Extended Warranty from Best Buy or Circuit City = RIP-OFF?

[freemanteo]

I got an 4yr Performance Service Plan from BB for my pair of Subs. Everything on paper and verbal sounds good etc..... full coverage, ALL repairs and labor covers etc.....

1 of my Sub is not working for some reason, brought it in and was told to pay the difference with the replacement sub!! :|

I was frustrated, was not told about this when i bought the plan and called in and was told the same thing; "Bring it in and we'll replace it with a new one FREE"


I can't just trust anyone nowsadays.


Anyone experience this? I want to know if this is normal and are both CC & BB have this same exact terms & conditions on car speakers/subs? Thnks for all info.

 

[minendo]

I bought one for some car speakers from BB. They pulled the same sh!t, but I was told when I bought it that I would get an equal replacement free of charge. Keep bitching to the manager and if this does not work, call corporate.

 

[d33pt]

that is total bullsh!t....i would not have paid the difference. those plans are how they make the most profit from their electronic sales..

 

[Kaervak]

Those things are essentially worthless. I love when they keep trying to push them during a sale. One guy couldn't accept that I didn't want it, I told him "you ask me that one more time and you loose the sale, care to push your luck?" The look he had on his face was utterly priceless.

 

[minendo]

Originally posted by: Kaervak
Those things are essentially worthless.

Yeah pretty much except that I paid $5.25 for the PSP on a $200 pair of Cerwin Vegas which were later replaced for free.

 

[erikistired]

i bought an xbox controller tonight and they tried to sell me a 5 dollar replacement thing in case i threw my controller down in anger and broke it. errrrr. no thanks.

 

[broon]

They are one of the worst things to buy. The majority of electronics (except computers) have less than a 20%, most less than 10% chance of failing in the first five years. And they depreciate the item so it eventually is worthless anyway.

Here's a good place for info.

 

[KingNothing]

As has been stated in other threads, the extended warranties are really only useful if you're buying a big ticket item like an HDTV.

That said, Best Buy's markup on almost anything is insane. You know those $30 6' USB printer cables? They cost BB $4.50. The $4000 HDTV? Costs them about $2700.

 

[freemanteo]

Originally posted by: minendo

Originally posted by: Kaervak
Those things are essentially worthless.

Yeah pretty much except that I paid $5.25 for the PSP on a $200 pair of Cerwin Vegas which were later replaced for free.

Um, i assume you got it from BB, but was yours replaced within 30days? If not did'nt they give you any trouble or the likes?

---------------------------
I mean, i have the written PSP Terms & Conditions, read the website too and they both donot mention about "paying the difference", it keeps assuring you your item will be replaced or serviced under normal wear & tear!

 

[yllus]

Told to pay the difference with the replacement sub? You should have raised HELL until you got your replacement, that's what the service plan exists for! It's not the plan - just shoddy customer service and some guy trying to rip you off.

I've seen replacements done two years later on printers, replacements done on headphones that obviously are suffering from use/abuse...but especially if you're young, the guys behind the counter will try to fsck you out of what you've paid for. Don't let 'em.

 

[axelfox]

Was buying a sub with my cousin at BB and the guy goes: "It's added to the warranty already with the sub." I said "whatever, just give it to me."

Towards the register, I look at the PSP, and it says: "Runs concurrently with the mft. warranty." or something like that.

F' that. Just bought the sub without the PSP

 

[freemanteo]

Originally posted by: yllus
Told to pay the difference with the replacement sub? You should have raised HELL until you got your replacement, that's what the service plan exists for! It's not the plan - just shoddy customer service and some guy trying to rip you off.

I've seen replacements done two years later on printers, replacements done on headphones that obviously are suffering from use/abuse...but especially if you're young, the guys behind the counter will try to fsck you out of what you've paid for. Don't let 'em.

I donot want to raise hell first, i need to know if i am in the right to request a free replacement and to read the Terms & Conditons over & i will go there again tomm. I'm not young, but i look young. I wish not to embarass myself, so i need input from all of you, thnks.

 

[freemanteo]

Anymore people with advice or experience to share?

 

[minendo]

Originally posted by: freemanteo
Um, i assume you got it from BB, but was yours replaced within 30days? If not did'nt they give you any trouble or the likes?

The replacement occurred almost 1.5 years after I originally bought the speakers. Yes, they gave me a hard time saying that they would replace the speakers with a pair that cost the same amount as what I paid. However, the Service Plan states that replacements will be of the same quality or better. No additional payment is required.

 

[Triumph]

Well of course extended warranties are a bad idea but you already paid for one, so it's a moot point. I don't think any of us can really help you unless you post the fine print. Good luck.

Also, I don't understand what "difference" they want you to pay. Surely the price of the sub did not go UP. And I'm sure they can't calculate some sort of depreciation on your sub, so that it was worth less than an equivalent new one. Are you trying to get a sub of a different model in exchange for your broken one?

And don't deal with the low level schmucks, demand to speak with the manager on duty.

 

[astroview]

Well if you do agree to buy it, make sure you read its terms before you pay for it. It really dosen't matter what they told you when you bought it, the terms of the contract are more important. And I second for b!tching more, BB sucks.

 

[freemanteo]

i did not read the terms, too much to read! All terms & conditions can be seen on their respective website.

As you know, new products comes out often, so they did not have the old style i had, naturally i got an almost identical product and was told to pay the price diff.


BENEFITS:

Complete Parts & Labor Coverage;
NO additional or Hidden costs;
If your product can't be repaired, WE will provide for a replacement.

 

[Deeko]

CC's replacement policy:
If it doesn't work, and we can't fix it, we'll give you a new one! If that model is no longer available, we will give you one of equivalent market value.

Basically, the same deal, they give you a gift card, but managers are cool about it and if the only one is more expensive they will mark it down. At least at the store I work at.

 

[Vic]

BB customer service is possibly the worst I have ever seen. How they stay in business, I do not know. Complain to the management and corporate about your situation. If they won't help, file complaints with the BBB and your state's attorney general.
I'm assuming you kept all your paperwork, right?

edit: Deeko, CC customer service, on the other hand, is generally quite good, but all those extended warranties are ripoffs.

 

[freemanteo]

I just got off the phone with the customer service manager, and i don't like this but THEY ARE RIGHT, freaking rip-offs!


Learned my lesson, READ before buying any performance plans!

 

[TNTrulez]

Originally posted by: freemanteo
i did not read the terms, too much to read! All terms & conditions can be seen on their respective website.

As you know, new products comes out often, so they did not have the old style i had, naturally i got an almost identical product and was told to pay the price diff.


BENEFITS:

Complete Parts & Labor Coverage;
NO additional or Hidden costs;
If your product can't be repaired, WE will provide for a replacement.

What the heck? More BB bullshit? Damn. . . that's why you don't buy those things.

 

[TNTrulez]

Originally posted by: freemanteo
I just got off the phone with the customer service manager, and i don't like this but THEY ARE RIGHT, freaking rip-offs!


Learned my lesson, READ before buying any performance plans!

Can you post the fine print that says you have to pay the difference?

 

[Wheatmaster]

u kno wat pisses me off the most...when they offer u a 5 warranty on the most stupidest things...like a cheap printer for $40. why get the warranty when u can just buy a new one when it breaks for tons cheaper?

 

[Salvador]

You didn't know that those extended warrantee's are a rip off?

Sal

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Originally posted by: freemanteo
Anymore people with advice or experience to share?

Yes, all extended warranties are rip-offs, period! Either they're structured with so many loopholes as to be utterly useless or they're for products with low failure rates and low replacement value. For cars it's the former, they seem to be all-inclusive, but have so much fine print that it's very hard to get them to pay for anything. For electronics it's the latter. Most appliances like TVs, stereos, etc, have a failure rate that works sort of like an inverse bell curve. They all break down almost immediately or they last for a long long time. Anything that breaks quickly is covered in the manufacturers warranty and anything that breaks after a long period of time has almost zero replacement value or has passed even the extended warranty limits. Think about it, have you ever seen a stereo or TV fail in the 1 to 5 year range? They're either lemons that crap out inside a week or they last forever. Hell, my stereo receiver and speakers are 15 years old and the CD player is about 12 and have never had a seconds worth of trouble. If you're really hot on buying an extended warranty, just give the salesman the money and toss the warranty paperwork down a sewer on your way home, it'll amount to the same thing, but save you the time wasted trying to collect.