Today, I detail my first experience with Best Buy’s Product Service Plan (PSP). My Westinghouse W3213 HDTV died on May 14th.
In this post, I’ll show you the details of the program, and how to properly fulfill a claim when your technology wears out.
Yes, this is only Part I. It has become so long, we’re going to break this up… just because it now spans multiple pages.
Lesson 1 of Best Buy PSP: Keep your paperwork, know your rights. Read your plan brochure and keep a copy. If you lose it (don’t), call Best Buy and have them mail you a new one. You don’t want to have to do this after having a problem.
When my TV died, I already knew that there were several ways to file a claim. You can call Best Buy, take it to the store, and do it online. Seeing as I knew that I would have to take the TV to the store for shipment anyways, I went to the store to file the claim.
The initial service was quick and professional. They tested the TV on-site (you do need to bring your power cord, a remote helps too). Geek Squad then wrote up an order, and the system printed out a receipt with an estimate of May 24th (10 days later) for the TV to be back to the store. Good so far.
The following Wednesday (a week later), I get a call from the repair center in Chino, CA. I was informed that they had to order a part, and that would delay repair of the TV to May 28. Shipping would then take another week. A letdown, but well within Best Buy’s authority.
May 28th came and went. No call from the repair center, and checking the status online yielded the same “on hold for parts” delay message. So, the next day (the 29th) I called the center.
Lesson 2 of Best Buy PSP: Stay on the repair center. Don’t let them forget about your repair. The squeaky wheel gets the oil. Also, write down the Caller ID of the repair center when they call you… getting their phone number is like pulling teeth. Best Buy wants you to use your local store as a liaison, which means you can’t put the tough questions to the repair center unless you demand to.
The repair center told me that the system was now quoting a part arrival date of June 12! At this point it became pretty clear to me what was happening; the system was just spitting out longer and longer estimate dates. I told the repair center this, and to my surprise, the person I was speaking with agreed. I was promised a call back, later in the day, from the technician after they touched base with the vendor (I had to suggest that though, but I was feeling good at this point).
I called at 9 AM. I called back at 4 PM (after no call back). The phone rang and rang. I called back after a few minutes, same result.
They were ignoring me. As I will prove in a second…
I called my local Best Buy store, and let Geek Squad know what was up. They told me they would call the repair center and call me back. I didn’t let them know I couldn’t get the repair center on the phone.
The local store called me back. They told me they got the same June 12 date. I clued them in… that was where I was at 9 AM. They told me the repair center didn’t say anything about calling the vendor.
5/30/2008: So, I asked them what to do next, as waiting five weeks for my TV to get back to me was unreasonable. The technician said she was going to file a Junk Out order. The corporate office then looks at the case, and decides if issuing a comparable replacement is warranted.
Lesson 3 of Best Buy PSP: Don’t take the wait. Anything beyond three week turnarounds is unreasonable unless they can clearly justify it. Following Lesson 2 of this guide is a big help in that regard.
Now, at this point, I’m worried. See, I bought my HDTV on Black Friday, paying only $489. I camped out for several hours to lock in that price. When I bought the PSP, I was assured (by both the sales representative, and in the writing of the PSP) that I would be promised a comparable replacement… not just a gift card for $489. I knew that $489 wouldn’t buy me a 32-inch HDTV for years to come (unless I waited X number of months for a Black Friday to roll around again).
Unfortunately, others in similar situations have been pushed into the gift card route (by store managers), and have had to eat the difference. I wasn’t going to go that route… I know I’m in the right. So, I printed out Westinghouse’s model, and Toshiba’s model one step up. To add to the confusion, my local Best Buy was sold out of the replacement Westinghouse… it happens to be on clearance nationwide.
Also, because I like being technical on these things… Best Buy has two service plans, and unfortunately, not everyone understands the difference between the two.
First, is the Best Buy PSP (Product Service Plan), which is what I have. The other is the Best Buy PRP (Product Replacement Plan), which is their other option.
The PSP is offered on pretty much everything. It promises a Comparable Replacement, if Best Buy can’t fix it (or, if you have to send it off to repair three or more times).
The PRP is offered on a few, low-cost gadgets; things like iPod and other music players. Essentially, if your machine dies out of warranty… they give you a gift card for the purchase price.
See how this can be confusing for a Best Buy manager? On the PSP, you get matched by specifications. On the PRP you get a gift card. Yeah, me neither.
In reality, I suspect some less-than-honest Best Buy managers take the better of the two, depending on their situation. That three year old laptop gets a comparable-specification unit. While if you have an HDTV that went up in price… they’re going to tell you to take the gift card.
6/2/2008: Monday rolls around, and I call the store. I get the same Geek Squad “agent” that helped me over the weekend. She says that nobody will respond to her escalations, and that all she can do is send the escalation off again. So, I have to sit for another day.
6/3/2008: Tuesday. Not a good day. I call the repair center, to try and shake some sense in them. After all, they have promised me two callbacks (they were supposed to call the vendor, and confirm the part actually exists). Plus, they owed the store at least two callbacks as well…
Phone rings forever. I call back and back and back until someone answers out of pure frustration.
The “techncial manager” panicked when I mentioned the words “junk out”. He insisted that it was impossible that someone would file a junk out order, as my TV is still being repaired. When I explained how many call backs the repair center had promised… he promised to call me back.
And, to my surprise, he did. Unfortunately, he admitted that he could not get to the bottom of it. Basically, he claimed the center was taking a “training day” and that he wouldn’t get to the bottom of it until tomorrow. I pressured him with the threat of the junk out, and he began to idlely bicker.
The real killer was when he asked if I was a Best Buy employee. Now I knew I was in neck deep in it. Worse, the guy didn’t understand English, and actually now thinks I am a Best Buy employee. Sigh.
So, on to the store. I’ve now given yet another 24 hours… this time to a new junk out order. The Geek Squad “Agent” that was helping me through all this wasn’t in today. The other agents said that they saw my other junk out request, and that it was stuck in a queue. They too, were shocked to hear it was pending since Friday. So, now they are telling me to call the corporate office (1-800-BEST-BUY). I cautioned the store, that I would probably have to call them right back, and the runaround would continue. They gave the verbal equivalent of a shrug, and the call was over.
So, on to 1-800-BEST-BUY. Another unpleasant experience. The Home Service for TVs department has no record of my Service Order. They aparrently have a differnent numbering scheme. Worse, they can’t locate my Junk Out orders. After much idle bickering, they tell me that there is a special Replacement Department that handles junk out orders.
And, I’m not allowed to have the number. I have to call the store, direct them to call 1-800-BEST-BUY, and then have them call the Replacement Department. Fun. It seems every time I reach one department, I’m told their not the one to fix it. Then, when I call the department they point me to, I’m told there’s some secret password I have to say to the first department to make progress.
Lesson 4 of Best Buy: Have some stress management skills. And, be persistent. They will hate you. Unfortunately, their system is so broken, you want them to be as frustrated at you as possible… if you want a resolution.
Because Best Buy is in Texas, I know the “replacement department” is closed. So, I will be calling back to the store tomorrow, and make them call to get the number, and then call the right department.
Will I ever buy a Best Buy PSP again? Only if the item is exclusive to Best Buy, and I feel it is warranted. I can’t definitively say no, as I bought it for a TV that died 18 months after purchase. I may switch to SquareTrade if conditions warrant however.
Work at Best Buy? Drop me a note with the Replacement Department’s phone number… I’ll be sure to share it with the world.
Christopher Price will return in: PSP Wars Episode IX: Best Buy Strikes Back… With More Runarounds!
Update: You can read the conclusion to the saga here.
This is just nuts. The only comparable experience with customer service I have is with Sprint. Took me 6 hours to renew my contract and get, more or less, what I wanted. But then, they somehow managed to remove all the discounts, extras, etc. from my plan (even stuff that was part of my grandfathered Vision plan). It took 3 months to get to the point where there’s only one billing error and I’m anxiously waiting for the new bill to figure out if that’s been fixed (6 months after my renewal!).
At least, the long holding times are now gone, the only foreign person I’ve spoken to was the Telesales guy, and CSRs don’t put up a fuss when they have to give credit for billing errors.
Now On: SquareTrade’s Blog…
http://blog.squaretrade.com/2008/06/a-bloggers-no-g.html
[...] I know I’ve pretty much beaten to death the worst-case scenario when it comes to Best Buy’s warranty extension plans; the PSP and PRP (see the linked article [...]
I need to make a payment for another year on my Epson Printer . I just got this notice in the mail and I know that snail mail won’t get there in time. Please Help
There is no insurance policy in the world that will give you more than what your product is worth. Had you not bought the service policy, you would be out $489.
Wade, I’m well aware of my intelligence on getting the service plan.
If you had actually read the article, you would note that I chose the PSP in this case, because I purchased the TV on Black Friday, when it was deeply discounted. The PSP (as opposed to the PRP) gives you a replacement based on specifications, and not the purchase price.
However, that’s no excuse for Best Buy consistently dropping the ball in my replacement.
And, had I not bought the TV for a discount on Black Friday, I would have gotten a SquareTrade Extended Warranty. They don’t measure their replacement time in weeks… they do it in days.
I am also having my own BB repair trouble. The pic on my tv went, so I called for warranty repair. I had to wait over 2 weeks for the service call. He comes…says the part is no longer available and he will have to get back to me. Two days later I called him ( caller ID number ) and he said his boss told him to come back and try to SOLDER the board to see if he can get it to work. Yikes. And BTW I need to call and make another appointment! So I call to make yet another appointment, this time for the rig job from HADES. Yes, you guessed it….another 2 weeeks. So by the time he gets here again I will have been without the tv for a month. Seems a little excessive to me. I sent an email to BB, and they emailed back how truely sorry they were for my experience and they would be forwarding my email up the chain …yeah right…..and if I call the 1-800-GEEKSQUAD number they would surely answer my question. WHAT? What question would that be exactly? So here I sit waiting for my service appointment and hoping the guy doesn’t solder together something that is SUPPOSED to stop working when the tv overheats and burn my house down. Swell.
Forgot to check the “notify me box” :)
I would call the TV manufacturer and ask them if it is safe to “solder” the repaired part.
Of course, this really is just BB dragging their feet to delay, in the hopes that the required parts will actually materialize. And, the longer they wait, the more the insurance claim payments get to roll over in their bank account… collecting interest. It sounds trivial on one repair, but 10,000 repairs delayed one month each… and it starts adding up to real money for BB.
Start following the guide I wrote above (and in Part II), and you should be okay.
I am going on 50 days with out my 42″ Insignia. Repair has been to the house three times.
They just left a message at work saying Oh we need the PSP number we cant find it. I would have thought after three trips to the house the dumb ass would have had it. What I have been doing is every Saturday I go to one or two different Best Buys and just walk around and if I see someone looking to buy I’ll walk up to them and say “don’t buy here” and then I tell them my story. I know for sure they have lost out on a Washe Dryer combo A Amana Refridgerator and probably three or four plasmas plus someone walked out after staring to fill out paper work for a surround sound install. I AM NOT DONE.
I’ve been asked not to return to one store all ready. The manager threatened to have me arrested the next time.I told him no problem free publicity for my problem. I hate these bastards, first time I went some place other than Sears and have hated it ever since.
I purchased a four yr. extended warranty on a Sony Bravia 1080p HDTV in Aug.07. Jan.09 the projection lamp went out; was replaced for free. Today is 10-12-09 and guess what. Lamp just went out again. Called to order a second lamp and was informed that under warranty the lamp would only be covered one time. The first lamp lasted 16 mos. and the second one has lasted 10mos. The cost of this lamp is $206 plus $15 shipping. So besides paying $350 for the extended warranty, we must pay over $200 yearly to see the screen. We are sorely disappointed in both Sony products and Best Buy business practices. If any of you have any advice on how to combat these deceptive practices please feel free to email us at the above address. Best luck to all of us; our Best Buy dealings are terminated.
We live on a fixed income; dont travel or go out; our entertainment is the television. We are seniors in our 80′s; sure dont need ANOTHER rip off.
Sadly, it seems like most extended warranties are rip offs. There is always something in there that gets them out of fixing it. I had a warranty purchased through Home Depot for a washer, which broke 11 times. It was a lemon if ever there was one. Unfortuately they said in order to qualify as a “lemon” the SAME part had to break 4 times. The 11th time the washer broke I called and was told they were no longer going ot honor the warranty, because it had been repaird so many times. Apparently there was fine print in there somewhere that stated they only had to repair it up and until it reached the purchase price of the item. Rip off. The worst part? They keep sending me letters asking me to pay to EXTEND my warranty. Yes. The one they refused to honor. Oh and these new TV’s are junk. The lamps don’t last. Bring back the old TV’s that lasted 20 years before breaking!!!
I had a similar case with a Toshiba laptop (stress, communication, run-around, etc). It had a couple of problems, sent it off to be fixed… it came back w/ one of the 2 problems fixed… and keys broken. Sent it back, it came back OK, but the nice shiny top was scratched to death. I had waited for over 5 weeks and it came back in such poor condition. I finally had some very upset phone calls w/ them (bc nobody tends to actually listen). I also complained about how far I had to drive to even get to a best buy (a few years ago). I finally got a comparable computer and a $20 giftcard. I got a nice sony vaio, but they based it on price rather than comps. But in laptop world and mine having been 2 years old, that was OK.
BUT NOW I’m in a mess with Best Buy bc a Geek Squad repairman came out to fix my dryer (which is stacked with my dryer), moved it all around, and didn’t reconnect my drain hose into the drain pipe. Didn’t know this. Next morning I had a flooded utility room. I had to tear up part of my floor. The quarter round has popped off the baseboard. After spending over $100 just to clean up the mess, I contacted Best Buy. I filed a complaint, but the guy just entered it in as a regular complaint about the worker, I called yesterday to get an up date (one week later) and the lady entered it in as an insurance claim. So I’m hoping “insurance claim” means, something really will get done. As in, they don’t have to send anyone out for bureaucratic reasons… just get a quote (I’m sure will be low) and give me the money and fix my floor! It’s a mess out there. I just really hope this doesn’t turn into my typical Best Buy experience! It’s already bad enough; I don’t need the lack of communication, ignorance, run-around, “transfer to so-and-so” BS….
And I’m glad others fight for what is right. You deserve a TV that is comparable not $489 gift card. It’s good to know about the differences in the PSP vs. PRP. Thanks.
There’s about zero chance that Best Buy’s insurance company will happily write you a check. Start documenting events and be prepared for when you have to sue in small claims court.
Well, I never said “happily.” I’ve documented everything, though. And I am in works with the Insurance Claims Adjustor. I gave her pictures of the room, some from the day of, receipts from the day of (cleaning supplies, fan, air purifier), and I am in the process of giving her the 2nd of 2 needed estimates. There is also a statement from myself and I will have to get a statement from a plumber. So after this week I will provide everything they have asked for. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy and that I’m not worried about how stressful it may get (it already is, I mean, my floor is terrible and it’s hard to do laundry out there) but I highly doubt that they deny every single claim that comes through. This is so legit and I have so much information, proof, whatever else… I have faith that something will be done by them to fix my floor.
“I highly doubt that they deny every single claim that comes through. ”
No, insurance companies will approve things when the employee is covered in water and you have a camera with photographs of their wrench through the pipes.
Just be prepared for a denial. I’ve seen even more clear-cut cases go to court, just because the company’s insurer was hoping the consumer would just fade away.
Well, we settled today and they are paying for everything in full. I can be pessimistic and worry a lot, but I’ve learned from this thread that I’m much more of an optimist than I thought.
Goodbye!
Toshiba laptops are much better than Acer laptops when it comes to longevitiy ‘
I would have to disagree with your comment on Toshiba laptops. I have had 2 Acers, that have been INDESTRUCTABLE, and a Toshiba that has been one problem after another. So for me, the opposite has been true.
Yeah I just got taken to the cleaners on the Best Buy service PSP. I have been waiting three weeks for repairs under the service plan only to be told later the service plan has expired. Then I was told there would be no costs to replace the bulb in the 42′ Flat Screen TV, due to the fact the under the service plan (now expired) there was one free bulb replacement allowed. Later Best Buy – Geek Squad (whoever) backed-out and claimed that this was not an option in the plan. So now I have to go find the old service plan look-up to verify the actual language. I still have a broken TV and the service provider actually hung-up on me during the most recent call. So get the word on on Best Buy extended warranty – Keep your warranty paperwork and it maybe better to purchase an extended warranty through some other supplier (I.E. Home & Auto ) which provided extended warranties for appliances.