Manufacturer Warranties and Protection Plans

[Pastor_Ray]

On July 14, 2010, we purchased a new laptop from best buy that was on sale.  From day one, we were having problems and the only help we could get were commands over the phone that never worked.  Finally the laptop died.  We brought it back to Best Buy (Portsmouth Blvd, Chesapeake, VA).  After the GEEK declared the laptop had a serious hardware problem (Jeremy), he directed us to the computer department to find a equal to swap out.  We discovered that 'AFTER' we purchase the computer, this store discontinued the product.  Because the product is discontinued, we were told BESTBUY was not liable and could not swap it out.

Best Buys policy says we have a 30 day return policy.  Before I turn this over to our lawyers, can someone other than a GEEK explain to me why BESTBUY cannot make this Right?

Dell Inspiron Laptop / Intel® Core™ i5 Processor / 15.6" Display - Obsidian Black

Model: I1564-10520OBK | SKU: 1063227

Stunning graphics, a 15.6" high-definition display and a built-in webcam come together in this laptop so you can easily enjoy movies, play games and stay connected to friends and family.Windows 7 Home Premium preloaded Which Windows 7 edition is best for you? Compare.Learn more about Intel® processors. Information provided by Intel.

[CrystalWoW Community Veteran]

Laptop computers have a 14 day return policy so you would have had until July 28 to return it. Any exception to that is at store discretion. They can send it out for service to repair the hardware issue. If they were willing to swap it, were they willing to swap it for a different model?

[Pastor_Ray]

No, they were not willing to swap it. I would have been happy to do that even for a more pricy model. I realize they have a 14 day return policy but this unit is DEFECTIVE. According to their policy, they should honor a swap for 30 days. I'm not returning it because I don't like it, I'm returning it because "it does not work' ' it will not turn on' they even admitted it was defective hardware.

[CrystalWoW Community Veteran]

There is no difference in it being broken or not. There is simply a 14 day return policy, whether defective or not. After that, they can send it out for service under the manufacturer warranty. They just don't charge a restocking fee if it is defective and returned within 14 days. Here is the return policy: 

Return and Exchange Period

You can return or exchange purchases within the timeframes below.

• 14 days for computers, monitors, projectors, camcorders, digital cameras, and radar detectors
• 30 days for all other products
• 45 days for all products for Reward Zone Premier Silver members*

If the store was not willing to make an exception they will send it out and fix the hardware issue for you unless it is a part that can be replaced in store. 

[Pastor_Ray]

Interesting. We just purchased a $2500 flatscreen there and may have become "Reward Zone Premier Silver" Members. I remember my wife doing that.

Thanks

[CrystalWoW Community Veteran]

If it hasn't been awhile since you bought it, your status might not have changed over yet. A community connector will be online later today and may be able to shed some light on that. 

[Dorothy-BBY Community Supervisor]

Good afternoon -

Justin, from our Community Connector team, will be reaching out to you regarding your concern.  Thank you for your patience!

[Justin-BBY Community Connector]

Hello Pastor_Ray,

You're already having issues with your recent Dell laptop purchase?  Oh no!  I'm sorry to hear that you've had problems trying to return the unit to our Chesapeake, VA store location.  I would be glad to take the opportunity to provide clarification to any of your unanswered inquiries. 

There's not much more that I can add to what has already been posted by CrystalEmployee.  She did a fantastic job assisting you to this point, but I realize your position and I'm happy that you brought this to our attention. At this point, I would like to continue our conversation, so I'm sending you a private message.  You may check your private messages by ensuring you're logged into our forums, then selecting the letter icon in the upper right corner. 

Thanks for posting,