Frys Electronics Ripoff, Didn't Honor Extended Service Agreement Renton Washington

In August of 2006, I purchased a computer and an extended service contract at Frys, in Renton, WA. I got the machine home and it didn't work. I took the machine back and they found some loose cables. Took it home and it worked fine, for about two weeks before the Ethernet controller died. Rather than make another 50+ mile round trip to Frys, I cannibalized an Ethernet card from an older machine.

A few months latter, I checked the HP download site to see if there were any relevant updates for my machine. They had a BIOS update that was supposed to fix a problem with the network. Well, I had a problem with the network controller on my motherboard so I downloaded and installed the BIOS update. Big mistake.

The BIOS did not have the correct settings for my machine's fans and they started acting very strange. They oscillated from low to high speed about 2 times per second and the CPU utilization would climb to 100% for no apparent reason. I contacted HP support and got a total runaround. They denied that the BIOS update could cause the problem I was having with the fans and they suggested that I do a complete system restore, from disks that they were happy to sell me (BTW, I have recently found that many folks with the same type of HP computer have had the exact same fan problem after doing the BIOS update).

I ordered the disks, did an install, and it didn't fix the problem. HP support suggested that I try it again. Even tough I knew this was going to be a waste of time, I went ahead and did it so we could move on to the next step in debugging the problem.

Well, halfway through the second system restore, the DVD drive stopped working. This left me with no other option but to return it to Frys and have it fixed under the service agreement that I purchased. Then things really got fun. First, when I told them that I had updated the BIOS the technician made a face like I had just farted. Then he said that they would run diagnostics but only if I agreed to pay them a $69.99 diagnostic fee if they couldn't replicate the problem. Against my better judgment, I signed the agreement and left the machine with them.

About 7 weeks latter, Frys called to tell me that the DVD is working fine (guaranteeing them the diagnostic fee). They also said that the BIOS is not the right one for the motherboard because it fails during boot with some purple screen or something. I found this to be kind of strange since the BIOS had allowed me to boot the machine for many weeks after I had installed it; and the BIOS would have been fine but for the fan noise problem that it created.

The BIOS never had exhibited this purple screen of death that Frys found. Then they hit me with the real zinger. Since I had updated the BIOS, the SERVICE CONTRACT WAS VOID! Also, they could not diagnose the Ethernet because the problem was cause by the bad BIOS! I found this profoundly disingenuous. The Ethernet was broken before I ever did the BIOS update so the fact that it doesn't work can't possibly be related to the BIOS update.

I find it interesting that, when I dropped off the machine, I had told them that I had done a BIOS update but they didn't say that the service contract was voided. Instead, they got me to commit to pay them $69.99 if they couldn't find anything wrong. Now, they say that they can't find anything wrong because the of the BIOS update. So, they don't have to fix it under the service agreement.

The part of th agreement that they used against me was ANY SERVICE, REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT TO ANY EQUIPMENT IF THE EQUIPMENT HAS BEEN REPAIRED OR MODIFIED IN ANY WAY (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE INSTALLATION OF PERIPHERAL DEVICES IN THE EQUIPMENT) AFTER THE ORIGINAL PURCHASE OF THE EQUIPMENT, UNLESS SUCH MODIFICATION HAS BEEN MADE BY FRYS OR A FACTORY-AUTHORIZED SERVICE CENTER. In other words, they claim that a BIOS update from HP constitutes service or repair. On the other hand, it is a requirement of the agreement that the Buyer perform preventative maintenance.

The Frys service is, in my opinion, close to being fraudulent. They knew the Ethernet was broken and they would have to replace the motherboard in order to fix it. Instead, they blamed this on the BIOS update from HP. The only way to do a BIOS update and have the service agreement still valid is if you pay Frys to do the update (they treat this like having memory added to they system, it's an upgrade). So, if you sign up for a maintenance agreement, you can't do any upgrade without voiding the service agreement except by paying Frys to do it!.

After they said that they were not going to fix the problem under terms of the now void service agreement they told me they would fix it but I would have to pay for it. I told them that I just wanted my machine back and that I would fix it myself. That's when they told me that I couldn't get my machine back until I paid the $69.99 ransom (otherwise known as the diagnostic fee). When the told me this, I thought my head was going to explode.

My computer is still at Frys and I probably will never see it again. I don't intend ever to give Frys another dime of my money so I'll sure not be paying the ransom. Since Frys actually doesn't have the best prices for most of the stuff that I buy, it's no problem for me. However, I would gladly pay someone else 20% more rather than buy something else at Frys.

I suggest that if you do happen to find something at Frys that you must have, at least don't let them sucker you into the extended service contract.

David
Redmond, Washington
U.S.A.

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