STAPLES OFFICE SUPPLY 'S WARRANTECH COMPUTER WARRANTY IS WORTHLESS, NOT WORTH PAPER IT'S PRINTED ON. NEVER BUY A SERVICE CONTRACT, READ FINE PRINT!!!! *Consumer Suggestion
STAPLES IN FREDERICK MARYLAND SOLD ME A PROTEVA COMPUTER ON 5/26/99. WAS TOLD GREAT COMPANY BUT I SHOULD STILL BUY THEIR 3 YEAR "CARRY-IN" EXTENDED WARRANTY PLAN. THIS PLAN COST ME $149.99. SINCE THEN PROTEVA IS NO LONGER IN BUSINESS, GREAT COMPANYS DON'T GO OUT OF BUSINESS THAT QUICK. SO I WAS SOLD A N0-NAME COMPUTER, THAT WAS ONE OF THE BEST. BULL----!!
I THOUGHT I WAS DOING A GOOD THING. WELL NOT SO, YOU SHOULD ALWAYS READ THE FINE PRINT, IF YOU CAN GO UP TO SIXTY (60) DAYS WITHOUT THE USE OF YOUR COMPUTER, WELL THEN I GUESS IT MIGHT BE A GOOD DEAL. I ON THE OTHER HAND USE MINE FOR MY BUSINESS, AND EVERYTHING I DO GOES INTO THIS BOX, I MUST HAVE MY COMPUTER TO MAKE A LIVING.
ON 3/6/01 MY COMPUTER WENT DOWN. I CALLED THE WARRANTECH SUPPORT
NUMBER, I WAS ON PHONE FULL HOUR, MOST OF IT ON HOLD.
I WAS GIVEN A VALADATION #364-064-3300 AND TOLD I WOULD BE CALLED BY SOME PEOPLE AT USA INSURANCE COMPANY. WHAT I SAID? I BOUGHT CARRY IN SERVICE, I NEED MY COMPUTER FIXED NOW. CAN YOU GIVE ME THE NUMBER I SAID, I'LL CALL THEM. "NO, I MUST WAIT TILL THEY CALL ME. WELL IT IS NOW 3/12/01 AND I STILL HAVE NOT GOTTEN A CALL FROM ANYONE.
I CALLED NEXT DAY 3/7/01AND HAD A WONDERFUL GUY NAMED JIM BLUNT THAT CALLS HIMSELF THE COMPUTER DOC COME TO MY HOME REPLACE THE BAD POWER SUPPLY AND WAS DONE IN 30 MINUINTES. THIS SERVICE COST ME A TOTAL OF $148.50. MY COMPUTER WORKS JUST FINE NOW.
I AM NOW OUT OF ALMOST $300.00 BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE ALL DAY TO WAIT AROUND FOR SOMEBODY TO CALL ME IN THE NEXT SIXTY DAYS.
DON'T GET CAUGHT LIKE I DID, COMPUTER REPAIR IS NOT AS EXPENSIVE AS THEY WOULD LIKE YOU TO BELEIVE.
SIGNED:
FED UP IN FREDERICK MARYLAND
1 Updates & Rebuttals
I've learned a few things about warranties and service plans in general.
#20
Sat, January 12, 2002
They filed the following to the above Rip-Off Report:
Their email: the_victor_2000@hotmail.com
Their name: Steven Narenz
Their relationship to the company: Consumer Suggestion
Rebuttal:
Having been disappointed with my expectations of various extended and manufacturers warranties, I've learned a few things about warranties and service plans in general.
1)PROVE IT TO ME.
If a sales person says something like "you can throw it
to the floor and shatter it! We'll give you a new one." That doesn't sound reasonable to me. Show me in writing in the terms and conditions (every plan has a T's and C's section). If the sales rep at the store cannot show you in writing a too-good-to-be-true claim, then ask to speak to his manager and report him for fraudulent sales practices.
2) HAVE REASONABLE EXPECTATIONS.
A service plan is only going to replace a
defective computer componant, it doesn't mean they're going to come to your house and show you how to run solitaire. It's going to take at LEAST a week for a failed componant (mainboard, hard drive, video card, etc.) to be replaced. If it gets done faster than that, you're blessed!
3) EXPECT THE WORST.
Insurance companies fail (do a search on the net for Reliance Insurance out of Pennsylvania to see what I mean). If there's a
situation like the underwriter collapsing, you might be left holding an expensive tri-fold warranty brocure and nothing more.
4) ADMINISTRATORS ARE NOT SET IN STONE.
A service plan is a three-way agreement. The customer, the retailer and the underwriter are the main parties. The administrator is typically a call center who handles the
thousands of calls for claims a day. The administrator handles setting things up for service or replacing defective equipment. However, the administratorship can change hands on a whim! (I learned that personally) so don't be terribly shocked if you hear "we are no longer the administrator for your service plan, please call 1-800 blah blah blah...)
Knowing exactly WHAT the plan does and covers is essencial.