Best Buy recently launched a new commercial campaign (here’s one on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xGTUKM0Tc0) with the tag line You, happy. Great commercials – I just wish they reflected reality.
Instead, Best Buy has made me EXTREMELY UNHAPPY. Here’s the scoop.
Last Christmas my very generous brother (and loyal Best Buy customer), bought me a 26 inch Insignia LCD HD TV. It was replacing my 20 year old TV that still worked. It was a tube TV and still worked, and I gave it away on Craigslist.
This Sunday I watched the Superbowl. Some good commercials, some not so good.
Monday, I turn on the TV…and….nothing. No sound, no picture, nothing. No “booting up” sound. Nothing.
I call Insignia, which is the Best Buy house brand. Insignia tells me that since the manufacturer’s warranty is 12 months, and I didn’t buy the extended warranty, I need to take the TV to Best Buy for repairs. Hmmmm. I really don’t want to lug a TV into a store.
So I call the Best Buy customer service number. They tell me that it doesn’t matter that I’ve only had the TV for a year, I didn’t buy the extended warranty, so I need to pay for repairs. They will charge me $125 - $175 for a repair person to diagnose the problem; parts and repair will be more. I ask if I can take it to Best Buy and they say no, there are no technicians in the store.
I then go to Best Buy without the TV. I talk to some very nice people in customer service, who tell me that TVs usually can’t be repaired; that Insignia is the Best Buy brand; and they usually just swap them out.
This is now Tuesday night. I return – in the snowstorm – with the TV. After spending more than one hour there, customer service sends me to GeekSquad. GeekSquad looks at the receipt, and says since it’s out of warranty, I’ll need to pay for repairs. I need to pay $35 to send the TV out and they will call me “at the end of the week” to let me know if it can be repaired and how much it will cost. They then tell me if it can’t be repaired, I can just buy another TV.
So, apparently, Best Buy does NOT stand behind its brand. My 13 month old TV is dead, and IF it can be repaired it will cost me. I’ve decided if it can’t be repaired at a reasonable price, I’ll go to Sears and buy a quality product. One that will last more than 1 year.
I certainly didn’t expect a 13 month old TV to die, and for the company to basically tell me, “tough.” Clearly, Best Buy is more interested in selling warranties than selling quality products.
Moral of the story – Best Buy = me, unhappy AND me, no longer a customer. I will not buy anything at Best Buy ever again.
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