GE-Zurich Warranty not worth a d**n

There is no doubt that GE/Zurich has a long drawn out process that encourages customers to quit calling and thus saves GE the money customers paid them for extended warranty.

Just before I left, we worked so short staffed that many callers would hang up rather than hold on for the 20 - 30 minute wait time. This was not an accident. They WANT people to hang up. When they did get through, the Troubleshooting process was so ridiculous and drawn out that customers would start the process and never call back to finish. If they did not call back within 5 days, we would close the case and the T/S'ing process would have to start from scratch again.

Almost nothing was replaced without formatting the Hard drive and re-installing the customers software. Their theory was that the problem was related to the Software and not the Hardware. (By the way, Software is not covered under the warranty).

Monitors were not replaced until the customer took their current one to another computer, and tested it on there. Hard drives that completed the Format process were called good. Just prior to my leaving, the CDROM Troubleshooting form had changed to almost 25 steps. If it passed one of the three specific tests for functionality, it was called good. Even though it may have failed the other two.

Even after I proved the part bad, I had to get a second approval from a second level tech. If he felt that I had not done enough T/S'ing or that the customer had not done everything possible (for example run a lens cleaner on a CDROM drive), then he would deny it.

Also keep in mind that if the unit works, but the power supply fan sounds like a tractor, we did not replace anything. Nothing is replaced for a noise issue unless it is detrimental to the enviornment. ??????????

Those customers that became angry were referred to Customer Relations. OH! Did I tell you that they do not have a phone number? You have to write or fax them and they are supposed to call you back within 24 - 48 hours of receiving your inquiry.

Even when things were approved for replacement, we had to pick and choose our words very carefully. We never said NEW. Instead, we used the word REPLACEMENT. So we have erased all your data, and re-installed it from your Recovery CD, and three to five days later, a tech comes out and replaces your original modem with a refurbished one. (cost of the modem is about $5)
Once out of the house or perhaps a week or so later, this refurbished piece of garbage goes bad and guess what? Yep, we erase your system again because the modem worked for a brief time.

Should I go on? Keyboards and mouse. You need to check them on another computer. Sound card, Video Card, we have to erase your computer. Hard drive. Used to be if it failed the format process we would replace it. Now it has to fail 3 consecutive times.

And if that is not enough, we now ask the customer to remove the case from the computer and start removing the PCI Cards" inside! During the Recovery process if your recovery would not complete, the customer was REQUIRED to purchase a new set of Recovery CDS from the Manufacturer at the customers expense.

If the customer did not want to do each and every one of these steps, they were said to be denying service and nothing would be done for them.

It's true that the word refurbished is used in the contract. The contract you get one year later when your manufacturers warranty expires.

Oh, I missed printers. Almost no printer is replaced (with a refurbished one mind you) with out BOTH ink cartridges being replaced first. The only exception is if they were replaced already within the last 30 days. Canon printers also had to have the Printhead replaced. Total cost to the customer, about $65 and up. Then you had to clean the printer, EXACTLY as indicated on the Manufacturers web-site.

Any firmware updates had to be downloaded and installed as well as any other software "fixes" available on the manufacturers web-site.

One thing I ask the readers of this and the other postings here is NOT to blame the Techs. The steps outlined here are just like the rules at your job. I know of 10 people that have been fired for skipping or trying to circumvent some of the steps in order to service the customer.
The T/S'ing is ridiculous. The steps are excessive, and the customer has a right to be angry. They paid their money in good faith, only to find out that what they thought they were getting, was nothing like what the contract outlines.

I stayed as long as I did, only because I needed a job and they were very scarce. Soon as something came along, I worked three days and resigned effective my days off.

Finally............GE/Zurich has got wind of this website. They have circulated an E-mail to all their employees, not to post or respond to any of the complaints here.

A Former GE/Zurich Tech that is glad to be gone!

I used to work for GE Zurich, when it was still GE TechTeam.

Here's the deal:

While it's true that many customers do not read (and therfore understand) the contract GE Zurich provides for the extended warranty, the claim that the contract has to be followed is a herring. It is an argument used to delay service because of a number of factors, not all of which are under GE's control.

For example, a replacement unit (when one is warranted by the contract) comes from a contractor. It is often a rebuilt machine, previously reported as failing and replaced by the warranty. These replacements are sometimes difficult to find because the contract has provisions for allowing a replacement that is comparable to the original. Due to the difficulty of finding some of these items, the contractor cannot meet it's obligation in a timely way. Agents for GE are informed NOT to tell customers this, ebcause it is considered bad form. Instead, the contract is used to explain the delay.

Likewise, the troubleshooting process is unnecessarily drawn out. Proving hardware failure is one thing. Checking every last detail of the device (even when not related to the failure) is another. There have been many times when devices were not replaced as they should have been because the Quality Assurance people were trying to find ways to keep costs down. Replacements = higher costs for the company. So these folks have to try and find ways to not replace hardware.

Tell me that isn't a rip off.

And for the employee who replied to this report initially.... I worked there, kiddo. I was an agent, I was in QC, I was a manager. Things might have changed slightly from the time I was there, but I have seenenough fo these reports to know that those changes were minimal. This is the type of behavior in business that made GE leave TechTeam, it's original partner in the joint venture.

Unless and until GE decides to put customer interests over it's desire to make a buck, these problems will persist. It was true a couple of years ago. It's true today.

You should read your warranty before you complain. I get calls from people like you all the time. It clearly states on the warraty that all t/s will be preformed over the phone and that there has to be proven hardware failure.

If you were to read the contract you would see that you could call the number, do a minimal amount of t/s and get the replacement send out quickly.

I am willing to bet you bought the contract and didnt even read the first sentence (which incidentally contains the info I just shared). Please dont lodge a complaint if it is not validly backed