I never had anything against BestBuy until today

[BigJ]

So my parents won an Insignia 32" LCD about a year ago. They were having problems with the picture (which would've been covered under warranty) so they cart it into BB. My mother and brother took it in and it fell (dumb move I know, but shit happens), cracking the LCD screen. So now there was no hope in using the warranty, so they decided for the hell of it to still get an estimate of it being repaired. I told them not to bother with repairing it (but was curious as to the estimate) and to get a new TV (got a Vizio 32" during CC's big sale, due to the Entertainment Center's width, had very few sets to select from).

So they finally got the estimate back today.

Total cost to repair this TV?

$1798.78

It broke down to the following:

Parts: $1514.29
-New LCD and another component that controlled the picture
Labor: $249.95
Tax: $34.54

Now I know that sometimes due to clearance, sales, and whatever that the whole unit will cost less than the parts and that due to the age of the set, there could be some trouble getting them. But for it to cost $1200 more than a completely new set, that just baffles me.

How can they honestly get away with this?

A good question was raised as to why I'm mad at BB and not the TV manufacturer. This pretty much sums it up:

Originally posted by: vi_edit
And how is it Best Buy's fault/problem?

If you took it to any repair shop you are going to be looking at ridiculously expensive repair parts too. It's not like Best Buy is actually in charge of building TV's and providing the repair parts.

Their fault is where the salesman at the GeekSquad/CS counter was trying to push the repair. My dad let him spin his tale, and then asked him why he shouldn't just purchase a new one for $600.

Cliffs:
-TV out of warranty
-Take to BestBuy for repair estimate
-Repairs cost $1800, new TV is only $600+tax
-Not a fan of BB right now.

 

[FoBoT]

that is a hint, they don't want you to fix it. they want you to buy a new one

it is like when your car insurance goes up 700% , they really want you to cancel and go away

 

[RossMAN]

Wow.

For $200 less you can buy a larger LCD which is 100x better:

http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd...ctDetail.do?oid=188918

 

[bennylong]

That's why everyone just buy new nowaday. It's cheaper to buy than to repair and has been like this for 20 years. Don't bother with a career in TV/Radio repair.

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
that is a hint, they don't want you to fix it. they want you to buy a new one

it is like when your car insurance goes up 700% , they really want you to cancel and go away

It's also a great way to lose customers.

When my dad called me up, he was fuming mad. Swore off BestBuy (and he is the type that will never go back to a store if he feels he's been wronged).

My family used to go to BestBuy for movies, video games, and other stuff. It may not add up to much to them, but the company will be losing that money.

Also, that "hint" is also there to take advantage of suckers. Now I'm not saying a business shouldn't be able to. Just that it's not how I would run my business.

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: RossMAN
Wow.

For $200 less you can buy a larger LCD which is 100x better:

http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd...ctDetail.do?oid=188918

Thanks for the link Rossman, but they already got another set. They insist on keeping their old entertainment center, so they were limited to 32" sets with a very specific width.

Now if you know of anything for BF that I could purchase

 

[Whisper]

Like you said, with the vast majority of the price being made of up cost for parts, it's likely that the manufacturer is charging a premium in the hopes that consumers will buy new rather than repair old sets.

I don't think it's a problem of best buy's so much as it is the company that made the tv.

 

[vi edit]

And how is it Best Buy's fault/problem?

If you took it to any repair shop you are going to be looking at ridiculously expensive repair parts too. It's not like Best Buy is actually in charge of building TV's and providing the repair parts.

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
And how is it Best Buy's fault/problem?

If you took it to any repair shop you are going to be looking at ridiculously expensive repair parts too. It's not like Best Buy is actually in charge of building TV's and providing the repair parts.

Their fault is where the salesman at the GeekSquad/CS counter was trying to push the repair. My dad let him spin his tale, and then asked him why he shouldn't just purchase a new one for $600.

Seems I REALLY should've put this in the OP. Updating now.

 

[ValValline]

How is it BB's fault that the parts cost almost 3x as much as a new set?

I can think of a lot of reasons to be angry with and/or boycott BB, but your situation hardly seems like it applies.

 

[bennylong]

I learned my lesson from my VCR days. It cost $80 to fix, then it breaks down after the 60 days warranty expires. What a scam. It's much better to just throw it away and buy new with the cost of repairs nowaday.

 

[shortylickens]

Originally posted by: bennylong
That's why everyone just buy new nowaday. It's cheaper to buy than to repair and has been like this for 20 years. Don't bother with a career in TV/Radio repair.

Agreed.
Ever since the 80's and miniaturized/cheap Japanese electronics, its been less costly to buy a new item then repair an old.
Now if you get a special plan that outright replaces broken items, its worth it.

When I bought my Lazy Boy (LA-Z-BOY?) I paid an extra 50 for a protection plan that will do any repairs and redo the upholstery for 10 years at no charge.
Granted, Murphy's Law says that simply because I got the plan I will never need it, but that makes it good insurance.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: BigJ

Originally posted by: FoBoT
that is a hint, they don't want you to fix it. they want you to buy a new one

it is like when your car insurance goes up 700% , they really want you to cancel and go away

It's also a great way to lose customers.

When my dad called me up, he was fuming mad. Swore off BestBuy (and he is the type that will never go back to a store if he feels he's been wronged).

My family used to go to BestBuy for movies, video games, and other stuff. It may not add up to much to them, but the company will be losing that money.

Also, that "hint" is also there to take advantage of suckers. Now I'm not saying a business shouldn't be able to. Just that it's not how I would run my business.

I gotta say, this seems like a really silly thing to get that mad over.

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: mugs


I gotta say, this seems like a really silly thing to get that mad over.

Fuming mad me have been an overstatement. He's got a mouth like a sailor, so he may have just been excited. I'll give him a call in a little bit to see if he's calmed down.

Also, check the OP as to something major I left out that I really should've posted to begin with.

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: bennylong
I learned my lesson from my VCR days. It cost $80 to fix, then it breaks down after the 60 days warranty expires. What a scam. It's much better to just throw it away and buy new with the cost of repairs nowaday.

Well the whole thing is it would've been under warranty if they hadn't dropped the darn thing. I told them just to chuck it but they wanted to see how much it would cost.

 

[teclis1023]

The answer is simple, buy a new TV.

BBuy does a lot of crappy things, but I'm not sure what you wanted them to do in this scenario.

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: teclis1023
The answer is simple, buy a new TV.

BBuy does a lot of crappy things, but I'm not sure what you wanted them to do in this scenario.

Suggest that he buys a new TV instead of pushing the repair.

I work in retail and could swindle a lot of people out of a bunch of money for my store. Most people come to me and don't know anything about electrical work. I could turn their $80 purchase into $300 by taking advantage of their ignorance, but I don't.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: BigJ

Originally posted by: mugs


I gotta say, this seems like a really silly thing to get that mad over.

Fuming mad me have been an overstatement. He's got a mouth like a sailor, so he may have just been excited. I'll give him a call in a little bit to see if he's calmed down.

Also, check the OP as to something major I left out that I really should've posted to begin with.

If I had been in a situation where I hadn't just dumped a $1000 electronic device on the floor I probably would have laughed at the kid when he gave me the quote.

But since I would probably be fuming mad *at myself* I could see how I easy it would be to displace that anger and unleash fury on some poor kid reading a number off of a computer screen.

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: vi_edit

Originally posted by: BigJ

Originally posted by: mugs


I gotta say, this seems like a really silly thing to get that mad over.

Fuming mad me have been an overstatement. He's got a mouth like a sailor, so he may have just been excited. I'll give him a call in a little bit to see if he's calmed down.

Also, check the OP as to something major I left out that I really should've posted to begin with.

If I had been in a situation where I hadn't just dumped a $1000 electronic device on the floor I probably would have laughed at the kid when he gave me the quote.

But since I would probably be fuming mad *at myself* I could see how I easy it would be to displace that anger and unleash fury on some poor kid reading a number off of a computer screen.

You know that saying about assumptions?

First off, my father wasn't the one that dumped the TV.

Second of all, the TV was taken to get the estimate almost a month and a half ago and he finally went in to pick the thing up.

Third of all, it wasn't some kid reading a quote off of a computer. It was someone trying to push an unnecessary $1200 onto him.

 

[OutHouse]

i really don't know why you are mad. if you had to buy all the parts to your car to totally build it would cost 3 times than what you paid for it.

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: Citrix
i really don't know why you are mad. if you had to buy all the parts to your car to totally build it would cost 3 times than what you paid for it.

*I'm* not upset. I just think it's pretty sleazy to try to get someone to pay the repair cost instead of telling them just to buy a new TV. How many times am I going to have to say this?

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: BigJ

Originally posted by: Citrix
i really don't know why you are mad. if you had to buy all the parts to your car to totally build it would cost 3 times than what you paid for it.

*I'm* not upset. I just think it's pretty sleazy to try to get someone to pay the repair cost instead of telling them just to buy a new TV. How many times am I going to have to say this?

Dude, calm down, nobody's trying to hurt you.

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog

Originally posted by: BigJ

Originally posted by: Citrix
i really don't know why you are mad. if you had to buy all the parts to your car to totally build it would cost 3 times than what you paid for it.

*I'm* not upset. I just think it's pretty sleazy to try to get someone to pay the repair cost instead of telling them just to buy a new TV. How many times am I going to have to say this?

Dude, calm down, nobody's trying to hurt you.

:lips:

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: BigJ

Originally posted by: Citrix
i really don't know why you are mad. if you had to buy all the parts to your car to totally build it would cost 3 times than what you paid for it.

*I'm* not upset. I just think it's pretty sleazy to try to get someone to pay the repair cost instead of telling them just to buy a new TV. How many times am I going to have to say this?

You know why they quote the price? Because some customer probably threw a fit that they suggested they buy a new one instead of quoting a price...regardless of what it amounted to.

If I took a $1500 car into a car dealer to have the transmission replaced, they aren't going to turn around and say "buy a new car". They are going to tell me that it's going to cost $1500 to repair it.

Your family asked for a quote to repair. They got a quote for the repair. How much that quote was amounted to is irrelevant.

They asked, Best Buy answered. I wasn't at the counter and you seem to really just trickle details in post by post so I can't comment on the attitude or actual conversation that took place.

 

[theprodigalrebel]

Yeah, I'm surprised they didn't just say, "You know what Sir, it will cost three times more to fix than to simply get a new one. Funny, but that's how it is." I can see why you are upset.