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October 30, 2006
The worst buy!
About 18 months ago I bought a 50" Samsung DLP, HDTV at Best Buy - it was not cheap! Last month the "lamp" burnt out so I returned to the store.
BB - We don't sell the part.
me - Where can I get one?
BB - I don't know. Try the internet. Did you buy an extended warranty?
me - No
BB - Then we can't offer you any service (even if you pay for it).
me - What if I had bought an extended warranty? What happens after the term is up?
BB - I don't know.
Eventually I found a site for Samsung parts where I could buy the part. But it died 2 days after installation. I was able to find a service company by going to a competitor of Best Buy - not FutureShop. The competitor referred me to their service company. More recently, Best Buy tried to sell me a D-Link Media Center 320 to enable me to display photos on my TV. The trouble is, the unit they were trying to sell me doesn't work - at all - on HD TVs. Deal with these guys at your peril!
UPDATE: The lamp was replaced but died in 2 days. The lamp and the ballast were then replaced. (>$600 in parts and service.) The TV was again dead after about 2 weeks!
UPDATE 2: Because of this complaint, Best Buy sent me a form to fill out to get service. (Does the date of purchase really matter when you have no contract and expect to pay for service anyway?) The 3rd party service guy came and found that the lamp still worked. A plastic cover at the back is supposed to push a toggle back to indicate that the cover is on. I fixed that by padding it with about 10 layers of masking tape.
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October 19, 2006
Don't ever shop at Best Buy!
I bought a Frigidaire refrigerator in September of 2004. The shelves were poorly designed and never installed correctly, so I should have returned the refrigerator right then. But I didn't; I tried to make do. The middle shelf -- not the door shelf, but the main shelf -- kept falling down until a year ago, I gave up and took it out, leavning me with only a top shelf and the space on top of the fruit and vegetable bins. The meat bin also falls out unless you barely touch it. I complained to Best Buy twice, but they would do nothing because I did not have an extended warranty, even though the product was obviously a lemon. Today the top shelf broke off its poorly designed insertion plastic and all the liquids that one keeps on that shelf poured on my kitchen floor. I have not shelves now and Best Buy would not listen. One employee hung up on me. They won't let you speak to a store manager -- I finally spoke to a stand-in, who was as unknowledgable and rude as the other employees. And this after I have spent thousands of dollars at this store. Don't ever shop at Best Buy!
Store details:
Best Buy, Santa Rosa Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA
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August 29, 2006
No Lemon Policy
I buy all of my major electronics at Best Buy, including our first computer in 1995 because of the warranty/no lemon policy. However, I recently learned that the policy may not be worth the paper upon which it is written.
I bought my first digital camera from Best Buy in October 14, 2002 -- a Sony 707, which came highly reccomended by Consumer Reports as well as a professional photographer/friend.
We purchased the camer for $719.99 and the extended Best Buy product service plan for $99. In June 1, 2004, the camera gave an error message and had to go in for repair, which was covered under the warranty. On March 26, 2006, it malfunctioned again and went in for repairs (repair No. 2). On Aug. 15, 2006, the camera went it for its 3rd repair, and we requested an early "no lemon policy" replacement, b/c it was the 2nd repair in six months and we are just two months away from the conclusion of our extended warranty.
The camera came back on 8/24, and the problem remained, although the paperwork said that parts had been replaced in the lens. The camera continued to take blurry pictures over the next couple of days, and so I went to the Ellisville, MO Best Buy story today (where the camera was purchased). I expected them to honor the "no lemon policy" part of the warranty, which states that "If your product requires more than three repairs, Best Buy will provide for a replacement."
Unfortunately, Manager Eric Stephens told me that my first repair wasn't a "qualified" repair because they simply had to download some software to make the camera function properly. So, the fact that the camera wasn't working, had to go into the Best Buy Service Center and receive some kind of software download to make it work properly didn't qualify as a repair. In my book, the camera wasn't working, they fixed it and it did work -- that's a repair.
Anyway, I told Mr. Stephens that my warranty expires in mid-October, and I didn't want the camera repaired again, only to have it fail in November and then I'll be out of luck. He told me he couldn't honor the no lemon policy and that the camera would have to be sent off for another repair. He said I could request an additional extended warranty, and if BEst Buy agreed to that, he would be happy to sell it to me. How kind.
He gave me the 1-888-BESTBUY number to call and explain my dissatisfaction, and I requested to make the call from his store phone so that I had the "experts" available to answer any questions. I spent 40 minutes on the phone, first talking to Brandon, then to Micheal and then to John M, Michael's supervisor. They all told me the same basic thing -- that the service center technicians would have to make a diagnosis of a fourth "qualified" failure in order for me to get a replacement. So, they shipped off my camera today. I hope Best Buy monitors this site and decides to fix this problem for me, so that I can continue to purchase my electronics from them.
Company details:
Best Buy
Address: 15678 Manchester Road
Ellisville Missouri 63011
U.S.A.
Phone Number: 636-394-4440
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August 11, 2006
Service Agreement for Computer
I purchased a laptop computer and a service contract with Best Buy Alpharetta, GA last year for my son. On May 22 of 2006 we brought it in for simple service, the lid was not closing and was loose. They were to repair it within approximately 3-weeks. Our estimated completing date was June 26th. My son received a call to pick up the laptop around that date. He went and found that parts were missing! They now had to keep it again. On July 3rd he again went to pick it up only to find out that they had ordered the wrong parts and it would be another 3 weeks.
He is attending summer classes at University so we requested a loaner or replacement and they would not help out. We still do not have it back!
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