I gave Best Buy an extra $400 of my hard earned money because I was promised hassle free repairs and a hassle free replacement in case my TV was a lemon. That has not been my experience.
The last time a Geek Squad tech came to my home, I told him that I should qualify for a no lemon replacement. Had I not done so I am unsure he would have provided that information on his own. However, once I was approved for a replacement I thought my TV nightmare was over.
On April 8, 2010 I went to my local Best Buy #1018 in Glendora, CA to process my no lemon replacement. In the beginning I was given the wrong paperwork for a replacement LCD and I was taken straight to a "comparable" LCD TV by an employee named Drew. However, once I got my correct DLP paperwork I was sequestered at the home theater checkout while both Drew and another employee looked through the computer for a "comparable" TV.
The employee next to Drew got a blank sheet of paper and wrote down "720" and the aspect ratio. All the DLPs Best Buy carries are 1080. I also was confused why the aspect ratio would be the second most important factor in determining what a "comparable" TV is. As soon as I began to express how uncomfortable I was feeling I was told that the Store Manager had given me a $999.99 credit. At no point was I shown a "comparable" TV that was $999.99.
If they could not provide me with a DLP TV, they should have given me a credit for the original purchase price of my TV. The Store Manager was firm about the $999.99 and said he did not have the authority to give me anything over that. Nonetheless, the Store Manager told me that he would see what he could do. While he was gone one of the home theater employees told me that if I insisted on getting more than $999 they would get "written up". He also said that they were only required to give me a $500 credit but the Store Manager was doing me a "favor" by offering more. Discouraging customers from receiving the full benefits of their service plans is very disturbing.
The Store Manager came back and said that $999.99 was the best he could do. At this point I was convinced that I was being set up and I was desperate to go home and I literally felt sick after being there for two hours. All I wanted to do was go home with a TV that actually functioned properly. Again the Store Manager made it very clear that he only had the authority to give me $999.99
I did believe him at the time and I chose to apply the $999.99, toward a $1099.99 Panasonic TV. The Store Manager escorted us to the customer service desk where he informed an employee that our credit was $999.99. As the employee was processing the transaction for the new TV, Drew one of the home theater employees took over. I should have known something was not right when Drew began to process our sale at another register instead of the one me and my family were standing in front of. Drew also said that he was going to give us a $10 courtesy adjustment. When Drew handed me a receipt I believed that it contained the full transaction (credit,cash,tax, $10 adjustment) and it even got stamped at the front door. However, when I got home I realized that it only showed where the price of the Panasonic TV had been adjusted from $1099.99 to $1089.99.
Ever since, I have been requesting a copy of my 4/8 receipt that I had not received from Best Buy. I finally got it in the mail on May 17. I was very surprised when my receipt said that there had been a "merch credit" of $1089.99 and that the $142.25 I had paid on April 8th was (sales tax on $1089.99 plus CA recycle fee). I had always been under the impression that the $142.25 had gone to cover the difference between ($999.99 and $1089.99 plus sales tax on $89 plus CA recycle fee). Obviously, they switched my receipt so I wouldn't notice they had increased my credit after they had made me suffer for 2 hours. Why couldn't they just tell me they would cover my Panasonic? Why did I have to pay sales tax?
I have also noticed that the most "comparable" TV to my 42" Samsung DLP has gone from $1199.99 to $899.99 since my complaint a little over a month ago, what a coincidence. Regardless, of what the current price is now it does not change the fact that on April 8th, 2010 my credit should have been $1199.99 or $1349.99. And it doesn't excuse why any Best Buy employee would behave in a very dishonest manner.
I do not understand why Best Buy is giving their customers so much grief over these DLP TVs. When I purchased my 42" Samsung DLP and $400 service plan, I did so in good faith. I could have never predicted that Samsung would stop manufacturing DLP TVs. And obviously I never would have imagined my TV would be a lemon.
It is very unsettling that DLP TV owners are encountering obstacles.
It is obvious I didn't get my full credit. I don't know anyone in their right mind who would decline a $1199.99 or $1349.99 credit for either $999.99 or $1089.99.
I am requesting that my concerns be addressed by someone at Best Buy HQ who has the authority to provide a resolution.
DLP,LCD, and Plasma owners, please learn from my story and do not let yourself be fear mongered or threatened into accepting a low ball offer.
Allan-BBY
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