I have been warned about Best Buy and their service plans in the past and consider myself a knowledgeable consumer to avoid the "you want fries with that" type of at-the-register-scam. However, in 2007 I did some research and found a pretty good deal on a projector, with a 4-year $199 service plan which also covered a bulb replacement. Given that the bulbs burn out every two years and cost about that price a replacement, it wasn't a bad deal. Sure enough the bulb died, and when I brought it back for service, Best Buy took two months with no status updates. The store would do nothing for me, nor could they provide a completion date. It took a call from corporate to get them to FINALLY replace the bulb and send the unit back. More recently, the projector's color began to wildly fluctuate and I returned to the store, still will within my 4 year warranty. For consistency, I have attached the e-mail I sent to Best Buy on their consumer satisfaction survey... I am not satisfied:
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I submitted my projector, which has the total rewards 4 year replacement warranty in early March. While trying to get updates from the store, the Melrose Park branch would not answer the phone and the website only listed "In service". Every single week for two months, the store was still unable to provide any update on the status of the repair. After over two months, they agreed to a return replacement for the item. The only comparable projector was listed as $1009, which was $10 more than the original purchase price of $999 ($1098 after tax). I had no problem with paying the additional $10 difference, however they treated the item as a new purchase and charged sales tax on the entire item. I was charged an additional $121 on what should have been a replacement item. I was not informed that I could use the store credit for anything. I called corporate customer service and was informed that the item had be devalued, despite the replacement plan I had purchased. When I inquired if I could use the store credit and return the item, they informed me I would be charged with a 15% restocking fee, despite the fact that it was purchased less than an hour before my call and was unopened. The corporate representative (Kali, Case#59874461) said this restocking fee was up to the store manager. She said nothing could be done about the double payment I had made for the original projector, the replacement plan, and the replacement projector. She said she could do nothing to remedy the over two months without a television without any status updates and the fact they lost my original projector that they were supposed to replace.
Altogether, I have been charged twice for a projector that should have been replaced free under the replacement plan but was lost by the Geek Squad service. I am posting a formal complaint on www.consumerist.com and following up with the Better Business Bureau. Kali in customer service agreed to file a complaint. I have been warned about Best Buy in the past and after this incident, will echo those warnings to others. Additionally the Melrose Park manager was extremely rude and repeatedly cited the 15% restocking fee as a deterrent to come back rather than offer to waive it which was in his power to the corporate representative.
So as of right now, I have paid $199 for a service plan, and now an additional $120 on a unit that was supposed to be the "free" replacement after they spent over 5 months "repairing" my projector.
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