I have a story to tell you. It starts with my husband and I running out to Sams Club this morning to pick up a couple of new umbrellas (it’s South Florida, it’s pouring out, our umbrellas are currently broken). On the way out of the car (in the rain) I dropped my iPhone. Not for the first time, but it is the first time it’s broken from being dropped. Oops. So we’re headed to Best Buy once we get the umbrellas. No problem.
We get to Best Buy, have to wait a bit because the mobile phone guy was helping someone else. So we browse until it’s our turn. Here is where the fun begins.
I’ve returned my phone before. We signed up for the Geek Squad Black Tie Protection plan when we got our phones. Hey, I know us, and it’s been well worth the money. Last August I had to take my phone back because the entire screen popped out. The phone more or less worked, but I didn’t want to risk popping it back in and breaking it. So off we go, it takes an hour or so, but I walked out, as promised, with a new phone that day.
Not so much today. No, today it took about an hour and I walked out with a used, gabbed from a Rubbermaid bin from under the counter used loaner phone.
Back up a minute. Let’s address this. I don’t share hairbrushes, headphones, bluetooth head sets or hats. With anyone. Not even my kids, who came out of my body. What on god’s green earth makes you think I am going to share a phone that cannot be cleaned with who know how many people I don’t even know? Yah, exactly.
OK. So the service plan has suddenly changed, corporate has said from on high that phones must be sent out and loaner phones must be given out. My loaner phone, which I won’t even touch, has my SIM card, but none of my contacts. So my loaner phone has no information on it except my phone number which happens to be the only thing on my SIM card. OK. Moving on. My iPhone with either be repaired or replaced sometime in the next 2 – 4 weeks. OK. I am paying AT&T 30-some dollars for an internet service I am not using. I am paying AT&T 20-some dollars for unlimited texting I am not using. I am paying AT&T 80-some dollars for a phone line *gasp!* I am not using!* All because Best Buy suddenly changed their policy to not give me a new phone like they promised when I agreed to pay them 16$ a month to do just that. Did I mention the 16$ I just paid them for this month? For a phone I now don’t have in my possession.
*I have four phones on my account – I pay a total large enough that it’s ridiculous every month, but it is for four phones. Divided evenly I pay roughly 70$ per phone per month.
Side note: We bought two DSi’s in February. We paid 50$ each (so 100$ total) for the same “Black Tie Protection.” We were told the same thing – if it breaks, bring it in, walk out with a new one. I brought that up today and was told no, you get a loaner and we send it off. Ah, no. You give me a new one. You said so.
Back to my phone. So the guy pulls my SIM card, puts it in the loaner phone, and we asked to speak to a manager. I explained that I get that it isn’t his problem, he didn’t make the rules. We go through this song and dance with the manager and again, I explain that I get that it isn’t her problem. She offers to give us the number to Best Buy Corporate. It’s an 888 number. I borrowed Michael’s phone in the car and start. That was at maybe 12:00PM. We’ve been on the phone for an hour now. We’ve been hung up on twice. We’ve gotten the runaround. Michael finally got someone (I handed him the phone after the voice recognition started arguing with me) and they phoned our Best Buy. Michael is going to get a call from the mobile manager tomorrow who will likely tell us the same thing. There is nothing they can do, the phone’s been sent out (it will go out today) and we just have to wait. With a dirty, nasty phone. Gee, thanks Best Buy!
Here is where I am. Best Buy lied to us and I don’t have a new phone, I have a nasty loaner phone I don’t want to touch. The Best Buy manager lied to use and gave us a generic 888 number that did not lead to corporate. I don’t think I’ll be shopping at Best Buy anytime soon and I will likely be canceling my service plan. What a joke.
ETA 5/1/10: I received a refurbished replacement iPhone yesterday. It took hours to restore my backup (obviously not Best Buy’s problem, but a known problem with Apple/iTunes/backups). The WiFi will not work, so I need to find out if it’s a setting issue (doubtful) or a refurbished iPhone issue (possibly). I did get on the network briefly, but it keeps reverting back to 3G even though it’s been told to use the WiFi when available (and it’s always available in my home, right next to my router). I can’t sync Things and a few other apps with their desktop counterparts without being on the WiFi network, so I have a small, hopefully fixable, problem there.
Even though this was taken care of somewhat quickly, I am still beyond disappointed and angry at Best Buy for lying to me, not notifying me of a program change, whatever you want to call it. The mobile manager never phoned us the following day as promised, and when we went in on Friday to pick up the phone the mobile manager wasn’t working that day. Amazing the mobile manager is never working when we are in there or phone to speak to him/her.
Best Buy has lost my big ticket item business, and their over priced small ticket items never had my business. Sadly I am tied into a contract with them over the insurance on the phones, but I suspect I will be dealing with Apple or AT&T directly when it comes time to upgrade next year. Not that it seems Best Buy cares about me or my business.
Did they send you a disclosure with the changes and the ability to cancel or opt out? If not, then they are bound by the original agreement. And they owe you a new phone and a refund for the months you paid for the service that was not the agreed upon service.
No, and therein lies the problem. If we had been told I might not be so angry. We let them know that on the phone as well – we were never tld or given the option to opt out.
Best Buy is known for being shady with their protection plans. Have you been to the Consumerist site. You should post your story there and you will most likely hear back from BB. Also, you can probably find the real BB corporate number on the site as well. It might take a little searching, but it should be there somewhere.
I can totally relate on being grossed out with loaner phones. I hope you get a new one soon.