GPS and the cold. Don't do it!!! Sort of a long VENT

[It'sWDW4me]

I borrowed my DD's GPS earlier last week. I used it and saw that the weather was going to be cold at night so I went out to the car to get it. I took it out of the glove box (in its little camera case) and brought it into the house. The GPS was cold. I took it out, turned it on and it started to crackle as it warmed up. The screen cracked like a spider web. I was speechless!!! I called Best Buy where we had purchased the GPS in June and purchased additional insurance on it. The young man on the phone was great. He said to being it in and they would take a look at it. I asked if I could bring it to another Best Buy and he said yes. I had to go to a dress fitting in another town so I brought the GPS there. I waited in line for about 15 min and spoke to a very nice young lady. She said that yes since I had the extra insurance she was pretty sure it would be covered. Since the weather had not gone down to the temp stated in the manual and the manual suggests storing it in the glove box and it was stored in the case she thought it would be fine. I had to wait in the Geek Squad line for over 1/2 hour listening to the customer service person talk to the women in front of me about fishing, apartments, how to batter fry fish etc. I finally got to talk to the young man and he said I did not have the correct warrenty plan to cover the GPS. He also said that the GPS looked like it had been dropped. I explained that the GPS had not been dropped, I told him about the cold and how it states it should be kept in the glove box out of direct heat, how I had just been told it had not reached the temp stated. I showed him that there was no scratches on the GPS, no dents so it sort of proved it wasn't dropped. He was very nice but said I had the wrong coverage. I asked about the difference in the plans and he said that they had just separated them. I guess the old plan covered everything even if it was the owners fault but the new ones cover only unit malfunctions? I asked when this went into effect and he said late summer.I bought this in June? I said I had a camera and the coverage covers everything and he looked it up on his computer and said that yes it did but hand held devices did not??? Huh?? Isn't a camera a hand held device? I asked to speak to a Mgr and had to wait an additional 20 min. The mgr came over and again he was very nice said that they do not cover the screen cracking. He said there was no way to prove it had not been dropped. I asked how he could prove it HAD been dropped or how he could not prove it wasn't the cold. He couldn't but said if it had been the cold it might have been covered but it wasn't?? Huh? The GPS was still working at this time but the screen was hard to read because of all the spiderweb cracks. I said I was very sad that I had bought extra coverage and the unit was 9 months old and they wouldn't cover it. He said sorry and refunded my pro-rated warrenty cost (less than $10). I asked that he please look at the GPS again and show me why he thought it had been dropped and not cracked from the cold. He pushed on the glass and when he did it started to bleed..a black area appeared and you could not see 1/4 of the GPS. He said that the screen was depressed on one side and that was probably the point of impact? HUH?????? I explained that he had just done that when he pressed on it. When I brought it in the screen was not depressed and there was not a black area on it.He stated his decision was final and that they had GPS on sale for $89.00. At this point I did raise my voice and said that I would not be purchasing a GPS today or any other day from Best Buy and left. I realize that I was partly at fault for leaving the GPS in the car, but it does not say in the manual that it needs to be brought in every night. I guess I wouldn't leave my computer in the car so I should have known better. I didn't drop it and it wasn't "Smushed" when I brought it in . Oh well....lessons learned 1) Do not leave GPS in the car when its cold no matter what temp the book says. 2) Always ask what the plan covers and what it does not cover. 3)Take a photo of the thing you are returning so you can prove that it was in the condition you said it was in 4) Don't stand in line behind a lady who likes to talk about fish frys or you will be there forever!!

Bolded is the key issue. Electronics, if left in the cold, must be brought up to room temperature before you turn it on. I'm sorry the manager was rude and that he handled the situation inappropriately, but the screen cracked due to user error. I'm sure it says in the manual to not turn on the device if it's endured extreme weather - heat or cold. The cracked screen shouldn't have been covered under warranty.

 

[D L and K's Mom]

I did take the names of the people who were nice...dont have the rude managers name..figures. I am sure they can figure out who it was. It doesnt say anything in the users booklet about letting it warm up before turning it on. Just temps not to store it at.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

We shop almost exclusively at BestBuy for electronics and similar and I think it definately is more of a regional issue thing or local store issue thing because we've never had ANY issue returning anything at the store, whether it was a manufacturing defect or we just didn't care for the product. Hell, I remember when LCD computer monitors were just hitting the market and we had bought and returned 4 monitors due to dead pixels over the course of a week (note, at this time a 17" LCD was about $700) and only once did they question the return (there was a manufacturing defect in the plastic housing that if you looked at it quickly you might think it was a drop mark).

We also do not buy their extended warranties, rather we just charge everything to our AMEX cards and get the automatic doubling of the warranty, and AMEX is amazing when it comes to the handling of their extended warranties (I've used the service twice and I have nothing but great things to say).

 

[Laura24]

Best Buy is a big pain in the *** when something goes wrong. Call the 1800 number and ask for customer relations. I fought for a whole week just to straighten out multiple credit card charges that they could not get right for a pick-up (TV) a refund to bundle it with PS3 and a gift card that they forgot to include in the re-ring of the TV. I had 6 different transactions and it set off my fraud alert to the point that I could not make an additional purchase for accessories. The snippy front end manager seemed to get a thrill out of my card being declined until I set her straight that multiple transactions and swipes of a cc set off the red flags. I was in the store for 1.5 hours to do this transaction and every single CSR had issues with their transactions..and 2managers on duty were of no help either to them. Idiots. Period.

 

[bettymae1121]

I borrowed my DD's GPS earlier last week. I used it and saw that the weather was going to be cold at night so I went out to the car to get it. I took it out of the glove box (in its little camera case) and brought it into the house. The GPS was cold. I took it out, turned it on and it started to crackle as it warmed up. The screen cracked like a spider web. I was speechless!!! I called Best Buy where we had purchased the GPS in June and purchased additional insurance on it. The young man on the phone was great. He said to being it in and they would take a look at it. I asked if I could bring it to another Best Buy and he said yes. I had to go to a dress fitting in another town so I brought the GPS there. I waited in line for about 15 min and spoke to a very nice young lady. She said that yes since I had the extra insurance she was pretty sure it would be covered. Since the weather had not gone down to the temp stated in the manual and the manual suggests storing it in the glove box and it was stored in the case she thought it would be fine. I had to wait in the Geek Squad line for over 1/2 hour listening to the customer service person talk to the women in front of me about fishing, apartments, how to batter fry fish etc. I finally got to talk to the young man and he said I did not have the correct warrenty plan to cover the GPS. He also said that the GPS looked like it had been dropped. I explained that the GPS had not been dropped, I told him about the cold and how it states it should be kept in the glove box out of direct heat, how I had just been told it had not reached the temp stated. I showed him that there was no scratches on the GPS, no dents so it sort of proved it wasn't dropped. He was very nice but said I had the wrong coverage. I asked about the difference in the plans and he said that they had just separated them. I guess the old plan covered everything even if it was the owners fault but the new ones cover only unit malfunctions? I asked when this went into effect and he said late summer.I bought this in June? I said I had a camera and the coverage covers everything and he looked it up on his computer and said that yes it did but hand held devices did not??? Huh?? Isn't a camera a hand held device? I asked to speak to a Mgr and had to wait an additional 20 min. The mgr came over and again he was very nice said that they do not cover the screen cracking. He said there was no way to prove it had not been dropped. I asked how he could prove it HAD been dropped or how he could not prove it wasn't the cold. He couldn't but said if it had been the cold it might have been covered but it wasn't?? Huh? The GPS was still working at this time but the screen was hard to read because of all the spiderweb cracks. I said I was very sad that I had bought extra coverage and the unit was 9 months old and they wouldn't cover it. He said sorry and refunded my pro-rated warrenty cost (less than $10). I asked that he please look at the GPS again and show me why he thought it had been dropped and not cracked from the cold. He pushed on the glass and when he did it started to bleed..a black area appeared and you could not see 1/4 of the GPS. He said that the screen was depressed on one side and that was probably the point of impact? HUH?????? I explained that he had just done that when he pressed on it. When I brought it in the screen was not depressed and there was not a black area on it.He stated his decision was final and that they had GPS on sale for $89.00. At this point I did raise my voice and said that I would not be purchasing a GPS today or any other day from Best Buy and left. I realize that I was partly at fault for leaving the GPS in the car, but it does not say in the manual that it needs to be brought in every night. I guess I wouldn't leave my computer in the car so I should have known better. I didn't drop it and it wasn't "Smushed" when I brought it in . Oh well....lessons learned 1) Do not leave GPS in the car when its cold no matter what temp the book says. 2) Always ask what the plan covers and what it does not cover. 3)Take a photo of the thing you are returning so you can prove that it was in the condition you said it was in 4) Don't stand in line behind a lady who likes to talk about fish frys or you will be there forever!!

The exact same thing happened to us, only it was a $1000 LCD tv that they refused to replace, saying we had damaged it (nope, just stoped working) and the extended warenty ($100) didn't cover 'damage caused by the owner'.

So BB no longer gets any of our business. And since all our appliances need to be replaced and we're looking to upgrade our tv and surround sound system in the next few years, they're going to lose out on thousands of dollars of business, not to mention I tell everyone I can to stay away from them for major purchases, so bad "word of mouth" will hurt them as well.

 

[Barbossa]

Cold temperatures aren't necessarily harmful to electronics, though they might not work below a certain temp (usually around 32 deg fahrenheit). A drastic change in environment could be harmful, though, as moisture might condense on the circuitry and/or brittle materials may be damaged. If you leave a GPS in your car it's best to leave it there.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

We shop almost exclusively at BestBuy for electronics and similar and I think it definately is more of a regional issue thing or local store issue thing because we've never had ANY issue returning anything at the store, whether it was a manufacturing defect or we just didn't care for the product. Hell, I remember when LCD computer monitors were just hitting the market and we had bought and returned 4 monitors due to dead pixels over the course of a week (note, at this time a 17" LCD was about $700) and only once did they question the return (there was a manufacturing defect in the plastic housing that if you looked at it quickly you might think it was a drop mark).

We also do not buy their extended warranties, rather we just charge everything to our AMEX cards and get the automatic doubling of the warranty, and AMEX is amazing when it comes to the handling of their extended warranties (I've used the service twice and I have nothing but great things to say).

It really must be regional. After 10+ years of excellent service from my local BestBuy I'm shocked by some of these problems. I have never spent more than 10 minutes returning anything for numerous reasons.

So long as we had he receipt, they've always exchanged and/or refunded with no questions asked.

 

[merekc]

After many, many purchases at Best Buy, we divorced them about 7 years ago due to poor customer service, failure to honor their warranties and flat out lying to make the sale. We even had a friend who worked there tell us they were told to say whatever it takes to make the sale (specifically on the extended warranties).

Things may or may not have changed, but burn me once shame on you, burn me twice shame on me. I refuse to spend a dime in a Best Buy.

 

[surfergirl602]

Bolded is the key issue. Electronics, if left in the cold, must be brought up to room temperature before you turn it on. I'm sorry the manager was rude and that he handled the situation inappropriately, but the screen cracked due to user error. I'm sure it says in the manual to not turn on the device if it's endured extreme weather - heat or cold. The cracked screen shouldn't have been covered under warranty.

This.

 

[stm61]

We always bought EVERYTHING electronic at BB, never even thought of going anywhere else. Until 4 years ago. I bought a laptop, with extended warranty. It lasted 3 days and I got the "blue screen of death" as the geek squad called it. Brought it back, they didn't want to replace it. I got loud, there was a long line of customers, and I got a new laptop, but they gave me the exact same thing. This time it lasted a few weeks. The geek squad couldn't find the problem, it went to their repair depot twice, they couldn't fix it either. BB claimed there was nothing wrong with the laptop, that I was just trying to get a new computer. I finally called Toshiba Corp. Shipped the laptop to CA and got a call from the guys that design the blasted things. They were very interested in all the details of what it was doing, when it started, etc. The system was so messed up, they couldn't replicate it in any other computer. They send me a refurbished laptop. That lasted a few days before the blue screen. They sent another refurb, it had a blue screen when I turned it on the first time. They finally sent me a brand new computer. End result: I will never buy another thing from BB or Toshiba.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

We always bought EVERYTHING electronic at BB, never even thought of going anywhere else. Until 4 years ago. I bought a laptop, with extended warranty. It lasted 3 days and I got the "blue screen of death" as the geek squad called it. Brought it back, they didn't want to replace it. I got loud, there was a long line of customers, and I got a new laptop, but they gave me the exact same thing. This time it lasted a few weeks. The geek squad couldn't find the problem, it went to their repair depot twice, they couldn't fix it either. BB claimed there was nothing wrong with the laptop, that I was just trying to get a new computer. I finally called Toshiba Corp. Shipped the laptop to CA and got a call from the guys that design the blasted things. They were very interested in all the details of what it was doing, when it started, etc. The system was so messed up, they couldn't replicate it in any other computer. They send me a refurbished laptop. That lasted a few days before the blue screen. They sent another refurb, it had a blue screen when I turned it on the first time. They finally sent me a brand new computer. End result: I will never buy another thing from BB or Toshiba.

I remember those Toshiba's hitting the market, they had lots or problems. I can understand the problem being accused but I don't see how the problem is BB per se. More an issue with Toshiba.

 

[D L and K's Mom]

Well, I sent an email to Garmin just to see if they can do anything. I got an email back saying...
1) Send my first and last name...where and when it was purchased.

2) Send a copy of the receipt for the GPS, serial number for the unit etc...

3) they will create and Return Authorization for the GPS unit and will send me out a box to return the unit.


Now im worried because there is that black spot!! I am going to call Best Buy tomorrow to see what they say.....dreading that!!!!

 

[stm61]

I remember those Toshiba's hitting the market, they had lots or problems. I can understand the problem being accused but I don't see how the problem is BB per se. More an issue with Toshiba.

I agree that BB didn't cause the problem with the computer. My issue with them is they claimed there was no problem at all. The blasted thing spent more time in BB's custody then in mine, and they swore it worked just fine while they had it. Apparently they've told their in-store and depot geek's not to admit to any problems. They also refused to honor their own warranty's.

My only issue with Toshiba, aside from the original computer not working, was them sending me 2 defective refurb's before finally sending a brand new one. They found the problems the first time they turned the laptop on.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

I agree that BB didn't cause the problem with the computer. My issue with them is they claimed there was no problem at all. The blasted thing spent more time in BB's custody then in mine, and they swore it worked just fine while they had it. Apparently they've told their in-store and depot geek's not to admit to any problems. They also refused to honor their own warranty's.

My only issue with Toshiba, aside from the original computer not working, was them sending me 2 defective refurb's before finally sending a brand new one. They found the problems the first time they turned the laptop on.

Depending on the warranty/service contract you bought, it may not have been in effect yet, and they were deferring the responsibility back to the manufacturer. Did BestBuy handle it as good as they good, no, that I agree with, but I'm not sure I completely would attack them about this one incident (and before I get called out, I have zero financial interest in BestBuy).

 

[nancys]

Don't some cars come equipped with GPS'S? They would always be left outside in extreme heat or cold, and would be used without allowing them to approach room temp, right? Are they less delicate than the handheld ones?

 

[MoniqueU]

I skimmed your post, saw you brought it in then knew it was from BB. I have never had them honor a warranty they have sold me and don't know anyone else that has had their warranties honored either. They always claime uses wear and tear. I haven't bought one thing from them since they wouldn't hornor a warranty on my coputer. I don't shop there and never will. I miss circuit city!

 

[stm61]

Depending on the warranty/service contract you bought, it may not have been in effect yet, and they were deferring the responsibility back to the manufacturer. Did BestBuy handle it as good as they good, no, that I agree with, but I'm not sure I completely would attack them about this one incident (and before I get called out, I have zero financial interest in BestBuy).

when I bought the original laptop they told me the extended warranty covered basically anything that could happen to the laptop. I remember both the salesman and the geek, who did the sales order to remove all the extra crap that manufacturers put on new computers, talked about how great the warranty was. They said it covered anything the original manufacturers warranty, which apparently only covered certain problems (it's been awhile so I don't remember exactly what), didn't cover, and that there was no waiting period for it to kick in. BB didn't want to honor their own warranty, so their solution was to deny there was a problem with the laptop. If they denied their was an issue, they didn't have to replace the laptop. Toshiba, who I'm not very fond of either, found the problem immediately, and admitted it was so bad it couldn't be fixed. BB also refused to provide any contact information for Toshiba, and insisted that Toshiba would not help me either.

In the past 5 years I've heard more horror stories about BB and their lack of customer service then I can count. Maybe they had a change in upper management or something, I don't know anyone who had any problems with them before that.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

Don't some cars come equipped with GPS'S? They would always be left outside in extreme heat or cold, and would be used without allowing them to approach room temp, right? Are they less delicate than the handheld ones?

If the GPS is in the car, installed, the car is going to be the same temperature as the GPS and it's going to adjust in temperature similar in rate to the car as it warms up.

The situation that probably caused the problem in the OP's case is that they brought in a GPS from outside into a warm house, which in itself is a temperature shock, then turned on the GPS which again is a temperature shock as it warms up. It's the combination of the temperature change from outdoors to indoors and turning it on that caused the problem. Independently, neither would cause a problem.

when I bought the original laptop they told me the extended warranty covered basically anything that could happen to the laptop. I remember both the salesman and the geek, who did the sales order to remove all the extra crap that manufacturers put on new computers, talked about how great the warranty was. They said it covered anything the original manufacturers warranty, which apparently only covered certain problems (it's been awhile so I don't remember exactly what), didn't cover, and that there was no waiting period for it to kick in. BB didn't want to honor their own warranty, so their solution was to deny there was a problem with the laptop. If they denied their was an issue, they didn't have to replace the laptop. Toshiba, who I'm not very fond of either, found the problem immediately, and admitted it was so bad it couldn't be fixed. BB also refused to provide any contact information for Toshiba, and insisted that Toshiba would not help me either.

Again, I do think BestBuy made some mistakes along the way (and should have given you Toshiba's contact info), but you even state the BestBuy's warranty covered items that were not covered under warranty by Toshiba. In this case the situation was covered by Toshiba's warranty, so BestBuy didn't want to accept responsibility or have to pay for something that Toshiba should be paying for. I agree with their actions in that perspective. Again, handling, not so much, but the outcome is one in the same.