In 2004 I bought a HP computer package for my son for Christmas. The advertised price was $999.99 for the package. The salesman at the time talked me into buying an extended warranty. Since the bundled package price was under a $1000 he explained that the warranty for 2 years extended would only be $99.99. After the one year standard manufacturers warranty we would be covered with repair or replacement for the whole bundle. Usually I forgo extended warranties but the sales person and a manager talked me into it saying that I could just walk in and have the item fixed or replaced within 2 days. Unlike the manufacturers warranty I wouldn't have to send anything away or wait for it to be fixed. So on this premise I bought it.
Well during the evening of December 11th, my son's monitor not only stopped operating but had smoke coming out both sides. Not only was I upset that the monitor had ceased working so quickly but that it was a hazard with the smoke and smell that permeated his room. I can only imagine what would have happened had we not been home when this happened. My teenage son was visibly upset and scared.
So I dig out my extended warranty and my husband goes in on December 12th to Staples at the Oshawa Centre and low and behold isn't there a problem. First they say the monitor is not under warranty. When that doesn't work, since the warranty is definitely for the whole package, we are told that we have to pay another $49.99 plus tax because we were sold the wrong warranty during the original purchase. Since the system was actually valued over a $1000 before Staples discounted it, we have to pay more since the system is really valued at $1314.93 if sold separately. The monitor is listed at $314.95 before the discount on the receipt. Unbelievable! Not only did HP and Staples in my opinion sell a defective product and an unsafe product but now Staples won't honour the original warranty that was sold to us unless we put out some more money. We are told after paying another $57.00 ($49.99 plus tax of course) that we will be called the next day to let us know when and how the monitor will be replaced or fixed. The Divisional Sales Manager at Staples says it most likely will be replaced. So after now paying $149.99 + tax for this so called warranty we wait to hear when we can pick up our new monitor.
December 13th - At 4:02 we get a call from the Divisional Sales Manager of Staples to say that there now is a claim number and to call this 1-888 number and everything has been taken care of. My husband starts to ask a few questions but the Divisional Sales Manager says that he can't answer them because it is up to the warranty department to settle the claim. The store has no say in how the warranty is honoured. Well we call and we are told that we will be getting a store credit of $162.00 since the monitor has depreciated in value. Interesting, yesterday the value of the monitor was over $300 and we had to buy a higher priced warranty to cover it but today it is depreciated. Well of course we tell them that is not acceptable and after some discussion with the person at the warranty department on the other end of the line informs us that the final decision as to how the warranty will be honoured is at the store level. So immediately we call back the store and wouldn't you know it the Divisional Sales Manager is gone for the day. We talk to the Business Support Manager. She agrees to give us a refund for the $57.00 we were coerced into paying yesterday.
And so the saga continues. In the meantime, we are still trying to get a hold of a manager at HP and we will continue to follow this further up the chain at both Staples and Hewlett-Packard. The HP and Staples website does not give higher managers contact information and we do not want to spend days going through the chain of CSR's but we will. We will not be satisfied until the monitor is replaced with another monitor that is of a comparable value and as the Divisional Sales Manager stated December 13th that is $314.93. We weren't looking for a credit we were looking for replacement as was promised during the original sale and expedient service.
As business owners, my husband and I are aware of the implications of dissatisfied customers. The Divisional Sales Manager, who represents Staples has just created two very unsatisfied customers. Customers who only wanted the store to deliver what they had promised during the sale of their warranty.
Persons contacted to date:
Divisional Sales Manager, Staples, Oshawa Centre
Business Support Manager, Staples, Oshawa Centre
Warranty Office - Would not supply us with direct contact to a manager but told us to call back tomorrow and ask for an Escalation Manager at the same number.
ShopAware Investigates
After ShopAware.com's initial contact was made with Staples at the Oshawa Centre, the Manager promptly took action and contacted the customer to apologize and resolve the issue. We commend the manager and Staples for their prompt attention and dedication to serving their customers. "Propose" was pleased with the outcome and will remain a Staples customer. |
