Complaint Review: Best Buy - Bloomington Internet

Two different issues here: Damage is somewhat dependent on how the claimant calls it in; while negligence and intentional damage (done to get a new unit) are not covered as outlined in the plan exclusions, good customer service (no arguments over the phone) dictate that if the customer says "it's physically broken," the path of least resistance is to honor the claim - provided, yes, you purchased the "Premium" plan.

As to your definition of a ripoff and mine, acting as if spending 45% of the original purchase price is a necessity (the way it's sold and marketed) is patently absurd. I'm sure that Dave Ramsey, John Stossel and Clark Howard would all agree in this case.

In simplest terms (not really :-)), the true actuarial value of the Wal-Mart plan ($79) and the Best Buy plan ($220) is minimally different. Best Buy "covers" one battery replacement - the risk of that happening in years 1&2 is minor - the BBY reward points a customer can get back if the plan is not used is also a minimal risk.  Those differences in no way constitute a $140 difference in the plan price.   You can say let the consumers decide - their perception, as influenced by Best Buy sales speak - i can say that it's a ripoff.  We are both educating consumers, in our inimitable ways.

Out of curiosity, does the Walmart plan cover if you run over the computer?

What is wrong with BestBuy offering different levels of protection?

It IS insurance..YES..it is a GAMBLE. The company that offers the protection is gambling that nothing goes wrong...the buyer purchases the plan as INSURANCE that if something goes wrong..it will be covered.

I would hope anyone spending $120.00 would at least want to read what this "insurance" actually covers?

So where is the rip off? care to explain it to me like I am a 3 year old?

To whoever mentioned car insurance: auto insurance policies never cover damage to your own property.  And you should be supervising your child.  If your child is autistic and does things like throwing objects out of the windows, you should leave the backseat windows rolled up and the child lock on the doors engaged.  I could see some very nasty accidents happening if she threw something out of the window while the car was moving.

To repeat:  If you paid approx $479 for your laptop, $120 would be the Standard Plan - only electrical, electronic failure.  Accidental Damage (Premium) Plan = $220.  You could have not paid $120 for a plan and got damage coverage.  No ifs and or buts nor sales speak nor whining - just the plain FACTS.   While i would love to place trust in the word of each and every American, i can't.  The pressure there is to sell the GSBTP plans (to a certain performance level) or you don't have job. 

45 percent of the cost of a product for this service IS a Ripoff, but not illegal.  Buyer Beware.  "Saleman assured me" says it all.  Here's the absolute proof that the plan price charged by BBY is a complete and total RIPOFF.  Other than battery coverage (which you don't need in years 1 and 2), Wal-Mart charges $79 (for your price laptop) for the first 2 years WITH Damage coverage.  You obviously learned a lesson.  Plenty of online etailers with great prices, independent reviews to buy from.

Lorie said, Give me a break blaming the parents for a 4 year old with autism getting ahold of the computer. I hope you sue them and win.

OK, whose fault is it? Certainly not Best Buy. Best Buy did not fail to honor the written agreement so a law suit has no merit. This is why we have written contracts.

The parent was negligent for failing to properly secure the computer.

First of all, I think people are way to judgmental and rude on this site.  Give me a break blaming the parents for a 4 year old with autism getting ahold of the computer.  Give me a break comparing running over a computer with running over a child.  If you know where all your children are, you aren't expecting to run anything over. 

Wow, I'm sorry for how Best Buy treated you AND for how the public has treated you. It stinks!  Let me also say that the last TWO laptops I have purchased I bought an extended warranty where they told me it was covered in case of being DROPPED or damaged by accident, SOOOOO I believe you.  I have never had to collect on my warranty, but the reason it was so attractive is because I have two boys AND children pick things up and run into things BY accident.  I have also dropped my laptop before.

Best Buy is a cheap, rotten, notoriously poor company for customer service.  We had a fun incident with them a few years ago.  First of all we live an hour away from the store and in the country where there is no other computer store around.  We bought a computer from them with a 'professional' helping us pick out everything we need.  It was when 64 bit first came out.  It needed a special router or something to work with the wireless internet. (I'm not good at computer terms, so I completely relied on them for all information on what I needed to buy)  Anyway, I needed the computer immediately because I work from home.  I was assured they had given me the right items.  I drove home an hour and hooked up the computer.  It didnt work.  I called Best Buy, and they laughed and said 'oops' it was the wrong router.  I drove BACK an hour to exchange the part. Talked to the geek squad, got the new part they recommended and drove ANOTHER hour home.  Got home, the second one didnt work, so I called them up.  They had made a mistake TWICE(four hours of driving wasted and another 2 to possibly, MAYBE get the right part), so I asked them to send out the geek squad with the CORRECT part.  They said we'd have to PAY for them to come out.  I was not about to drive ANOTHER 2 hours for possibly the wrong part AGAIN.  They wouldnt do anything for me except say 'too bad' in so many words- there was never an apology, so I told them to come and get their computer.  I told them I was cancelling my check and the computer would be boxed and waiting in the entry for them to pick up.  They never came and got the computer THEN turned me in for a BAD check and have had collection agencies calling me ever since. 

I really dont care.  I have good enough credit, it doesn't affect anything I do.  The point is the way I was treated.  We vowed to never go back there.  We'll gladly pay extra money for items just so we dont have to ever deal with that company again.

I hope you sue them and win.  They need to learn how to treat people.  You should be able to TRUST them to tell you what is in the warranty.  You know what I would love?  For the wackos on here who say you need to know better and read every word of your warranty ahead of time to be behind you in line at the store when you ask to read it before you add it to your order and then stand there for 30 minutes reading it while they wait-AND WHINE behind you because that's exactly what they'd do.  Good luck, we're cheering for you! Best Buy STINKS!

* http://www.geeksquad.com/gslibrary/services/content/black_tie_protection/terms_and_conditions/20080914/20080914TC.pdf

I don't know how much simpler it can be to understand. Any questions just ask me.

Dear OP:

Why in the world do we still listen to "sales" people?  Their objective, with their Black Tie Protection Plans, is to sell you at whatever cost.  All BBY team members and managers are rated on this ability - above and beyond any customer satisfaction index. 

You paid under $500 for your laptop.  Your plan price reflects the "Standard Plan."  You actually paid for ONE additional year - now that's a Ripoff!  (2 years from date of purchase is a joke) In effect, You actually paid for the price of a new battery in advance.  what you didn't pay for was Accidental Damage - that would have cost you over well over $200 for the plan.

Do yourself a favor and go the "Terms and Conditions" on the BBY website, Service plan section - PAGE 17 of the .pdf, and follow the instructions for Cancellation of the plan - you'll get most if not all of your money back.

As for the laptop, you'll have to buy a new one.

I would look at which level of protection you purchased, I know that when the Black Tie plan was launched, there were three main levels - the first was hardware issues such as harddrive, screen, component failure.  the second was hardware issues as above, in addition to water damage (except complete submersion) and accidental damage as what you described.  The third, which required the purchase and installation of anti-virus and anti-spyware software, covered the same as both plans and software issues.  For the price you paid, I suspect you purchased the basic plan.  It's possible if the salesperson didn't differentiate properly between the three, but isn't necessarily their fault if you did not read what you were signing.  It's not your fault it was damaged, but it's not their fault that you didn't make sure you knew exactly what your policy covered.

"What am I supposed to do now, I paid an extra 120 bucks and its not worth the paper its printed on."

   What does the paper have printed on it?   If you're going to go to the trouble of spending $120 for a service contract, it would seem to me that such a pricey piece of paper would be worth reading.

   The piece of paper it's printed on makes all the difference here.  Otherwise, it's just a case of "The salesman told me....".  There's a reason these things are put on paper.

Leaving the computer within the reach of a 4 year old was negligent.

It does not matter how your house sits. You need to observe caution before backing up. There is nothing worse then the scream of a baby or the scream of your pet or neighbors pet when you run it over due to negligence.

No one is "hired" based on how stupid they make anyone "look". They are just another human being trying to make their bills and rent and food..and only offer the service plans to the customer. The customer can easily say "no"..there is no gun forced to anyone's head to purchase a service plan...nor is there anyone that reads the terms of the plan to you...yes..you actually have to go through the horrible task of "reading" to know what is covered and what is not.

I was not there, so I do not know the reason your husband was thrown out. I only know the typical experience of shopping usually does not lead to anyone being threatened or tossed out of a place of business.

I do not know why you did not receive a brochure..but I do know this for a FACT..and anyone can test this for themselves. ANY item you purchase at BestBuy..the person who is ringing up the sale will offer you the service plan if there is one or a selection of service plans available on the product.

You are free to accept or decline. If you decline, the matter is closed although the associate may explain the benefits. If you choose upon your own God given free will to accept the plan..the little window where you slide the card..will ask you to check YES or NO that you received the service plan brochure...there is NO WAY around this...it is done by computer..so either you checked YES that you received the brochure when you did not...or you checked "NO" and the transaction was not allowed to be continued. What else can I say...this is the FACTS and you can go into any BestBuy tomorrow and test this for yourself

So..my suggestion is again..make sure you read the terms brochure before "assuming" anything..and be careful backing up so you do not become a baby killer or killer of yours or your neighbors pets.

There seems to be a common sense issue here.

The first issue being nothing more than common sense is to NEVER believe what anyone tells you in reference to warranty or insurance issues, etc. ALWAYS read the contract yourself to be sure.

The second issue of common sense is to safegaurd your valuables. Why would you leave your computer unattended, within reach of an autistic child? That's just plain stupid.

Now, for a real life practical solution to your problem!

File an insurance claim for property damage against your car insurance! That's what you have car insurance for!

I guarantee you that the way my house sits and driveway there would not have been an infant under my car! Really.... and its sad that you are upholdng them, acompany should stand behind wat there employees sell to there customers! If they were an actual good co that cared about there customers and there business. Which obviously they do not. Do they hire people like you to set on hear and try to make people look like liars or stupid?? And  I was there , I kow how I was treated. There was no reason to throw my husband out that day, he was trying to get a resolution and to thebottom of the issue. He is a professional and respectful man.  I was not given a brochure and I assure you this is notover as I have recently talked tio my lawyer and he assures me he woill be able to get me a settlement with them. They do not want any ofthis in the paper I am sure. You cant sell people lies, and you cant treatpeople this way either. What has this world cometo? And yes your right if it would have been an animal it would have been an unfotunate accident. DO YOU LOOK UNDER YOUR  CAR EVERYTIME YOU GET IN IT BEFRE YOU BACK UP? NOT BHIND IT UNDER ITT????? I didnt think so , no one does.. lol If it would have been behind it I probably would hve seenit, but she had it under neath the car where i wasnot visible. My lawyer assures me this is an accident and shlould be considered one. Espcially with my daughter beign autistic. She had no clue whatshe  wasdoing.  And atleat  I was honest with them and didnt try to say I had dropped it. It wouldnt have mattred tey said it doent cover anthing , no accidents anyways. I bought accident coverage ad bottom line is they wil have to reimbrse me. I have agood lawyer.  Oh nd since your so judgemental please from now on I want you to get down under your car and look and make sure yuo do not run over anyones pet or babys lol.. thats stupid! You have to admit wht you have said makes absolutely no sense.  ~Michelle~

..although the protection plans BestBuy sells are not in ANY way implied to be extended warranties..but "service plans"..and/or "accidental damage" plans.

It really does not matter what anyone "told" you or what you "heard"..what matters is what is stated in the brochure you were handed at the time of sale.

Most likely..the PLAN states it does cover if you drop it..or if you spill liquids on it. It MOST CERTAINLY does not state it covers submersion in liquid..or if you run it over.

So..I know you feel the employees were rude or mean or lousy customer service whatever just because they had the dreadful task of informing you of reality..and..I don't know what could have caused your husband to be escorted out of the building and the police threatened to be called..but I assure you most encounters at the customer service desk do not end that way.

What I can suggest..is read the terms before assuming anything or what you claim the salesperson said..what you imply the sales person said..or what you interpret the salesperson said..and as well..please for the sake of public safety..be more careful backing up. A back pack can be the size of an infant or someones pet. God forbid this had been a neighbors child or pet instead of a back pack.

In what way is this equpiment abuse?? I would like to know how you got that out of my 4 yr old daughter playing in the back of the car and throwing it out, me not seeing it and backing over it equip. abuse! That is totally Accidental Damage! It was a Accident, Nothing else. Its very unfortunate that Best Buy does not care about there cutomers and training there employees to sell false accidental warrantys! Its nice how you keep turing this on me, u were not there, u didnt see how they acted and whaty the salesman said. I was, and yes maybe I should have asked for something more, but I am not a cheapskate rippin people off, I dont think like that. It completely falls under accidental damage and anyone can see that. You yourself seen all the web contraversy over this same issue with them and the warrantys. I would like to see someone actually do something about this from Better Business Bureau.! And Best Buy!

Your experience with Kmart should have inspired you to get the conditions of the warranty in writing. I would not expect equipment abuse to be covered under warranty.

The extended warranty I bought was an extra 120- , he said the warranty that came with it , was a 1 yr manufactures warranty and his exact words to me and my husband were this extended warranty would cover any damage, no matter if it was dropped down a flight of stairs or if it was dropped into water, it would be covered for 2 yrs. He reassured me of this, as I obviously asked him if he was sure it would cover any damage, due to the large amt of money it was costing me ! This was Austin the sales rep here. I also found out from the store manager , that I should have been given paperwork on the ext warranty, in which i was not.l I have kept everything in the box that came with it, The only thing I have is the receipt stating I purchased the ext 2 yr warranty. I do not know what to do, it looks like they would have to stand behind there employees and there warrantys there employees are selling to people. With all the complaints like mine about best buy, i am wondering if they are telling them to say these things to sell the ext warranty. I know the stores get a big kick back if they sell them, because whrn I worked at KMART they told us to do everything possible to sell the ext warrantys to customers. (In which I  did not ).. SO I believe this is a on going problem for people dealing with best buy. And no, I was not extremely chipper with them as you can imagine, but i wasnt Rude! I was trying to explain and they would have nothing to do with it. They were so unprofessional, smirking and laughing at me, and all i was trying to do was get some sort of resolution with them over this, But they would have nothing to do with hearing it, almost like they get it so much, they were quick to get me out of there. I have never seen anything like this before, and I can tell you that I wasnt screaming and being loud or cussing them, I was just trying to explain to them what there sales man had sold me. Anyways, I hope this helps.. I just really want them to compensate me for there actions, that is just wrong. Even if it was a mistake and they dont train them to "sell" the warrantys to people then I want them to make up for the mistake of there employee. I dont feel I should be punished just because he didnt know or did knw in a sense i  guess what he was talkign about. And I definately dont want this happening to more people.. Thank you so much, Michelle

I would indeed be upset if a new laptop broke in such a short time.  However, I would be upset with myself for running over it and I would not expect it would be a warranty item.

Anyway, what does the warranty say?  If it truly says it is completely unconditional then you are correct and I'm wrong.  I have no problem with that and it would be an excellent warranty.

I am not going to go as far as saying this is a "fake" report.  As based on what I found on the Best Buy web site it may be very possible that you were told what you wrote here, but it is also possible that you only heard what you wanted.  However, if you are 100% right then the salesperson was wrong in at least one area because it does not appear any of their coverages, cover "water damage".  Your problem is that you need to prove what was said.

Best Buy does appear to have what they call Accidental Damage from Handling.  This is not a standard item and an extra cost above their regular plans.  So you would need to find out exactly what you bought.  If you did pay for this ADH then it appears it may be covered.  That is if they consider it being run over as "Unintential damage to a product as a result of daily usage".  Now if you were told this but not sold this, you may have problems recovering any damages.  So what does the warranty paperwork say?

From the Best Buy Site

http://www.bestbuy.com/olspage.jsp?id=pcmcat61200050033&type=category

Under the Benefits of a PSP link.

Accidental Damage from Handling Accidental Damage from Handling (ADH) coverage is a benefit that can purchase (on qualifiying products) for an additional price over the standard Performance Service Plan. During the term of the Accidental Damage from Handling Performance Service Plan, we will repair or replace the product as necessary to correct any damage to the product. Accidental damage from handling is defined as: "Unintentional damage to a product as a result of daily usage; such as spills and drops." Immersion in liquid is not covered. ADH covers product from normal daily usage and the way the manufacturer intended the product to be used.

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Now, I am not saying that you are 100% right in all your actions.  While even though only you were there, for a store to threaten to call the police you were probably not in there laughing as if they were your buddy next door.  I also have really never seen anyone escorted out of any store "nicely", so not sure what you were expecting. 

 I am so sorry you feel this way, but the salesman told me the extended warranty which was 120- extra, then it would be COVERED no matter what happened , water damage, dropped etc. My daughter is autistic, She did not realize what she had done! You really should not jusdge people for things you know nothing about! Just shows your maturity and character ... I am NOT lying, this really did happen. They are the rudest staff I have ever seen. Not professional at all. Look it up on the web.. there are comments Identical to mine (them rippin people off over these warranty promises!) and how rude they are.... These people should be shut down. My laptop was only 1 mth old.;. HOW WOULD YOU FEEL, if they lied to you and then wouldnt fix something that cost 840- ?????????   Michelle   Bloomington IN

Please tell me this is a fake report.  No one thinks any warranty would cover a computer they drove over.