The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
Best Buy Warranty (PRP) - Should I get one?
ArcSyn
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So 2.5 years ago I bought a 60GB iPod Video for $400. At the time, I bought a $50 3 Year Best Buy Service Plan. Normally, with a service plan they send out your equipment to be repaired.
Last week I decided I had been annoyed enough with the small things that were going wrong with my iPod to take it back to the store. I had read/heard all the horror stories of Best Buy warranties and was ready to put up a fight. I figured worst case scenario they would send away my iPod to be refurbed. If I did it three times they would then replace it. Best case scenario they would give me a gift card for $400 and let me purchase what I want. They ended up between the two and gave me a gift card for $250 (iPod 120GB Classic price).
Instead of buying an iPod (because Apple gimped the video-out port and I just didn't want another Apple product) I bought a Zune 120GB. At the register they offered me a 2-year PRP (replacement plan) for $40. I told them no, but I can always sign up for it during the time I'm able to return the product.
Now that I've been thinking about it, and it being a replacement plan, I'm curious if I should go ahead and get it?
I was able to successfully use my last one to double my storage space and screen real estate, among other features. If I got the 2 year PRP, I could once again upgrade in two years to two models after this one (provided they keep the same release schedule). Essentially I paid $50 to be able to upgrade, and I would be paying another $40 to upgrade again (provided I don't break it accidentally - as that is not covered).
Worth it? I will say that saving $200 (essentially) to get an upgrade from my old model is pretty nice, and it being a replacement plan means that I won't have to risk the horror stories as they don't try to fix it, they just replace it.
Last week I decided I had been annoyed enough with the small things that were going wrong with my iPod to take it back to the store. I had read/heard all the horror stories of Best Buy warranties and was ready to put up a fight. I figured worst case scenario they would send away my iPod to be refurbed. If I did it three times they would then replace it. Best case scenario they would give me a gift card for $400 and let me purchase what I want. They ended up between the two and gave me a gift card for $250 (iPod 120GB Classic price).
Instead of buying an iPod (because Apple gimped the video-out port and I just didn't want another Apple product) I bought a Zune 120GB. At the register they offered me a 2-year PRP (replacement plan) for $40. I told them no, but I can always sign up for it during the time I'm able to return the product.
Now that I've been thinking about it, and it being a replacement plan, I'm curious if I should go ahead and get it?
I was able to successfully use my last one to double my storage space and screen real estate, among other features. If I got the 2 year PRP, I could once again upgrade in two years to two models after this one (provided they keep the same release schedule). Essentially I paid $50 to be able to upgrade, and I would be paying another $40 to upgrade again (provided I don't break it accidentally - as that is not covered).
Worth it? I will say that saving $200 (essentially) to get an upgrade from my old model is pretty nice, and it being a replacement plan means that I won't have to risk the horror stories as they don't try to fix it, they just replace it.
ArcSyn on
0
Posts
That's exactly what I'm curious about though, is are there any "fine print" issues that could come back and bite me on this? I had heard the horror stories of the iPod PSPs and was scared to see what my local store would do for mine. This being a PRP I haven't heard any horror stories so I was wondering if these are more worth it since it seems more straight forward - "Here's a gift card with $250 on it" - resolution.
Though the price difference ($50 to insure $400 for 3 years vs. $40 to insure $250 for 2 years) seems to have reduced the value a bit.
Would you rather have it break in 2 years and have to buy another one?
Can you fill me in on the horror stories as far as warranty problems? From my experience, most of the time that they get rejected is because there's some obvious physical damage. People wash their ipods by leaving them in their jeans, for example, then bitch out Best Buy because they did something that was *NOT* covered by the service plan and it wouldn't be replaced. I'm sure there are issues here and there, and I know every store is different, but at my store, a problem with the hardware is either a repair or a replacement.
Most of the horror stories were from when the iPod was sent for repair and they ended up waiting months for parts to arrive and fixes to be completed, and then the iPod they get back is a different serial number anyway and now has another problem with it or develops a problem shortly after receiving it causing another period of time they are without while it's fixed.
Generally I haven't heard any issues with people with legitimate problems being turned away. I just didn't want to go without my mp3 player for months.
And no, I'd rather not have to buy a new one if it breaks, I just wasn't sure how the PRP worked. You mentioned that they likely would give me a comparable model, which is not quite what I may want. The "features" Best Buy lists is that you get a credit of the purchase price, but if that's incorrect then I don't want to be expecting that. If in two years I take it in and the 120GB is $50 while a 500GB is $250, I want the 500GB because technically I should get the $250 credit and I can choose to purchase the 500GB with that. Or purchase the 120GB for $50 and use $200 on anything else I want.
Basically, it really does look like a good idea. I just know sometimes things look too good to be true.
Also, will a skin from "Best Skins Ever" qualify as an aftermarket modification that would void the warranty?
The new Best Buy policy for Replacement Plans is that you get a store credit for a comparable item as a requirement for fullfilling a Replacement Plan through the POS and it's up to whoever's working to try to get you a new iPod/Zune so you have a replacement for it unless you don't want it. Some employees might not even mention that through the exchange process you'll be getting a store credit and it's their call on how transparent they want to make it to you, so you might not even know unless you ask.
If you paid $250 for a Zune now and two years from now comparable Zunes are $90 bucks, you don't get the difference back, only the $90 Zune. However if there are multiple price points like, say, a $150 Zune that gives you a beej while you listen to it in addition to the $90 one, you can also technically ask for that as well as long as it doesn't go above the price of the original Zune you bought but you would only know you could do that if you were told beforehand or were inquisitive.
You can always refuse a replacement though. In those cases you can just ask nicely for the store credit but you will only get store credit back for the comparable Zune, which in this story would be $90.
The iPod and Zunes no longer have sellable PSPs at Best Buy and only PRPs since they weren't being advertised correctly by employees and most customers are idiots and assumed they were straight replacement plans when specifically told they were for service.
As for these so called "horror" stories about iPod Service Plan mess ups, I find them incredibly hard to believe. iPod parts have been so incredibly common for the past few years that it is almost impossible to not have the part immediately on hand where they send the iPods to. They are sent to Geek Squad City in Kentucky which is the size of four football fields, with a warehouse full of parts that is equal to one field. I've never seen an iPod take longer than two weeks to get back to my store. Any time I hear stories like these I can only comprehend that it must have been the customer's fault for whatever happened. There are so many things I can say about stupid customers that spread unwarranted filth about Best Buy that I can dispute first hand as being their fault.
If you put a BSE skin on it, nobody will care at all but it's not guaranteed to come back with it on the unit. If you have any more questions, I should be able to help since I have to do this kind of stuff daily.
But yeah, MP3 players break all the time, trust me, if the replacement plan is fair-priced, you should get it.
They would not offer it if it wasn't profitable to them. They're banking on getting more money from you buying their extra shit than ever paying out that much to you in terms of servicing or replacement.
These are: Desktops, Laptops, HDTVs, Cameras.
That's it.
For anything else you are going to get a replacement, and it can be a good deal. I wouldn't bother with something built like a tank like a DS or a Wii or a PS3. But any MP3 player? 360? (back in the day) PSP? Absolutely.
I made some serious store credit off of the PSP when my power button stopped working.
Also, if you're buying a 360, you're better off with MS's extended warranty than the store's.
Desfaux: If we made 100% profit on them, people wouldn't buy them over and over. And I wouldn't be here replacing people's shit constantly if these warranties were never worth it. They are worth it but it depends highly on the price of the warranty and what you're trying to cover. Not everything needs an additional warranty.
Consumer reports says time and time again that they are not worth it.
THEY ARE NOT WORTH IT.
For every story of how they helped someone out in a big way, there are dozens more stories of how they never did anything for the purchaser.
Odds are...
Newsflash 2: Some people don't care that it's technically a scam (all insurance is), they just want to pay a little extra to ensure their product makes it through expected lifespan. This is ok.
The only way insurance can be not worth it at all is if the value of the equipment is less than the fee or if making a claim is impossible.
Why do people buy health insurance?
Or property insurance.
You may think it's a scam but other people want peace of mind.
Satans..... hints.....
A printer? Nah, the PSP isn't worth it on those.
I'm not sure what this means. Are you saying they'll replace it even if you drop it, or otherwise accidentally damage it? If so, you're probably better off adding accidental damage cover to your home contents insurance. It cost me an extra £60 or so per year to cover everything in my home, and anything I carry with me when I leave the house. Additionally, a lot of home contents cover includes "accidental damage to home entertainment equipment" for free anyway.
So they'll replace your HDD in your computer if it fails due to normal usage? Or replace the bulb on your DLP TV when it goes out?
Or do you mean you have insurance so that if your car gets flooded and your laptop is damaged you get a new one?
The wording is that they extend the manufacturer's warranty for two years under the same terms for anything purchased in full with my credit card or debit card (I didn't know it extended to my debit card, which is nice). So anything that would have been covered under the manufacturer's warranty were it to happen in the first year is also covered for a further two years by my bank.
Basically HD failing in a PC, yes, bulb going in a DLP TV, no, because (as I understand it) that would be considered a consumable.