I Am So Pissed

ken brydson · January 2004

Bought a 27" Toshiba Flat Screen for the kids TV 3 months ago. Last week I noticed it was cracking on the frame around the screen on the bottom left corner. Wife called BBuy and told them. The guy she talked to said bring it in and they would "probably" just give us a new one. OK, cool. Unhook everything, lug it to the car and off to Best Buy. They take a look and say they have to send it to the service center to see what's wrong with it. Huh? It's breaking.....we need to send it out to determine THAT?
Now I'm to the pissed part. The service center just called and said it wasn't covered by the manufacturers warranty OR by their extended service plan. They want close to $200 to repair it. $200 to repair a 3 month old $400 set? Give me a freakin' break. The tech said "it still works fine, just a little crack". Should I have to put up with this?
I am WIDE open to suggestions.
Thanks. I feel a little better now

F1nut · January 2004

That sucks man. Try some superglue???

ken brydson · January 2004

Originally posted by F1nut
That sucks man. Try some superglue???

I could but should I have to?

F1nut · January 2004

No!

PolkThug · January 2004

That's a crappy situation to be in. I'll let you in on a little secret, and hopefully it applies to BB also. At CC, if a customer has bought an extended warranty, no matter how long ago, and they decide they don't want the extended warranty anymore, we have to refund them the prorated amount.

Example: cutomer buys a $100 one year warranty on their TV. They come back 3 months later and don't want the warranty anymore, we have to give them $75 back.

I know this doesn't 'solve' your problem, but you could at least maybe get some money back on an extended warranty that doesn't seem to cover squat.

Regards,
PolkThug

ken brydson · January 2004

That's a thought. I'm heading down to the store to pitch a **** in a few. Who knows if it will do any good

shack · January 2004

Contact Toshiba USA. They have a 1 year limited warranty against defects on most of their TVs. DO NOT trust BB for what is and is not covered. Check you manual for warranty information and then call Tosiba.

http://www.toshiba.com/tai-new/Support.jsp

danger boy · January 2004

if i were you. i'd deal ONLY with Toshiba.. not BB. i can't imagine Toshiba wouldn't over a defect like that. if it's only a few months old.

How good are those extended warrantys anyway? I got one for 4 yrs for my new Zenith. now i wonder if it will cover "everything" or only small things? hmmmm?

ken brydson · January 2004

Just got off the phone with Toshiba. They told me their warranty does not cover anything "cosmetic" What a crock. I'm going to BB to ****. I've probably spent $5K in that store, if I yell loud enough maybe someone will listen

reeltrouble1 · January 2004

You need to find a reason under "warranty" to replace the entire unit. Creativty may be necessary.

In the mean time if BB does not come through, screw them, I can say CC has been good to me about things like this when I returned stuff to them under their extended warranty. But I have to say I verified the item was not working before it went back.

Good Luck!!

polkatese · January 2004

Ken, if it is proven that it's manufacturing defective (i.e. no sign of abused, dropped, scratch paint/finish, etc.) then what the hell with these people (tech, BB, Toshiba)...boy, I'am pissed on your behalf, now. Raise hell with BB, if it failed, take it back home, buy another one exactly the same, and swap it. It's ain't ethical, but WTH,........(breathe, in, out, in, out)

shack · January 2004

The warranty does not say anything about "cosmetic" vs mechanical...it just says defective!...and IMHO anything that is cracked after 3 months is either installed improperly or a defective manufactured item. Keep after them.

wlrandall · January 2004

Rig a cord so you can plug it into the dryer outlet and fry the thing. If it's not a universal voltage model, this will work. Otherwise just clip a couple traces in an unobscure area.

Jstas · January 2004

I don't believe that I am going to say this but...

...in alot of TV's, there are copper wire leads that are very thin. Insulated but thin. If you take one of those butane torch soldering irons, you can do some damage and it looks like a bad lead.

Crack open the back of teh TV, there are probably screws holding the back cover on. Look for a small, out of the way wire and take the torch and burn through a wire or two, close to the board. It will look like a bad solder joint if they do "investigate" and in most cases, will stop the TV from working properly.

BTW, most of the small wires deal with the TV tuner, antenna and it's broadcast signal processing. Damaging those wires means the TV still works but does not receive any stations. That is enough to warrant a complete exchange or they send the TV back to Toshiba for repair.

It's a risky thing to do but I've seen what can happen when a technician isn't careful and does it accidentally. It can really screw things up.

The irons can be expensive but they are useful for things other than soldering too. So it's not a useless tool.

ken brydson · January 2004

Good news. Just got back from BB. After an hour or being told no by 5 different people they realized that I wasn't going away.
Came home with a brand new set.

Word of the day.......persistence.

I'll file all the devious ideas for future reference :cool:

Ron-P · January 2004

Yep, that happened to me with my 3 month old Sony Sat. Receiver.

I paid $99 for the complete package self-install set-up (receiver, dish and install kit). The receiver died after 3 months. They tried to fix it, but could not. Contacted Sony, they did nothing.

Went in BB, put up a fuss. Got a newer model unit, $50 refund and a $10 gift card. All for being a BIG dick! I basically got away with an entire Sat system for $39.

Sometimes, It pays to be a DICK.

Glad to hear everything worked out for ya Ken.

Peace Out~:D

madmax · January 2004

They may be telling you the truth if it is over 90 days. If under 90 days then they should repair or replace it. Service agreements do not normally cover cosmetic issues. However, if the crack should somehow (???) develop into a much larger crack and cause functionally problematic issues such as allowing the tube to become loose they would probably cover it.

ken brydson · January 2004

Originally posted by madmax
They may be telling you the truth if it is over 90 days. If under 90 days then they should repair or replace it. Service agreements do not normally cover cosmetic issues. However, if the crack should somehow (???) develop into a much larger crack and cause functionally problematic issues such as allowing the tube to become loose they would probably cover it.

Actually it was more like 60. I looked at the receipt and saw we bought it 11/22. And they still gave me grief.
Oh well, as Ron said being a DICK is a good thing

polkatese · January 2004

Great job, Ken! and see how much love in this forum.....some of these ideas I never thought of

Airplay355 · January 2004

i really liked the buy another and swap idea, im definitely saving that one for later haahaa

goingganzo · January 2004

abc dont warentt the rca on the back of the tv with their extended warentee.

ken brydson · January 2004

Originally posted by goingganzo
abc dont warentt the rca on the back of the tv with their extended warentee.

I'm gonna have to dig out the secret decoder ring for this one.......

jd45177 · January 2004

I feel your pain...

Included is a letter I fired off to Best Buy today -

"To Whom It May Concern,

I would like to share a recent experience I had while shopping at a Best Buy store on 1/15/04. My mother was with me and I was helping her shop for a replacement television. My brand of choice is Toshiba and we entered Store #494. The sales assistant at that store was very pleasant and helpful. This store had the television I wanted in stock, M/N 32A43 for $449. A local hhgregg store had theirs marked down to $400 but they did not have the television in stock. The Best Buy sales assistant said she could match that price. However, the store did not have the television stand we wanted in stock. She checked the inventory of surrounding stores and she said that Store #154 had both the stand and eleven of the televisions in stock. She said that that store would honor the $400 price and for that store to call her if there was any question. So, my mother and I drove to that store.

We were "assisted" by a sales assistant named "Doug". I told him the M/N of the set we wanted, he said there were none in stock. I told him that the lady at the other store said they had eleven in stock. He said, "well, computers don't always tell the truth." After looking at the televisions on display, I found M/N 32A43 on display and pointed it out to Doug. He then checked and yes, they did indeed have eleven in stock. Then he said they couldn't match hhgregg's price, I told him that the lady at the other store said to call her if there was a question and I then asked to speak to a manager. Doug came back and said that they would honor the price. Then, when I told him the stand we wanted, Doug stated, "that stand will only support 170 lbs and the TV weighs 260 lbs." I pointed out that the information on the stand stated that it would support up to a 36" TV and that it had a five-year warranty and I went ahead and purchased the stand. Upon assembling the stand at my mothers home, the specifications for the television stated the weight of the TV was 111 lbs and the specification for the stand stated it would support 240 lbs. Doug was trying to sell a higher priced stand! This fellow had the worst attitude of any sales person I have ever encountered. It was as if he couldnt sell us the higher priced items, he didnt want to be bothered.

Then, my mother applied for a Best Buy credit card to take advantage of the 18-month same-as-cash financing. The initial credit card approval was for $500. The stand and television together came to almost $700. My mother wanted to write a check for the difference but Doug said he couldnt accept it, that it would be best for her to go back to the service desk and have customer service make a telephone call to increase her credit limit to match the purchase price. This was approved and we were finally on our way.

The next day, Friday, 1/16, my brother-n-law drove to the store to pick up the television and the stand. He had all of the paperwork with him and he had to wait 65 minutes to have it loaded onto his truck.

Last week, my mother received a letter stating that she had the Credit Shield insurance. My mother called and said she didnt ask for this insurance and that she didnt want it. She then received pressure to purchase it by statements made to her such as well, if your television is stolen or hit by lightening, what are you going to do? My mother said her homeowners insurance would cover such a loss.

A few days ago, my mother received a letter from Household Credit Services requesting her income information. My mother called the telephone number included and she was told the information was required in order to receive approval for a Platinum MasterCard she had requested. She said she had not requested such a card, she didnt want it and she asked how they had obtained her name. She was told that Best Buy provided her name to them. This was not the same card she requested from Best Buy used for purchasing the television and stand. So it would seem that Best Buy is in the practice of selling their customer lists!

This experience by far has been the worst shopping experience my mother has ever had as well as the worst I have ever had. I can assure you that neither she nor I will ever step foot in a Best Buy store ever again, for any reason. Furthermore, in addition to sending this e-mail to Best Buy customer service, I am also sending a hard copy of this letter to Best Buy Corporate Headquarters in Minnesota, I am posting it on every audio/video bulletin board that I frequent on the Internet, I am posting it on the alt.home-theater.misc newsgroup and I will never squander an opportunity to share this experience with any friend or acquaintance I now have or will have in the future.

Sincerely,
David Allen"

dorokusai · January 2004

I would emplore both of you to file a complaint with the BBB.

Legitimate problems with businesses, as the two of you gentlemen have experienced, are exactly why the BBB exists.

http://www.bbb.org/

kberg · January 2004

Originally posted by Airplay355
i really liked the buy another and swap idea, im definitely saving that one for later haahaa

The problem with this idea is that the retailer retaliates by reselling your swapped unit as new to somebody else. This has happened to me a few times at ABC Warehouse. I mean, c'mon, I open the box and find the plastic wrap containing speaker/AVR manuals opened along with batteries already in the remote? Back they went along with an attitude!

And those extended warrantees? Jesus, what a complete waste of hard earned dough, IMO. Instead of the BB or CC guy telling you it's worth GOLD and that you can bring the unit back "for any reason" (yeah, RIGHT!), I'd rather just take the unit back under the standard warrantee and **** at them in front of other customers until they can do nothing else but give you what you want. If something happens after the standard warrantee expires, then my tough luck. I'll chance it.

Kpt_Krunch · January 2004

Oh boy - am I ever going to get flamed here

Listen guys, first of all I completely agree with all your comments. But as far as I know - and I may be mistaken as I am assuming a lot - the employees of Best Buy (& other retailers) get paid at least min. wage. The management team get a bit more money, and then they have to pay for the merchandise, the rent/lease of the building, utilities, etc.

These guys are in it to MAKE MONEY. How the hell can they do that if you 'cherry pick' them to death, and then complain.

What the hell do you guys expect!!!! For one thing, they are dirt cheap. You can't get great service, bend over backwards help, and the best deal in town to boot! Don't like them - then DON"T SHOP THERE. I'm sick and tired of reading posts like this (I know, then don't read them - once in a while though the complaints are legit - I didn't see any legit problems in this thread).

I recently purchased a PW2200 sub from a 'high end' shop. No extended warranties, no problems at all with anything you guys are complaining about - but it sure as hell didn't cost me $400.00

If you want a cheap price, and go to BB, CC, etc. , then you better expect this EVERY FRICKING TIME! You know this. You DON"T HAVE TO BUY THE WARRANTY - IT'S NOT BB's FAULT IF YOU DID. The items I have bought in the past from similar shops I just say no thanks. If they push, I tell them that I intend on upgrading the component by the time the factory warranty is done, so why would I want to buy an extended. If they persist at that point, I just walk away, but that has only happened to me once. As I said in the paragraph above - high end shops don't need to push extended warranty's on you as they make enough money off you to begin with.

As for the crack in the TV - c'mon now. tell the truth! You said yourself you bought it for the "kid's", give ME a freakin break! CRACKS don't just happen. If it was OOTB, then OK, you got a beef. But you had it for 2 months +. I don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to deduce one of your kids, or your kids friends, cracked it themselves. Maybe they tried to move it.

You think people at BB are stupid, Toshiba? I have a 37" Mitsy that is 12 years old. I have moved it (with help) 4 times. No cracks in that baby, but whaddya think would happen if I dropped it.

Now, flame away at me if you want, but just remember:

1. No one is telling you to shop at BB - go spend some money at a high end shop. You will pay a lot more for a better product, but you won't have to worry about 'extended warranty's. Oh, and these guy's ARE NOT gullible - if your tv 'cracks', and it is human error, not manufacturer error, you WILL NOT get any refund or exchange. Consider yourself very fortunate you got the exchange from BB - that was very nice of them even though they 'gave you the runaround', it's more like you gave them the runaround IMHO

2. BB has to make money some how, if they don't, you won't have a BB to go to (try taking your Mom into a high end shop next time, just add a zero to your purchase price). Oh, and I guess no one reads anything anymore - on all 'match' and 'beat' ads in every store I've seen, the item must be IN STOCK, and not a 'DEMO', a "DEMO" is UNIQUE to the store it's in. If a store matches the price, that is a sign of good service, not bad, and you should appreciate it, not EXPECT it!

3. Warranties - both manufacturers and extended, cover MANUFACTURER defects, not HUMAN defects. What would you do if I bought a TV off you, say at a garage sale, and called you the next week to say there was 'crack' in the case. Would you:

a) take it back and refund my money

or

b) Tell me it wasn't 'cracked' when it left and then tell me to take a hike.

I would bet on b)

Now, flame away - but I DO NOT work at BB, nor do I shop a BEST BUY, except for DVD's and CD's when they are on sale. I'm just stating the obvious here that no one seems to get - feel like I'm in the low end retail 'twlight zone' here.

F1nut · January 2004

"What the hell do you guys expect!!!! For one thing, they are dirt cheap. You can't get great service, bend over backwards help, and the best deal in town to boot!"

AMEN! I posted a similar comment in another thread that has now been deleted b/c of the server upgrade. It's nice to know I'm not alone with my thoughts.

".....feel like I'm in the low end retail 'twlight zone' here."

Ya think!?!

Kpt_Krunch · January 2004

Wow - thanks F1nut - I know my post is 'strongly' worded. The best metaphor I can use to describe it is what you would do with someone who is 'hysterical', and is to 'slap' them in the face to 'snap' them out of it. I'm sure I'm still gonna get flamed, but the reason why I felt compelled to post this is that it is people like that that cause the honest people the 'headaches' at retail stores to begin with.

Thanks for the support!

F1nut · January 2004

Just to clarify, I agree with Ken's thought's that his TV should have been fixed/replaced IF it was a defect (we'll see what happens 3 months from now), but I also agree with your comment, "You can't get great service, bend over backwards help, and the best deal in town to boot!", when it comes to stores like that.

The thing that really gets me are the folks who complain that the mark up on a $500.00 pair of speakers (example) is too much or complain that after they purchased a heavily discounted floor model that something is missing/not right. Pluuuuuease! Do people really think that a company can stay in business selling a product for $10.00 over cost.

Kpt, a reality check is always a good thing. Let the flames begin....lol.

jd45177 · January 2004

The $ savings was of little concern. I just wanted that specific Toshiba model, at a reduced cost if I could. But I would have bought it at full MSRP as well. The sales person was as rude and arrogant as I have ever seen and because of that and the follow-up bullcrap, I am exercising my choice to never shop at Best Buy again, plain and simple.

Over the years, I have bought at Circuit City, Rex, hhgregg, Sears, and many, many other places and I have never been subjected to the crap we went through that night. I know that stores have to make money, that's the reason they're in business...but they DON'T have to treat people like **** while doing it!

ken brydson · January 2004

Krunch
You're worse than BB. At least they didn't call me a liar. The TV developed a crack. It wasn't there when I set it up 2 mo's ago. It's been in an entertainment center since I got it and I doubt my 5 and 7 year old were trying to move it. Give me a break!
I don't care where you buy a product. The store and/or the manufacturer should stand behind it at LEAST for the warranty period but ESPECIALLY after only 2 months.
I'm not going to flame you because you're entitled to your opinion. I'm just surprised that anyone would have the notion that just because they bought something at a certain store that they should take it in the **** if something goes wrong.

I Am So Pissed

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