Best Buy?

I'm very disappointed with Best Buy. To cut a long story short, last Oct., in 2012, I bought my son a laptop from Best Buy in Rockaway, NJ. About a month ago, the screen stopped working. The computer was not hit, dropped or damaged in any way. So I knew I was within the ASUS manufacturer's one year warranty & I had even purchased the Geek Squad Technical Support. I took the laptop to Best Buy in East Hanover, NJ. They sent it off to have it repaired. About two weeks, I got a call from Best Buy indicating that it would be about $400 to repair. I indicated that they would repair it for free, since they were legally obligated to do so. They said that that the computer was hit or dropped, which I refuted, knowing that that was not the case and that there was no external damage. To date, I've not heard back regarding the state or whereabouts of the computer since June 14th 2013. This was Service Order # 00473981 303 195. Below is the string of emails in which I tried to get solid answers from them. Best Buy has not responded to my email on June 14th 2013. I insist that Best Buy make good on its legal commitments and repair the laptop for free. ------------June 9 2013----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Per Amanda's suggestion on your Facebook timeline, I am emailing you about the problem. The only thing I have to add is that the service order number given to me was 00473981 303 195. My son is the most honest kid around and I know he's telling the truth in so far as the laptop was not dropped nor hit. Furthermore, I inspected the laptop and there was no external damage or scratches, just an internal screen mess. I've also seen a lot of complaints about ASUS monitors online. We bought my son, a freshman in high school, the laptop to see him through high school. We cannot afford to pay $400 to get it fixed and it's clear to me that the problem is a manufacturer's defect. Your assistance in resolving this matter would be appreciated. Sincerely Dan Rudy ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daniel Rudy I’m very disappointed with Best Buy. I bought my son an Asus laptop at their Rockaway NJ store last October 2012, so it should still be covered by warranty. I also have geek squad assistance. Last week, my son turned on the laptop and the left side of the screen had wavy lines and was unreadable, making the laptop unusable. When he had turned it off the previous night, it worked fine, and he had not dropped or damaged it. So I took the laptop back to the Best Buy store in East Hanover, NJ, who at first said that the problem was only cosmetic and that therefore it was not covered under warranty. I pointed out that the laptop was unusable, therefore the problem was not just cosmetic. Anyway, they then indicated that they could not fix it in the store & needed to send it to Kentucky. Tonight I got a call from Kara C. at Best Buy in Kentucky who wanted to charge me $396 since they said that the laptop had been dropped or hit. I told Kara that this was definitely not the case and that there was no external damage to the laptop, only an apparent manufacturer’s defect and that the problem was on the inside of the screen. Kara insisted that there was nothing they could do & were sending the laptop back, unfixed. I really hope that Best Buy has a better answer since this is a violation of FTC rules by not honoring the warranty. Like · · 55 minutes ago near Livingston Best Buy I am very sorry to hear about you troubles fixing your son's laptop, Daniel. This definitely sounds like a stressful situation you have on your hands. If the computer was not dropped then they should have fixed your computer under warranty. I am going to recommend that you email us at facebook@bestbuy.com, and our team will into this further for you. -Amanda 45 minutes ago · Like Daniel Rudy Thanks Amanda. Will do. 45 minutes ago · Like ------------------------------June 12 2013----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hello Daniel, Thank you for emailing us about the concerns you have on the repairs of your son’s computer. I’ve had a chance to review the service order from Geek Squad City and the original purchase receipt. Although you did purchase Geek Squad Technical Support in October of 2012, you did not purchase the Geek Squad Protection Plan. When you had the computer sent to the service center, it was noted that you were under the manufacturer warranty and the service center was able to determine the damage to the screen was not a defect in the screen but in fact damage to the computer itself. Unfortunately, the manufacturer warranty would not cover the cost of repairs to the computer so an estimate of repair was assessed and shared with you. In cases involving computer repairs and the categories of damage involved, we will typically yield to the technicians at Geek Squad City as they are trained and able to diagnose and determine the nature of repairs necessary to fix a unit. I apologize for the inconvenience this experience has caused you and your family. Derald, Community Connector ECC Social Connections & Innovation Best Buy Co., Inc. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sent: Sunday, June 09, 2013 8:20 PM To: Facebook (Best Buy) Subject: follow through of post on Facebook. Per Amanda's suggestion on your Facebook timeline, I am emailing you about the problem. The only thing I have to add is that the service order number given to me was 00473981 303 195. My son is the most honest kid around and I know he's telling the truth in so far as the laptop was not dropped nor hit. Furthermore, I inspected the laptop and there was no external damage or scratches, just an internal screen mess. I've also seen a lot of complaints about ASUS monitors online. We bought my son, a freshman in high school, the laptop to see him through high school. We cannot afford to pay $400 to get it fixed and it's clear to me that the problem is a manufacturer's defect. Your assistance in resolving this matter would be appreciated. Sincerely Dan Rudy ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Daniel Rudy I’m very disappointed with Best Buy. I bought my son an Asus laptop at their Rockaway NJ store last October 2012, so it should still be covered by warranty. I also have geek squad assistance. Last week, my son turned on the laptop and the left side of the screen had wavy lines and was unreadable, making the laptop unusable. When he had turned it off the previous night, it worked fine, and he had not dropped or damaged it. So I took the laptop back to the Best Buy store in East Hanover, NJ, who at first said that the problem was only cosmetic and that therefore it was not covered under warranty. I pointed out that the laptop was unusable, therefore the problem was not just cosmetic. Anyway, they then indicated that they could not fix it in the store & needed to send it to Kentucky. Tonight I got a call from Kara C. at Best Buy in Kentucky who wanted to charge me $396 since they said that the laptop had been dropped or hit. I told Kara that this was definitely not the case and that there was no external damage to the laptop, only an apparent manufacturer’s defect and that the problem was on the inside of the screen. Kara insisted that there was nothing they could do & were sending the laptop back, unfixed. I really hope that Best Buy has a better answer since this is a violation of FTC rules by not honoring the warranty. Like · [Comment] · 55 minutes ago near Livingston ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Derald I appreciate that you are trying to expedite this case, but your diagnosis is complete fiction. My 14 year old son informs me that the laptop was not dropped or hit in any way. Furthermore, there was absolutely no external damage to the screen or laptop, therefore, your assessment was pure conjecture. The device was working fine the night before. My son went to sleep and when he woke up, this screen problem manifested itself the following morning. Therefore, it was a manufacturer's defect. I'm prepared to continue to tell my story via social media and to take this to a local small claims court, if Best Buy does not live up to it's legal obligations. As the device comes with a warranty and I also bought Geek Squad Technical Support in October of 2012, I was not prepared to add yet another expense to the ticket price for the Geek Squad Protection Plan. As my son is careful in protecting his laptop, there should have been no need for yet another costly layer of protection. Your stated repair costs of nearly $400 make it uneconomical to fix the laptop. I hope for a better response from Best Buy before moving forward. Sincerely ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hello Daniel, Thank you for your response. I understand your frustration with this issue, however the decision by the Geek Squad service center will stand. Geek Squad Technical Support is not Geek Squad Protection and does not cover hardware repairs or repairs suffered though accidental damage from handling to the unit. As you are under the manufacturer warranty, any repairs to the computer would fall under that umbrella as long as the damages to the unit are covered according to the guidelines of that warranty. I do apologize for the inconvenience. Derald, Community Connector ECC Social Connections & Innovation Best Buy Co., Inc. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- · Best Buy I am very sorry to hear about you troubles fixing your son's laptop, Daniel. This definitely sounds like a stressful situation you have on your hands. If the computer was not dropped then they should have fixed your computer under warranty. I am going to recommend that you email us at facebook@bestbuy.com, and our team will into this further for you. -Amanda 45 minutes ago · Like · Daniel Rudy Thanks Amanda. Will do. 45 minutes ago · Like · Daniel Rudy Jun 14 to Facebook Derald So to be clear, if you had felt that the laptop had not been dropped, hit or externally damaged, Best Buy would repair the laptop without charge? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hello Daniel, It’s as I stated earlier, should the scope of the repair fall within the parameters set by the manufacturer’s warranty, then the service center would proceed along that path. However, according to the service order, the damaged was outside the range of work that the manufacturer warranty provides thus an estimate of repairs was sent to you. I apologize if my earlier statement was not clear. Derald, Community Connector ECC Social Connections & Innovation Best Buy Co., Inc. From: Daniel Rudy [mailto:daniel.rudy1@gmail.com] Sent: Friday, June 14, 2013 10:43 AM ------------------------------ June 14 2013----------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'm really not understanind your legalease. Can you aswer my question "yes or no"? If you felt that there was no external damage, would you have repaired the machine without charge. This is a very simple question. Please advise. Dan Rudy