Best Buy TV & Video Consumer Reviews

HOUSTON, TEXAS -- 18 months ago I purchased a Samsung 50" HDTV DLP TV from Best Buy (#291 near the Galleria in Houston, Texas) from their extremely pushy and arrogant sales people. They convinced me that the unit would be in dire danger if I didn't buy a 100 buck surge protector and their 4 year PSP plan at another 250 bucks, in addition to the 4000 dollar television.

Only two months later, white spots appeared on the screen. They sent a half-wit out that couldn't speak any English and would not fix the problem, saying it would take a month to get the part in and they'd have to have the TV the whole time. I figured I would just let him leave and schedule someone else. Two more times they sent someone out, both times they "couldn't recreate the problem" and made no repairs.

The fourth visit was for a loud spinning noise. The technician fixed it on the spot and stated in his service ticket as replacing the color wheel. He saw the spots, but didn't have the necessary tools to fix it. Requested replacement under No Lemon Policy, technician said no. 125 bucks (covered under PSP).

The fifth visit was because the TV would not turn on, or would turn off after being on for a few minutes. The technician did not have the part and had to order a DMD. Requested No Lemon, technician denied saying the unit had not been "repair" 3 times, only had technician visits. 600 bucks (covered under PSP).

The returning (different) technician, a week later, would not install the DMD because he "could not recreate the problem", even though the first technician COULD recreate it and signed off on the order. No repair. The TV didn't work the next day. Same technician a week later, "could not recreate the problem", but cleaned the lens saying that was what caused the white spots on the screen. Requested Lemon, no from technician.

Eighth visit because screen would not come on. Same technician as previous two times. Replaced the lamp unit. 220.00 bucks (covered under PSP). Requested Lemon, technician said unit had to be repaired 3 times and a 4th service call requested.

Ninth visit because TV had repeating characters all the way across the screen. Needed to order part. I requested a new unit (not Samsung) under the No Lemon Policy. After reviewing receipt, the technician called his supervisor in Dallas who had to issue a ticket number.

He then called the insurance company who manages the PSP policy (AIG Warranty Guard, part of AIG) and the lady argued with him about what constitutes a replacement or not and what repairs had been done on the TV AND what each part replaced did and cost. She finally approved the replacement. I was told that the order should be uploaded to the store that I purchased the unit from by that afternoon and to call them to verify and ask any questions.

Around 11am (on a Thursday) I called the store (#291) with questions on how the replacement would work. After spending about 5 minutes answering telephone tree questions, the phone at Customer Service rang for another 10 minutes, and then was picked up and hung back up.

I called back at around 1:30 and went through the same routine. Instead of being hung up on, after 10 minutes of ringing the phone went back to the main menu tree. I tried several different departments, all of which rang back to the main menu after 10 minutes EACH. At 2:30 I called AGAIN. Same thing as the first time, was hung up on after letting the phone ring for about 10 minutes.

At 4:00 I called yet again. Phone tree... Customer Service ringing and ringing. This time someone picked up the phone, but instead of speaking or hanging up, they placed me on hold immediately. I was on hold for 25 minutes before hanging up.

I called the 1-888 and asked how it would work, that I didn't want another Samsung DLP TV. He said they would issue a voucher for the purchase price of the product if that was the case and I would be able to pick out what I wanted. If the amount was more, I would pay the difference, the amount was less, I would be given a gift card for the remainder. This was confirmed by ** at the corporate office.

Finally I decided to just go to the store with the television. After waiting in line for about 30 minutes (I can never figure out why there's always 6 people behind the customer service desk, not to mention the 50 or so wandering around the store talking to each other with nothing to do, but only ONE customer service station opened, even during the Christmas holiday), I told the CS guy I had the PSP and had been approved for a replacement. He asked to see my receipt, and after reviewing it stated that I couldn't get a replacement because it had been more than 30 days since I purchased the item. What???

I again stated that it was covered under the PSP and already been approved for replacement. His response was the same, that replacements were only covered during the first 30 days. I asked to see his supervisor, who disappeared for another 10 minutes and came back with a sheet of paper and my information on it. He told me to go and give it to a salesperson in the Home Theater area. I did.

He tried to sell me yet another surge protector and a 6000 plasma, even though all I wanted was a replacement for the one I had purchased. I had decided to get a 42" plasma from Panasonic (which I had confirmed was available at that store on the Best Buy website) and use the remainder of the amount as payment on a smaller plasma for the master bedroom.

I was immediately told that the Panasonic in question was out of stock, even though I had already confirmed it was there... but would I like a 50" Sony instead? I told the salesperson no and started looking for something else. He came back a few minutes later and said his manager had told him that I could only get a 50" Samsung DLP. I told him I didn't want that, I didn't like DLP, and asked to speak to his manager. 10 minutes later ** showed up and presented himself as "the Manager". I told him what I wanted. His response was that they could only replace like items, that if I had a 50" DLP I had to replace it with another 50" DLP.

I read to him the warranty agreement about the voucher. He said it was at the discretion of the store manager, and that if I wanted to get something else, I could only have a voucher for the amount that the 50" DLP was selling for, which was 2000 bucks!

Only 18 months after I had purchased the item, almost 10 service calls later before they would replace the item, and he offers HALF of what I paid for it. Even better was that if I chose something that cost less, I wouldn't get the difference, and if I chose something that was more, I would have to pay the difference. He continued to argue with me. I told him I spoke with both customer service at the 1-888 number AND someone named ** from corporate and they both told me the same thing. His response was that corporate didn't know what the hell they were talking about.

I tried calling corporate but they were closed. I went ahead and went with the deal, thinking I'd take it up with his boss area manager. When I went to check out with customer service, they refunded the ENTIRE amount of the original purchase (3788.74) but then raised the price of the item that I was purchasing (originally 2100) to match the amount of the refund! I also noticed that the "manager" that signed off on the exchange was not, in fact the "manager" of the store, as he had claimed, but the Home Theater Area Manager. I'm not finished with this yet. Best Buy has horrible customer service, pushy and obnoxious sales staff, and rude management.

DUNWOODY, GEORGIA -- FRAUD!! My husband and I paid for a Panasonic Viera model #TC-P50ST60, a $1000 television, bought at the Best Buy at Perimeter Mall in Dunwoody/Atlanta GA. When the television died (within the warranty period) and we contacted Panasonic for repairs, we found out it wouldn't be covered because the television on the receipt did not match the television Best Buy actually gave us. The television they gave us (model #TC-P50T60) was identical in appearance, but was only $700 because it did not have 3D (we had never attempted to use the 3D so did not realize it was missing).

So now I am out not only $300 for the difference in what I paid for and what I received, but also $1000 because the repair will not be covered under warranty and the set is useless. Best Buy refuses to assist us, although I was told by a local employee that they can simply check their inventory records for the week we bought the television to see if there is a discrepancy. Best Buy won't even do that. BUYER BEWARE!!!

INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI -- On August 8, 2004, I purchased a Daewoo 42 inch Plasma TV from your Independence, MO store. On Friday April 11, 2005 the TV stopped working. I called your service number that day and requested service. The serviceman came to our home and said that he would have to "order a couple of parts". He left no service statement and did not make any effort to contact us back after the parts were ordered. After several weeks, we began calling to find out what was going on, after many calls, we found out that the parts were in but the serviceman was just not returning his calls from the service department (or emails).

He returned today and advised that the company had only sent one of the parts and this one (when installed) did not fix the TV. He also does not indicate that he has any idea what is wrong with it or what it will take to fix it, only that he will have to order more parts. After receiving this information my wife called the service number, corporate and the store. The results were less than acceptable.

First, the serviceman ordered only one part, not two. The store reported that they have no authority to replace this TV with another (even if I'm willing to pay more) and corporate advised that they (the stores) do have this ability. So, I've been lied to at least twice by your representatives. I was also never told that the 1 year warranty on products of this nature is not applicable if you trust the salesman enough to purchase the service plan (which I did). Our conversations with your store representatives, service people and store managers have not yielded any results to date and there is no end in sight to this fiasco.

There is a 10 day waiting period before any complaint will be recognized concerning repair correct? How many times? Regardless, the repairman has no clue what is wrong with this unit. I will say this, I have made several large purchases at Best Buy over the years and usually purchase gift cards for many of my 500 plus employees during the holidays. I can say that if this is the way you do business, I will never buy from you again and ensure that everyone I have contact with knows why. I have a $2000.00 paperweight.

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK -- I am now seeking both criminal charges as well as compensation. They bullied and blackmailed me until I called the Police, then they humiliated me too. I took my computer in for repair at the Best Buy store at Kings Plaza on Avenue U and Flatbush Ave. in Brooklyn, NY. They sent it out under warranty and I also told them in addition to hardware, the recovery disk never burned right, so I needed a new recovery disk.

It came back, I tried to pick it up today (6/13/13), I owe no money cause all repairs are covered. They refused to give me a new recovery disk even though it did not burn right out of the box. I would not sign papers saying all work was done to my satisfaction because not all work was done and I could not test what was done.

Tech ** took the computer right out of my hands saying he was "just going to clean it" but then refused to give it back because I would not sign saying all the work was done right (cannot say it unless I can take it home and test it). ** the asst. mgr. said the same thing.

I called the police. While waiting, I called the Best Buy 800 number. The girl on the phone told me I had to purchase the recovery CD for 40 dollars if I wanted my computer back. I told her I didn't owe anything for repairs, that all repairs were covered, and I was not given a disk, so why did I have to pay. She said if I want my computer back, I have to pay 40 dollars for the disk. I asked her name and said I was going to report her, she said "Go [curse word] yourself, I'm not giving you anything" and hung up on me.

I wrote this less than 30 minutes after the incident. ** was right next to me at the end of call, and I told her what they said. She then said that's correct, I have to pay 40 dollars to buy the disk if I want my computer back. Again I emphasized I owed nothing and no software work was done and I didn't get the disk, but they were blackmailing me. I'm not paying for them to restore the computer, I can do that myself, and they won't replace the recovery disks that never burned right in the first place (won't burn it now cause I get intermittent blue screen issues, so OS is faulty, not making a faulty recovery disk).

When the police came, ** changed their stories and lied to the police, saying I only needed to sign to say I got the computer. They kept looking at each other and smiling like it was all some kind of game. It was extremely humiliating, degrading and insulting. I was trying to be honest, and they lied and thought it was funny!

They lied to me, to the police, they took my computer out of my hands forcibly under false pretense, they took my computer hostage and tried to steal it, they harassed and humiliated me even in front of the police, they blackmailed me too. This is not the first problem either. I previously had 150 gift certificate and lost it, and called them immediately. Even though it was not spent yet, they would not replace it because I didn't have the physical receipt since it was a gift, even though I had ALL the numbers written down and could prove I owned it.

Not only that, but my last computer also under warranty with them was supposed to be replaced at 4 repairs. I had to bring it in 6 times for repairs before they would replace it, and made 4 extra trips because they would not fix defective repairs (the new screen had dings in it), IT WAS A NIGHTMARE.

And now making things even worse, here it is three days later I just now turned on the computer at home to set it up to do some work, and I got another BAD surprise from them. Here's what they did. When they first turned it on in the store in front of me BEFORE they forcibly took it out of my hands under false pretense, I had both internal drives working fine (its supposed to have 2 internal drive at 500 Gb each, total of 1 Tb storage).

After all that fighting and he took out of my hands by force while lying about the reason because I would not sign the papers saying work was done when it was not, now it only shows ONE internal drive. He removed the other drive on purpose because it was working when he first turned it on BEFORE the crap hit the fan. The jerk stole my second drive in spite!!!

XHANDLER, ARIZONA -- Firstly I am elderly and disabled. My son bought a 46-in RCA TV for me at Best Buy near the Chandler AZ Mall. The store manager there is named **. The television developed a 3-inch blurred line on the right hand side and I called the store last night about 8PM and talked to an associate. She told me to just bring the television back to the store since I had just gotten it in Jan and they would replace it with another.

I got a friend to load the TV in my car and took it back to the store this morning. When I got there an associate took the TV from the car and into the store. And associate in the store listened to my complaint and I told him what I was told. He took the TV, plugged it in and waited for the problem to appear.

Once he saw what it was he told me there was nothing he could do except send it in for a repair that would take six to eight weeks. I told him what I was told the night before and he said that he would not do that so I asked for a manager. I waited about 25 minutes and the manager ** came to me and I explained the problem to him, he said nothing but walked into another room in the store and another male came out with a Geek Squad shirt and began said to me “what's your problem” and I again explained why I was there.

He listened and told me that there was nothing he could do to help me, I noticed that the manager ** was now standing behind me. I asked this associate if he was the manager and he said no. So I turned to ** and asked him if he was the manager and he replied he was and I asked him why this other associate was speaking for him. He then began to tell me that he called the evening manager and that manager had no idea what I was talking about and in fact said that he had received no phone call the night before, then the previous associate said that he was the manager last night and he did not receive any such call.

I then asked ** why he thought I would lie about something like this, specifically being elderly and disabled as it was very difficult to get this large TV back to Best Buy. I asked him why he thought I would go through all that trouble and why in fact he would call me a liar. He responded that it made no difference to him and that there was nothing he was going to do so I should just call RCA and complain to them.

I responded that this was not a good enough solution for me and that I needed them to fulfill the agreement that I had received the night before and to replace the TV now. ** then got really close up in my face and said “I told you there was nothing I can do.” My son who was there believed that ** was threatening me and moved up to ** and told him to back his “ass” up. ** then turned to my son and told him he wanted him to leave the store and he was going to escort him out now. I repeated that we would gladly leave the store once the problem was solved and to solve it all he had to do was give me another TV and we would be gone.

** once more stepped up really close to me as if to intimate me and told me to leave the store now. He said that he would have someone put the TV in my car but he would do nothing else. He told me if I did not leave he would call the police and I suggested that was a good idea because I feel he was threatening me unnecessarily and I would wait for them to come.

My wife then insisted that we leave and pulled the car up front and they put the TV into it and I now have it back in my home unrepaired. I do not have to say much more to explain how I feel about ** the manager and Best Buy. But it is shameful to treat elderly disabled people in this manner.

My wife purchased a Panasonic TC-P50G20 Plasma TV for my birthday and father's day. She even had Best Buy 'install' the TV so I wouldn't have to. At the time of sale we were told the TV was internet ready, and more importantly, that Netflix was available "out of the box", through VERACAST without requiring any additional hardware, etc (e. g. an additional $400 Blu Ray player which was Netflix ready).

The installation was a joke! I reopened my Netflix account. Best Buy "allegedly installed" the system (basically taking the unit out of the box and setting it up on the cabinet). I was not happy with the picture, and the installer proceeded to try to convince me that I needed a new cable box, as he slapped the remote into my hand and walked away, as though it was too much trouble to stick around a minute to show me how the thing worked. I contacted the cable company, who was kind enough to guide me through the process to increase to 1080 rather than the lower capacity we were running our old TV at.

Bottom line, despite the sales agreement that Best Buy would deliver and set up one box, I (not Best Buy) connected the TV to the cable box with the HDMI cable, connected to the internet via ethernet cable, successfully accessed YouTube and viewed videos, successfully watched DVDs and VCRs. Everything works--except Netflix does not display as one of the "widgets" in the VERACAST menu.

After reading and trying everything possible, I went to Best Buy to find out how to set up Netflix (I have a Netflix account). I thought the LAN connection was bad somehow, but wasn't. I thought I configured the system wrong, but hadn't.

I drove 30-miles to the store where we purchased the TV. The Best Buy technician told me that a Netflix "widget" should display when I press the VERACAST button on the control. It does not! I have YouTube, Picasa, Settings, Bloomberg, Pandora, Tagesschau, Weather, Skype, twitter and Amazon video. But NO Netflix!

The Best Buy sales technician told me that I must have destroyed the Netflix Widget when I was configuring the system, and all I had to do, since I had everything else working with regard to the internet, was to reset all the VERACAST settings to "factory defaults", and Netflix should show up as a "widget" after selecting VERACAST on the control. Oh yes, he tried to sell me an additional $150 "Geek Squad" installation service to come out to the house to get the system working (which they couldn't--read on, it gets better!). I declined, fortunately, thinking I was probably as adept at figuring out what to do next, and thinking it was always an option I could fall back on.

So, for the next step in the runaround I was getting from Panasonic and Best Buy, was to trot 30 miles back home, look for any and every possible place to "reset factory defaults". Not surprising, it was just another "how do I get the customer out of my face who already gave us his $2000", so I can get another sucker on the line before they leave the store. Not surprising, there is NO WAY TO RESET FACTORY DEFAULTS to get Netflix to show up on the VERACAST menu, that was just a distraction to get me out of the store.

After exhausting all options, I got back online to the Panasonic "support" website for my second "chat" session, asking "how do I get the Netflix widget to display on the VERACAST menu?" They respond back "you can't get Netflix because it is not available." Not a clear answer, so I pressed for clarification, "not available at this moment because of a technical difficulty, or, not available for the model I purchased?"

Finally, after pressing for a more direct and less evasive answer, I was told that "when Netflix becomes available, (possibly at some future date) it will automatically show up as 'an option' in the VERACAST menu." They purposely left out "possibly at some future date" until I pressed further. They also said that Netflix currently is available for Blu Ray devices, BUT NOT for the Panasonic TV (But it's interesting that Amazon movies are available in the VERACAST menu... Hmmm, could this be a factor?).

Okay, after literally having to pry the truth out of the "helpless desk agent" I was chatting with, I finally found out the ever popular "they" were told TV streaming would be ready by the end of the month, but NOW "they" have pulled that estimated availability delivery date for TVs to "delayed until some unknown date, if at all." In other words buy an internet-ready Blu Ray player for $400 if you want Netflix.

So, I've been lied to and given the run-around by false advertisement, false representation of a product by both Panasonic and Best Buy. I was also told we could access the internet using a wireless router, which also was not the case. In all, I've spent two days trying to get Netflix to work, unsuccessfully following the promises and runaround, and two 60-mile trips to Best Buy, and chat sessions with the help desk.

I finally got access to Netflix by using the PC input port option, and hooking my $700 Blu Ray-capable desktop PC and using the TV as an overpriced monitor by using a VGA 15-pin cable. Ya'd think someone would have suggested this during one of our chats, as the ONLY way you can access Netflix "at this time".

I am a very UNHAPPY camper right now. Having Netflix available without having to buy a $350-400 Blu Ray device was part of the decision we made, and the salesman knew it--it was the last question we had clarified before making the decision to spend an additional $400 on the TV we decided upon.

We specifically asked "so we can buy the internet-ready TV and we can get Netflix without having to buy the Blu Ray system, correct?" The salesman answered "yes, that's right." $2000 later, and here we are, ready to have Best Buy come pick up the system after a completely soured experience. Oh yes, did I mention this was my birthday/father's day present! Happy Birthday from Best Buy.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NEW YORK -- As I just read in someone else's review, if you are going to grab something in stock off the shelf at BB for less than $100 then you may have a good experience with Best Best. My experience with them has been a frustrating one to say the least. First off we bought a Sony Bravia 46" TV that was bundled in a nice package with a home theater/surround sound and a blu-ray DVD player. The price was great, I cannot complain about that.

Our first trip to the store was on a Sunday, the day the sale flier came out. We went to the store and were told the TV and the DVD player were in stock but the home theater system was not. The guy waiting on us proceeded to call the other store about 30 minutes away as the computer system indicated there was one in stock over there. An hour, I kid you not, an hour later the kid finally gets a call back from the other store. They sold the last home theater system.

So we are told that we cannot get the package because if we order it and the home theater system doesn't come back in stock and they decide not to sell that item anymore the entire order will get cancelled and we cannot get the deal after that. They could not get the home theater sent from any other store and he told me if I ordered it at home online the same thing could happen.

So I go home and find a store about 2 hours away that has all 3 items in stock. We go there and buy the package, leave with the home theater system and DVR and they set up delivery for the TV (which at that time was out of stock at our local store). We decided not to pick the TV up from the store 2 hours away because the package included free delivery and set up.

Fast forward 3 weeks. The TV is in, we set up delivery. It arrives and my husband is expecting for the guy to set the TV up. He says "oh no you have to set up an appointment with the Geek Squad to do that." What? We were never told it was 2 separate appointments we had to make.

So my husband calls BB. They say we have to call an 800 number. He does, they say we are not in their system and won't be until 3 days after the TV is delivered! What! Why would someone order a TV and then wait 3 days to even be able to set up an appointment to have it hooked up. To top it off we have DirecTV coming tomorrow and our TV is not even hooked up! Best Buy is a joke for big purchases. It is not worth the hassle.

On a side note, I went to BB in the midst of waiting for our TV to come in to sign up for DirecTV through them because they had a rebate/gift card incentive. That was a joke, it took over an hour and in the end the guy helping me out ended up "calling" DirecTV because he couldn't set it up on the computer for some reason.

So he calls and can't get through the number is "disconnected". He shows me the screen on his computer where it says to call the number. I say to him, "you wrote down an 800 number, this is an 888 number." I had to tell him what number to call. So then he finally gets on the phone with them to hand me over the phone and I did everything myself. I could have done that at home!

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA -- On December 19, 2008 I went online to purchase a 42" Sony Bravia 1080 LCD flat screen TV. The item was In Stock and available online but not in stores. So I purchased the item using Best Buy Gift Cards. My purchase price was 1100.00. With the order confirmation I was asked when I would like delivery on my TV. The dates were Dec. 24 through Jan. 4, 2009. I chose Dec 26 because I didn't want the TV for Christmas but wanted it to be installed and in use by New Years Day.

On Christmas Eve I received a phone call that said my delivery date was to be pushed back to Dec. 31. I called the warehouse delivery service and they told me to contact Best Buy online. I called the service number of 888-BESTBUY. And of course was put on hold for 40 minutes. When I did get in touch with a representative and told him the Dec 31 delivery date was unacceptable, he told me someone would get in touch with me by phone on Dec. 26.

I waited around all day for delivery of my TV or a phone call. At 8:30 pm when I figured I was wasting time, I called the number again. Once again I was on hold waiting for a customer representative. I got through to a young woman named Kelsy, who was very rude. After telling her my situation and complaining that I expected delivery on the 26th, now I had to wait until the 31st. She said, "Why don't you just buy the TV from someone else!" I was astounded.

I asked her if she meant that, even though she was employed by Best Buy she was suggesting that I spend my money at another store. Her reply, "I just frigging work here!" Shocker! I told her that her manager may want to know her "loyalty" to the company and asked to speak to the manager. She put me on hold again and I remained there for 15 minutes until I hung and redialed. I asked for a manager. I got a supervisor for customer relations. I told him my story and he asked if I was sure this was what was said.

I laughed and said, "It's hard to make up, I just frigging work here." I told him that while I was on hold I heard the recorded message say, "Calls may be monitored for quality and training purposes." I said, "I hoped that the phone call to Kelsy was indeed recorded." He put me in touch with the warehouse and while he was on the line the warehouse manager tried to contact the manager of the Pittsburgh warehouse to find out about delivery of my TV. They had closed for the evening, but he gave me phone number to call the next day.

I told him I would call the number and also told him that this was unacceptable service from Best Buy. I wanted my TV by Monday Dec 29th. I called the number on Saturday and there was no answer. On Monday I tried once again to call the 888BestBuy number and once again was on hold. This was during my lunch hour at work. When I got to a customer service representative Jan, she was very nice and considerate. She read all the case numbers and was very shocked about the response Kelsy gave me as well.

I told her, "I thought I should be compensated for the aggravation and nuisance I had been having with this delivery nightmare." I told her, "I should get a warranty agreement on the TV for free." She said she agreed that I should be compensated with something, but unfortunately she did not have the authority to dispense that kind of compensation.

She forwarded my call to Customer Fulfillment who could not assist me either and they sent me to Consumer Relations. The manager there told me the best they could do was to give me 70.00 gift card to Best Buy to cover shipping expense on the TV. I said No because I don't intend to purchase anything from Best Buy ever again.

Today while I was at work I received another phone call that said my delivery date was now pushed back from Dec 31st. I called 888BESTBUY once again and demanded to speak to a manager immediately. I got a customer representative who would not put me through to a manager until I told her my story. Finally the floor supervisor, Cory, spoke with me, told me he could not do anything about the delivery nightmare. He too, was rude. When I told him that if Best Buy depended on the service side of their business for their bread and butter, they would be bankrupt. He said, "Thank you for calling Best Buy" and hung up on me.

So now, Best Buy has my money and my TV. I am told the next delivery date for the TV is January 15th nearly 1 month after purchase. You might say, why don't you just cancel the order and buy it somewhere else. Because I purchased the TV with Best Buy gift cards, they refuse to refund cash. They will only refund a gift card. So I would have $1100.00 worth of gift cards from Best Buy that I would NOT use. So I am very frustrated.

I am writing to everyone who will listen. I am telling everyone who will listen and trying to find more places to complain about this company regarding their service and dishonesty regarding IN STOCK/AVAILABLE items and guaranteed delivery dates. We'll see the outcome.

Never buy a Best Buy Warranty. I just sent the following to my state department of consumer affairs outlining my ordeal. There really should be a Class Action suit against them. Warranty fraud. Best Buy is attempting to exclusively use rebuilt parts since it is clear that the new part is available. While their terms and conditions indicate that new or refurbished parts may be used, it appears no attempt has been to obtain a new part.

Best Buy is counting service calls as repairs and forcing the replacement of products to "fulfill" the warranty. Best Buy is intentionally using incompatible and inferior parts on their repairs. Best Buy does not properly explain the definition of "fulfilled" in their terms and conditions and misrepresents a 4 year warranty.

Approximately 2 months ago Best Buy was called for service on an extended warranty we purchased for a 46" Samsung LCD TV, Model LN-T4665F. The television was purchased on 05-19-07 with an extended warranty of 4 years. (1 year Samsung plus 3 years Best Buy.) The complaint under the warranty was that the picture would not work at times. When the television was turned on the volume always worked but sometimes the picture did not appear. We explained that this problem only happened sometimes.

The first technician came out and said nothing was wrong with the television and blamed it on the cable box. Verizon Fios, our cable provider came out, checked the lines and boxes and assured us it was the TV. Best Buys was called again. A second technician came out, took the TV apart and said the TV was in fact broken. He said a part had to be ordered and it would take about 10-14 days. During this time the problem got to the point where the TV would not turn on the majority of the time.

After about 3 weeks we had not received a call that the part was in so we contacted Best Buy. Best Buy said the part had just arrived and scheduled an appointment to install the new LCD panel. When the technicians arrived on their third visit as they were installing the panel, they admittedly stated that the part number of the panel did not match the existing part number. When questioned about it they stated this was common. They stated because a newer model was now out the new panel would be used but it would work just fine.

We immediately noticed that the color ratio on the TV and the clarity was not the same. We immediately called the technician back but he said he could not return to the home and we would have to schedule another appointment. After waiting a week for the new appointment we were called on the morning of the appointment and given a code to take to the store to pick up a new TV. They would not be coming in to service the TV.

Upon going to the store and arranging for a comparable TV we were told that the warranty was "fulfilled" and that we would lose the remaining 2 1/2 years. Since we paid for a 4 year warranty we stated that we would not like a new TV and never requested a new TV. We just wanted our TV fixed properly so we could keep the warranty. We did not take the TV.

Upon calling repairs again Best Buy stated that they reserved the right to replace the TV after 3 service repairs have been completed. There are a couple of problems with this. (1.) There were not 3 repairs made, while there were 3 service calls, only one attempt was made to fix the television. Even if you are to count service calls as "repairs" under no situation should the 1st call be counted since their technician didn't even acknowledge a problem. (2.) At the 3rd appointment the technicians admittedly used the wrong, inferior, part stating "Let's see if it works".

(3.) There is nothing to stop Best Buy from voiding warranties by wasting service calls as they did in our case and then classifying them as "service repairs". (4.)The part the technician said wasn't available, hence the wrong part number, is in fact available. After contacting Samsung directly the part, part # BN07-00391A is in fact still available and available for shipment in 3-5 days. (5.) Matt the last supervisor I spoke to at Best Buy has now acknowledged that they should come out for an additional service call.

The LCD panel ordered on the second service call was actually on backorder which is why we were offered a new TV after replacing it with wrong screen. Apparently it was known that the screen used would not work properly all along but they used it anyway trying to get away with it. (In my opinion because they did not want to order a new screen but instead want to use a refurbished screen which is not available.) The technicians themselves said it was the wrong screen and they would "see if it worked"

While Matt said someone would contact me to schedule a service call I have not heard back from Best Buy yet. In addition Matt stated the part was on backorder and could take months. In my opinion this is a clear case of fraud and consumer deception. Best Buy is attempting to exclusively use rebuilt parts since it is clear that the new part is available. While their terms and conditions indicate that new or refurbished parts may be used. It appears no attempt has been to obtain a new part.

Best Buy is counting service calls as repairs and forcing the replacement of products to "fulfill" the warranty. Best Buy is intentionally using incompatible and inferior parts on their repairs. Best Buy does not properly explain the definition of "fulfilled" in their terms and conditions and misrepresents a 4 year warranty.

I just finished reading other posts about Best Buy's performance service plans (PSPs), which provided some relief to know I'm not the only one being stiffed by Best Buy. I thought I would tell you my story, which continues today, mostly just to let anybody else out there who's dealing with Best Buy what they may be in for when going with a PSP.

I have a Magavox 42" plasma that I bought from Best Buy back in April 2006. I bought a four year PSP, at the urging of the sales guy, given "€œplasmas are prone to breaking"€. No problems with the TV over the last two years. In July of this year, I started getting a black line across the bottom. By early August the whole screen went black.

My first call to Best Buy customer service was August 2nd. They put me in contact with a local "€œrepair center"€ (it's some dude with small shop and van in a nearby town), and he came and picked up the entire TV. He was sure it was hosed, given my description, but wanted to take it apart to be sure. A week later, he told me in fact the plasma screen was shot and that they were sending a claim to Best Buy to try to find the part. This was August 8th.

Since August 12th, I have been on the phone with Best Buy customer service at a rate of about every two days. At first they were telling me that the repair center was looking for the part. When I called the repair guy myself, he told that'€™s not true, as Best Buy has not authorized him to go forward locating the part. Turns out that Best Buy was trying to locate the part themselves at a cheaper cost than what the repair had quoted. They finally started telling me that beginning the week of August 19.

Through the weeks of August 19, August 26, September 1, and September 8, I have been getting the same story. In my increasing frustration, which hit an apex today as I was screaming on the phone, I have been demanding a replacement. To no avail. Although I am talking to "supervisor"€ at some central facility in Texas, I am getting the same answer: "they'€™re still looking for the part and haven'€™t made a decision on the replacement TV."€

I asked him who "€œthey"€ were, and all he says is "€œcorporate". I told him (yelled at him) that I'm a 10 year customer of Best Buy with a Best Buy credit card who feels as if I'm being ripped off. "€œI understand your frustration sir and apologize for this situation."€ I tell him that his customer service representative have twice filed for a replacement TV, and have promised phone calls back to me, but that I'€™ve not received one return call from anyone at Best Buy. I told him that, even though I bought a warranty on the TV, I'€™m doing all the work. "€œI understand your frustration sir, and do apologize."

So, it's now six weeks and I have no answers, and of course, no TV. I am so pissed off with Best Buy, that I'm going to cut up my card. I've run out of ideas on what to do get my TV back (either repaired or new). This lesson in customer service has been comical. It is particularly frustrating that I have to re-explain my story every time to the new person I get each time I call, let alone that I can'€™t get an answer from anyone. I'm still going to push them to get this solved, but have no idea how things are going to turn out.