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Asurion Sams Club Extended Service NEW Sams Club Extended Service Plan Is A Borderline Scam Internet
I purchased a laptop in August of 2011 from Sams Club and their extended service plan along with it. About a year later, the screen failed. I filed a claim with NEW who handled the requests and repairs, sent the laptop in for repair, and received it without any issue and less inconvenience than I had anticipated.
It worked flawlessly until October of 2013, I started to hear a light popping noise from inside the screen bezel with the computer opened. I put the laptop down in front of me and the bezel at the lower right corner separated, with small plastics falling out. Upon removing the front screen bezel, I saw the right side hinge had broken at its thinnest point where it attaches to the side of the screen. It's with mentioning that the hinge is all but frozen in place - it takes a lot of effort to move the hinge at all, and when it folds down, it snaps shut like a spring trap.
Again, I placed a service request online and was promptly informed by a representative that these types of issues were not covered. I made several calls to no avail, and decided to use the laptop as a desk model until I could fix it myself, which I later found out was more involved than I could possibly handle with my limited experience with computer hardware.
Fast forward to February of this year and the computer has been on a shelf for a couple months since buying a new computer for work, while I figure out what to do with this one. I get the gaming bug again and start using it on a desk to play a few games in the evening after work.
March 27th, the cooling fan fails. Again, here we go with a service request. At this point, I've had all I can take. I call their 1800 number when prompted and reach and ANGEL, who, after hearing my whole story (and informing her that I've read everything in the service plan coverage and the hinge failure should be covered) agrees with me and says all the failures fit within the service plan and they're sending me a box to pack my computer in and should be back to working condition in no time. YES. FINALLY.
I pack my bags and head out of town for a couple weeks and when I get back, so is my computer... with a letter claiming I did all the damage to the computer and they're not fixing it. No email explaining what is going on, no phone call that it is on its way back to me. Nothing. If I hadn't received it when I got back home, it could have been a week or more before I realized it was missing.
Not only that, but now my keyboard is 'bowed' and it won't even turn on!!!
I've been calling since last Thursday only to find out they're not willing to budge. They think the thermal wrap the wires under the screen are enclosed in is duct tape I put there for some reason I can't fathom, the hinge is again not covered under the service plan and they don't have a comment at all about why my keyboard isn't fitting in the case or why it won't turn on anymore.
I made recovery discs on the computer about 48 hours prior to sending it in, just in case there are any doubts.
Gabriella, whom I spoke to today, understands my frustrations and said if I had it fixed myself, it should be under $100 and they would be willing to reimburse me. If that's the case, why not just fix it? And why put me through the headache of trying to get them to send me a check afterwards? I know the parts are cheap but I want my service plan to remain intact, and this surely wouldn't happen if someone other than Asurion were to touch it. She also forwarded me to the dispute resolution center who apparently won't help you if the claim is closed. The repair center closed the claim before the computer was back in my posession, so what good is that?
And here I am, at a total loss with a completely unusable $1400 paperweight. As of right now, I'd tell anyone reading this to stay clear of sams extended service plans. They'll break your computer and leave you holding the bag!!!
At this point, I plan on calling and calling until I can at least get them to restore my laptop back to the condition it was in before I sent it in. A keyboard properly attached and powering on again. They damaged my property when I paid for them to be on my side and fix it. They owe me that much.
Thanks a lot, Asurion.
3 Updates & Rebuttals
David P
Kingwood,Texas,
Update 5/12/2014
#4Author of original report
Mon, May 12, 2014
Friday afternoon (5/9/2014) the box Asurion sent me to pack my Laptop in arrived. I dropped it off at UPS on Saturday. I will continue to update this as more unfolds.
David P
Kingwood,Texas,
Update 5/8/2014 Progress Sweet Progress
#4Author of original report
Thu, May 08, 2014
Claude from Asurion contacted me through private message on Facebook this morning and has re-evaluated my claim. His concerns are the same as mine: I sent them an operating laptop minus a broken hinge and a failing cooling fan, I received a laptop that was in worse condition than what I sent.
He has since processed a new claim on my behalf and they will be repairing the cooling fan, hinge, keyboard fitment and whatever issue is going on concerning why it won't turn on anymore.
The reason the laptop wasn't fixed in the first place is due to damaged plastics on the main body of the computer. I understand this whole heartedly but the plastics are fragile and this has been a computer used for work for the first two years of its life, on plane rides and automotive repair facilites. I'm glad we were able to work past that and address the *functional* issues plaguing this computer.
I'll keep this updated as further progress unfolds. Thank you, Claude!
David P
Kingwood,Texas,
Update: 5/7/2014
#4Author of original report
Wed, May 07, 2014
I left a message last night with Asurion on Facebook as I was trying to get their attention any way possible. They promptly got back with me at 8AM today and are in the process of helping me get things sorted out. I don't have anything in stone as of yet but I hope tomorrow they will have all the information they need and will be able to give me some definitive answers.