#20
Sat, January 12, 2002
They filed the following to the above Rip-Off Report: Their email: [email protected] 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.