Best Buy, Black Tie Protection, and broken EVO... OH MY

[Vincent Law]

Hold up one second here. A broken screen isnt covered by Best Buy insurance? You sir are sadly mistaken for someone who likes to appear as though they have their facts in order.

Look down.

^^

Slow down turbo. He did say WARRANTY, and the warranty covers manufacture defects, not physical damage (like droped phones with broken screens). Best Buy INSURANCE covers most things, but does not cover lost or stolen phones. Sprint INSURANCE covers damage AND lost/stolen phones... which is why I prefer Sprints insurance. And Sprint has been very prompt about getting replacements.

Thanks for playing.

(And thanks for the assist, BenChase)

 

[sean76]

I hate best buy, I will never use them again! I got my EVO there on launch, and also got the Black Tie protection. However, 3 weeks later I was having some issues and brought it in. The manager told me there are none in stock and they will put me on the list to get a brand new one as soon as they come in. Told me not to worry about the 30 day return policy, that he'll have one in my hands in no longer then a week or 2. That was in the last week of June. Since then I have called best buy at least 5 or 6 times with the same answer given to me...Were still sold out but I see your name on the list, should be any day now. Finally I went down there last week and spoke to the manager, he told me I can have one in a few days I just have to do a pre order, and pay $50, and when it comes in they'll refund me the $50 and I'll have my new phone. This was over a week ago, I called them today and was told that it should be here next week??? They are moronic with how they handle things, and even though I would like to place a lot of blame on them, the true blame is on HTC!

Why put out a phone that you can't supply? I don't want to hear about screens, and Samsung is holding them hostage for the Galaxy phones! That is something that should have been thought out from the beginning. Not after you release the device. All in all, I'll never use Best Buy again, or HTC. Still waiting patiently for my new EVO...The Samsung Fascinate has taken my mind of my wait for the evo this last week.

 

[bigboy1122]

9/22 Update

So yesterday afternoon I called the BB, because I noticed BB had EVOs in stock on their website, and asked if they had any EVO's in. The salesmen replied no but they were taking pre-orders. (The salesmen was the same person I spoke with the day before.) I asked how many pre-orders he had and he said 3-4. I remember him telling me I would be at the top of the list so I decided to go in today to follow up to make sure I was on the top of the list. The person I spoke with on Monday wasn't there but another BB mobile salesmen helped me. Let me just say it was a night and day difference.

I asked him if he had any EVO's in stock, he replied no. I asked to speak with a manager, and he asked what was the issue. I told him that my EVO had been at geeksquad for over 30 days, and before I could finish the sentence he said,"then we need to find you a new one". He finished helping the previous customer and then started calling around. He couldn't find any EVO's at the local stores in the city and told me there were some coming in a couple of days. He took a copy of me geeksqaud form and put it on a pre-order form and put it at the top of the list and told me I would be the first person to receive one. NIGHT AND DAY DIFFERENCE!!!! I asked the salesmen if he had seen the piece of white printer paper w/ my name on it. It was no where to be found, like I thought. I told him that I wasn't happy with the service I received the day before. He shook my hand and apologized sincerely.

I will update in a couple of days to whether I have received it or not. But I do want to go on record that the other salesmen, was horrible. The one that helped me today was awesome.

update

 

[BenChase7]

Thats the problem with most companies these days... your experience is hit or miss depending on who you talk to. If I'm not getting the results from a salesman, I hang-up/leave and find another one. Eventually youll get someone willing to work with ya. sucks its come to that though.

 

[pwee08]

SPRINT INSURANCE IS HORRIBLE!!!!

Yes big and bold bad. Before the Evo i had a samsung phone there i just needed it to make calls and text did not have a concern for anything else because the phones that sprint was offering were crap and i was waiting for the Evo =). So in a matter of 7 to 8 months i went through 4 phones. You ask why? well non were physically damage just the 5th phone which was the new phone that the insurance didn't give so don't get confused. 4 total phones is what i got from sprint insurance. So the problem with each phone was that it was a Refurb. phone which means its a phone that was sent in to get repaired and sent back out. Dont get me wrong the phone work great the first month or month 1/2 but after that the phone would go crazy. Turn off randomly, Freeze, stay frozen even after reboot, no calls would come in i mean anything you can think of regard nothing of physical damage it happen. after the fourth phone i went into a sprint store pretty upset spoke to almost the whole staff then finally got a manager out and she resolved somethings and let me walk out the store with a different brand new phone which work fine till the evo came but the point is the insurance stinks every phone i got i had to pay $50 dollars then have it F' up in matters of weeks. So if i have to wait a little bit and use a loaner phone im perfectly fine with that, What i pay 10 bucks extra for premium data and not able to use PFFT whoop deee dooo you have a computer at home and i would just consider it as my deductible a lot better then a 100 bucks.

Yeah it sucks i or who ever has to wait to see if its repairable but really just make the phone unrepairable and get a new one.

I haven't had the chance yet to expierence BB insurance since i have not broken my phone but we will see but id rather get a NEW PHONE oppose to getting a Refurb. Evo that i have to pay a 100 dollars for it plus the other 7 dollars sprint customer pays monthly for and maybe have software problems later down the line...

 

[Deleted User]

I like the fact that I brought my Hero in to change the number over to my new EVO and they offered me the insurance on the EVO. Even though I bought it from a friend of mine USED!

 

[bigboy1122]

updated, read beginning

 

[CrashGordon]

In my experience, customer service at Best Buy is all about who you're talking to. When I initially ordered my EVO, they put me on the list and gave me a rain check. The guy told me no more than 2 weeks. When I got home, I had an e-mail telling me that indeed I had a rain check for the item and I'd be contacted by phone and e-mail when my EVO arrived. Over three weeks later, I dropped by Best Buy and asked what was up with the EVO's. The lady who was working replied she got a few in that day if I wanted one. I said I did, but I also wanted to know why I wasn't contacted regarding the one they were supposedly holding for me. She had no answer, but apologized repeatedly for the error. She was a champ and got me set up and out the door. About 2 weeks later, I got another e-mail telling me that since I hadn't responded to my rain check, it was being canceled.

My wife has had to return her Epic twice and both times Best Buy has taken it no questions asked (though both were still within the 30 day purchase window).

As far as the protection plans, always remember that the store wouldn't sell them if they didn't make money off of them. Since you're the one paying for it, guess who they're making that money off of. Combine that with the one Geek Squad experience I've had and that's the one area of Best Buy that I avoid at all cost.

 

[Hunterbeav]

I have used sprints insurance for my blackberry, they sent me a refurbished phone not new.

 

[nintennuendo]

I just want to chime in with my 2c. I work at Office Depot and hear horror stories about best buy from my customers all the time. I hear people saying that the salesman and managers all are either misinformed or have conflicting information. A customer came to me the other day and said one best buy rep said it was not safe to do something, I don't remember what, whereas another turned right around and said it was okay. I do remember it was a simple thing that was okay to do. He came to my store and I even helped him do it.

I remember another customer got a snazzy new HDTV and said that the day after she got it, she unboxed it and the screen was all kinds of cracked. She went back and said it was borked, she wanted a replacement, they said 'okay, when we get some in.' She told me she called back a month later, still none had arrived. two weeks after, none had arrived. This went on for three months until Best Buy said they had discontinued it and there was nothing they would do for her. Something like $900 just gone like that. Another customer said nearly the same thing about a washing machine.

I can vouch that our protection plans at Office Depot aren't that great. Ours say and I think nearly everyones say that if you get it, send it to 'us'(which isn't us Office Depot, its is the repair company, Asurion,) and we're fixing it and break it further or break something else, we don't have to fix it. Due to that line and exclusion I'm extremely reluctant to sell it to my customers even when they ask for it, which they do more than I'd like to admit. If they're really jonesin for it, then fine, whatever, I'll take credit, but I don't push it myself.

For what more record: I got my EVO at radioshack. the day before the return policy expired, I called them and said it was overheating and turning off. I brought it down, they felt it was running hot, and said they'd call me when they got more in. They did so three days later. Unfortunately it was only one and it was already spoken for. Two days after that, I got another call, went down, switched it and everything is great now.

 

[Caloy]

I just cancelled my Best Buy insurance last Tuesday because of the horrible experience I had when I tried to turn in my phone because of 4G connection issues. They very much try to deter anyone from using it. Here are a number of reasons why I didn't avail my insurance from Best Buy.

1. According to the Geek Squad personnel I was talking to when I was trying to turn in my phone for service that it would take AT LEAST 30 days for them to fix the issue. Which was completely different when they were trying to pitch their insurance to me which was 2 weeks.

2. I have to pay $150 deposit for a cheap loaner phone.

3. The Geek Squad personnel even told me that it's okay to go ahead and accept the Sprint replacement phone even when I told him that I spoke to a Best Buy CSR on the phone and she advised me to turn the phone in to Best Buy because they won't honor the replacement phone for service if I did. Imagine if I would've accepted the replacement phone and kept on paying for Best Buy insurance, then they won't even honor fixing it because I did accept the replacement phone.

I was pissed at the experience. I've always bought electronics in Best Buy, but because of this experience, I don't plan on visiting Best Buy for anything again!

I already received my replacement phone, and when I called Sprint CS, they offered me TEP, which I gladly accepted. I see when a company values my business and I can see if I'm taken for a ride and just want my money for something not worth it.

All my future electronics business would be from another company, Best Buy can kiss my behind.

 

[BenChase7]

^

What a bunch of crap! I've read many of your posts an know youre a pretty level headed and flexible person. Screw BB. On a lighter note, I think you made a good call with the Sprint (Asurion) insurance.. Ive used it twice (once with my Palm Pre, once with another phone). Both times with Sprint insurance I had a phone the next day, no questions asked. Besides, you're gettin better coverage now since BestBuy ins isnt even full coverage... for example, even if you lose it you get a new/referb phone.. one less thing to worry about!

 

[EVOAndy]

Does anyone have it? I just sent my Evo in lastnight to get the cracked screen fixed and on top of that it was in really rough shape overall. One of the corners where I dropped it was completely cracked off of the phone. The guy at geek squad gave me back my memory card, battery and battery door (which is covered with chips and cracks in the paint) I was hoping they would just replace it since that's how most insurance plans work but he took it and said that it could take up to 4 weeks to get it back, which is crazy. Will they replace it with a refurbished unit or will they just fix my screen and send it back exactly as it was other than that in a few weeks?

 

[sitlet]

Thats what you get for going with best buy's insurance instead of sprints. With sprints, you will have a new (refurb) overnight.

 

[EVOAndy]

Thats what you get for going with best buy's insurance instead of sprints. With sprints, you will have a new (refurb) overnight.

Well thanks.

 

[Caloy]

I wasted my money on Geek Squad (Best Buy) Black Tie Protection Plan.

When I had to use it because of a malfunctioning 4G radio, they gave me so much grief that I left the store so angry and decided to call Sprint. I cancelled my GSBTPP, and went on Sprint's TEP. They will always say that they will replace it with a new phone, but in the end, if it's repairable it get's repaired. They never tell you that 95% of the time it's repairable.

Do yourself a favor, and call Sprint and switch to TEP.

 

[EVOAndy]

I wasted my money on Geek Squad (Best Buy) Black Tie Protection Plan. When I had to use it because of a malfunctioning 4G radio, they give me so much grief that I decided to call Sprint. I cancelled my GSBTPP, and went on Sprint's TEP. They will always say that they will replace it with a new phone, but in the end, if it's repairable it get's repaired. They never tell you that 95% of the time it's repairable.

Do yourself a favor, and call Sprint and switch to TEP.

Isn't there a $100 deductible though on top of the seven dollars (I think) a month? There wasn't any deductible on Best Buy. Neither of them sound that great. Best Buy doesn't really replace your phone like they should and Sprint kinda gets you on the deductible. I think when I get my phone back I'll definitely cancel Best Buy's insurance and possibly switch to sprint's or find a good third party company that charges yearly. Or just start taking care of my phone

I never really cared about it because I knew I had insurance and I could just get a new one if anything happened but I got a wakeup call on this one. Guess I'll just have to read the fine print and other people's experiences next time! Thanks for the advice.

 

[Caloy]

Yeah there's a $100 deductible, if your phone was lost or stolen. Not sure about replacements due to accidental damage, but replacement due to manufacturer defects should be free of charge. I got my replacement (refurbished) within 3 days of my call free of charge.

 

[drexappeal]

Yeah there's a $100 deductible, if your phone was lost or stolen. Not sure about replacements due to accidental damage, but replacement due to manufacturer defects should be free of charge. I got my replacement (refurbished) within 3 days of my call free of charge.

That's correct.

Just to give people a "for instance," I had my Touch Pro replaced 4 or 5 times through Sprint. Only once did they even have to give it to Asurion. What they told me was that whenever they see that a customer pays for the Sprint insurance, they'll do whatever they can "in store," prior to even needing to involve Asurion. And beyond that, if they can't replace it "in store," Asurion will replace the phone free of charge unless it was an issue clearly caused by the customer and not by a manufacturer defect.

So, unless the damage is clearly caused by you and not because of a manufacturer's defect, I've always had an easy time with Sprint replacements/repairs.

 

[Hockeydood]

As a former Sprint Technician I should chime in on this. Sprint's policy is to handle any repair instore for a malfunctioning unit as long as there is no physical or liquid damage. If there is physical/liquid damage the technician is not supposed to work on the phone. But some tech's will anyway depending on the extent of the damage or severity of the water damage. If it's a cracked screen or something along those lines where the damaged part can be replaced in store they will do the work without involving Asurion, but there is still a fee for the replacement part. Not the greatest option, but for most issues it beats Best Buy's Black Tie. Hope that helps you guys out. =)

 

[scudder]

As a former Sprint Technician I should chime in on this. Sprint's policy is to handle any repair instore for a malfunctioning unit as long as there is no physical or liquid damage. If there is physical/liquid damage the technician is not supposed to work on the phone. But some tech's will anyway depending on the extent of the damage or severity of the water damage. If it's a cracked screen or something along those lines where the damaged part can be replaced in store they will do the work without involving Asurion, but there is still a fee for the replacement part. Not the greatest option, but for most issues it beats Best Buy's Black Tie. Hope that helps you guys out. =)

Hey Hockeydood...thanks for the in-the-know comment...big help!

I have a couple questions for you, gonna ask you to comment on the above experiences...specifically in light of the fact ALL of discussion with regard to the problems MANY MONTHS old. Before your comment, the last comment in the thread was end of September (4 months ago)

Let me preface my story and question by saying that I KNOW the pros and cons of both Sprint and BB plans ($100 deductible/no deductible, insured for loss/insured for damage only; water damage, $7/$10, etc etc).

Back in July of 2010 I dropped my 4 week old phone and spider-web cracked the screen. I had Black Tie insurance and was told by the BB Mobile rep on the floor that it would be "no problem" and I should expect a phone back "in about a week." Long story short did NOT get my phone back for 23 days. I waited 2 weeks, got an "escalation" and everything proceeded pretty well from then on. Was I pissed, yes? But the MAIN problem I had was the assurances based upon lack of information by the Mobile retail reps who, in hindsight, should have deferred to the Geek Squad people or to the repair facility to give me a more ACTUAL estimate of repair time. That "about a week" was a guess or worse...and NOT based upon the current reality of the situation. MIND YOU, my phone (the EVO itself) was about a month old so different demand situation, perhaps, than today but I would have FELT BETTER if I received a more accurate estimate of repair time with someone saying "this could take up to 30 days"...which BY THE WAY is the "default" amount of time that I believe is written into the contract and/or repair receipt for an estimate repair at Best Buy, not "about a week"

Here are the questions I have for you, if you are able to answer:

My issue was what I experienced back in July and the above horror stories were from back in September. It is now months later in January 2011.

Do you think back in July or September that there WERE problems with parts that couldn't be found because of demand with the EVO or was there a bigger-picture problem with Best Buy's repair process? Would Sprint have had the SAME problems with regard to parts as mentioned in the Best Buy stories above??

Said a different way, if I cracked my screen TODAY (January 2011) and, as you said above, this would likely be a "simple" in-store repair by Sprint without the need to send to Asurion, would the repair in store with Sprint be ABSOLUTELY FASTER with Sprint under every circumstance??

Lastly, if I lose my phone with Sprint I have to pay the $100 deductible with the insurance plan. But if I cracked my screen with Sprint and needed to repair, what would be the cost to repair the screen??

THANKS for your help!!

S

 

[2miles]

I dropped my phone this past Sunday and cracked the screen all up. Everthing on the phone worked fine, only the screen was damaged. I was at the Sprint store at 9:00 a.m. monday morning and was out the door with a brand new screen at no cost by 9:30 a.m. The guy at Sprint told me that they used to charge $100 for the repair but not no more.

To me that's pretty good service!

 

[scudder]

I dropped my phone this past Sunday and cracked the screen all up. Everthing on the phone worked fine, only the screen was damaged. I was at the Sprint store at 9:00 a.m. monday morning and was out the door with a brand new screen at no cost by 9:30 a.m. The guy at Sprint told me that they used to charge $100 for the repair but not no more.

To me that's pretty good service!

Hmmm...I'm gonna ask some probably DUMB questions...

You DO have the Sprint insurance, yes? This wasn't a "within 30 days of purchase repair, yes?"

Secondly, so under WHAT circumstances does Sprint charge the $100 deductible?? ONLY if lost or stolen?? In other words, are ALL "repairs" (e.g., your screen) FREE?? When does someone have to pay the $100??

You're also talking about a situation where you were "lucky" enough that they had screens on hand. Since Best Buy doesn't do on site repairs there was NO WAY someone would be in and out the door with a cracked screen in 30 minutes (MAAAYBE 30 DAYS!!! ). But I wonder if you would have had the same luck if you walked into a Sprint store back in July or September like what happened to me and the rest of the link. I wonder if you were SUPER lucky in that the store had, on hand, an EVO screen that they could just swap out.

Either way, a good experience...and there is no way a turnaround like that could happen with Best Buy.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[2miles]

No questions are dumb!

Yes I have the Sprint insurance for $7 a month and no it was not within 30 days of buying it. I bought my EVO back in October.

I don't have all the answers as to when they charge the $100. All I know is that I was not charged for them to replace my screen and I was really glad to get it fixed the next day!

 

[chrischoi]

Hmmm...I'm gonna ask some probably DUMB questions...

You DO have the Sprint insurance, yes? This wasn't a "within 30 days of purchase repair, yes?"

Secondly, so under WHAT circumstances does Sprint charge the $100 deductible?? ONLY if lost or stolen?? In other words, are ALL "repairs" (e.g., your screen) FREE?? When does someone have to pay the $100??

You're also talking about a situation where you were "lucky" enough that they had screens on hand. Since Best Buy doesn't do on site repairs there was NO WAY someone would be in and out the door with a cracked screen in 30 minutes (MAAAYBE 30 DAYS!!! ). But I wonder if you would have had the same luck if you walked into a Sprint store back in July or September like what happened to me and the rest of the link. I wonder if you were SUPER lucky in that the store had, on hand, an EVO screen that they could just swap out.

Either way, a good experience...and there is no way a turnaround like that could happen with Best Buy.

Thanks for the reply!

No questions are dumb!

Yes I have the Sprint insurance for $7 a month and no it was not within 30 days of buying it. I bought my EVO back in October.

I don't have all the answers as to when they charge the $100. All I know is that I was not charged for them to replace my screen and I was really glad to get it fixed the next day!

I work at a Sprint Dealer. I'll clear this up for you guys.

Total Equipment Protection is $7.
Policy... In writing states, $100 deductible only applies when it's lost, stolen or unrepairable aka fire, water damage or smashed into pieces...

$7 a month will replace a cracked screen, broke charger port... etc...
You may have to word things differently over the phone, because even though Sprint Tech Support will tell you it's not covered. It's all covered in the policy. Their job is to tell you NO.

They will try and scare you by saying, if the warehouse gets it back, you will be charged full retail price of the phone if deemed physical damage. I do advanced exchanges at work for customers all the time. Call Tech Support and request a Advanced Exchange. You must be past your first 30 days. Within the first 30 days you are SOL. Don't damage it in the first 30.

Shoot me a PM if you need help or walk through on how to request a exchange from Sprint. It's free, they over night it and you are entitled to it if you pay the $7 / month for TEP. Without it, you are eligible for the exchange for $35. That's no matter what outside of your first 30 days. It's like a service charge. It's not Sprint fault the manufacturer didn't do it right. So basically you pay for them to over night you a new one, to ship yours back and for Sprint to send to the manufacturer. Well worth $35 if you don't have TEP.

CANCEL your Black Tie.

Use the links below as a reference:

Total Equipment Protection - from Sprint

Mechanical or electrical failure, routine maintenance and failure from normal wear and tear.

Normal wear and tear in the OP's situation is dropping the Evo and cracking a screen.

Even better link...

https://shop.sprint.com/assets/pdfs/en/services/service_repair/Sprint_Repair_Center_expectations.pdf

What!? What is that you say? Physical damage shows a $0 deductible directly from the site? YES!

Black Tie is a rip off. It cost more and covers less.