Best Buy rebate fraud, deffective merchandise, extreme service policy deceptive company Broroklyn Center Minnesota

To summarize the transactions between myself, Best Buy and my Canon Elura 40 MC:

1.
200.00 of promised rebates which strongly influenced my decision to purchase this camcorder. The rebates ended 3 months before my purchase AND I truely only qualified for 50.00.

2.
I exchanged the new camera once, and waited 2 months for the return of the second "open box/floor model" camera from the manufacturer. The unit is still dysfunctional.

3. The first service technician told me, "this unit in known to have deficiencies, especially with its auto focus." I was told by Juan, the second service person, "that this was not true, also that this statement shouldn't/couldn't have come from one of his personel." (Was I just called a liar?)

I received false/conflicting information concerning the repair and replace feature of the service plan.

4. I/my husband was treated rudely by a Best Buy staff inside a Best Buy store with the resolution options being a)to spend more money on another camera b) or leave without a camcorder for another undetermined length of time while repairing. Or just leave the store.

Here's my entire log to date as of 6/15/03:

2/26/03 went to Best Buy to purchase digital camcorder for 10 day vacation, new baby, and beyond. Selected brand model based on quality, name, price, and rebates offered.

Was told to mail in the rebates soon as floor representative thought rebates to end on the 15th of March, but that I just needed to read my receipts.

2/27/03 Mailed in 200.00 dollars US in rebates to Canon from accompanying Best Buy cash register receipts and rebate register forms.

2/28/03 Left out of state for 10 days. Camcorder was technically inoperable at random intervals throughout the vacation. At times refusing to even power on. Camcorder also had a defective LCD view screen and faulty auto focus feature in still and moving picture modes.

Returned to Best Buy on 3/11/03, wanted to exchange camera (999.99 dollars US) for new unopened box to replace defective original which was under their 14 day exchange policy. Service personal claimed the only camcorder of that model wasn't available within a 2 state radius and that to honor the exchange I would have to exchange camcorder for floor model, which was at a discounted price. (799.99) I figured with the rebates that were coming the total price would now be 599.99 US which is what I could buy the camera on the Internet for new and unopened.

Service representative also claimed that 1 in 10 LCD screens on camcorders such as this came with defective screens.

Service rep told me that with the discount, I might want to consider purchasing a service plan for 159.99 for 4 years and that they would "repair it, or exchange it out for a equal or lesser costing unit in the event the camcorder had more dysfunction that couldnt be repaired." My fault for not reading the plan more closely.

4/14/03 I left town with camera for one more week out of the state. The newly exchanged floor model camcorder had the same dysfunctions as the first, save for the bad LCD screen, and the unit heated up beyond ability to handle safely.

4/18/03 (I am still out of town) Postcards come from Canon stating the rebates that I applied for ended Dec/02. I found by visiting the Canon rebate site that under the terms of my purchase I really was only entitled to one of the rebates as I didnt buy any accompanying products to receive the second rebate. In fact, there was only a 50.00 rebate for just the unit and a 100.00 rebate for both the unit and specified printer. There never was a 200.00 rebate or even a 100.00 rebate in my case, only the 50.00 rebate for the initial purchase.

4/27/03 The Canon Elura 40 MC in question, I was told upon returning to Best Buy after my trip, "Yeah, we've had a lot of these come back with the same thing. The auto focus on this model is known to have problems. We will have to ship the camcorder back to Canon for repair."

I replied, " I see that you have more of the same in stock at this time, can I not exchange this for a new camera?" The reply, "Well, no, not since you have a service plan. We have to take a look at it here at our service center and then more than likely send it off to Canon. It will take no more than 2-3 months!"

Enjoying the features of the camera, having invested so much time and money, and having the service plan under my belt, I agreed to send the unit back to Canon with the hope that the unit would at least have a once over by the manufacturer, insuring that it would function to the best of it's abilities upon completion of the service request.

6/13/03 I received a phone call from Best Buy Service Dept. that my camcorder was at the store and to pick it up during business hours.

6/13/03 I enter the Best Buy service department and ask for assistance that my camcorder had been returned from the manufacturer. After the rep located the unit and attended to his computer, I asked, what work was done on the camcorder?

I was told, That nothing had been done to the camcorder. But, oh! it had been shipped to Canon so maybe they did something there, but I wouldnt have record of that here.

I asked to test the camera while I was there. But the battery they had shipped back had no charge, and the service department claimed they had no way to plug it in to power it up! (What!!!) Then, I was asked to sign a form stating that the merchandise was in complete functioning order upon my receipt. I told service I didn't want to sign this unless I tested the camera, but all I could do at that point was a surface inspection. The unit did seem to have had some "tightening" and cleaning performed on it, so I left with a sense that I would be back if all was not right with the unit. It wasnt

6/14/03 Used the camcorder all day at the zoo. Camcorder performed with original units' dysfunctional auto focus.(Approx every 8 -10 photos randomly blur and not because of operator error. I reproduced the situation while standing at service center in Best Buy and have the evidence on my memory card and tapes.) The heating up problem did appear to have been resolved by Canon as Best Buy claims to not have serviced the unit in their stores.

6/15/03 Returned to Best Buy service dept. and spoke with representative Juan. I told Juan of my initial dealings and that as stated by one of his technicians previous, "the camcorder had specific known defects."
My husband steps in and asks Juan for his complete name. He says Juan, my husband says, last name, rep says Juan again; Juan refuses to give my husband his last name as my husband demanded that we leave with a new camcorder today. The service technician became extremely defensive and outright rude asking us to take our camcorder and leave the store or leave the camcorder for repair and then leave the store. Or just leave the store.

I stepped in and pleaded for them to "stop arguing, that the camcorder still wasn't working properly after 3 months and all I ever wanted was a camcorder that worked properly in the first place."

That I had paid 1000 dollars, and had waited 40 years to have a child and now cannot take pictures of her.
Juan suggested that I "buy an open box item to use until my camcorder came back in from Canon again. That he would refund the cost of this unit in full after that period, even past the 14 day exchange policy if need be." Of course my husband hit the roof and we left the store, I in tears. I wonder if Juan would have put that return offer in writing?

I feel like Ive been completely and utterly suckered by fraudulent rebate offers, promises of service plans that will guarantee your merchandise will work or be replaced (read the fine print folks, youll see that they can send your stuff back and forth 4 times before they decide it's a "lemon" at 2 months a spin thats 8 months without your merchandise), and insulted by service men that speak with forked tongues.

I mostly regret that I now feel like a complete fool, idiot, and consumer loser and should have spent my 1000.00 in a more logical manner -like retaining the services of an attorney to retail shop at Best Buy before I shop so that this never happens again. Well, and who's going to go and do that before they shop?

Carleen
Minnetonka, Minnesota
U.S.A.

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