Best Buy ripoff, poor customer service, inept warranty services Wilmington Delaware
Purchased a three year extended warranty on a Sony Vaio laptop computer (computer cost $2,400, warranty cost $250.) Computer required servicing within the first year; sent it back to Sony (free of charge). Sony fixed it and returned it in THREE DAYS (five days including shipping.)
However, computer again requires servicing a year later. Given we'd paid TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS for a warranty, I took it back to Best Buy at 4737 Concord Pike, Wilmington, DE 19803 (Phone: (302) 477-0305). They took the computer, then informed me that it would take SIX WEEKS to complete the repair.
I explained that the computer was the only one in our home. I am a writer and my husband is a lawyer; we need our computer. They informed me there was "nothing they could do". So, I called the Corporate Office to complain. I find it patently ridiculous that one can spend two hundred and fifty dollars on an extended warranty and expect no better service than that. The corporate office told me they "were sorry", but there is nothing they can do.
WARNING: DO NOT buy an extended warranty from Best Buy; it is a complete rip off. They provide service as it suits them, NOT as it suits the customer. We would have been better off NOT buying the warranty and paying Sony to fix the computer, and we would have it back in a much more timely fashion.
Nancy
Wilmington, Delaware
U.S.A.
3 Updates & Rebuttals
John
Chugiak,Alaska,
U.S.A.
Not all parts can be kept on hand for repairs
#4UPDATE Employee
Sun, October 24, 2004
Depending on the issue, it could be a problem that requires being sent off, no matter who is offering service.
Larger repairs (IE: a new laptop screen) can't be repaired by 99% of on site techs unless they are coming straight from the manufacturer, and they dont offer on site assistance from what i know.
Not to mention, many on site repair offers are simply a guy that comes, tells you whats wrong, and unless it's a simple problem, tells you he will have to take it with him and it will be xx days/weeks until you get it back.
While i understand the inconvienience, there's no real solution to this on our end, except for offering a whole new laptop, which A: isnt economically feasible, and B: You lose your data that was stored on it
Cory
San Antonio,Texas,
U.S.A.
What Is Reasonable
#4Consumer Suggestion
Sat, October 23, 2004
What this discussion boils down to is what is a resonable amount of time to wait for our computers to be repaired. I was in same identical situation as the poster was, except I use my computer in my business everyday. Nowhere was I told or notified that it might take 4 to 6 weeks for my computer to be repaired. The only difference was that I kept my old computer and was able to use it in place of my new one. After having my new one for 3 months, the new one died and had to be sent off for 5 weeks. I asked to speak to the manager of Best Buy. When he arrived my question to him was: How would he be able to conduct business if I took every computer out of his store. No good answer. The solution, buy a computer from a local independant computer store that offers on site service. If you can't back up your product, don't sell it.
John
Chugiak,Alaska,
U.S.A.
Frustration understandable, but we have a side to the story as well.
#4UPDATE Employee
Sat, October 23, 2004
I've worked at Best Buy for a year now, most of that as a cashier in the computer department, and while personally I go to great lengths to make this clear to people, not everyone does, because customers usually aren't interested in hearing it, but you need to read the paperwork!
I see a lot of customers who come back, a year or two after they bought their purchase, expecting their computer to be fixed on the spot, not realizing that even if we did have the resources to fix it in the store, the sheer number of product that comes into the stores for services backlogs everything a great amount, so turnaround for something that may take me personally 2 hours to do, takes two weeks to go into and come out of our service center, because there are customers who came in two weeks ago who are also waiting for their computers.
Now, seeing as we dont have the tools and parts needed to do a major repair (IE: replace a laptop screen) we have to send it of to a regional service center, and if you factor in 1 week travel each way, and all the backlog they have (it's the same as a single store, but on a massive scale) 4-5 weeks is usually the minimum, but 6-8 isnt unheard of.
Understandable that you need your computer, but we dont have much as far as options, other people also paid $250 for their service plans, and their product came in before yours, we can't just bump yours to the front of the line. There are other options, perhaps using pen and paper until the laptop comes back, then spending an hour or two entering it in? inconvienient, but it's an option.