On October 4, I purchased a new Sony 36" television from Sound Advice in Jacksonville, Florida. At that time I was told that I could also purchase an additional 5 years of warranty coverage for the television for $189.95. I thought that 6 years of warranty (one year from the manufacturer and 5 years from their authorized extended warranty provider) would give me good warranty coverage.
Before the extended warranty that I had purchased had expired, I called Sound Advice to inquire about purchasing another extended warranty, as neither they (Sound Advice), nor, Keep New (the authorized extended warranty service provider), had contacted me in any way regarding this issue.
Usually companies want you to purchase additional extended warranties, as they know through the use of actuaial data that they can profit from the reliability of the product, and, that there is only a very minute chance of actually ever having to service a claim under an extended warranty.
I was told by Sound Advice (904-573-0379) that I would have to call Keep New to purchase the extended warranty for my television. I called Keep New (1-800-533-7639) and they said that the warranty had expired on October 4 (four years to the day after the 5 year extended warranty went into effect).
I then called Sound Advice Corporate Customer Service (1-800-945-5956) and they told me that the 5 year extended warranty had expired and that they would not sell me an additional warranty due to me not renewing it within the warranty period. I explained to the Sound Advice customer service representative (Latavia) that I had been sold a 5 YEAR EXTENDED WARRANTY by the salesman (Gregory Shuman), not a 5 year warranty that was to run concurrently with the manufacturers warranty.
Why would I buy a warranty that covered the television during the manufacturers' original warranty period? That would be a waste of money and that is not why I chose Sound Advice to purchase a television from. They still refused to sell me an extended warranty.
Why would they call it an extended warranty if it actually is a concurrent warranty? Why would they market it falsely? To cheat me out of one year of coverage? To fleece the customers out of money?
Just a word of warning for anybody contemplating doing business with Sound Advice: Even if you get it in writing, their (Sound Advice's) "undivided, unbeatable, Unconditional Support" is virtually not worth the paper it is written on. I did not get anything in writing that stated that the 5 YEAR EXTENDED WARRANTY that I purchased started on the day that I paid for the extra five years of coverage. I did not get any offer to renew the National Electronics Warranty coverage that they brag about in their advertising literature.
Sound Advice states that "We pride ourselves on award-winning service before, during, and after the sale". This is bunk, primarily because they won't even sell me an additional warranty during the last year of my coverage under the existing 5 YEAR EXTENDED WARRANTY that I purchased, nor, will they recognize the last year of such extended warranty coverage that I have already paid for.
Since my purchase from Sound Advice, I have received absolutely no other documentation regarding the National Electronics Warranty coverage (policy, summary plan description, etc.) nor have I received an offer to purchase any additional coverage. I will not be buying anything from Sound Advice in the future, as they do not stand behind what they sell (their 5 YEAR EXTENDED WARRANTY). As for their claims of superior customer service, also, not worth the paper it is written on.
My advice to the wary consumer: research your electronics retailer very carefully prior to making a decision to buy and know what you are buying. Do not be scammed by the disingunuous hucksters who would sell you a 5 YEAR EXTENDED WARRANTY, only to renig on the last year of the coverage.
I got taken by Sound Advice and I hope that you read this and are more informed by my misfortune.
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