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  • Report:  #1041026

Complaint Review: Guardsman - Grand Rapids Michigan

Reported By:
Rob - Roy, Washington,
Submitted:
Updated:

Guardsman
P.O. Box 88010 Grand Rapids, 49518 Michigan, United States of America
Phone:
800-253-3957
Web:
http://www.guardsman.com/en/furniture_services/plan_overview/elite_furniture_protection_plan.html
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good? What's this?
We bought a Laz-Boy leather recliner in Fredericksburg, VA in 2009 and decided to purchase the 5-year extended warranty with the "store recommended" Guardsman Elite company.  The reclining mechanism broke about 6 weeks ago and we reported it to Guardsman within the week.  The company rep told my wife to go online on submit a service request.  She tried, but could not complete it due to difficulty printing out the PDF file generated which you have to sign and then mail back to the company.   I was able to complete the service request a few weeks ago - including submitting two digital photos of the damage that had to be exactly 10" x 10" in size and no more than 2MB in file size.  I printed the PDF form and mailed it to the company the same day.  From experience I know that warranty companies intentionally set up as many hoops to jump through as possible in order to file a claim.  I was almost smug thinking I had jumped through all of their hoops.  Not exactly.  

I received an email this morning from an un-monitored address that stated the company would not honor our warranty claim because we did not submit it in a timely manner according to the terms and conditions in our service agreement.  Really?  I immediately called their 800 number to plead my case.  Thinking how in the world do you speed up the US mail system.  I mailed the form the same day I filed the online service request right?  Turns out you have 30 days from initial report of damage to file your written claim.  That tiny but very important detail is buried on page three of the service agreement in size 8 font.  Since my wife called them in mid February and I didn't submit the written claim until the end of March, we were out of time.  

I asked the gentlemen how many warranty service agreements he has read completely and thoroughly.  His response was, "This conversation is not about me" because he knew the answer to my question would have been "Nobody reads those agreements".  I believe it would have been appropriate for the first customer service rep to tell my wife when she first called, "oh, by the way, you have 30 days to submit your claim or we will not honor it"  

Fool me once, shame on me.  I'll never buy a Guardsman product again.  They obviously do not have customer service in mind.  


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