Manufacturer Warranties and Protection Plans

[ChrisFL]

I bought a 61" Samsung DLP in May 2006 with a Performance Service Plan.  In May 2007, the TV was regularly shutting off, and ultimately Samsung replaced the lamp and the main digital power circuit board under the manufacturer's one year warranty.  In October 2007, due to a shadowy image down the left edge of the screen, the light engine was replaced under the Best Buy PSP, and it was replaced again in January 2008.  Last month, the TV began shutting down intermittently again, and was only usable for a few hours a day.  The Geek Squad replaced the lamp and power circuit board again.  On the evening of the day the new parts were installed, the TV shut off again, and has done so a few times every day since.  While it's still a problem that needs to be fixed, it's much less frequent than before. 

That night I called the PSP number again and inquired about possible replacement and scheduled an inspection visit.  The technician apparently thought a replacement was warranted, and later that afternoon, we received a call from a Geek Squad team lead with a confirmation number for replacement at our local store--great news and quick service.  

When we visited the store today, I was unsure of what to expect.  While I didn't expect a full refund of the purchase price to put towards a new set, I thought it would be hard to find a comparable product to our Samsung TV.  Admittedly, ours was a bit of a pain, but the picture quality was outstanding.  I had done a lot of research before this purchase, and spent the extra money to be sure we were getting the best available picture and overall design.  Samsung no longer makes DLPs, though--in fact, the only manufacturer who does is Mitsubishi.  While Best Buy no longer carries these TVs in their stores, they are apparently available for order.  At the store, we were told that the closest comparable TV was a 65" Mitsubishi available in the warehouse.  While the gentleman we dealt with freely admitted that Samsung was a superior brand, he explained that this model was larger and had a better contrast ratio.  I understand that technically, it's a comparable TV, but under this logic, a 4-door Honda with a 250hp engine is comparable to a 2-door Lexus with 225hp.  There's nothing wrong with the Mitsubishi, but it's just not the same.  Our other option is a credit for the price of the Mitsubishi-- there are several Samsung models in that price range, but we would need to chip in at least $400 to get a 52" LCD.  I asked what would happen if they no longer carried DLP’s, and I was told that finding a comparable would be impossible, and they would likely have given me a credit for the original purchase price to put towards a new flat-panel, because that's what they did for folks with defective non-HD bigscreens a few years ago.

I wasn't all that enthused about either option, and asked if getting our Samsung repaired again was still a possibility.  Apparently, the TV has now been designated a lemon, and I was told that they wouldn't do any more repairs (it's understandable that Best Buy doesn't want to throw more wasted money into fixing a set that seems likely to need future repairs).  We left the store when I couldn't decide what to do, and I wanted to do some research on Mitsubishi TVs.  What I've read so far confirms my fears--the reviews say that it's a solid mid-range TV, good, but not great.  I also notice that the Mitsubishi DLPs are not available for online ordering in our zip code (or any of the other 4 or 5 zip codes I entered for our city).  I think that means that they're phasing DLPs out, and that once they sell the ones in the warehouse, Best Buy will be all flat panel, all the time.  Does that mean that if our TV had held out a few more weeks, we'd get a full refund?  

I think Best Buy has been very fair, and I received great service at the store today.  However, I purchased the top-of-the-line model from the best brand in the industry, and my current service options are a mid-range replacement from a brand I don't really trust, or a significantly smaller flat-panel which would require me to throw in several hundred dollars more.  Neither option excites me, and I don't know what to do (and apparently I have to decide in the next 4 days).

Any ideas?  And can any of the moderators let me know if there are more options of which I'm unaware?

Thanks,
Chris

[Lugubrious]

Just went through the same thing.  Mine was a 62" Toshiba DLP.  Luckily I had bought it on a great sale and it was the same price as the Mitsubishi 65" is today.  So, I got a refund of my full purchase price.  I think I spent an additional $1400+ to get the television I really wanted, a 58" Samsung (pn58b650).  

The Samsung was $2899, they price matched it down to $2499, gave me free shipping (I live outside the normal free shipping area), I purchased a new extended warranty, and they took off another $100 due to them taking so long to complete the purchase (took 3 seperate ppl to finally ring it up).

So if the tv you want is $400 more, try to find it cheaper someplace else and try to get a price match.

Good Luck! 

[ChrisFL]

Sounds like they did a nice job and made you happy--I'm optimistic I'll have a similar end-result. 

The difference between our situations is that I think they really did offer you a comparable set, you just wanted a better one, which is perfectly understandable. 

I rejected the Mitsubishi brand at the time of my initial purchase, and seeing as how their TV's are only available as special orders from the warehouse, most of Best Buy's other customers have done so, as well.  For them to tell me that these sets are comparable to my Samsung (which the Magnolia rep I dealt with on Saturday admitted was a top-of-the-line model, and our Geek Squad tech said was the best they sold) is simply inaccurate.

[Elizabeth-BBY Community Supervisor]

Hi ChrisFL,

I've asked Allan, one of our Geek Squad Community Connectors, to look into this and follow up with you.  You should hear from him within the next few business days at the most.

Thanks for posting!

[ChrisFL]

I know I'm still within the "few business days" in which I was to expect a response, but it was suggested to me in my local store that these replacement authorizations are typically available for a week, and today is the 7th day since it was issued.  I'm suspect that's not a huge issue, but I'd still like to resolve our situation as soon as possible.  Our TV has resumed shutting off much more regularly, and it becomes unusable after a few hours of viewing, and requires a little overnight rest.

[Allan-BBY Community Connector · Accepted solution]

Hi ChrisFL,

After all the repairs you have had on this TV I can understand not wanting a replacement TV that you feel is inferior to the one you had, and I’m sure the prospect of spending more money to get a TV that would make you satisfied is not what you envisioned when you were told your TV was approved for replacement.

When one of our stores processes your TV replacement they should offer you the same TV as a replacement if they still carry it, a comparable TV as determined by the store, of they should offer you store credit in the amount of what a comparable TV would cost today. Keep in mind that the purchase price of the comparable TV or the amount of the store credit cannot exceed the original purchase price.

I do know the main considerations that the store should make in determining what is comparable TV are the type of TV being replaced and screen size. If there are multiple TV’s that match the primary considerations they would then look at other aspects of the TV being replaced (i.e. contrast ratio, original brand, etc…).

It doesn’t sound like you have processed the replacement yet, and I do need to be clear that the authorization to replace your TV does not have a time limit on it; you can replace your TV at your leisure. I would like to see if there is something I can do to get you a replacement TV that would make you satisfied so I am sending you a private message. To check your messages you should make sure you are logged into the forum and then click on the letter icon in the upper right-hand corner of the page.

Thanks for posting,
Allan
Community Connector
Best Buy® Corporate

[ChrisFL]

Just a quick note on my problem's resolution...

After posting my concerns on this site last week, Allan suggested that a different DLP model (with a retail price $600 higher) was a more fitting comparable set, and contacted my local store's management with the proposal.  I quickly received a call from the Magnolia department manager, who told me of management's approval of the increased credit.  I went to the store yesterday and used the credit to purchase a 58" Samsung plasma (PN58B650), which will be delivered this week.  I also got the new premium service plan, which provides for loaner sets and expedited service, among other things, and included a nice little screen cleaning kit.  Best Buy did at least $2000 in repairs to the set before ultimately giving me a $2200 replacement credit, none of which would've happened without my initial $400 PSP purchase.  Odds are, my new set won't have a single issue, but if it does, I'm confident that I'll be taken care of. 

I hope everyone else here has the same experience I have--my recommendation is to keep a cool head, and be mindful of making unreasonable requests.  It's not merely an axiom that the squeaky wheel gets the grease, that doesn't mean the squeaking has to be belligerent.  You're much more likely to get what you want if you remain as polite as possible.

My thanks to Allan and Elizabeth here on the forums and Nate and Chris at the Waterford Lakes store in Orlando, Florida.