Complaint Review: Best Buy

I purchased a laptop from Best Buy on April 15. I also purchased a RAM upgrade from 2 gig to 4 gigs. I ask if I am allowed to install it myself and was told it would void the warranty so I paid almost $40 for someone to do something I could've done. Later I am told that what he said was untrue and the RAM slots are "user accessible" slots and that I should feel free to mess with the RAM whenever I want.

June 2009 the hard drive died. I took it in and they ran a diagnostic, I asked if they would be able to load the Operating System on the new drive and was assured that it would be returned to me "in working order." They sent it away, put in a new hard drive, and sent it back. (When it arrived the power cord had been pulled so tight that the black insulation is now a lighter color very bad because this usually breaks the wires inside and makes it not work and increases fire hazard. I point this out, they don't care). It was at this point that a different Geek Squad representative informed me that, no, they could not install the Operating System unless I bought the disc and then they would charge me for the install. So waiting two-and-a-half weeks for my computer I have to wait another week-and-a-half for the dics to arrive and load the OS myself. (If they had told me I needed the discs I would have ordered them while my computer was away.) 4 weeks without a working computer.

The second time I brought it in was for a screeching noise my CD burner had made a couple of times right before it stopped burning CDs. The tech looked at it, burned a DVD, told me it was fine and gave it back. I took it home, it would still not burn CDs and it was at this point that I noticed the disc he burned was a DVD, not a CD (he sent it home with me).

Third trip, I take it back in for the CD burner and it is replaced. When I get the computer back it has a rattle and a distortion in the monitor that looks similar to when you hold a magnet to a tv -- also the case no longer fits together and there is a huge crack running down the side of it, I point these things out to them and the technician opens the computer (where I can't see what he's doing) and "fixes" the crack in the case by jamming it back together and removes the rattle by taking out a "random piece of metal" that he refuses to tell me what it is or where it came from. Great job guys, you're really strutting that stuff! At this point I ask about the lemon replacement because the glow on the screen is still present and this was the third time I brought it it. He said it needed to have "three repairs," before it would count and since the second time I brought it in they didn't fix anything so it didn't count but I already had 2 replacements so one more and it would be a "lemon."

Fourth trip, I already ran the diagnostics at home and learned I had a bad mother board. Because of the complaints I had previously (I also point out the glow on the monitor that was never fixed) this order is expedited (meaning they ship it a little faster) I take it in and the technician tells me it is the ram. So I tell him that I tried two other sticks of RAM and had the same problem. So he goes and takes out one stick of RAM and it boots fine, he puts that one back in and takes out the other and it no longer boots, he says it is the stick of RAM. I told him to take the "known good" stick and try it in the other slot to be sure, he does and the computer will not boot. He determines that it is the motherboard because of this and sends it for repair. I figure this is the 3rd part replacement and therefore next time I get a new computer.

Fifth trip, upon picking up my laptop I am told that it is the RAM and not the motherboard. So I inform this technician about the stick switching done before it was sent off and that it was determined in store to be a motherboard problem. He does the RAM switch thing and determines that it is the motherboard. It gets sent out again (this time they do not expedite it). The motherboard is replaced and it is returned to me after 2 months in the hands of Geek Squad and the people they send it to for hardware replacement. The manager informs me that the next problem I have with the computer will get the "lemon" replacement and this one doesn't count because it was sent off twice for the same problem. (They tell you verbally that it's "after the third repair" done they give you a new one. After the third repair they THEN told me that it's, "after the 3rd time they have to replace a part.") So, assured that the next time they will just hand me a brand new computer I take it home. I call Corporate Headquarters on the way home to be told that, "well, whatever the technician says is probably true." I point out that I've gotten several different stories from them and I want to know what is "true" because I feel like I'm getting jerked around until it becomes someone else's problem. Short run I am told that it is not their problem and I should feel free to talk to their legal department.

Sixth trip, I am told that, "No, one of your hardware replacements doesn't count," towards the lemon policy. I am not given a good reason why, some crap about having brought it into the store before for the same problem (though it was replaced once so shouldn't ONE of the instances count?!). ONE: harddrive, TWO: CD burner and case, THREE: motherboard. Not to mention I'm annoyed because the glow on the monitor is getting worse and my wireless card seems to be dropping the signal quite a lot; I had been using my husband's computer (also wireless and on the same network) to confirm this and his was not dropping signal while mine was. In fact, his was working perfectly. Repairing the connection and even going so far as to restart the whole computer did not fix this problem. Also, the battery no longer charges. After about a minute plugged in the computer says it is charged but lasts less than a minute once the cord is unplugged. The technician check this, plugged it in, tried to show me that it did say it was fully charged and saw no problem there. I told him to unplug it, it took 45 SECONDS before it flashed a warning and died. It dropped power so quickly that Windows did not have enough time to go to stand by and the warning was shown for only a fraction of a second. Technician runs an in-store diagnostics and tells me he thinks it is the motherboard because the BIOS says the battery is fine. It gets sent off for repairs.

Today, I pick up my computer (which has spent more time at Best Buy in the last 8 months than it has with me) to find that the slot for a removable/external wireless card has been busted up. The "plug" that sits in it to stop dust build up will not lock in place. I show the technician, who confirms it. Also, the power cord is once again pulled so tight when wrapped around itself that the insulation is very obviously discolored by the stretch I'm angry but have homework to do so I take it with me and tell him I will bring it back the next week. [in case you are wondering they replaced the: battery, keyboard (which was working fine), and, finally, the LCD panel (aka Monitor)]

I get home and set my computer back up on my desk. I bought a new printer while my computer was away and I set up the printer, I go to put the CD in to install the software to find that the CD drive has been physically broken IN ADDITION to the external card slot. Extremely angry now, I call the store and talk to the manager. The best he can do is tell me someone will call me tomorrow.

DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM BEST BUY! Their customer service is crap and they will use every ounce of balogne to get out of their end of the Warranty you purchase. If you DO purchase something (or already have and now regret it) take a tape recorder with you. I don't suggest hiding it from them, but maybe it will encourage them to start telling the truth and to quit jerking their customers around when they pay a couple hundred dollars for a service.