Future shop's extended warranty on Laptops/Computers - how does it work?

[PBure]

How exactly does FS warranty work, does anyone know in detail? I wouldnt mind clarifying details. They said, you bring it in, and leave it with them they will try to fix the problem. If they are unable to within 60 days from when you drop it off (long time should be 30), they will give you a brand new one from their current product lineup. But I can't see too many customers being this lucky, I'm sure they work hard at preventing this. If you have to bring it in for repair 3 times within the FS warranty, they will automatically give you a brand new one from their current product lineup over the counter of equal value.

Is this correct? Cause simply later on down the road, I wouldn't mind upgrading myself to a new one at no cost. Well, technically I paid for the warranty $400 so might as well make the most of it/

[bluetroll]

they'll give some bull***** answer on the 3rd problem saying it's not under warranty.... i didn't buy the extended warranty from BB.... i'm going with te warranty from my maufacturer.... they actually send a guy to come pick it up.

[PBure]

they'll give some bull***** answer on the 3rd problem saying it's not under warranty.... i didn't buy the extended warranty from BB.... i'm going with te warranty from my maufacturer.... they actually send a guy to come pick it up.

serious? I have heard stories about FS being all talk and false advertising. What should I do?

[aquariaguy]

serious? I have heard stories about FS being all talk and false advertising. What should I do?

DONT BUY FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!!!!

My friend got it (we're students) and they wouldn't do **** when her laptop broke down. NOTHING! She brought it in 3 times, they had it for 6 weeks and its such a pain in the ass. They didn't fix it in the end.

I just bought my laptop at BESTBUY and i didn't buy it.

You don't need that ******** warranty. Just use manufacturer 1 year warranty and USE A CREDIT CARD to buy it, and keep receipt, because VISA and others give you ONE EXTRA YEAR on top of the manufacturer. So you have 2 years TOTAL. That is good enough.

[Barton03]

DONT BUY FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!!!!

My friend got it (we're students) and they wouldn't do **** when her laptop broke down. NOTHING! She brought it in 3 times, they had it for 6 weeks and its such a pain in the ass. They didn't fix it in the end.

I just bought my laptop at BESTBUY and i didn't buy it.

You don't need that ******** warranty. Just use manufacturer 1 year warranty and USE A CREDIT CARD to buy it, and keep receipt, because VISA and others give you ONE EXTRA YEAR on top of the manufacturer. So you have 2 years TOTAL. That is good enough.


agreed, most people replace what they bought at FS or BB in a year or two anyways. Most manufacturer's warranty covers their product for only a year since they know that after that year, many problems arise and they dont want to be responsible for it. Same example of cars, most cover 5 yrs, then after that..heh, I think most of us know that cars usually arent reliable after 5 yrs.

edit: here are some links from RFD:

http://forums.redflagdeals.com/showthread.php?t=67523&highlight=bestbuy+service+plan

http://forums.redflagdeals.com/showthread.php?t=113174&highlight=psp+bestbuy

http://forums.redflagdeals.com/showthread.php?t=57585&highlight=psp+bestbuy

http://forums.redflagdeals.com/showthread.php?t=37080&highlight=psp+bestbuy

[PBure]

Well I cant say the FS near me WOULDNT fix it, I think they would, But ya, the 3rd time, Im sure they will do anything in their power to make something up preventing you from getting a brand new one off their shelf.

Barton fair enough. Man I am really regretting spending $400 on the 3yr on my toshiba laptop. ARGH!!!!

The thing is, I will most likely be keeping this for 2-3 years so...its not a short term investment.

[PBure]

i GUESS I am over reacting, because you never know when problems may arise. If it does after a year, then I am covered.

[2manytoyz]

I have worked at Future Shop for many years but this post is perfect. I love the people that say don't buy the warranty. Do you guys realize it cover performance and the manufactures only cover if it goes deffective. I have got an new high-end cellphone every year for the last 3 years under PSP because my phone was dropping calls. It still worked fine but the quality went down on it.

Anyways I'm away for school right now in a different city so I had to get my 2 year old notebook fixed at another Future Shop. One of the keys stopped working on my keyboard and my CD-RW died. Anyways they ordered me a brand new CD RW which cost them roughly $500 from Sony and the keyboard they sent them was the wrong one. One key was busted on the keyboard but I still could use it. I get a call a month later that they got the keyboard in again. So I go down and it's the wrong one. The guy was pretty upset that they sent him the wrong keyboard again. He was very sorry and said he would take care of it. Two weeks later I get a call from him telling me to come down and pick up a new notebook. He said it has been over 60 days for them to order the parts plus they have already spent so much on the keyboards and burner that they are giving me a new notebook. So last week they gave me a $1450 Toshiba and I paid an extra $350 and upgraded to an higher model and of course bought the warranty again. The notebook they gave me was way better than my older one but I wanted to get a few extra features. I would never buy extended warranty but since Future Shops PSP covers performance I buy it on most things. I own a lot of electronics and I have been upgrade many times thanks to there service plan.

I have been working there a while so I have seen a lot stuff go defective where as being a consumer you guys don't realize how many electronics go defective or just wear down.You guys think warranty is all profit for the company. When I exchanged my notebook it showed up in the system as $899 and they had to rasie the amount up to $1450 when they did the exchange. So they are taking a loss of $550. The amount of people that I have done exchanges for in digital cameras from there old hunk of junk to a brand new model is amazing (which is my section). If you guys got any questions drop me a message. :)

[PBure]

THANKS TOYS WOW!

Ok, so I bought a Toshiba Centrino laptop in Sept 04 $1999 plus $399 for PSP 3yrs. It works fine just a couple things I wouldnt mind fixed, like new keyboard, this one is a bit too flexy.

So I paid this much for PSP, obviously I want to take advantage of it by getting a newer model sometime in the future. What is the best way going about it?

[aquariaguy]

They fixed it for you, because YOU WORKED at futureshop before. They were basically helping an employee, to make u happy cuz u know how they scam everyone..have to keep those secrets in u know? Also, if the company didn't make profit on the warranty, why would they add commission to it? BECAUSE they know they make money of it, so they want employees to sell it like MAD.

I didn't realize you bought it already PBure, i thought u were looking into it. Good luck, my friend goes to school away too, and shes had many problems, since its her only computer. Like every other student. Good thing i didn't buy the $400 waste of money BestBuy one when i got my compaq.


I have worked at Future Shop for many years but this post is perfect. I love the people that say don't buy the warranty. Do you guys realize it cover performance and the manufactures only cover if it goes deffective. I have got an new high-end cellphone every year for the last 3 years under PSP because my phone was dropping calls. It still worked fine but the quality went down on it.

Anyways I'm away for school right now in a different city so I had to get my 2 year old notebook fixed at another Future Shop. One of the keys stopped working on my keyboard and my CD-RW died. Anyways they ordered me a brand new CD RW which cost them roughly $500 from Sony and the keyboard they sent them was the wrong one. One key was busted on the keyboard but I still could use it. I get a call a month later that they got the keyboard in again. So I go down and it's the wrong one. The guy was pretty upset that they sent him the wrong keyboard again. He was very sorry and said he would take care of it. Two weeks later I get a call from him telling me to come down and pick up a new notebook. He said it has been over 60 days for them to order the parts plus they have already spent so much on the keyboards and burner that they are giving me a new notebook. So last week they gave me a $1450 Toshiba and I paid an extra $350 and upgraded to an higher model and of course bought the warranty again. The notebook they gave me was way better than my older one but I wanted to get a few extra features. I would never buy extended warranty but since Future Shops PSP covers performance I buy it on most things. I own a lot of electronics and I have been upgrade many times thanks to there service plan.

I have been working there a while so I have seen a lot stuff go defective where as being a consumer you guys don't realize how many electronics go defective or just wear down.You guys think warranty is all profit for the company. When I exchanged my notebook it showed up in the system as $899 and they had to rasie the amount up to $1450 when they did the exchange. So they are taking a loss of $550. The amount of people that I have done exchanges for in digital cameras from there old hunk of junk to a brand new model is amazing (which is my section). If you guys got any questions drop me a message. :)

[PBure]

thanks aquaria. :)

Ya what I dont get it...3yr warranty from FS from the day I bought it. But yet I have a 1yr from Toshiba, so why would I bother dealing with FS in the meantime? I called FS and they said just wave the Toshiba warranty, and if something goes wrong anytime withint the 3 years....just deal with them!

Since I paid $399 for it, I might as well if anything were to go wrong before the 1yr TOSHIBA warranty is up. From what I read, after doing thorough reading googling up ext warranites etc. I have to bring the laptop in 3x with the exact same problem, and then the 4th time is when they will just hand you one over the counter. OR if any of the previous 3 visits takes longer than 60 days to fix - god that is a long time! 2 months without my laptop? No thanks!

What I am saying is, I wouldn't mind a newer laptop later on down the road, in say a year or less to make this $399 warranty worth it! FS no longer covers batteries which is a shame. If I were to make up somethign saying something is wrong, what would be the best part to say is malfunctioning?

From what I recall when speaking with 1800 Toshiba service center in Ontario, they said how it works is...if something is wrong, call them, they will send you a replacement laptop first (so that you dont have to go without a computer) and then when you receive their loaner, send yours back and the turn around time is about 2 weeks. Basically I wouldnt mind a brand new laptop (since this ones keyboard is a bit flexy), not a huge deal cause I know nothing is ever made perfect, but if I can get a new one I will do it.

But I dont know how stingy Toshiba is in regards to just sending out brand new ones as opposed to repairing it. I would have to say something else like constant freezing or something. If I say keyboard, then they will just replace the keyboard.

Thoughts?

[Headhunter]

Every single person I know who's ever worked at FS/BB has flat out told me, it's a scam. Don't even bother with it; spend the time/money buying a better product to begin with.

[siriuskao]

FS employee always pimp their PSP (I guess it's their job), don't forget they get a significant discount when they purchase it. Plus they can give you refurb/open box laptop for replacement anyway. FS extended warranty price is often outragous, I remember a toshiba tecra laptop that come with 3 year manufacturer warranty and you can spend another $500 to extend it to 4-5 year...crazy.

PBure: if you can't figure out how to "use" the warranty you shouldn't be scamming futureshop anyway lol...don't get me wrong scam them as much as you can, crappy company ... :cheesygri

[PBure]

I just called Toshiba and they said they never send out brand new units for now on. They only replace parts or fix. So thats not even that good LOL. Plus calling 1800 companies for computer tech support stink. They know nothing, I mean really.

I remember 8 years back when I bought a IBM desktop and everytime I called in for a problem, all they would do is tell me to reformat "use your factory settings" LOL lame.

Its a good laptop no doubt, just over paid for it (if the warranty wont ever be in any use to me) that is.

I did get a free $150 router though.

[PBure]

Every single person I know who's ever worked at FS/BB has flat out told me, it's a scam. Don't even bother with it; spend the time/money buying a better product to begin with.

Well depends on what it is LOL. I bought a VCR for mom last month and it was $70, the guy asked if I wanted a PSP for $199 LOL...wtf????? I laughed and said no.

Its a gamble, if you buy pricey things that you use all the time, always on, has moving parts, etc (laptops, cameras) then it would be worth it. But if its a mp3 player or DVD player, screw that!

[PBure]

Is it true FS is going half commision now to half of their employees? best buy is non-commision I believe. They dont push at all when I go in.

Same company......FS sucks, BB better.

[aquariaguy]

Is it true FS is going half commision now to half of their employees? best buy is non-commision I believe. They dont push at all when I go in.

Same company......FS sucks, BB better.

Well they don't get comission so why push? if i worked there, i wouldn't give a squat if someone bought the extended warranty.

Good thing i'm in science :)

[PBure]

Bear in mind with a laptop you will be tossing it into bags, taking it to strange and exotic places (starbucks) and such. It won't live the sedintary life that your desktop pc gets to live. A warranty is a great idea to protect that investment imo. replacing a LCD is quite alot for laptop.

Basically what I am saying is, desktop no, laptop yes.

[Wiseman]

Is it true FS is going half commision now to half of their employees? best buy is non-commision I believe. They dont push at all when I go in.

It's true that they don't push when you go into BB. This is good if I'm just going in the store to browse and I know I'm not buying anything that day. But last month I went in as a serious buyer of a camcorder.. I stood around for at least 20 minutes, waiting for someone to help me & trying to find someone available, but no one ever did help me. I left the store so frustrated.. and went to futureshop.. got the help I needed almost immediately.

So there is good and bad to non-commission.
Good: Nobody bothers me when I browse
Bad: Workers are too dang lazy.

[eelfliw]

If you don't have connections or endless time/patience, then extended warranties from FutureScum is a Scam.

Yeah, sure, the policy says it'll cover this and it'll cover that. But the reality is when you go make a claim, they try everything to weasel out of the deal. I won't bother getting into details but if you read the posts above, you'll have a pretty good idea. FS do not deal in good faith.

Bottom line: don't buy anything from FutureScum.

[PBure]

E thanks

Is this why they take their sweet time repairing it?

[vacitah]

is it just me or do all toshiba laptop keyboards flex i have one also it flexs
what about buying warrenties from manifatuer do they also weasel out or no

[aquariaguy]

It's true that they don't push when you go into BB. This is good if I'm just going in the store to browse and I know I'm not buying anything that day. But last month I went in as a serious buyer of a camcorder.. I stood around for at least 20 minutes, waiting for someone to help me & trying to find someone available, but no one ever did help me. I left the store so frustrated.. and went to futureshop.. got the help I needed almost immediately.

So there is good and bad to non-commission.
Good: Nobody bothers me when I browse
Bad: Workers are too dang lazy.

I find it better when no one bugs you like that BestBuy. I'm guessing RFD folks do the research before going out to buy something. At futureshop i feel like when i ask someone a question, their basically reading a book to me. Theres really no point to ask questions at either stores, because a lot of the times i know what i want and i go get it and commpare it myself. If someone asks me for help, i can ask them the difference, but they just read the damn box. Futureshop will just read the box and tell you to get the warranty, BestBuy will just read the box and stare at you blankly.

[vacitah]

Futureshop will just read the box and tell you to get the warranty, BestBuy will just read the box and stare at you blankly.

that part is so true has happend to me a few times :lol:

[D-Sisive]

like ppl said, it depends on the item the psp is bought on

i've got a hdtv projection and had it repaired twice already, psp intact till 2009

i've already got it repaired twice (and tech guy put it down as major repair for both)

another 2 more problems (since the 4th problem will be the lemon factor) and i get a newer tv (same size, same features, but most importantly is newer model)

thing is its a repair guy from a third party coming in for repairs so he could care less about the repairs he does long as he makes his dough from fs for the onsite call.

[PBure]

is it just me or do all toshiba laptop keyboards flex i have one also it flexs
what about buying warrenties from manifatuer do they also weasel out or no

Im not sure. I think just certain models, what you have? Its not a big deal like i said, but just annoying. And when I am in a library at school or something, you can really hear it haha. Others laptops are fine and 90% of students use toshiba at my college.

[aquariaguy]

It sounds like from you, that things that CANT be brought to futureshop is better since its offsite and its not FS. I see how they work now...I'm guessing since you have to bring laptops/desktops to them they will just leave it there to collect dust, and when you come back, they'll say everything is fine, and watch you come in many more times just for the fun of it.

Anyone else bought a TV with PSP? I wanna see if this is true for everyone hehe. Maybe its worth it for tv after all


like ppl said, it depends on the item the psp is bought on

i've got a hdtv projection and had it repaired twice already, psp intact till 2009

i've already got it repaired twice (and tech guy put it down as major repair for both)

another 2 more problems (since the 4th problem will be the lemon factor) and i get a newer tv (same size, same features, but most importantly is newer model)

thing is its a repair guy from a third party coming in for repairs so he could care less about the repairs he does long as he makes his dough from fs for the onsite call.

[Maxximus]

Okay guys heres a little low down on BB's PSP as it was explained to me by one of their technicians. When you sign in your computer for warranty repairs and it is under PSP what they do is keep your computer in their tech room and order the parts for you some cases they let you take it home while they wait for the parts. When manufacturer gets and recives a quote from both the parts and labour then they decide whether your better off getting a new one. eg. Mobo replacement is 2.5 hours of labour at 80/hr and mobo itself is $550-650.If the part is relatively cheap like keyboard or drive replacement then when the parts arrive they either call you back to bring in your computer. Now when they start doing the labour they charge the manufacturer for every work they put into the computer (they have sku's for all sort of services).

When signing in computers under manufacturers warranty without psp what they do is send it straight to the depot since their not making any money out of it and ussually manufacturer flakes out in fixing it. So under psp BB makes its money by charging the manufacturer tons of labour work performed on the computer. Under manufacturers warranty the manufacturers takes in your computer and they make the call whether it is eligible for repairs or not.

So basically with psp, BB tells the manufacturer whats wrong with your computer and ends up charging manufacturer for labour while with manufacturers warranty your unit is shipped to the maufacturer and they make the call whether to fix it or not.

Hope my post is informative. Have a good day guys.

[PBure]

actually future shop fixes it in store, they dont send it out.

[JIS]

What about the exchange program? Does it work?

Futureshop says:

What is the Exchange Program?
For certain products, the Product Service Plan offers a replacement product for your defective unit. This means you do not have to wait for your product to be repaired, you simply bring your defective unit to a Future Shop store location for an exchange. Products included in this program are:

Computer Peripherals: CD/DVD Burners, hard drives, RAM, etc.
Computer Accessories: Mice, Keyboards, Web Cams, etc.
MP3 Players (excluding Apple Ipods)
Small Appliances (excluding Vacuums and Microwaves)

[vacitah]

Im not sure. I think just certain models, what you have? Its not a big deal like i said, but just annoying. And when I am in a library at school or something, you can really hear it haha. Others laptops are fine and 90% of students use toshiba at my college.

i have the M30-YSJ

[D-Sisive]

What about the exchange program? Does it work?

Futureshop says:

What is the Exchange Program?
For certain products, the Product Service Plan offers a replacement product for your defective unit. This means you do not have to wait for your product to be repaired, you simply bring your defective unit to a Future Shop store location for an exchange. Products included in this program are:

Computer Peripherals: CD/DVD Burners, hard drives, RAM, etc.
Computer Accessories: Mice, Keyboards, Web Cams, etc.
MP3 Players (excluding Apple Ipods)
Small Appliances (excluding Vacuums and Microwaves)

yes it works, my cousin got his vid card replaced over the counter, faster than RMA for sure

another got a newer dvd burner on the spot cause his old one wasnt working

[FuNPoLiCe001]

Hey guys, have a question about the extended warranty at FS.

I know that for laptops, they used to say that if the unit has not been fixed after 30 days, then they'll offer a replacement (with matching specs). I know that the duration was changed to 60 days a while back, but when was it changed? I just brought a laptop in for warranty, and it's 2 years old. I think the change took place sometime at the end of last year, so from my perspective the 30 days should apply to me since I agreed to the PSP contract when I purchased the laptop. If anyone knows the exact date, that would be great so I can then pimp slap them when they take their sweet time fixing my laptop like I know they will.

[Bordello]

I don't know about the posters above but I love Futureshop's extended warranty plans (I don't work for FS, btw). When I bought my notebook from Computer City (later taken over by FS), they honoured the extended warranty. Two years later when I needed to repair the machine, they still took it in even though I lost the original receipt. They simply looked it up in their system. The work was done in two days (motherboard problem). For computers, I highly recommend a PSP.

Hey guys, have a question about the extended warranty at FS.

I know that for laptops, they used to say that if the unit has not been fixed after 30 days, then they'll offer a replacement (with matching specs). I know that the duration was changed to 60 days a while back, but when was it changed? I just brought a laptop in for warranty, and it's 2 years old. I think the change took place sometime at the end of last year, so from my perspective the 30 days should apply to me since I agreed to the PSP contract when I purchased the laptop. If anyone knows the exact date, that would be great so I can then pimp slap them when they take their sweet time fixing my laptop like I know they will.

They should honour the 30 day limit, because that's what the contract stated when you agreed to it. The law is on your side. If they say otherwise, argue with them. I guarantee you they'll fold.

[coopaloop]

I say "Screw "the extended warranty!! ON LAPTOPS NO QUESTION.

A cash cow for BB-FS....Why do you think they ask you 20 friggin' times "are you sure you don't want the extended warranty sir."
Even the Idiot at Best buy that stands by the door when you go in (Wal-mart) greeter guy will ask you on the way out...Excuse me sir I noticed you didn't buy the extended warranty...When he checks your reciept as you leave..

Management pushes this on there employees, and rewards them with a CD or DVD at the end of the week to the team that sells the most extended warrantees...These so called extended warranty plans don't even cover a battery on a laptop....$399 for what...

Use the company Sony,Hp.Toshiba's .warranty instead...

Or better yet...Get your houshold insurance plan changed to cover laptops.

Even if you 2 year old drops the thing in the Tub, or your wife accidentaly drives over it, Your insurance company will buy you a new one

[Lauralai]

thanks aquaria. :)

Ya what I dont get it...3yr warranty from FS from the day I bought it. But yet I have a 1yr from Toshiba, so why would I bother dealing with FS in the meantime? I called FS and they said just wave the Toshiba warranty, and if something goes wrong anytime withint the 3 years....just deal with them!


I'm not sure if they wave the toshiba warranty, i bought a sony clie and the psp and when i brought it in to be fixed since it was still within the 1st and since sony still had a warrenty on it, i had to deal with them, well that was too much trouble so i didn't bother fixing it. I still have it around though and it's still under warrenty so i think i'll take it in soon and have them fix it since i'm pretty sure they won't be able to fix it so maybe i'll get a new one. but just to let you know you may go in with a problem within the first year and they may go to you, well sorry toshiba's warrenty is still in effect so deal with them.

[CSR]

Don't waste your money!

[aquariaguy]

The PSP is a scam. I've had a friend who was scammed by then several times. Took 3 weeks initially to "fix" it but when she went back, they hadn't even touched it and they need it for another 2 weeks. She eventually never got it replaced. They supposedly fixed it, but the same **** happens.

I bought my Compaq, and I have 1 year parts and labor, plus 1 yr from VISA. So its all good. So 2 yrs.

SCREW THE PSP! IT IS A SCAM