Best Buy warranty service: The worst customer service I've ever experienced.

I've bought several appliances over the years and always get a service contract. For years I bought from Sears and whenever I needed service done I would call them up, explain the problem and they would show up the next day. Unfortunately when I was looking for a new washer/dryer set Sears did not have the one I wanted so we bought from Best Buy instead. Everything went fine until this week when the washing machine started to leak out of the bottom.

I checked all the lines running in and out of the machine and determined the problem must be internal so I called Best Buy's service department. I spoke to a female with a foreign accent but was able to understand her pretty well. She looked up my account, documented my problem and said she would contact the local service guys while I waited on hold. She came back to say the service company wasn't open yet so she would contact them when they open and I would hear from them later that day.

Around noon I still hadn't heard anything so I called back to make sure she didn't forget. This time I got a different rep who was much easier to understand and explained the situation. She then advised me that it would take up to 2 business days for the service guy to call me back and that since it was Friday I wouldn't hear anything until Monday. Needless to say I wasn't happy.

After going to the laundrymat all weekend Monday finally came and the family's frustration was high. While I was at work my mother-in-law called Best Buy for me only to be told that it could take up to 5 days to hear from the service people. She advised the rep that I had been told 2 days and basically was told that I'm a lier. She gave the rep a peice of her mind and suddenly the rep called me at work to tell me that the service guys would be calling me later that day. I advised her that they should contact the house instead as m mother-in-law would be available if they could respond today. She took the house number again and said she would fax the paperwork to the service company.

A little while later the service company (a local appliance business) called me at work to say they would be out the next day but couldn't give me a time frame. They told me to wait by the phone all day and the tech would call when he was responding to the house. Again I advised that they should contact my mother-in-law as she is home all day and can let them in and gave her the house number. My mother in law also called the company to give them her cell phone in case she needed to leave the house for a minute.

The next day at about 2pm the tech calls me at work to say he is going to the house. I asked him why he didn't call my mother in law as requested and was advised that he had 4 different numbers on the paperwork and didn't know who to call. I called my mother in law and she met him at the house.

The tech advised advised that the hot and cold water valves inside the washing machine were broken (very rare he advised) and that he would order the parts. When asked how long that will take her replied that he had no idea and left.

It seems funny that a large corporation would hire out the small business they are crushing to do the service calls and expect them to give quality service. It is even more puzzling that the different Best Buy employees didn't know thier own policy and procedure on how long it would take for a call back. The real kicker was being told I was lying about what I was told and the fact that they find the time it
takes to fix things acceptable.

6/23/2008 09:35 EST
UPDATE: Well I'm still waiting for a part that was ordered last Tuesday. I called the appliance shop and they say it is shipped but they have no estimated date of arrival.

6/25/2008 20:00 EST

Hey wouldn't you know the part suddenly showed up and they fixed the washing machine today. I still think that over a week and a half is way too long. Next time I'll buy at Sears again, there is something to be said for great customer service.