For Christmas this past year, my boyfriend said he wanted one of the new Sony Tivos. Knowing this would probably be too expensive, I went in early October to check them out at Best Buy in Chesapeake, Va.
When I arrived at the store I was shown by a salesman to the Tivos and he suggested I go with an OPENED box which had been returned. He explained that the Tivos were $400 but had a $100 rebate. Apparently this person had bought the Tivo, cut of the upc symbol and sent it in for the rebate and returned the Tivo. He assured me the Tivo was in working condition and no parts were missing other than the upc code. The price of this opened Tivo was $250 and obviously not eligible for the rebate. I live about 80 miles from the nearest Best buy and to be honest with you I thought it sounded like a great deal. The salesman asked it I wanted the extended warranty but when I asked if the Tivo came with any warranty he said it did have a one year warranty. I decided this was enough and purchased the Tivo on October 5.
On Christmas day when my boyfriend opened the gift he was disappointed to find that several parts and the warranty card were missing. He went to purchase the missing parts (a cord and a phone cord) but was further upset when the product did not work. He spent about an hour on the phone with Tivo and they agreed the product was defective. When we drove the 80 miles to return the Tivo to Best Buy, with the original receipt we were told that the Best Buy return policy is 15 days and, even though the product was broken and a Christmas gift, there was nothing they could do about it. Our only option is to return it to Sony.
Sony Co. Said they would be happy to take a look at the product if we ship it UPS or Fed Ex, which is quite exensive. They also want the warranty card which is missing from the opened box. I can not tell you how many lectures they gave me about buying opened electronic products. Therefore they are not sure if I will have to pay to have it fixed. If you know anything about Tivos they have a hard drive and you would probably be better off buying a new one than paying to have one fixed.
All in all I am just upset that the man at Best Buy assured me the product would work and that no parts were missing. But then they wont admit the mistake and exchange it for one that works. I have returned electronic items to other stores such as Kmart, Walmart and Target with no problems. They just give you one that works. All I want is a Tivo that works without having to pay more money. Also, the return policy of the store is crazy. What are parents supposed to do, purchase their kids Christmas presents 15 days before Christams just incase something is wrong and they will be able to return it? Or maybe they should just take it from me and SHOP AT ANOTHER STORE!!!
Beth
Kill Devi lHills, North Carolina
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