Manufacturer Warranties and Protection Plans

[jonmann84]

You might notice the warranty is in quotes.. January is my Worst Buy story..

In January of 09 I bought the Blackberry Storm for Verizon wireless. I already was enrolled into Verizons insurance program when the sales associate convinced me that the Black Tie Protection was the best program. Long story short I opted for the Black Tie program because I was told it is a $0 deductible and my phone was replaced at a Best Buy store if it was broken. A month later I accidentally dropped my phone and the screen broke. (Clearly my fault) I go to Worst Buy the next day to get my phone replaced where the sales rep explains to me that it cannot be fixed or replaced in the store and had to be sent out. I am a little frustrated only because I was misinformed by the previous sales associate. I asked how long it would take to come back my reply was "Not too long". 2 weeks later I go back to check the status.. The phone had just gotten to the service center.. Keep in mind I saw the associate print the shipping label, which is a 2 day shipping.  So that means for a week and a half the phone sat at Best Buy. Ok fine, again I broke the phone so I can't be too mad. I ask the associate to see if he would be able to tell me around when it would be completed... There was no ETA, he said "it could be awhile". Now mind you, had I kept the Verizon insurance, I pay a deductible and the phone would have been in my hands the next day. Today I call again to check the status, my target completion date... MARCH 22, 2009. That is FIVE weeks. I have older phones to use so I opted to not pay the $150 refundable deposit for a beat up loaner phone. (which also keep in mind the loaner phone WILL NOT be a Blackberry.) I have tried to contact managers about this situation and you get the same response. "I'll look into it" or "I'll have someone contact you". All I notice in here is people who work for Best Buy and continue to make excuses. I don't want you to reply to my post with "sorry to hear that" That is not going to change the fact a Best Buy employee gave me incorrect information and I am out of a $300 phone for FIVE weeks. That is absolutely absurd. $10 a month for aggravation. Best Buy's customer service is nonexistent. I can only hope this post encourages new buyers to reconsider opting for the Black Tie Protection "Warranty" Do not waste your money, pay for your service providers insurance, you might have to pay a deductible, but at least you won't be without your phone for 5 weeks. Trust me, Best Buy is not going to go out of their way to make you happy, that would be too much effort for them. BUYER BEWARE!!!

[jonmann84]

Oops.. sorry  SIX weeks not five, my mistake. I dropped my phone off on the 15th of Feb and won't be finished untill March 22nd.  Refresh my memory again why the black tie protection is worth it?

[MobileExpert]

I've seen a lot of stories with employees telling customers we replace phones in store, and I'm not sure why. Each BBYM employee went through a five day training that cost $1000 for each person, so it seems like a bunch of employees just ignored everything they were taught.

Repairs at my store have usually taken about three weeks. However, this turnaround time has started climbing due to employees sending phones in with extra things. We are supposed to send JUST the phone in. No battery, no back, no memory card, nothing. When we send these in, it causes the service center to take longer. Yet another thing that seems to be ignored by employees.

It sounds like the employee forgot to send it out right away, which seems to be the #1 cause for delays right now. Believe me, it is quite frustrating for the good employees to have to clean up others' mistakes, so don't think we are unsympathetic.

A mod should be with you shortly to have this issue cleared up in a timely manner.

[jonmann84]

She did give me; the back of the phone, the battery, the sim card and my memory card. Again the real reason I am upset it the fact I was told incorrect information, now twice by best buy employees, and customer service wants nothing to do with this issue. It is sad that's how paying customers are treated. I spent a lot of my hard earned money at Best Buy in the past few months between a lap top and the storm.. And this is the thanks I get.

[MobileExpert]

I'm glad she gave you those parts. It'd be an even bigger headache if they gave you your phone without them!

I wish there was some kind of script that appeared on screen for us to read. Maybe that would take care of these problems.

[jonmann84]

I agree, I wouldn't be so pissed had I known ahead of time I was going to be out of a phone for 6 weeks.

[Elizabeth-BBY Community Supervisor]

Hi jonmann84,

I've asked Aaron, one of our Geek Squad Community Connectors, to review and respond to your concern.  You should hear from him within the next few business days. 

Thanks for your continued patience,

[jonmann84]

Update,

Now won't be completed until March 23rd.  I strongly urge anyone considering the Black Tie protection for their mobile phone purchase @ Best Buy to reconsider!!! Do not throw your money away!!!!!

[Aaron-BBY Community Connector]

Hey jonmann84,

I understand that you may not be looking for an apology or excuses, but like other users may have pointed out, we remain empathetic to our customers’ needs. If you are in need of assistance beyond what your local store can provide, please feel free to let me know. You can send me a private message by clicking on the letter icon in the upper right-hand corner of the page and composing a new message to my user name “Aaron-GS.”

Thanks,

Agent Aaron
Geek Squad® Community Connector
Go Ahead. Use Us.

[jonmann84]

Still no blackberry. I don't understand why I just can't be issued a new one and Best Buy takes back my other one.. 6 weeks is out of hand... good thing im not losing any business, isn't that why people get blackberrys????