I bought an accessory for a personal electronic device, a Palm pilot. It was a 4-pack of spare styluses. i am always losing the stylus no matter how careful i am. So a 4-pack seemed like a good idea. i went to my local STAPLES (good people!) and looked over the products. This item from Belkin says on the packaging that number one, it is PALM COMPATIBLE and number two, COMES WITH A BELKIN LIFETIME WARRANTY. So I figure I cannot lose, right? Wrong!
It has been about two years since the purchase and one of the styluses just snaps in two as I was using it. So i call the Corporate office listed on the package which is located in my state, California. I finally speak to someone in technical support which is also product warranty. The girl tells me that they no longer stock the styluses because the product (namely Palm Pilots) are no longer made.
So of course, I say yeah but what about the "Lifetime" Warranty?? It has been about two years and you print "Lifetime" right on the packaging. She tells me that is their company that if the product is discontinued they no longer stock the item. And I say, well O.K. but I bought this thing partly because of the product confidence I had when reading about your guarantee for "Lifetime".
She says, sorry but there is nothing she can do for me. So I make a suggestion that if she can't make good on the warrantee then I will accept a rebate or at the very least some kind of coupons for discounts for future Belkin products. She says no. I told her that it is so foolish for her (representing her company) to not make it good to me in some manner because she is creating negative experience for a customer! This does not move her. I throw in that I am not done, that there is a cost to putting the words "Lifetime Warranty" on your product and then what I view as behaving in "bad faith" I further suggest the the Better Business Bureau, State Department of Consumer Affairs might frown on this practice. And my last shot is to make it crystal clear that I will complain to that agency and the first thing that they will ask me is if I have CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER DIRECTLY to seek a resolution to the matter and that I will tell them yes, i made contact but to no satisfaction.
I went back to Staplesto complain because they carry hundreds of Belkin items throughout the store. i told my story and let the facts show what scumbags those uncaring corporate cust. (DIS- )service persons really are. I was surprised to find so many complaints about Belkin. Mine is just one more.