of our Community Specialists, to look into this and follow up with you.  You should hear from her within the next few business days at the most.

Thanks for posting,

[Melissa-BBY Senior Social Media Specialist]

Hello vearroyo,

This is a very difficult situation. I am sorry to hear that your iPod Touch started failing and was ultimately unable to be repaired due to liquid damage. I know hearing news like this would upset me greatly as well.

Regrettably, neither Apple’s warranty nor the Performance Service Plan (PSP) you purchased will cover accidental damages, such as liquid spills, to your iPod touch. As our service center Geek Squad® Agents have both physical access to your iPod and product expertise, we do have to rely on their findings. I realize the outside may not indicate liquid damage, but when it is taken apart, there would need to be evidence of this for them to provide the diagnosis they did.

I do see you spoke with Rachel in our offices who provided some options to get a second opinion regarding your iPod Touch. The best recommendation would be to contact Apple directly by calling 800-275-2273. If they determine that the failure was not caused by liquid damage, you are welcome to submit for a reimbursement for any repairs covered by the PSP.

I want to thank you for sharing your story with us. If you have any additional questions, please send me a private message. To do so, simply click on my user name Melissa-BBY, and then click “Send this user a private message” on the right side.

Melissa
Community Specialist
Best Buy® Corporate