Circuit City Selling defective merchandise and then not standing behind warrantees Ripoff Appleton Wisconsin

What is your complaint?

We purchased a 35" tv on March 17 of 2006 from Circuit City. We were told, even after requesting a new set in a box, that the one on the shelf was the only one they had and they didn't know when they would be getting anymore. We even asked if they had a 36" and was told they did not even have one in the entire store. So we decided to go ahead and purchased the 35" tv after being told numerous times that the set on the shelf had the same guarantee as a new one. They supposedly looked for the Television User's Guide and the remote control that went with the RCA but claimed they could not find the box that the tv had came out of. We were given an universal remote control with the understanding that they would send the original remote control when it was found. So soon as we got the tv home and set up, you can tell that it had been played with on the shelf or it was a pre-used tv. I started to complain to Rob, the store manager, on March 18th of our displeasure. Then I was informed they had had a new set that we could have bought the night before and if we took the tv back that we had, we could get a new one but we had no way to get it back since we had to go around our neighborhood for another male to help carry the set in the first time. Rob assured me that the set was not used, and even if we struggled to take back the set we had, we would get the same exact set and that he would send me the booklet that went with the tv. It took a couple of months of me calling him, asking if he had forgotten us, before we finally received a copy of the booklet in the mail but it had the instructions for the original remote control. So again, I called Rob and he told me to scan him a picture of the remote that we had, send it to him, and he would send the instructions to it. Which I promptly did. Still have not received it and now we are into the month of October. Then when we started to have electrical problems after having the set just a little over three months and RCA called Rob, he told them he could not remember when he talked to me, so RCA refused to cover the labor since it appears that labor is only covered for 90 days, which we were not told. Circuit City claims that they have the warrantee posted everywhere that they only cover one month of labor but when you ask any employee outright, they will tell you that there is twelve (12) months of warrantee on any tv they sell. You can see on the copy of a receipt, that Rob was well aware of me and my displeasure on 3/29/06 when he took $41.98 off of the cost of the set due to my constantly calling and complaining. It is long distance from our home to Circuit City and I can prove how many times I have called the store from the purchase to the date the tv went into the shop. I was finally told by the people in India, that Circuit City only covered their merchandise for 30 days, which we were not informed of either. On the sale's slip, it states open box but we were not given a box or any of the contains in the box. The repair shop told us that when it says open box, you are suppose to receive the box, the instructions, and remote control. That it should have said no box if the store does not have the original equipment to give you. I didn't want to appear bias when we went to the store, a young man in a wheelchair (once we could find him) was the salesman. I am handicapped also and didn't want to demand a different person to wait on us even though you could tell by his actions, he felt we were beneath him and was a bother to take care of. Most of the associates were standing at the back of the store, chatting among themselves, so customers had to walk around and find one if they needed to buy something. That is something else I complained about when I first started to call and complain. I feel like we were used because we didn't look like higher class people so just shove any old thing off on us. Or maybe because I am handicapped. I e-mailed the Wisconsin BBB office the day after the purchase, to inquire on how to start a complaint but never received a response. When the tv went bad after owning it just over three months, I called and was told the best way to do a complaint was over e-mail but it is obvious that is not true because BBB doesn't not response to their e-mail. I have even requested several times to speak to a Mike, who the District Manager, requested that he call me back at his earliest convenience. No return calls, cannot be bothered. Even tried for several days for someone to call the District Manager, no luck there either. Even called the store in Milwaukee and requested for the District Manager to call me. I am still waiting for this Mike to call me about my complaint.

What do you feel the company should do to resolve your complaint?

First: they need to inform their customers, up front, concerning their 30-day only guarantee. Not assume that someone see the posted signs. What if someone is blind??

Second: When a customer asked if there is new wares instead of one that is sitting on the shelf, they should be allowed to purchased something new rather than used, or one someone had played with. I know that they need to get rid of their demos but it is not right to shove that stuff off on their customers.

Third: I feel they need to reimburse the $131.25 we had to put out on something that we trusted them to be telling us the truth about.

After the tv was loaded, I went back into the store and questioned, once again, a person in the Service department and was assured again (or lied to) that the tv had the wonderful Circuit City warranty and all I would need is my receipt. That is all we had for months. If we had known about the lies we were told, the tv would have went back the very next day but stupid me, I wanted to trust a store as big as Circuit City.

The tv has to go into the shop for the third time in three months, for the very same problem. We are now told that RCA has to give approval for the television repair shop to completely replace the circuit board. We had it less than a week, after the shop having it for over three weeks, for it to start to act up again, the same old problem. Since we went and bought a cart especially for hauling this weighty tv, we will have to struggle to take it in once again.

Sharon
Hilbert, Wisconsin
U.S.A.

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