I am actually an employee of Ritz Camera. I have worked here off and on through school for several years. I have owned a couple of cameras from Ritz and a couple that I purchased elsewhere.
Earlier this year, I purchased a small Canon PowerShot camera. In addition to the camera, I purchased a 1 year Extended Service Policy on the camera. Ritz's policy states that should the camera be damaged in any way, they will fix it or replace it at no charge to the individual holding the policy. Should the camera no longer be in production, a similar model will replace it. If the holder is unhappy with this replacement, they will issue a gift card in the amount of the original purchase so that the individual can apply that amount to a different camera.
My camera was broken and sometime around the beginning of December, I sent it in for repair. On December 22, i checked the status of the repair and it said that the camera required outside work and would be gone for 4 weeks. So, they had my camera for 20 days, then needed an additional 4 weeks to complete the repair. I called today and was told that the camera was coming back to corporate because the repair center deemed it uneconomical to repair the camera a suggested a replacement but that the replacement had been sent out.
Within 5 minutes of hanging up, they called back to tell me that they had made a mistake and had to get the camera that I had (it was a discontinued model) and that it would be at least an additional 7-10 business days before it shipped out and then another few business days for shipment. Total time without my camera will be about 6-8 weeks.
Now, what I know and the average Ritz Camera consumer doesn't is that this is the normal turnaround time for this policy. Yep, that's right. Ritz Camera will promise you all of this great service for purchasing their policy and tell you that their policy is far better than Best Buy or Circuit City's extended warranties (and it is) but the catch is that you will be without your gear for at least 6-8 weeks. And Ritz offers NO loaner cameras. The best you can do is buy a camera. Otherwise, you'll be pulling the old 35mm out of the closet for any special occasions that might arise during your camera's 6-8 week absence.
And there is NO rushing the process. You can't pay an expedition fee to have your order placed in the front of the line.
How easy would it be for them to just replace it in store? So easy. In fact, if they did that, I would almost say that the price of their policy is actually worth it. But as it stands right now, the $33 I spent for a policy on a camera that cost $149, was a Ripoff. And I won't be buying another one anytime soon.
Best of luck in your future endeavors. Especially when it comes to Ritz Camera's Extended Service Plan.
Matthew
Some City, South Carolina
U.S.A.