BEST BUY How Best Buy broke my 13-yr old daughter's heart - 2 yrs of savings gone in a month Internet

Dishonest? Those are pretty strong words when you don't know me or anything about me. There's not many people who can say that a grocery bagger put a $4.00 item in with a customer's groceries and then the customer made a special trip back to the grocery store to return the item; Many people would not tell a cashier when they've been given too much change.  You can't get much more honest than I am.  You obviously have a right to voice an opinion but to call me dishonest is being pretty harsh and untrue.

When a hard drive crashes 2 months after you've bought a computer does that mean you've abused it?  ANY electronic item is subject to failure, even a short time, after purchase without being abused.

My employer bought thousands of a particular very well known brand of laptop.  MONTHS later most every employee who ordered one was having problems with keyboards, screen, speakers. Not everyone had ALL the problems, but at least one or more of those issues....these laptops weren't being abused.  Quite a few of these ended up being sent back to the manufacturer who determined there was a quality problem.  The company had to replace every laptop that came back with those problems. The problem can occur with one of the laptops or a lot of the laptops.  These weren't problems that occurred out-of-the-box. They stared occurring within months after the laptops went into service.

We have had a couple of appliances that went bad a YEAR after we bought them...why?  The repair guys said the circuit boards went bad...not due to voltage problems...just bad boards. 

Whether you want to believe this or not,  it's the nature of electronics. OK, a woman bringing back a laptop with a cracked screen is obviously abused. Our issue is not a cracked screen.

Dishonest means to defraud, cheat, or deceive. If I was being dishonest I certainly wouldn't be making my case on these report sites.   You should be more careful in making accusations.

It's no wonder why companies are going under everytime you turn around. People like you make me feel like there is no honesty in this world. It is obvious to those who know technology when someone has dropped their laptop, cell phone, ipod or any other tech devices. Lines and spots and black liquid looking lines across a laptop screen means that the lcd display was cracked under the top layer, this means that the laptop has been dropped, stepped on, or slammed against something. These things happen because of something you did, and if in the event it came out of the box the way you claim, then why do you wait so long to bring it back to Best Buy? Obviously, because it did not come that way, it only turned that way after you used it for a WHOLE MONTH!

Most stores sell service plans Accidental and Non Accidental, if you would give the sales person some time to talk, especially since Best Buy is not on commission, then you would realize that the manufacturer does not cover this kind of damage, this is hardly ever the manufacturers fault, this is your own fault. Manufacturers will only cover defects that they believe they created, so if they don't think it's from a mistake they made on their end, guess what? YOU ARE S.O.L.!

Would you replace every laptop that came into your store when millions of people are scamming you every day?

NO!

So why are you so mad, if people were honest then Best Buy would replace this laptop for you, but so many people try and blame all their damaged and abused products on Best Buy and the manufacturer when it is only obvious that damage was done after the fact.

I was in line at Best Buy one time and this lady was screaming because her laptop had a black crack across the screen, she claimed she had never dropped it, but there were dents and scratches all over the right side of the laptop. Stop BSing them they know what to look for.

This is a good example of why so many American companies are failing. Customer service has gone down the drain. From a business perspective, it should be common sense that if you send a customer away unhappy, they will lose more because that customer will tell everyone of their bad experience, which will hurt the business. Your experience is inexcusable and you should have been treated properly. Fourteen days is a ridiculously short time for a warranty on a laptop. And the extended warranty is useless because how can anyone prove if it was abused or not? This makes me so mad that because of your post alone, I will not buy anything from B.B again. And you have a wonderful little girl who is going to grow up to be a wonderful young lady one day because she is responsible and can save money, which most kids can't.

And don't worry about the negative posts. It is sort of a given that whenever you post something on the internet for millions to see, you will get many varying opinions. Don't take it personally.

Daisy,
Thanks for the link.  I will check out today!

Dave

Posters are correct.  I should NOT assume the manufacturer will not provide satisfaction. And that is now one of my next steps.

I make a point of being firm, BUT calm and pleasant without showing anger and without being condescending to anyone I've spoken to.  So I'm especially upset at the attitudes and occasionally rude comments I've received (including the store manager).

I still maintain that this screen is not working due to a manufacturer's defect. I will contact manufacturer, but after Best Buy's "customer (no)-service" policies and seemingly lack of interest in keeping a customer happy I won't be doing business with them again.

Also, in response to a previous poster about this is what to expect from a cheap $400 laptop, I wanted to add that this laptop normally sells for quite a bit more but was purchased on "cyber monday" in which huge discounts were being given.

Additional Best Buy Problems:
I posted the original report because I wanted to make a point of the Best Buy's lack of consumer friendly policies.  But after reading a few of the responses to my report here's some additional issues related to this:

Possible Bait and Switch?
The Asus is NOT the laptop I originally ordered.  It was an Acer.  After ordering and receiving emails every few days telling me the laptop was on backorder I was finally told that the Acer was no longer available but this Asus was a replacement (there was no notice in the ad that said quantities were limited).  I had to go through an incredibly annoying cancellation of my previous order and placing a new order for the Asus. To be fair, and tell the whole story, some of the laptop was paid for with Best Buy gift cards which my daughter saved over the two years.  I had to call a separate number to reinstate the balance on the cards, wait 24-48 hours before the balance would be back on the cards and then call to reorder the replacement laptop.

Reward Zone Issues-Best Buy Deleted My Points
In ordering the Asus I decided to check my Best Buy Reward Zone balance.  It was zero when I know there should have been a decent balance based on past purchases.
I called the customer service number for Reward Zone only to be told that there was an announcement sent out via email letting customers know that balances would be lost if the Reward Zone account was not re-registered because it was going online only (they had been sending out certificates and announcements of program changes by mail).  When I noticed a zero balance I called Best Buy only to be told that they send out an email letting everyone know they had to register.  Well, they had an old email for me so I never got the notice. They said that they also send out regular mail, though she admitted that for some reason a large number of members never received any notice.   I never got the notice so they deleted my points.  After a lengthy phone call, they DID credit the points back.

The point I'm making with these additional comments is that there appears to be a pattern in the way they treat the customers.  I'm not saying that there's not an occasional store manager who may be especially customer friendly and doing the right thing.  Overall, I haven't see this from Best Buy as a whole.

Did you go to the ASUS USA Web site?

The Web is located at http://usa.asus.com/index.aspx.

If you follow the links on the Web site, you'll see that there are instructions on the following Web page regarding what to do about having your laptop repaired.

http://promos.asus.com/US/ASUS_NB_Warranty/NB_ANSP/index.html

Good luck.

When a manager or sales associate tells you that " you should have bought the service plan," that is not only condescending, it is irrelevant and deceptive if it is still under manufacturer's warranty.  This also wreaks of ignorance of the manager/associate.

Best Buy does offer "premium" plans that cover damage.  This is NOT in their standard plans.   However, their premium prices are so exhorbitant compared to the price of the unit that any rational buyer would view it as a ripoff.

If something is beyond a return policy you may at times get some courtesies from certain retailers depending on the whims of the managers on duty, but as other posts indicate as well, the manufacturer warranty covers you for anything but physical damage/cosmetics.

 

I am surprised that you think it would be a waste of time to pursue this with the manufacturer of the laptop. The Chinese have a great reputation for being great in business practices. I once read somewhere about someone who was unhappy with a product and was getting nowhere, like yourself, with the retailer. They decided to write a letter detailing the problem and sent it the Chinese manufacturer and forgot about it, figuring they would never hear back. Several months later, a brand new replacement arrived on their doorstep. It's worth a shot. I think you will be surprised.

You are absolutely correct.  THAT is a lesson to be learned. One of the people I spoke to on the phone told me about "accidental insurance."   I was given a brochure on the extended warranty.  When I looked at it there was a line in there indicating that abuse would not be covered.  It's funny because when I read it the first thing that came into my mind was, "ok I buy the insurance. Now what happens if there's a dispute on whether a problem was defect or abuse?"  So I didn't buy it.  Perhaps there was more than the one type of coverage or I didn't read far enough in the brochure.

Consumer advocates have long stated that extended warranties are not worth the money.  But I have definitely been able to take advantage of all the ones I've bought on any type of electronics or appliances.

Thanks for your comment.

When you buy any type of electronics from Best Buy always get the 2 to 3 year warranty (insurance). so that if it get broken the device can be fixed.

My brother-in-law a few years back had just bought  a hd plasma tv screen tv. He got home and the screen was broken, Best Buy refused to take it back. He asked me to go with him because he is Vietnamese and speaks very little English(at that time).

They told me that they would not take it back so I asked for the store manager. While waiting for the manger I started to let other customers know what was going on with the tv. The manger arrived and asked me to please not discuss this problem out loud with anyone else.

At first he refused to replace the tv and He told me that my brother-in-law should have bought the insurance to cover it.

I asked him how would he feel if he was in my brother-in-laws place and to do the moral thing and replace the tv, and I said it loud enough for everyone around me to hear it.

Anyway, the manager allowed my brother-in-law to get the broken tv replaced with a new one as long as he bought the  insurance to cover it.

If malfunction is anything other than physical damage, it will be covered under the manufacturer warranty.  You do not have to bring it to Best Buy for this.  You may have to pay for shipping to the mfrs service center.  As for future purchases, Amazon, Sam's Club, Costco, BJ's all have much friendlier customer service policies.  Spend your money where you'll be treated like a human being and not a return date gotcha.  Honestly, can't think of a single reason to shop at Best Buy.

Thanks for the comment.  I understand what you're saying.  I never said or (didn't think I implied) that I was any more special than anyone else.

It's simply a matter of treating a customer properly.  It seems that over the years many companies don't seem to care that much for keeping a customer.  My father was a a successful small business man and he had many customers for over 30 years because he would do small things for customers that may have cost him some money, but as I said in my last post, it paid him back many times over for continued business and additional word-of-mouth business.  As a result of treating customers like they're not just a number a local magazine voted his store as best in the category for the entire Westchester County (New York).  You do things for customers and you get paid back....Try telling your own 13 year old child, "see you've learned a lesson, losing your 2 years savings in a month. Don't go to a major retailer and buy an inexpensive product, because if there's a problem, you're on your own."

 

   Best Buy is very clear about their 14 day return policy.   After that, you are covered by a manufacturer's warranty.   What is so difficult to grasp?   If you have no confidence in the manufacturer, then maybe you shouldn't have bought bargain chinese computer in the first place.    That might be the lesson your daughter should take away from this.

  If Best Buy had intended to accept returns after a month, that would be their policy.   So far, you have given me no reason to believe that you should be treated differently than anyone else.   What makes you more special than any of the rest of us?

   

Hi,
Thanks for your comment.  I was not with my daughter 100% of the time so I cannot prove 100% that this is a defect.  But she is extremely careful, even protective, of her things...especially possessions she has paid for.  So I have to believe her.

I also, in looking around, found a similar situation handled in the same way by Best Buy.  This was the mother of an 18 yr-old girl who said her daughter used her savings to buy a laptop for college.  She, also was extremely protective of her things.  She even bought a case for the laptop so she would make sure the laptop was safe from abuse.

THREE days  after she purchased the laptop (this was a Toshiba, I think) the screen had a bunch of lines and blotches on it.  It was brought back to Best Buy...and now...remember this was THREE days later.  Best Buy told her it was abuse and would not take it back, honor any warranty on it, and wouldn't even take it back under the 14 day return/exchange policy.  This poor girl was out around $800 only three days later.

Here's my take on this...at least in my case...We feel this is NOT abuse, but a defect. Regardless, between my immediate family and my extended family (brothers, their families, and parents) we have spent thousands of dollars at Best Buy.  Considering they won't do anything for us, they've lost potentially thousands of dollars of future business from my family and possibly others who may be reading this and feel like they would rather do business with another retailer.  All over a $400 laptop (and even less considering their actual cost was less).

These laptops are put together quickly and cheaply. It's not unusual to have a number of defects in a computer.  Just go onto the forum boards on Dell, Toshiba, etc., and you'll find hundreds of posting about problems people have had with their products.  The company I work for bought a few thousand laptops from a major manufacturer. The numbers and types problems we had with these machines was incredible.  The manufacturer just started replacing the laptops with newer models as employees turned them in with problems that cropped up months after use. The company recognized there was a problem.  So again, I have no problem believing this is a defect.

There was a consultant who had an article in the Wall Street Journal entitled, "So Wrapped Up in Business that We Forget the Customer."  This consultant said that it takes a tremendous amount of money to get and keep a customer and it's criminal the way some businesses treat their customers.  He also posed a question: Do you know how many customers you've lost and why?  He went on further to say that you don't know where you get paid back for proper treatment of a customer...either by future business from this customer, word-of-mouth etc., but you almost always get paid back.

So Best Buy is only hurting themselves and my 13 year old daughter.

Hope that answers your question.  :-)

It sounds like there may have been abuse that rendered the laptop unusable.

You don't seem to dispute the claim of abuse so I drew the conclusion above.

It's not hard to determine if a part is defective due to manufacturing or abuse. I'm going to assume that Best Buy knows the difference, again it's not hard to determine.

Assuming it was abuse (or neglect) then this is a VERY POWERFUL lesson to teach your daughter. TAKE CARE OF YOUR THINGS or you won't have them. It was mature of her to be disciplined enough to save $400, and then buy a laptop. That's the first step. Now she has to be disciplined enough to care for it.

Laptops are subject to much more abuse than a desktop system. Thye DO take special care.

It may be possible to still use the laptop and just hook it up to a monitor instead of using the laptop monitor. If it's just the screen that "broke", then the electronics to run it are still intact.

Monitors are cheap compared to a new laptop. Don't blame Best buy because she damaged it through abuse. I have returned things to Best Buy before and never had an issue. One was a defective speaker and they exchanged it no problem. The other was a hard drive and they just refunded my money. It's not Best Buys fault she didn't take better care of it.