My Email to Best Buy about my TV:
Hi there,
I bought a 42” Samsung DLP TV (Model #:hl s4266w) on 08/08/06. I also purchased the Product Service Plan. I’ve used and loved this TV since I got it. This August, when the warranty was due to expire, I decided to call the Geek Squad for a replacement bulb. I’ve been told DLP bulbs should be replaced every two years. So I called and scheduled a replacement.
Best Buy called me back and forwarded my info to a local repair place. It took a week or two for them to get the parts they needed, which pushed me outside the expiration of the PSP. When the repair technicians came out to replace the parts, they told me everything went well and to let Best Buy know if there were any more problems.
Fast forward to now. After four years of having a perfectly working TV, it’s now shutting off every 15-20minutes. The lights on the front all come on and blink when it shuts off. This includes the “StandBy / System Temp” flashing light. I’m assuming the TV is overheating or the bulb is malfunctioning. This strikes me as very suspicious, and quite frankly angers me that after working fine for so long, it breaks down immediately after getting repaired.
Normally this wouldn’t be a huge deal because the repair facility could come right back and fix the problem. But the bigger issue is I’m moving in little over a week. I got a job in San Francisco and will be out there by November 8th. It’s very possible that the repair center will not be able to get back out and fix the problem before I move. This would leave me with a broken TV once I’m finished moving.
When I called the Geek Squad number tonight and asked about this, they essentially told me I’d be out of luck if the repair center couldn’t fix it in time. The supervisor told me the center had a “90 day repair guarantee” and they were fully responsible from this point on, and that Best Buy had no further responsibilities since the original warranty was expired.
It angered me to no end to hear this. It’s completely unfair to expect that moving across the country, something I don’t have control over, should leave me with a broken TV and a huge national corporation (who I’ve given TONS of my money to) that wants nothing to do with fixing it. The local repair center obviously haven’t done me much help now, and I doubt they’ll be able to help me before I go. The supervisor told me that if I moved and the local center couldn’t come out, that I’d be stuck with a broken TV and that Best Buy would have nothing to do with it.
I’m sure you can see how this makes me angry. I understand that the warranty is now expired, and I’d understand his position if the problem I’m having now was a NEW problem unrelated to my previous service request (while the warranty was still in effect). But the fact that this is the SAME problem, a problem that has appeared because of the local center’s incompetence, should still be covered by Best Buy, regardless of the current state of the warranty. Best Buy took the request when I sent it, and ultimately I believe the responsibility is still shared by them. So to simply say “Best Buy no longer has any interest or obligation in helping you at this point” is absolutely ludicrous and something I won’t let drop. I have no problem going to someone like The Consumerist or even seeking some legal advisement if this is really the case.
All I want is my TV working again, or a replacement TV, wherever I’m living. I feel I’m entitled to that.
Thank you,
Matt
