Re: Cell Phone Insurance and Service is Horrible at Best Buy Mobile

Question

We were sold a GSP with an Iphone purchase last year - I pay $15+ a month for this plan and have already paid well over $200 to date. We had initially planned to get the insurance through our carrier ($6.99/mo) or an Apple plan, however this sales person talked us out of it telling us with those plans if you needed a repair you'd have to pay a deductible and other fees and with the GSP you could basically walk right of the store at that moment throw the phone into a puddle and smash it, come right back into the store and you would be give a NEW, NOT REFURBISHED, phone for free - no questions asked. Sounded like a no-brainer! My daughter's phone stopped working a week ago, she brought it to the store they assessed and told her they would order her a new phone. She picked up the "new" phone a few days later. When she picked up the phone she was told that they were having "wifi issues" and could not restore her back up onto her new phone that she would have to go home and do it herself. She went home and began the process and kept getting error messages; she called the Geek Squad at the store and explained what was going on; they told her they could not help her and that she would need to call Apple. She called Apple who initially did not want to help her as she did not have the Apple plan, but I guess felt sorry for her after hearing about Best Best Buy and decided to help her. As they talked her through the process, her "new phone" kept powering off. After it happening several times Apple told her that she had a defective phone and that she should bring it back to Best Buy. She did this yesterday morning. The Geek Squad checked the phone and told her it was fine. She explained that it keeps powering it self off randomly and they told her they would have to see the phone do it. She also asked to speak to a store manager to explain her dissatisfaction and tell them she just wanted a new phone like she was promised when we took out the insurance - this man was rude and refused to help her. He told her to go home and call 1-888-BestBuy. As the phone and the plan are actually in my name (her mother) I took over and called - the technician I spoke with on the phone - knew immediately that it was a power problem with the phone and that it needed to be replaced. He explained that sometimes the Techs that work in the store really don't have enough training and don't understand that certain issues don't show up on diagnostic tests. He apologized for the rude treatment that my daughter received at the store by the Geek Squad and the store manager and he would call the store to let them know we were bringing the phone back and they needed to get a replacement. At that moment things were fine. He then transferred me to the store and the Geek Squad who informed me that they would not give us a new phone - it would be another refurbished phone. So, after work today my husband and I headed back to Best Buy for yet another battle - that is if as Johnny from the Geek Squad put it - "they could squeeze us in" - they might not be able to talk to us without an appointment. This is for a phone exchange - not brain surgery. Best Buy is the worst store when it comes to customer service, and gross misrepresentations. I would never, every make a purchase from this store again and will tell everyone I know to stay away as well. I'm sure that this is not the end of our story - we already know that we will leave the store later completely dissatisfied and that the employees at Best Buy/Geek Squad will NOT handle this in an intelligent professional manner.

Answer 1

Dear hazelnutcns,
When you purchase our Geek Squad Protection (GSP) for a device, it should be on the full understanding of how you are being protected by that plan. I am sorry if you were led to a different expectation based on what you were told at the time of purchase.
The Blue Shirts in our stores should be very knowledgeable on the major terms of the GSP plan so they may speak to those benefits confidently with our customers. The GSP for mobile devices, as autotech touched on above, can cover the type of issues your daughter was experiencing if it can be replicated by a Geek Squad agent in store. Our agents test these items in store because sometimes we can avoid sending out the device altogether by troubleshooting the issue(s) you are having, thus saving you a trip back to the store or time without your device. In the event you can’t locate your terms and conditions of your GSP, you may find them by clicking here.
Typically, stores shouldn’t let you leave the store with a phone that isn’t fully functional. They could have offered to keep the phone for you while they remedied the network issues that were preventing them from getting your daughter up and running again. This could have saved your daughter from calling for support. When I was working in our stores as a manager, I have also had Geek Squad agents keep customer’s devices for a couple hours or overnight to test sporadic issues like the one your daughter’s phone was facing; rather than sending you home with a device that may be truly defective. Were you able to receive a replacement phone in the end?
All in all, yours and your daughter’s experience with us should have looked much different. Using your email address you supplied here on the forums I was able to pull up your purchase history to see your Geek Squad Protection plan. I have already moved your feedback along to the leadership at the North Haven, CT (store 1488) location. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns as I would be glad to address them for you. I genuinely hope you give us another chance in the future to demonstrate the world class customer experience we work hard to provide each and every customer.
Warmly,
JD|Social Media Specialist | Best Buy® Corporate
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