Manufacturer Warranties and Protection Plans

[willywahoo]

I'm very dissatisfied with BB customer service.  We purchased a 5.0 cu ft Frigidaire Freezer which failed within the 1-year warranty.  When purchased I was assured by the BB salesman that the unit worked great and had the full manufacturerswarranty.  Within 6 months it starting giving us problems.  We lost 2 loads of food, including expensive meat.  We've been without a reliable freezer for 6 months now and can't get resolution.

We contacted BB/Geek Squad for repairs, 3 were attempted.  GS said this unit has a long history of failed repair under a previous owner!  GS gave me a replacement confirmation number, 388138.   We went to Store 160, Hope Commons, where purchased, on the afternoon of 6/21 to do the replacement.  We got the runaround.  The CS manager and appliance managers were unwilling to do a comparable replacement without charge.  They expected us to make up the $80 difference between our discounted price and the current model price!  Crazy.  The CS manager told me to call Frigidaire if I was unhappy.  They were slow, unfriendly and difficult to work with.

I call Frigidaire on 6/25 at about 4 PM EST, 706-860-4110.  I talked to Jerome. I was told that BB/GS would have to arrange for a warranty replacement, they don't work directly with end customers.   I immediately called GS to ask for that coordination.  I spoke with Wayne.  Wayne appeared to actually care about my issue and took ownership, trying to get us connected to the appropriate people to make it right.  Unfortunately, my cell phone battery died before could get resolution.  Wayne tried to call me back 3x and left messages.  He suggested when possible to contact BB corporatecustomer service, product replacements.

On 6/25 about 9 AM, I contacted corporate customer relations and asked for the replacements group.  I spoke withTom, he said that he couldn't do anything to help.  I asked for a supervisor, he sent me to Dana.  She was belligerent and combative from the start and refused to do anything to make this right.  When I asked for her supervisor, she was unwilling to connect me, stating her opinion was the opinion of Best Buy and will not change.  I finally left a message on Mary Omrein? voice-mail.  I have not gotten a response yet.  I very dissatisfied with this groups attitude and response.

This unit is obviously defective.  It should not have been resold to me.  Best Buy chose to to sell it and should act with integrity to make things right.  I'd expect an honorable company to work on a policy of "if the exact model is unavailable, we'll replace with equal or better model".  I simple want the unit replaced with a the same size and make, comparable freezer currently available at my local store without additional charge.  BB should have no problem getting this authorized with Frigidaire warranty replacements.  It is a manufacturer warranty, BB should be reimbursed from Frigidaire.  I would really like someone from BB who cares about customer service and satisfaction to step-up and make this happen immediately.

Bill

[Dorothy-BBY Community Supervisor · Accepted solution]

Good morning willywahoo -

My freezer is something I rely on heavily, so I can only imagine the inconvenience of having your unit give you such troubles as you have entailed.   I was happy to see that we were able to retain a return authorization from Frigidaire, however disappointed that we were not meeting your needs with the replacement unit.  

While it is true that we normally replace with comparable technology, there is the caveat that the replacement cannot exceed the original purchase price.  In your case, you received an exceptional deal on an open box unit, almost 50% off the normal price.  Unfortunately, in the case of a replacement, you are responsible for the difference between the normal price and your discounted rate.

All things considered, it seems like you have gone through a lot with this unit, and experienced many costly losses.  I did a little research to try to provide you a better solution and I do believe that I have found one!  I am sending you a private message detailing this, so please be on the lookout.  You can read your private messages by first ensuring you are logged into the forums, then clicking the envelope in the upper right hand corner of the page.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Regards,

Dorothy

Community Connector

Best Buy® Corporate