Complaint Review: Guardsman Furniture Protection Plan - Grand Rapids Michigan

It's been a while since I got scammed, so I wasn't "on guard" when I filled out Guardsman service request for getting my massage chair fixed.  It had stopped working in August of 2009.  I called Guardsman right away, within the 5 day allowed window of the problem occurrence.

I was told I needed to send a copy of my sales receipt, even though they had it on their records that 1) I had bought the chair and on which date and at which store and 2), also in their records, that I had bought the Guardsman Gold In Home 5 year Furniture Protection Plan at that same time.

Since I had moved recently, and was less than organized with my old records, I told them I would have to locate the sales receipt, that it had been stored in a box at a relative's garage. "No problem" she said, my request was noted in their computers and to send the copy as soon as possible.  She sent me a claim form, dated by them, the date I made my request.

Now I wonder, what would have happened if he had had a flood or fire and that receipt had been destroyed?  Seems it would not have mattered since they have other slippery ways of denying claims, as I have since discovered in searching the Internet for other peoples experiences.

I did finally get my hands on that elusive piece of paper in March this year and called them back.  She said not to use the previously sent claim form, a new one would be sent.  It was, and it was not dated this time.

I hastily filled it out and sent it back.  But I did a bad, bad thing! I wrote the month and day wrong that the chair had stopped working.  Oops!

I got my letter denying the claim and I called to find out why. - The date I wrote that the chair stopped working was 3 months off of when I originally reported the damage!  I told her I had made a mistake and that I had made my original request by phone on time.  Who knows why I wrote June 1 instead of August 23 for the 'date of damage'?  Much family drama, and maybe a "senior moment" had me thrown off?  I was just so glad to have finally located that receipt that I did not think carefully enough about dates when I filled out the form, knowing they had it on record when I had originally called.

She said it didn't matter, only what was written on that paper. She stuck to the letter of the policy, that what was written was what they based their decision on.

Nothing I said would make her change her mind and my claim is denied.  I now have a very lovely $2000 clothes rack, if anyone is interested.

I've been in customer service pretty much my whole life.  It would never occur to me to treat a customer the way I was treated.  Common sense is all it would take to see that claim was legitimate.  This company does not appear to have any goodwill towards the people who buy their policies and keep them in business. I trusted the largest name in furniture here in Houston where I bought the chair when they sold me the policy.  It never occurred to me that Fingers would link their good name to such a sleazy business.

I hope if you are reading this it is before you do business with Guardsman and not after - do not trust this company!  Their policy is way to easy to void - seems one would have to be just as anal as them just to make sure all their requirements are met, and even then, it seems, your claim will be denied somehow.  I was NotSoWyseOne this time :(

This is the type of business that relies on human error to stay in business and pad their profits - they should be ashamed of themselves!  And if anyone out there knows Mr. Stuart Graff, General Manager of Guardsman's mother, let her know just what a messy, sleazy company her son has.  I'm sure she will be most displeased!