Best Buy Performance Service Plan
Best Buy used to be my favorite store. Because I have spent so much money there I am a Best Buy Premium Black Tie member. I just bought a 42 inch Panasonic Plasma flat screen TV. I've been trying to get it repaired. The problem is the menu's pop up on their own at random and block the picture. Then the remote control can't close the menu. The menu scrolls through the options on its own. Often things get selected off the menu on their own. For example, it may select "game" for video game when I am watching TV and then the picture goes out. I have the 4 yr service plan. I need to have the main board replaced, but the tech's keep trying other things and don't order the main board. Most visits they just look at the TV, do nothing and they close the trouble ticket. This has been going on for 3 months now. I am up to 9 technician visits for the same problem but no results. Best Buy threatened to start charging me for visits if I keep calling them. In addition, some of the technicians have been rude to me. For example, I have been lecture over not thoroughly reading the instruction manual. Well, I have read the instruction manual from cover to cover and that still isn’t going to fix a defective main board. Other Technicians don’t show up when they are scheduled to.
I feel like I’ve been scammed over the Service Plan. I wish I never bought this TV and BlueRay DVD player. I'm so frustrated.
Supposedly, the lemon law does apply. I asked about it and wanted a new TV but they told me I had to read the fine print. You have to have 3 repairs before they will replace the TV. Repairs to them means replacing a part. Even though they have visited 10 times so far, they have only replaced a sensor and a remote control, and they don't count the remote control. The rest of the visits they just come and "assess" the situation. I have told them I don't want any more of these visits for "assessing" where nothing actually gets done. I only want them to come when they are actually going to fix something. So after three months I have only one "repair" under my belt towards the 3 need for the replacement TV.
On top of it, here is something else I didn't know about the 4 yr service plan. Even though you pay for 4 years the first year is covered by Panasonic, the manufacturer of my TV. Best Buy says everything is up to Panasonic the first year. Best buy also told me that Panasonic has never replaced a TV under the first year of their contract. Also, Panasonic does not want to send the part I need, the main board, because they cost $400. So every time a technician comes by all he does is a reset (Basically unplugiing the TV and plugging it back in.) Oh yeah, they were kind of lying to me about the part I needed costing $400. It turns out they rarely use new parts. They will always install a used or rebuilt part to save money.
It turns out you get the 1 year manufacturer guarantee even if you don’t buy the 4 yr extended warranty.
Another reason I found out that Best Buy is making all these visits is that somewhere in the fine print of their contract it says after so many visits they can say they completed their end of the service plan contract. Even before the 4 years is up.
Oh, I forgot to mention. Panasonic doesn't honor the Lemon Law. I have to get through the first year of the four year service plan with the manufacture Panasonic first. Then I have to start again at zero to try to get the three "repairs" with Best Buy in order for the Lemon Law to (supposedly) take place. At this rate it's going to take a long, long time.
In addition, I paid Best Buy extra for the TV to be Calibrated by one of their technicians. Every time a Best Buy Technician visits he erases my Calibration settings. The Best Buy technician does not re-calibrate the TV. It takes additional appointments from the Calibration guy to come out and re-calibrate.
I feel like I’ve been scammed over the Service Plan. I wish I never bought this TV and BlueRay DVD player. I'm so frustrated.
Supposedly, the lemon law does apply. I asked about it and wanted a new TV but they told me I had to read the fine print. You have to have 3 repairs before they will replace the TV. Repairs to them means replacing a part. Even though they have visited 10 times so far, they have only replaced a sensor and a remote control, and they don't count the remote control. The rest of the visits they just come and "assess" the situation. I have told them I don't want any more of these visits for "assessing" where nothing actually gets done. I only want them to come when they are actually going to fix something. So after three months I have only one "repair" under my belt towards the 3 need for the replacement TV.
On top of it, here is something else I didn't know about the 4 yr service plan. Even though you pay for 4 years the first year is covered by Panasonic, the manufacturer of my TV. Best Buy says everything is up to Panasonic the first year. Best buy also told me that Panasonic has never replaced a TV under the first year of their contract. Also, Panasonic does not want to send the part I need, the main board, because they cost $400. So every time a technician comes by all he does is a reset (Basically unplugiing the TV and plugging it back in.) Oh yeah, they were kind of lying to me about the part I needed costing $400. It turns out they rarely use new parts. They will always install a used or rebuilt part to save money.
It turns out you get the 1 year manufacturer guarantee even if you don’t buy the 4 yr extended warranty.
Another reason I found out that Best Buy is making all these visits is that somewhere in the fine print of their contract it says after so many visits they can say they completed their end of the service plan contract. Even before the 4 years is up.
Oh, I forgot to mention. Panasonic doesn't honor the Lemon Law. I have to get through the first year of the four year service plan with the manufacture Panasonic first. Then I have to start again at zero to try to get the three "repairs" with Best Buy in order for the Lemon Law to (supposedly) take place. At this rate it's going to take a long, long time.
In addition, I paid Best Buy extra for the TV to be Calibrated by one of their technicians. Every time a Best Buy Technician visits he erases my Calibration settings. The Best Buy technician does not re-calibrate the TV. It takes additional appointments from the Calibration guy to come out and re-calibrate.
posted by Dr. Adam Norten at 11:50 AM
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