Complaint Review: Circuit City - Virginia Beach Virginia

I sympathize 100% with Lee, and being a fellow Virginian decided to voice my suggestion as to how to avoid this type of ripoff in the future. - Don't buy extended warranties on electronics purchases! I had a very similar thing happen to me on a $500 4 megapixel Canon (S400) camera bought at Circuit City (CC). Top of the line at the time. One day, 2 1/2 years later the unit wouldn't take pictures any more. After searching I learned that this was a common problem with this model, and some people reportedly had it fixed under extended warranty while others were refused saying it was abuse (no way to prove which). I had NO extended warranty. I tried to fix the camera myself(unsuccessfully) so I bought a new one (A610) for $300 (on big xmas sale from Dell) 5 megapixel, ton of new features, takes better pictures than the old one. If I'd have bought the extended warranty for $150, even if it had worked out and they'd have given me a brand new camera, I'd still have 3 year old technology that takes mediocre pictures for the next several years. I can't tell you how many purchases I've made and NOT bought the extended warranty and had no problems at all. I've saved enough money to buy several cameras. It's their job to ask, and my job to just say no. Even on a major purpose like a big screen I declined. If it breaks in 3 years, I'd rather shop around and buy a brand new one that I really want than have the hassle of dealing with the warranty and old refurbished goods. If you'd had no extended warranty and knew you'd have nothing to lose, you might have McGuyver'ed your camera with some duct tape and a paper clip and fixed that battery door yourself. Not good as new, but functional. As long as you hold a glimmer of hope and are standing on principle, you'll probably not even try. Or you might have bought a new one. Think of all the time you would have saved NOT dealing with the warranty nazis! All in all I think you may have learned the wrong lesson. CC is not the enemy. It is the darned extended warranties. Like the lottery, they make a ton of money for the sellers, and seldom have to pay out. Caveat emptor. Just say no. You'll be fine. I think CC is a good store (better than Best Buy (BB)) for the following reasons: 1. Their sales people are more knowledgeable then at BB (in my experience) It is hard to get through the store without having 3 or 4 CC people ask if they can help you and usually they can answer my questions. I like that. At BB you're lucky to flag someone down and often they're not from the right dept, and have to try to find someone else to tell you they don't know the answer and to look online. 2. CC's return policy is better. 3. CC's prices are usually better. 4. CC's inventory is slightly upscale. Frequently the model I'm looking for is one higher than BB carries. 5. I prefer the CC showrooms. There are actually places to sit down and audition TVs and stereos. But even BB lets you see and play with their merchandise prior to purchase. I don't know how you can buy from a manufacturer without trying the product out first. 6. CC's web site track's customer ratings, which I find very useful. BB does not. I do not work for CC or any other store. I buy from a variety of sources. I just happen to like CC for consumer electronics. Just my $0.02. YMMV

If you would read the thread, you would see this was *before* this company started offering this service. So there was only one way that you could buy insurance. Nevertheless, I have never stepped into a Circuit City again, never will. I have also stopped purchasing from Best Buy etc. I now purchase from Ritz Camera, they have knowledgable people, and are not out to make the fast buck. Think about it, it is like purchasing a warranty for the car, and the door falls off. You did nothing to make it fall off. It just fell off. Defective product, because the company that is selling it purchased it from a company that deals in China and is very cheaply made. The car salesman tells you -- well you must have closed it too hard or something. We only cover the engine (keep in mind now, you purchased the car brand new). Although we are dealing on a different monetary scale, we are talking about the same thing. Great for the companies for coming out with the insurance for people who drop things, but look around on this place you will see all kinds of people complaining about those also. Insurance companies are in the game to make money, not to loose money. You are basically betting the insurance company that the item will break before the warranty gives out. So before you walk into that company and slap down an extra $200 - 300 for insurance, read the rip off reports, you will be very suprised...

the assurance of keeping their job, employees get absolutley no benifit from selling these. You think that its a commision based system when i assure you i wish we made something on city advantage because right now when someone sells you one they dont make a dime on it. Also had you have gotten the city advantage warranty that covers accidents and physical damage you wouldnt be in this situation. Anything that could possibly be your fault ISNT covered in any standard warranty no matter how long it is. Good luck with your camera but no company whether its best buy, circuit city or dell, will cover physical damage unless they have a physical damage coverage like the city advantage plus plan that covers accidents.

NOTICE to Customers: Your warranty is NOT "Insurance" for when your item breaks. Our warranty is written by shrewd lawyers and it's purpose is solely to scam a few hundred extra dollars from people that we can BS into thinking we're honest. If your item falls apart from simply using it because it's a piece of crap, we will is consider it normal wear and tear, and then we will gladly sell you suckers a new item.

It has been a while, but I see that some people have posted on here, and wanted to get the story straight. 1. The camera was treated with kid gloves, and any assumption that it wasn't it purely speculative on your part. Really shouldn't do that unless you know the entire story. 2. The one person above *seems* to know what he was talking about, unfortunately he was not my sales person. 3. I feel that a battery door is a defect in the product if it breaks within a certain amount of time. This was a defect (although not electronical it is a defect). 4. Since there were no scratches/dents, or any other sign of abuse, then what is one to think? I threw it across the room? It was a defect plain and simple. 5. As stated above about not going to another brick and motar place and expecting something different. Well I have not, but have searched the internet (request that you do the same) and look for my model camera and battery door. Frankly, you will see that this is a COMMON occurrence with this model. Now we have two options: 1. Everyone abused theirs in the same way I did mine (yea right). or 2. That is was a defect. This was shown to Circuit City, and nothing. 6. Since this time, a friend had a problem with his Samsung video camera which he purchased directly from Samsung. His warranty was already out, and he called them to see what he could do. It was out by 10 days. They helped him out and only charged him as if the unit was in Warranty. 7. I have went back to a brick and motar place called Ritz camera. Not the big corporations that you love. They provide excellent service, and explained to me EXACTLY what the warranty entails. Yes, I paid more for the camera than if I would have went to Circuit City or Best Buy. You know what? It did not matter because I know if something goes wrong with my camera I am not going to have to fight to get something that is due to me. Since writing the first entry, I noticed that the local company treats you a lot better than the corporate company. Ritz is a corporation, but a lot smaller than Circuit City. I have never stepped another foot into a Circuit City and dont plan to in the future. I may pay more, but as they always say.... You get what you pay for....

In July of 2002 I purchased a e-machine desktop computer, (I know a bad mistake) from the Salem Oregon Best Buy. I to was told that if I bought the extended, replacement warranty that if I had any major problems with the unit it would be REPLACED not repaired. In June of 2005 (about 28 days left on my extended warranty/replacement policy) the monitor switch broke and the erthnet port quit working. Knowing that I might have problems with getting the problems taken care of I took a portable tape recorder with me and had it in my shirt pocket (Oregon law states as long as one of the parties know the conversation is being taped it is legal) I took the computer to the repair desk with my paper work and the GEEK squad employee said they would look at my paper work and the problem and be back with me in a few minutes. About 20 minutes later they called me over and said we have two problems, 1 we can only write up ONE repair at a time. Since there was only 28 days left on the policy that it could not be repaired since it did not allow enough time for the first repair to be done let alone the second one. I asked for the manager and explained to him that I purchased the Policy in GOOD FAITH and that I was told that it would cover the replacement of the computer or it's repair. He said that if the policy is less than 30 days from expiring that it does not apply. I asked him to show me this and of course he couldn't and began to become upset with me. I asked his name and to repeat that they could not honor the policy, which he gladly did in a less than proffesional manner. I left, contacted the the State Attorney Generals Office, Justice Division and provided them with copies of all my paperwork, and a copy of the audio tape. Low and behold not two weeks later I recieved a call from Best Buy asking me to bring in the unit for replacement. They even offered to do a transfer of my hard drive files at no cost. You have rights, use them, handling complaints like these are what we pay our tax dollars for.

In July of 2002 I purchased a e-machine desktop computer, (I know a bad mistake) from the Salem Oregon Best Buy. I to was told that if I bought the extended, replacement warranty that if I had any major problems with the unit it would be REPLACED not repaired. In June of 2005 (about 28 days left on my extended warranty/replacement policy) the monitor switch broke and the erthnet port quit working. Knowing that I might have problems with getting the problems taken care of I took a portable tape recorder with me and had it in my shirt pocket (Oregon law states as long as one of the parties know the conversation is being taped it is legal) I took the computer to the repair desk with my paper work and the GEEK squad employee said they would look at my paper work and the problem and be back with me in a few minutes. About 20 minutes later they called me over and said we have two problems, 1 we can only write up ONE repair at a time. Since there was only 28 days left on the policy that it could not be repaired since it did not allow enough time for the first repair to be done let alone the second one. I asked for the manager and explained to him that I purchased the Policy in GOOD FAITH and that I was told that it would cover the replacement of the computer or it's repair. He said that if the policy is less than 30 days from expiring that it does not apply. I asked him to show me this and of course he couldn't and began to become upset with me. I asked his name and to repeat that they could not honor the policy, which he gladly did in a less than proffesional manner. I left, contacted the the State Attorney Generals Office, Justice Division and provided them with copies of all my paperwork, and a copy of the audio tape. Low and behold not two weeks later I recieved a call from Best Buy asking me to bring in the unit for replacement. They even offered to do a transfer of my hard drive files at no cost. You have rights, use them, handling complaints like these are what we pay our tax dollars for.

In July of 2002 I purchased a e-machine desktop computer, (I know a bad mistake) from the Salem Oregon Best Buy. I to was told that if I bought the extended, replacement warranty that if I had any major problems with the unit it would be REPLACED not repaired. In June of 2005 (about 28 days left on my extended warranty/replacement policy) the monitor switch broke and the erthnet port quit working. Knowing that I might have problems with getting the problems taken care of I took a portable tape recorder with me and had it in my shirt pocket (Oregon law states as long as one of the parties know the conversation is being taped it is legal) I took the computer to the repair desk with my paper work and the GEEK squad employee said they would look at my paper work and the problem and be back with me in a few minutes. About 20 minutes later they called me over and said we have two problems, 1 we can only write up ONE repair at a time. Since there was only 28 days left on the policy that it could not be repaired since it did not allow enough time for the first repair to be done let alone the second one. I asked for the manager and explained to him that I purchased the Policy in GOOD FAITH and that I was told that it would cover the replacement of the computer or it's repair. He said that if the policy is less than 30 days from expiring that it does not apply. I asked him to show me this and of course he couldn't and began to become upset with me. I asked his name and to repeat that they could not honor the policy, which he gladly did in a less than proffesional manner. I left, contacted the the State Attorney Generals Office, Justice Division and provided them with copies of all my paperwork, and a copy of the audio tape. Low and behold not two weeks later I recieved a call from Best Buy asking me to bring in the unit for replacement. They even offered to do a transfer of my hard drive files at no cost. You have rights, use them, handling complaints like these are what we pay our tax dollars for.

In July of 2002 I purchased a e-machine desktop computer, (I know a bad mistake) from the Salem Oregon Best Buy. I to was told that if I bought the extended, replacement warranty that if I had any major problems with the unit it would be REPLACED not repaired. In June of 2005 (about 28 days left on my extended warranty/replacement policy) the monitor switch broke and the erthnet port quit working. Knowing that I might have problems with getting the problems taken care of I took a portable tape recorder with me and had it in my shirt pocket (Oregon law states as long as one of the parties know the conversation is being taped it is legal) I took the computer to the repair desk with my paper work and the GEEK squad employee said they would look at my paper work and the problem and be back with me in a few minutes. About 20 minutes later they called me over and said we have two problems, 1 we can only write up ONE repair at a time. Since there was only 28 days left on the policy that it could not be repaired since it did not allow enough time for the first repair to be done let alone the second one. I asked for the manager and explained to him that I purchased the Policy in GOOD FAITH and that I was told that it would cover the replacement of the computer or it's repair. He said that if the policy is less than 30 days from expiring that it does not apply. I asked him to show me this and of course he couldn't and began to become upset with me. I asked his name and to repeat that they could not honor the policy, which he gladly did in a less than proffesional manner. I left, contacted the the State Attorney Generals Office, Justice Division and provided them with copies of all my paperwork, and a copy of the audio tape. Low and behold not two weeks later I recieved a call from Best Buy asking me to bring in the unit for replacement. They even offered to do a transfer of my hard drive files at no cost. You have rights, use them, handling complaints like these are what we pay our tax dollars for.

Here's several issues regarding this report... 1.) To discuss WHY your camera is NOT covered: You mentioned earlier that you know how you treated yours... ie- you probably didn't take very good care of it, possibly how the door fell off. At the time you purchased the camera (2002), Circuit City offered only one version of the City Advantage Plan, and it covered the same stuff the manufacturer does (more or less) for a longer period of time. In no place in the brochure does it state that accidental or physical damage would be covered. It is intended to cover manufacturer defects... a small plastic door breaking after 3 years of abuse, "as I know how I have treated mine (with kid gloves) and did not want one that was possibly dropped in water" is not a defect. 2.) At the time (2002) Circuit City was one of the last companies to pay commission to their associates. They have since discontinued this practice in order to offer better customer service and save money. Circuit City does NOT, I repeat, does NOT pay extra for selling the warranties. It is greatly appreciated by management when it is sold and our jobs depend on OFFERING it in a PERSUASIVE way, but we are directly told NOT to lie about the warranty. Again, as of now, it is a basic job REQUIREMENT to OFFER the plan and it is encouraged to be persuasive. We do not receive any commission what so ever for selling it, however. 3.) I believe you are correct to expect Circuit City associates to know the in's and out's of the plan, as I do. If you were my customer, I would attempt to persuade you to buy it if I felt it was necessary (which on a digital camera or laptop, it definately is) but by no means would I lie. I offer the plan to every customer and put the brochure in their hands, but I do not go over every minute fact with them, just as your real estate agent would not. On the other hand, we're talking about a 2-3 page pamphlet with at most 2-3 meaningful paragraphs on an electronics warranty; its not a 250 page document. You should take it upon yourself to read through the basics. ANY Circuit City store can produce one of these pamphlets on request. 4.) The reason HP offered only to sell you a refurbished model is because you're way out of the manufacturer's warranty so they do not want to fix your model, they only want to sell you a new one. 5.) Maybe the most important thing I have to tell you is that you will more than likely not experience anything different at a competing retailer. I respect your decision to avoid so-called "brick and mortar" retailers altogether, but don't go to another retailer expecting something gloriously different. As stated before, more often than not, the same companies run warranties for various retailers. Their coverage and service will not vary. What you may find is different from one SALESPERSON to another is the service and explanations that you get. As I stated above, you can come to me and get a totally different experience than you got from Mr. Ison. It is possible that he was misinformed (as many associates of many retailers often are) or he was lying to get you out the door. It is impossible to tell. What I CAN tell you is that I have several "lifetime" customers that have come to me because they experienced the EXACT same situation at a competing retailer. They have not found a GOOD retailer (because more or less, they're all the same), they have found a GOOD salesman. Conclusion: You may have given up on retail altogether and thats your own decision. To each their own. What I would suggest to you on your future endeavors (as you're likely to eventually have to buy something at a retailer sometime) is to find a good salesperson and stick with them. You can compare and contrast what Best Buy offers and what Circuit City offers, but basically you will find that they are quite similar. Also, I would suggest that you lose the ideas that the warranties are useless and that Circuit City is the devil because those are very naive and ignorant ideas. You should look at each situation individually and not suspect that the experience you had with one misinformed salesman 3 years ago is the same you'll have with any Circuit City associate for this is a very flawed outlook. Also, be the judge yourself and decide if in the past you've had happen what the warranty covers. Ask specific questions of the salespeople and don't hesitate to ask for a second opinion or consult the pamphlet. Do yourself a favor though, don't become that customer that never buys warranties or shops at Circuit City just because of this experience as it as clearly been proven that you could have done more to protect yourself and that your experience is not representative of Circuit City customers as a whole. I have many completely satisfied customers who both bought and did not buy the warranties. They are happy because they knew what they were buying (or not buying) when they bought it. There are those that bought it knowing they have bad luck and it worked out for them. There are also those who, despite my suggestion, do not buy it and have to pay for it in the end. Judge whether or not to buy the warranty based on your past history and future expectations. I guess thats about it...

I have bought protection plan and i will continue to on anything that i purchased... I had a car radio just not turn on, sent it out, was gone two weeks, came back fixed... same with a PDA, was gone two weeks (about two, I dont remember exactly) and came back fixed If you also notice on this site, theres around 400 complaints logged... well thats not even one per store, i'd say thats pretty good odds eh?

Well if you are going to read everything, then you might want to get there the day before. With all the laws and rules that we have here, my closing documents were just short of about 250 pages of FINELY written items. Skim I can see, read..... well good luck in your ventures...

Well if you are going to read everything, then you might want to get there the day before. With all the laws and rules that we have here, my closing documents were just short of about 250 pages of FINELY written items. Skim I can see, read..... well good luck in your ventures...

Well if you are going to read everything, then you might want to get there the day before. With all the laws and rules that we have here, my closing documents were just short of about 250 pages of FINELY written items. Skim I can see, read..... well good luck in your ventures...

Well if you are going to read everything, then you might want to get there the day before. With all the laws and rules that we have here, my closing documents were just short of about 250 pages of FINELY written items. Skim I can see, read..... well good luck in your ventures...

Because the store tells you to, and if you are mystery shopped and do not you may lose your job. (Not just at CC, I have to try at upsell at a convenience store.) Annoying yes, would I love to just not do it? Yes. But can I afford to lose my job or be suspended for not doing it? No. Also, I'm sorry but if I was buying a house, I definately would read through everything. (Like I do with everything else, it might be due to the fact that my mother made me read through the everything while opening bank accounts when I was a minor and told me that reading everything covers your butt.)

Well, it was looked up at the time of purchase and this is what I purchased. This was the same thing that was explained to me. However, they did not keep their promise. Because it was not eletronic in nature and that it was normal wear and tear they would not fix it. Have you actually purchased one of these protection plans and tried to use it? With your comments I am assuming not. I was so frustrated that I found out I could CASH OUT of the protection plan, which I did. I purchased the warranty for many years and was assured that I would receive re-imbursement (as they did not want to worry about me or my camera anymore). This has been several months, and I have neither received any money from them or information from them regarding this. Let me inform the un-informed in Circuit City, if you do not get anything for the warranty protection (which I highly doubt), then I would simply not sell it. You are greasing someone else's palm in which certain cases they never want to pay off (or may it so difficult that someone throws their arms in the air and says "To heck with it"). I have found (many others may have had better dealings) that these warranties are not worth the paper that they are written on. Buy one, and they will tell you all the things they can not do. But rest assured, the one thing they can do is send you a renewal about 6-8 months before the warranty expires.

Well... we do offer accidental protection... If you drop it outside in the parking lot, we will fix or replace it, Circuit City Advantage Plus, look it up sometime Also... we get nothing for selling the protection plan, we get a pat on the back... and we also get to keep our jobs because its a job requirement to offer it

I have to agree with Lee. First of all to those of you who say the malfunctioning battery door is "normal wear", yes, maybe after several years but not a couple of months. I have had an inexpensive Kodak digital for several years. It has been dropped, gotten wet, played with by small children and the compartments opened and closed countless times. It still works like new. If it broke tomorrow I would feel I had gotten my monies worth. Point being - these cameras should last awhile. It would probably cost all of a few dollars to repair or replace the battery door. If there were no other signs of abuse on the camera, Circuit City should fix it. As to the employees not getting a bonus of some sort to sell the extended warranty - I really think they get some type of incentive. The first words you hear when you buy a product - "extended warranty". I once specifically asked about what it included. I was told "if you drop it in the parking lot going to your car, we'll fix or replace it". If no incentive, why always such a hard sell? Perhaps we should start recording these employees.

There were a couple questions that were asked and let me answer them. 1. About the battery compartment door. This was normal wear and tear. If you purchase a warranty you have a clause stating that through normal wear and tear if the product gives out then you can expect the warranty to cover this. This was expressed by the store clerk, which in my terms should be the expert on the subject. I have heard, well Circuit City employee should are not the experts on those warranties and I should have read etc. etc etc. Possibly correct, however, if an individual operated under those terms they would spend the rest of their life reading. Dont believe me? Try purchasing a house, and let me know if you read EVERY SENTENCE of every paragraph in this document. It would literally take someone HOURS upon HOURS to even read this and completely understand what you are being told (hence the reason for the FINE PRINT!). 2. It was asked why did I want a replacement products instead of repair. This was the only OPTION that was available to me when I called HP. They do not get your camera, fix it then return the same camera. They get your camera, send out a refurbed replacement and then try to fix yours. I did not want to do this, as I know how I have treated mine (with kid gloves) and did not want one that was possibly dropped in water etc (and would have to worry about a host of other problems because it was supposedly refurbished (which means they fixed what was wrong not what COULD go wrong)). 3. Circuit City is one of the only big electronic outlets left that actually give their employees a cut on what they sell. Now, knowing that, they could very well say "Yes, it would be covered" and it not be. Who would know, right? He gets it out the door, and you get the "Well he should have read the warranty information." 4. I have all but given up on the electronic outlets, and purchase my items directly from the factory. When purchased from the factory, normal wear and tear is included in the warranty. You dont have the city advantage people trying to tell you why they can not honor their product. They actually give you a warranty that is worth the paper that it is written on. I am glad to say that I have not darkened (and will not darken) the door step of a circuit city since this incident. Does it really harm them, probably not, but if my message can get out to a couple folks to show you what they will do to get the item out the door, then I feel a lot better. Chris

so far i have been working at assurant solutions wich is City Advantage it's just our name that we call ourselves when you (the consumer) call in. I administrate the warranties for the following companies: Circuit City, Best Buy, Staples, Futureshop, Nebraska Furniture Mart, Office Max, Radio Shack, Blockbuster, and a few more. if you are going to go next door thinking you are going to be treated differently you are probaly right. Different, not necessarily better or worse but different. It is why there can be a best buy right next to a circuit city and yet both still survive. you see you now have this mental picture in your head of a person wearing the circuit city uniform and having horns and in turn that means that there is an angel floating right above him wearing the best buy outfit so to you. you can walk into the door of best buy and have the worst experience of your life but only because in your mind there good they will be. you see this in the details of your story when you mention that the person at the counter just shrugged there shoulders. normally i wouldnt pay attention to such detail but you went in there looking for dirt and dirt my friend is what you got. so all i ask is no matter where you go no matter what you do ill be there on the other end of the phone stating "thank you for calling ** my name is ** how can i help you today. by the way were not jumping on the poor defensless consumer that hasent ever done anthing wrong in there whole life we jumping on someone that is attempting to run over us with a so called mental bulldozer.

Lee, Can you specify where in the warranty it specifies that your broken battery compartment door is covered? What page is it on? What paragraph? Please feel free to quote it. Whether is is covered or not, why are you looking for a replacement camera? Why not a repair? What exactly did you ask for from City Advantage that they said they "can't do?" When you called HP, did you ask if the camera could be repaired or just ask for a replacement? Did you ask about local authorized service centers who could fix it? So far, you haven't provided enough details to make me avoid Circuit City.

These Circuit City defenders do not bother to actually read these postings. They choose to ignore the parts for which they cannot account for their shotty behavior. Heather, Alex, Chris and all of these other brain dead employees of CC and City Advantage really need to GET A LIFE other than bashing hard working, money spending consumers! They should try actually doing the job they were hired to do-but wait...MAYBE THEY ARE

Slow your roll there Tonto First, I am glad you are proud of where you work (even though there are MANY SHADING DEALINGS by this company just do a search). Next, it is the CORPORATIONS responsibility and duty to ensure they are trained on the warranties. No if's no and or but's about it. If I come into a company and talk to someone I EXPECT that person could answer all my questions, or get a manager that does (which brings me to the next point). READ MY ORIGINAL POST. It says "He shrugged his shoulders. I (MEANING ME!!!!!!!) asked for the manager he DID NOT get the manager on his own. Dont give him that much credit. (you really need to read the post before you try to slam someone). Next, I was never provided a copy of the warranty, and they did not have it posted. Am I to have ESP also? The best part about this world is that I can choose who I deal with the next time, and Circuit City (or City Advantage for that matter) will not be either one of them. Now it is MY DUTY to let everyone know what type of dealings I have had with my camera, and what the warranty is really about. It only takes telling a few people EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED and they tell friends, and they tell friends and the next thing you know you are pumping gas and selling beef jerky at the local 7-11. So before you aim your flame throwers at me, have all your rice in one sack there Tonto. Because I have had it dealing with your company and others like yours. I will just purchase directly from the manufacturer who DO offer warranties that are worth the paper they are written on...

First of all I administrate the warranties. Second of all you have no reason to complain by the sound of what you are stating. By you telling me what you have I can already tell that you have not read anything on the warranty to see what is covered and what isn't. them stating that this is not covered was not a direct attack at you but a statement that no matter how it happened this is not covered. You see when a company sells a WARRANTY not insurance, they have what is known as terms and conditions and no matter what you say about us going above and beyond or this or that we have to abide by these set of guidelines. Or we lose our job. And another thing is it does not matter if you bought a warranty on an item that cost $5.00 or $5,000,000,000.00 dollars we treat everyone the same this has nothing to do with how many times you are in the store or not. In the story you mention that the salesman shrugged his shoulders and turned to his manager, That is what they are supposed to do. would you ask a car salesman to repaint you car, NO, so let the manager do what he is there to do, manage... And just a little side note I also adminstrate the best buy warranties they are almost identicle. If you think that just going to another store like best buy is going to solve all of you issues then go right ahead. Circuit City does not do the administration on the warranties, City Advantage does and I am proud to work for them as it amazes me how many people get mad at us for them not reading and understanding anything about something that they supposedly spent so much money on. Personally if I spend the kind of money that some people say they spend on the warranty and on the items I would at least like to know what I am buying. To solve alot of confusion in the future just read. It really isnt all that hard and it really solves alot of problems. One last thing, this is not against employees of any specific companies BUT, the're just salesmen. No matter where you go, there just saleman!!!

Well then I have a better value than I was lead to believe. It was explained in great detail to me when I purchased my car what the bumper to bumper, according to the sales person, does not cover physical damage to the car such as a door falling off. Maybe there are different plans, anyway, neither here nor there. No, Circuit City employees do not get paid extra to sell city advantage, if they do I have a check owed to me!!! Yes they must inform every customer about the option as part of there job and there are going to be employees who will say what it takes to sell them just to make there numbers look good. It is wrong that you were misinformed about the coverage, again I sympathize with you. This is not just a problem with Circuit City, it is a problem with all the major electronic retailers, you only need to type in any one of their names on this web site to see that. As for the shrugging employee, that is not right either. You have had a bad experience with Circuit City and it is understandable that you would not want to shop there again. I wish it were here and you had dealt with myself or someone in my department. We are really straight forward about what you get and do not get with our protection plan. I hope you have better future experiences with any store you deal with.

Fact is; that Circuit City employees will say anything to get the City Advantage sold. Update: Me and a friend went to another Circuit City and they basically said "we will cover anything that happens to your camera" when we tried to purchase another camera. Something that people dont know about and maybe someone can PROVE that I am wrong, is that Circuit City employees get paid extra to sell the City Advantage. So -- they will say about anything. Not saying all, but some will. I got two that did. Circuit City has the right to deny my claim, but I have the right to purchase from someone else next time. That is the best part about a free economy. Also the best part about free speach is to get this out to everyone so they will know that the PROTECTION you are buying basically is not worth the paper it is written on. That being said, does that give Circuit City the right to have a salesman shrugg when I go to ask for help? Does that give the corporation the right to give me a fax number that does not work? Seems there are more shady deals than just this one with Circuit City. Funny thing, they could have just replaced the battery door (probably cost about 20.00 and I would have probably purchased about $3,000 worth of stereo equipment from them) but they can not see past the fact of CANT DO. Oh, by the way, the door falling off. That is covered under a bumper to bumper warranty.

I am an employee of circuit city. I completly understand why you are frustrated. You bought the city advantage so you did not have to worry about your product once you bought it. I wish I could tell you something helpful, all I can do is tell you why your problem is not covered under the protection. This should have been explained by the associate who sold you the item before you made the decission to purchase the city advantage plan. Plain and simple it does not cover physical damage. I am not saying you caused the damage, obviously it was not put together very well in that regard. You did not really go into detail about your conversation with city advantage, I assume they said something along those lines. The only way I can explain it is with comparison to a bumper to bumper car warranty. It covers engine problems and anything that keeps your motor from running but if the door falls off your car, the warranty will not cover that. Same goes for electronic warranties. Keep in mind Bestbuy or HHgregg or any electronics store has the same type of warranty. You would have encountered this problem anywhere you would have bought the camera and an extended warranty. Once again I am sorry that you had this problem and that you have had problems with circuit city, I take pride in my job and like to make customers happy unfortunatly I have no control or authority over extended warranties.

I tried to Fax corporate Circuit City, and each time I call to ask for a number, they give me a different number. None of them are fax numbers. Be sure to stay away from the Supposed Extended Warranty. It is nothing but free money for CC and City Advantage...