Best Buy extended warranty- small vent

[eatatmidnight]

We bought DD a laptop that was on sale after Thanksgiving. It was a gift for her 16th birthday. We gave it to her last week. Yesterday, we were going to load MS office and it would not read the CD. After trying several CDs and DVDs, none would work. DH bought the extended Geek Squad service so he took it in today. They said that e-machines will not give them parts, so they can't work on them. They said there were no more because they only stocked them that day. They said they would refund our money, less the extended warranty. DH asked for a comprable replacement because there was no laptop in the store for sale at a similar price. Well, lo and behold, Best Buy found some of the same model in a warehouse and we should have one next week.

Best Buy told DH that if something happens to this one, they can't fix or replace it. Sorry. So, if you purchase an e-machine at Best Buy, don't buy the warranty.

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

I would definitely take this further. Your extended warranty should apply to the new laptop. Good luck!!

 

[SnootyBear]

I agree, that extended warranty should apply for the time frame in which it was bought, regardless of how many times they have to replace their defective merchandise. Why else would people buy an extended warranty?

 

[torinsmom]

Yeah, that is a bunch of BS. They don't have to have the same item, there is a substitute option. They can substitute a similar laptop. The warranties are 2 years and how often do you think they will have the same exact model in a year if your computer breaks? Besides, they shouldn't offer a warranty if they can't honor it. I got that same computer and did the Square Trade warranty.

Good luck with BB. It took me an hour but I got them to honor the warranty on my son's Ipod touch.

Marsha

 

[Planogirl]

They changed the extended warranty on the X-Box too.

We bought our original X-Box in December of 2007 with an extended warranty. The video went out so they replaced it with a new model in December of 2008. I once again added the extended warranty. This time (December again!) the drive won't read so DH took it in and we are waiting for a rebuilt X-Box which is all they would offer. They said that they were losing money continually replacing the systems with new models. I guess that I can see that since X-Box fails so often but I hate getting a used model.

I won't be buying the extended warranty again either.

 

[bgohre]

OP...first off, take a deep breath.

I woulndn't worry about this right now. Save this fight for when you really need it. I would imagine that what they told you is the standard line they give everybody and hope the problem just goes away and you don't complain further.

If your DDs laptop breaks again and they give you the same song and dance you may need to take this a little further than the Geek at the store. The first person you talk to very rarely gives you the best offer they have. Talk to his manager, if that doesn't work, talk to their manager and so on.

Good luck.

 

[DisneyBabies]

Also, the laptop should be under the manufacturer's warranty. You should not have to use the product service plan from Best Buy yet.

My DH used to work for BB and you are always supposed to go through the manufacturer's warranty first and only use the psp options after the original warranty expires or unless what caused the problem is covered under the psp. And, yes they have to exhaust all options to get you the exact product you purchased before they get you a comparable item.

Did they tell you why they are not enforcing the original warranty?

DH bought the extended Geek Squad service so he took it in today. They said that e-machines will not give them parts, so they can't work on them. They said there were no more because they only stocked them that day. They said they would refund our money, less the extended warranty. DH asked for a comprable replacement because there was no laptop in the store for sale at a similar price. Well, lo and behold, Best Buy found some of the same model in a warehouse and we should have one next week.

If this is the case, they should have sent the laptop off to e-machines to get it fixed. To be honest, when your DH asked for a replacement, they had every right to tell him no because the psp covers dust, heat, humidity, normal wear and tear and power surges and the no lemon clause doesn't take affect until there have been 4 qualifying repairs or the item is unfixable. It doesn't sound like any of these caused the problem with your DD's laptop, so it should have been covered under the manufacturers warranty.

One last thing. Did you get the Product Service Plan or the Geek Squad Black Tie Protection plan? Because they are two different things and operate differently when it comes to fixing and replacing items. Also, make sure the plan that you did buy gets transfered to the new laptop. You should not have to buy the plan again to cover the new laptop because you are only getting the new laptop because the original one failed. Does that make any sense?

 

[KellyNY]

I do not play with Best Buy waranties anymore. Couple years ago bought laptop, got waranty, cost me around $200 back then. Year after my laptop died. They told me it was virus and charged around $100 to fix it. Also offered me waranty to their fixing for $50. I refused. Computer still had issues, like AOL could not load properly. They told me it was AOL problem not computer one. Anyway, computer died again like month later. At that time they had sale and I just got new one for $400 without any waranties. I am typing on it right now. It died once 2 years ago. manufactor fixed that for me, it was within 1 year waranty. It is 3 years old, even more, slow and batery is not holding charge anymore but still running. I learned my lesson. I am getting cheapest laptop and do not bother with extra money, Best Buy waranty is a joke.

 

[torinsmom]

Yeah, when they replace the laptop under the warranty, you will have to pay for the prorated warranty so that it is now effective for 2 years from the date it is replaced. It shouldn't be much, since the laptop is less than a month old.

 

[angwill]

Best buy warranties are a joke. DH bought a top end VHS/DVD burner and got the warranty. We had problems with it as soon as we brought it home. I asked the geek squad if we could just get a new one and was told no unless we wanted to pay the 15% restock fee. I asked if it should then be sent into LG or if they would work on it and was told they would fix it. 3 weeks later they couldn't find the problem. Brought it home and it did the same thing. Brought it back again and was told the same think 2-3 weeks later once again they couldn't find the problem. I talked to management who said there was nothing they could do and told me they did not want to see the machine back again. So much for their warranty. I sent it into LG to be fixed only to find out that by letting Best Buy look at it I just voided their warranty and would now have to pay for them to fix it. That was a $450 lesson learned the hard way. I no longer buy from Best Buy but do use their ads for price matches.

 

[msmayor]

Best buy warranties are a joke. DH bought a top end VHS/DVD burner and got the warranty. We had problems with it as soon as we brought it home. I asked the geek squad if we could just get a new one and was told no unless we wanted to pay the 15% restock fee. I asked if it should then be sent into LG or if they would work on it and was told they would fix it. 3 weeks later they couldn't find the problem. Brought it home and it did the same thing. Brought it back again and was told the same think 2-3 weeks later once again they couldn't find the problem. I talked to management who said there was nothing they could do and told me they did not want to see the machine back again. So much for their warranty. I sent it into LG to be fixed only to find out that by letting Best Buy look at it I just voided their warranty and would now have to pay for them to fix it. That was a $450 lesson learned the hard way. I no longer buy from Best Buy but do use their ads for price matches.

Why would you have even bothered with the 'extended warranty' when you were certainly still under the regular manufacturer warranty? Every 'extended warranty' I've ever seen kicks in AFTER the manufacturer's runs out.

 

[torinsmom]

BB's warranty is in force as soon as you buy the item. I would definitely go through the manufacturer if it was a problem that was not from accidental damage. I got the warranty on my son's ipod b/c it covered accidental damage. He dropped it on the wet ground and we did get it replaced. It took an hour and going through about 6 people though. First they wanted me to let them send it out and have one direct shipped to us. Those were backordered and it could take weeks. I refused b/c I was told when I bought it 3 months before that if it broke, I would get a new one on the spot. They had come out with the new generation in the interim, so they kept saying they couldn't give me a new one to replace the old one. I guess someone finally decided I wasn't leaving or giving up, b/c the last manager just told them to give me a new generation one, LOL. It was actually LESS than the older generation and they gave me a gift card for the difference.

I bought a similar computer to the OP a few weeks ago and said no thanks to their warranty. I went through Square Trade and saved a lot of money. I figure the manufacturer's warranty should cover anything that is mechanically wrong anyway.

Marsha

 

[KKB]

And a waste of money for nearly everyone who buys them, especially since nearly every manufacturer has a one year limited warranty.
I bought an HP laptop last month for $429 (4G--pretty good deal). They wanted $75 to "set it up". I asked what that entailed...charging the battery, installing the free Webroot & dumping some unneccary programs--HUH? ARE YOU KIDDING? I am not the most computer literate person, but I can handle all that for FREE! But how many people say..."OK"....

 

[pixiewings71]

Oh boy, this is making me rethink the warranty I just bought for DBF's Ipod Touch......yikes!!

OP I hope you get it fixed!

 

[momxx5]

Warranties versus product replacements, are becoming more different depending on who issues them. as far as them getting results, that is even more difficult.

DS's iTouch had a crack on the screen. Best Buys product replacement did not cover it at all beacuse nother from Apple covers craced screens. The warranties all cover internal stuff but not screens. I was super bummed because I assume it covered the screen. Isn't it more likely that the screen is going to get cracked before anything else.

We used the product replacement from RockBand 2, because the drums did not work right at all. Once you use the plan then you have to purchase the plan again for the new item you have. So it comes down to $29.99 for a new one.

As far as the Xbox, we have always had to deal with Microsoft. We purchased it at BestBuy but they never honored any of the problems that we had. We are now on our 4th Xbox, each replaced by Microsoft, each being a refurbished one.

 

[merryweather20]

Why would you have even bothered with the 'extended warranty' when you were certainly still under the regular manufacturer warranty? Every 'extended warranty' I've ever seen kicks in AFTER the manufacturer's runs out.

Why would anyone pay $$$ to ship it and risk more damage when they paid $$$ for the warranty. I bought one for my brothers PS3 and that was NOT how it was sold to me. They specifically told me that, they would handle everything, and asked me if I wanted to mess around with shipping the item to the manufacturer. "Handling everything" is not voiding the warranty.

 

[BrookeTx]

We have never had problems with our items bought with warranty. BB has replaced a tv, portable dvd player and my laptop. My sister's camera as well. Plus a mp3 player and cd player of my other sisters.

With the portable DVD player, the warranty was to go out 1 month later and we got a new one since it wasn't fixable.

 

[Jachred]

We bought DD a laptop that was on sale after Thanksgiving. It was a gift for her 16th birthday. We gave it to her last week. Yesterday, we were going to load MS office and it would not read the CD. After trying several CDs and DVDs, none would work. DH bought the extended Geek Squad service so he took it in today. They said that e-machines will not give them parts, so they can't work on them. They said there were no more because they only stocked them that day. They said they would refund our money, less the extended warranty. DH asked for a comprable replacement because there was no laptop in the store for sale at a similar price. Well, lo and behold, Best Buy found some of the same model in a warehouse and we should have one next week.

Best Buy told DH that if something happens to this one, they can't fix or replace it. Sorry. So, if you purchase an e-machine at Best Buy, don't buy the warranty.

Well the laptop is under E-Machines 1 year warranty. So the service plan shouldn't be needed yet. When I worked for the geek-squad, It was my job to keep things fair for the company. I am sure you got a great deal/steal on the laptop, and it was probably made from old/leftover parts. However they should be able to get a DVD-Drive for the laptop.

#1. Best Buy does handle manufacture warranty claims (even without PSP). HOWEVER when I worked for them, E-Machines were always DEVO, witch meant the customer was able to use the funds for purchase of a new machine. Customers rarely argued since they were getting free money.

#2 I am sure somewhere it states the replacement shall be equal to or lesser in value with similar options. This is the "Where you get screwed clause" because you have such a great deal, and its not fixable, you are only entitled to the amount of money you originally paid for it. (I looked it up to be sure)

L. Limits of Liability:

For any single claim, the limit of liability under this Plan is the lesser of the
 cost of (1) authorized repairs, (2) replacement with a product of like kind 
and quality that is of comparable performance, or (3) reimbursement for 
authorized repairs or replacement. The total liability under this Plan is the 
current market value of the product, as determined by us, not to exceed the 
original purchase price of your product, including taxes. Technological
 advances may result in a replacement product with a lower selling price than 
the original product. In the event that the total of all authorized repairs 
exceeds the current market value of the product or we replace the product, 
we shall have satisfied all obligations owed under the Plan.

#3 Visit E-Machines website: http://www.emachines.com/support/warranty.html#stdWarranty

#4 Get a full refund. Yes I know you got a really good deal on your laptop and you should get a replacement. But get a full refund of your laptop and PSP (Since it wasn't used) and get a better one instead.

I am sure E-Machines would be the better route, and get a refund for the PSP, They pro-rate them on a monthly basis, and are refundable (last time i checked anyway)


I feel your pain, PSP's work out for expensive purchases somtimes, but never work out for cheap, everyday items, Cell phones, Ipods, and cheap computers and washers/dryers because of thier sale price.

Hope this helped you a little bit on how to get a new direction. If all else fails cry really loud in the store when its really busy....

 

[disneymom3]

Once you use the plan then you have to purchase the plan again for the new item you have. So it comes down to $29.99 for a new one.

I never knew that! What a total racket they have going there! glad I never feel for that warrenty thing before.

 

[msmayor]

Why would anyone pay $$$ to ship it and risk more damage when they paid $$$ for the warranty. I bought one for my brothers PS3 and that was NOT how it was sold to me. They specifically told me that, they would handle everything, and asked me if I wanted to mess around with shipping the item to the manufacturer. "Handling everything" is not voiding the warranty.

Any time I've ever had an item that needed to be shipped to a manufacturer for repair or replacement under warranty, I've NEVER paid for the shipping...the manufacturer sends me a pre-paid label (and sometimes has even delivered the box and all packing material needed).

Once had a Dell tech try to have me remove something from my laptop and re-seat it to see if that would fix the problem when the laptop was under warranty. I refused, telling him that the act of ME opening it would void the warranty. I made them follow the rules they set up and allow me to ship it back to them at their cost for repair.