Getting screwed with a warranty at BB.

[FriskyTanuki]

Let me just start this by saying that I've never really had a bad experience at BB for as long as I've been there, but this was just a horrible time-draining experience and I hope there's some light at the end of the tunnel.

The whole problem started when my PS2 came out broken from my luggage, where everything inside was bubble-wrapped, with a non-functioning disc drive. I was pissed about this since I have a HDD and used it regularly, so I'd have to get a PStwo because of it. The drive door had dents all over it that weren't there before and the door would almost come off. I could hear the drive motor running, but the drive would not come out at all.

http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/1184/ps2dents2vg.th.jpg (http://img209.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ps2dents2vg.jpg) http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/5653/notgood7rk.th.jpg (http://img209.imageshack.us/my.php?image=notgood7rk.jpg)

Luckily I had the warranty I got as the result of another exchange I did in July of 2004, but I guess I should've taken the bad signs I recall about the exchange and not done it. First thing is that I knew the girl who was doing the exchange and she was just hired weeks before. The second thing was that she wasn't communicating with me about what she was doing, ie. not checking her work. I know I should've probably been reading that warranty through and through, but I was moving in a few weeks and I had bigger fish to fry at the time. She's a smart girl, so I figured she could do simple math.

When I got to BB on Friday night, I head straight to the CS counter and hand the girl there the PS2 and explain the problem and that I'd like to exchange it for a new PStwo under the warranty. She pulls the PS2 out and has the Geek Squad check it out and they came to the conclusion that I was right that it didn't work and we proceeded on with the exchange. She packed everythin up and tried to do the whole process of scanning the PS2, the new PStwo to be exchanged, and the warranty and there came about a problem. They couldn't get approval for the exchange from BB Corp. Why? Apparently, the previous girl sold me a warranty for the $100 - $149.99 price range for a PS2 that cost $179.99. This essentially made the warranty worthless and a waste of my money.

So upon letting me know that there was a problem, she called her manager over and they're discussing all of the options. First in front of me for a few minutes, and then upon remembering that I can hear them, they moved to a counter in the back of the CS dept. I wait and wait for what seems like 15-20 minutes and she comes back and tells me all about the wrong price range warranty and that they can't get approval to go ahead with the warranty exchange and that they're discussing our options. The manager goes somewhere, I'm guessing to get opinions, and comes back and him and the girl go back to the counter to discuss some more. Another 10-15 minutes go by and she comes back to me to tell me of the options I had. She said there were two options, a "no receipt return" I think it was called, which meant that I get the PStwo in exchange for the PS2, but I had to pay for the new warranty ($19.99), or I left with my PS2 and called the number on the warranty to get a voucher from BB Corp. and then buy my PS2 + warranty as I please.

Now this was a tough decision, but I'm a little impatient and a little hesitant at the thought of involving the USPS or any mailing service in this issue so I chose the no receipt option and paid for the new warranty. The cool and really helpful thing is that she writes the 1-888-BEST-BUY number on my new warranty and tells me to call that number to get my money back for the other warranty because this was a mistake on their end and I should get my money back and said I'd need the old warranty as well to get it back. I wouldn't have even thought of this if she hadn't mentioned it, so I thanked her and left with my new PStwo, warranty and a grudge to get my money back for getting screwed over this warranty.

So since it's late by the time I get back, I'd wait until tomorrow to call them up to get my money back. I called Saturday afternoon and it takes me a while to even figure out how to get to the right section of their menu for this problem. I get to a human, the correct one, and I try to explain the situation the best I can and say that the warranty I purchased failed in it's sole purpose and that they need to refund my money because it was wasted money that they messed up. She's asking me if I was still able to exchange, which I was still able to, and then said that because I was still able to get it exchanged, that the warranty did it's job. At this point I was pissed that she completely missed the point here and I got to the point where I'd just end up getting nowhere so she just logs the complaint and says she can't reimburse anything. The warranty that I was told I'd need for this never came up in the conversation and overall I'd have to say she that pleasant to talk to or very understanding of the problem.

I knew in my head what I'd have to say, but I just never got to the point that I could say it. So is there any advice you guys have on how to put this situation into words so that I can tell these people that I was screwed and that they need to own up to their mistakes and give me my money back? I'm thinking about just sending an e-mail to BB Corp. about this instead of calling since I suck at these kinds of things. If I call again, I'll probably hold off until tomorrow since I have no idea how late their open on the weekend and I've got to get stuff ready here for the new semester tomorrow.

I would appreciate actual help rather than flaming, but if you feel you have to flame, then go ahead, I guess.

[brainstorm]

How much was the original warranty that you paid for?

[FriskyTanuki]

How much was the original warranty that you paid for?
The one I should've gotten at BB originally was $29.99, though I was under the impression at the time that it was $19.99 at the time.

[AlanSaysYo]

The whole problem started when my PS2 came out broken from my luggage, where everything inside was bubble-wrapped, with a non-functioning disc drive. I was pissed about this since I have a HDD and used it regularly, so I'd have to get a PStwo because of it. The drive door had dents all over it that weren't there before and the door would almost come off. I could hear the drive motor running, but the drive would not come out at all.


So let me get this straight... your negligence led to the PS2 breaking, and then you got it replaced under a warranty that according to Best Buy only applies if the "product is found defective under normal usage," and now you're complaining that you had to pay $40? You should have had to pay $150 for a new PS2.

You got away with one. I'd leave it at that.

[CaoPi]

sucks you dont get what you want at bb!

[rodeojones903]

I didnt think that the warranty would just roll over with the exchange. Thats basically like getting the system under warranty for free, forever. Its normal to me to have to buy a new warranty on the new system, atleast thats how it works at EB and most other places.

[3QGojo]

I think that they should allow you to pay the difference between the warranty you bought and the one that you should've bought since it was THEIR FAULT and THEY MADE THE MISTAKE of selling you the wrong warranty...

So umm $29.99-$19.99 = $10.00 and you get the NEW PS2. Any sane company would be able to do this (i.e. a company like Staples would since they bend over backwards for their customers).

[FriskyTanuki]

So let me get this straight... your negligence led to the PS2 breaking, and then you got it replaced under a warranty that according to Best Buy only applies if the "product is found defective under normal usage," and now you're complaining that you had to pay $40? You should have had to pay $150 for a new PS2.

You got away with one. I'd leave it at that.
Negligence? In bubbling everything in my luggage so it wouldn't break? And it applies to when a product is "found to be defective." It was pretty defective when I tried to use it. Where's the $40 coming from? It was only $20.

I didnt think that the warranty would just roll over with the exchange. Thats basically like getting the system under warranty for free, forever. Its normal to me to have to buy a new warranty on the new system, atleast thats how it works at EB and most other places.
The warranty is expired once you use it, but the price difference between the two items allows for a new warranty with that left-over "credit." That's how the woman on the phone and the one in-store said it works there and that's how it's worked before. If it was the same price, I'd have paid for it since that's how it would work.

[Demontooth]

So let me get this straight... your negligence led to the PS2 breaking, and then you got it replaced under a warranty that according to Best Buy only applies if the "product is found defective under normal usage," and now you're complaining that you had to pay $40? You should have had to pay $150 for a new PS2.

You got away with one. I'd leave it at that.

My buddy bought a Sprint phone at Best Buy, the guy he bought it from sold him the warranty and told him that when the warranty time was almost up, hit the phone with a hammer and bring it in for a replacement.

[Johnny Postman]

So let me get this straight... your negligence led to the PS2 breaking, and then you got it replaced under a warranty that according to Best Buy only applies if the "product is found defective under normal usage," and now you're complaining that you had to pay $40? You should have had to pay $150 for a new PS2.

You got away with one. I'd leave it at that.

- I'd have to agree that you got over on this deal.

While my standard view is that BB is the Devil, in this case if it's anyone's fault, it's yours and/or the airline (more yours since you somehow thought some bubble wrap would protect the system from being dropped/tossed several times and having a few hundred pounds of other luggage stacked on top of it - this was a checked bag, right?)

Consider yourself lucky - you traded a busted PS2 and $20 for one that's brand new.

Suck it up and move on.

[freestyledust77]

I have worked in retail electronics for 5+ years, and no warr. I have ever sold covers well this is what happend after I took it out of my luggage. From now on, if you buy an extended warr. and they tell you it covers this and that, please look at the fine print (which they are supposed to give to you as a requirment of the law). Most warr. cover normal use, mfg. defects, and sometimes interchangeable parts (i.e. bulbs in lcd/dlp tv's). But sometimes if you read the fine print it will also say if you do not properly maintain it (i.e. living in west tx and not cleaning your optical drive, and it burns out it will not be covered, or i love this one, i do not know why my computer overheated, and you open it and it is filled w/ cat hair), so read the print, you can also find out the terms and conditions online as well!

[DuelLadyS]

I'd suck it up on this one. Unless you had like 3 inches of bubble wrap on that thing or put it in a carry-on, I think 'it broke in my luggage' exceeds the reasonable use rule. Congrats on having such nice Best Buy employees.

Have you considered complaining to the airline, out of curiosity? I mean, they broke you system.

I remember shipping my PS2 out of repairs... I put 2 layers of bubble wrap on it, put it in a box 4 inches taller and 6 inches wider than the system, and used a whole bag of styrofoam peanuts to fill in around it. Cost me $17 dollars to ship with $200 worth of insurance.

You don't cut corners on your tech toys, dude. You just don't.

[AlanSaysYo]

Negligence? In bubbling everything in my luggage so it wouldn't break? And it applies to when a product is "found to be defective." It was pretty defective when I tried to use it. Where's the $40 coming from? It was only $20.

$20 for the warranty then + the $20 you paid for the warranty when you got it replaced = $40.

And a defect is something that fails prematurely as a fault of the manufacturer, not because you put it in a suitcase and some hulk tossed it around at the airport. You said "the drive door had dents all over it that weren't there before and the door would almost come off." PS2's don't spontaneously dent themselves, and it wouldn't have dented just sitting on a shelf under normal use.

I'm not really sure why you think Sony or Best Buy should be liable for you putting your PS2 in a position to get squashed. That's like putting a scoop of ice cream on top of it and calling it defective because the ice cream melted inside. Stuff breaks when you don't handle it properly.

[judyjudyjudy]

This is what I'm getting from reading the last part of your post... You called the customer service line to get a refund on the first warranty you received, since it was for the wrong amount and BB let you buy another warranty after the fact to have the correct coverage. However, the customer service representative never fully understood that there were two different warranties, and she thought that the original warranty you bought did its job, since you eventually got a replacement, so you weren't eligible for a refund. It sounds like you just didn't really tell her your problem in the first place (unless I misread your post). So why not call customer service again and clearly explain the entire problem? I'm not sure if emailing would help elucidate things; you would have a better chance clearing up misinterpretations of your statements over the phone.

[paz9x]

$20 for the warranty then + the $20 you paid for the warranty when you got it replaced = $40.

And a defect is something that fails prematurely as a fault of the manufacturer, not because you put it in a suitcase and some hulk tossed it around at the airport. You said "the drive door had dents all over it that weren't there before and the door would almost come off." PS2's don't spontaneously dent themselves, and it wouldn't have dented just sitting on a shelf under normal use.

I'm not really sure why you think Sony or Best Buy should be liable for you putting your PS2 in a position to get squashed. That's like putting a scoop of ice cream on top of it and calling it defective because the ice cream melted inside. Stuff breaks when you don't handle it properly.
blah blah blah. consider it going on my tab. ive purchased THREE fuckin ps2s all had dre's the first two in the first 18 months of release only one of which shitbag sony replaced, so fuckem. and the one they replaced it broke 13 months after i got it, and guess what they wont replace it.
so go fuck yourself with the high and mighty shit.

[FriskyTanuki]

This is what I'm getting from reading the last part of your post... You called the customer service line to get a refund on the first warranty you received, since it was for the wrong amount and BB let you buy another warranty after the fact to have the correct coverage. However, the customer service representative never fully understood that there were two different warranties, and she thought that the original warranty you bought did its job, since you eventually got a replacement, so you weren't eligible for a refund. It sounds like you just didn't really tell her your problem in the first place (unless I misread your post). So why not call customer service again and clearly explain the entire problem? I'm not sure if emailing would help elucidate things; you would have a better chance clearing up misinterpretations of your statements over the phone.
She understood that there were two warranties. She just didn't to grasp that the exchange didn't happen under the warranty since they couldn't get approval for it, but told me that since an exchange happened that the warranty did it's job. To a certain degree it's true, but when they can't get approval for the exchange with the warranty, it's not doing it's job.

I'll probably give them a call tomorrow and if they don't budge, I'll give up. Thanks for the advice.

I'd suck it up on this one. Unless you had like 3 inches of bubble wrap on that thing or put it in a carry-on, I think 'it broke in my luggage' exceeds the reasonable use rule. Congrats on having such nice Best Buy employees.

Have you considered complaining to the airline, out of curiosity? I mean, they broke you system.

You don't cut corners on your tech toys, dude. You just don't.
The thing is that I don't have the space to be carrying the PS2 on board and I have to put it in my luggage, usually with less coverage than I had on the thing this time. As for the airline, Delta has policies to cover their asses on broken objects in luggage so that went the window as soon as I thought of it. Luckily this thing is small enough that I can just shove it in backpack easily from now on.

[Kapwanil]

While my standard view is that BB is the Devil, in this case if it's anyone's fault, it's yours and/or the airline (more yours since you somehow thought some bubble wrap would protect the system from being dropped/tossed several times and having a few hundred pounds of other luggage stacked on top of it - this was a checked bag, right?)

I had way too many experiences as of late where my flights ended up being delayed. The slight "bonus" was that I got better looks at watching baggage handlers do what they do. Honestly, after viewing what they go through with my bags as well as others, I highly advise against putting anything of any above-average or moderate value in your checked luggage save for clothing, books, and other unbreakable/unimportant things.

I've seen my bags chucked two feet onto the conveyor, I've seen my bag pulled off the topmost shelf of a cart and tossed onto concrete, and I've seen a few bags either miss conveyors or get a bit caught in moving mechanisms. Suffice to say...tech items usually come out far worse for the wear, no matter what the protection. I've had hardcover books come out dented, despite a good 8 inches of clothing serving as padding all around.

Personally, I keep my clarinets with me on my carry-on no matter what, regardless if there ends up being any more room in the overhead compartments. God only knows what would happen otherwise. I find that a decently-large carry on that can carry most of your stuff (usually best for short to moderate trips), combined with a small tote for extra junk (I used one on a flight not more than 12 hours ago for a digital camera, a docking bay, two books, an iPod and headphones) that you can easily place under the chair in front of you and be done with it. It's a giant pain each and every time since I end up having to bring an extra bag or two, but the peace of mind makes a world of difference. The last thing I need is to fight an airline over $3,500 worth of damages while I'm out my major in grad school.

[gaelan]

If it was a BB product replacement plan ($20 for the one on my xbox), then you should call the 800 number to do the return. they send you a shipping label, you send, and they send you a BB check for the original purchase amount no questions asked. You are supposed to take it to the store and repurchase the same item, but in reality the check is store credit so its yours to spend.

If you take it to the store to do this process, the YMMV due to the Geek Sqad and their incessant product inspections upon return.

[psiufoxx2]

Tanuki, you got lucky. IMHO I'm surprised you were not charged $180 for another PS2 for negligence. I don't mean to be offensive but what you did constitutes abuse of your old system. Anything that the system does itself, read errors, laser failures, power source malfunctions, are covered by most warranties - including Sony's own. Anything past that including wear and tear, drop damage, spillage, etc, are clearly outside the realm of coverage.

Even if you don't get your $20 back from the original warranty, consider yourself $160 ahead.