Registered: Jan 2000
Location: Twin Cities, MN
Posts: 1683

Well, it happened. I dropped my Visor. It now has a small crack in the screen and I can no longer see the top 3rd of the screen.

So...now I'm out $85 to replace it.

SO BUY A GOOD CASE before you do the same! I was holding out looking for that perfect case, and, for $85, I could have boughten a few )

Registered: May 2000
Location: Houston, TX, USA
Posts: 194

why 85 dollars? you dont have to buy a new one?

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Warren, OH, USA
Posts: 57

As one who dropped my Visor and had three large cracks in it, I second the idea that you need a GOOD case. As far as the $85 is concerned, that is the replacement cost HS charges. They will send you the replacement upfront and charge you only $85 as long as you return the broken unit within a reasonable time.

Registered: May 2000
Location: Houston, TX, USA
Posts: 194

do you have to mail it to Hs or do you have to return it to the store?

Registered: Jan 2000
Location: Twin Cities, MN
Posts: 1683

I was kind of pissed that it broke so easily and then had to pay $85 dollars to replace it, but, in hindsight, that's actually a pretty good deal. $85 for a new one (which, I assume that they STILL make money on) is a pretty fair policy.

I know ComUSA used to have a $100 replacement policy that you had to purchase at the time of the product purchase. In hindsight, that's probably a pretty good deal, too.

Registered: May 2000
Location: Houston, TX, USA
Posts: 194

Do you have to send the visor to handspring? or do you return it to the store you bought it, also, do you have to buy the thing where you only pay $85. Lol, sorry but this intrigues me, cuz i broke my visor deluxe once and i only got it exchanged through the most evil lies ever made

Registered: Feb 2000
Location:
Posts: 1571

b1lanceman:

You have to mail back a visor with a cracked screen back to Handspring. Unless of course you have some form of insurance plan at a store.

Registered: Apr 2000
Location: Knoxville, TN
Posts: 42

Actually, its $19.99 to get a 1 year replacement warranty through CompUSA for a Visor Deluxe.. which is much better than $100. Typical turnaround is about 2-3 days, paperwork gods willing.

$85 for screen replacement isnt that bad of a deal, really. I know alot of people are very skeptical of store offered insurance plans, but they do have their uses...a lot of times, its cheaper than parts and labor would be any other way. Like any insurance, its something you don't usually want untill you need it. So basically, it comes down to which you'd rather do.. spend $20 at the store for something you may never need, or $85 after the fact.

As always, your milage may vary.

--HP

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That which does not kill me had BETTER do enough damage to keep me from firing back!

Registered: Feb 2000
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 165

LONG rant about extended service plans:

A word of caution about those "Extended Warranty/Protection" plans - I don't know about CompUSA, but Best Buy will do anything they can to get out of replacing your product - I purchased a plan for an Epson Stylus Photo printer, which I bought in July of 1998. In Spring of 1999 I foolishly bought a generic black cartridge, which promptly clogged the print head. (And voided the manufacturer warranty, of course.)

"Not to worry!" I thought to myself, "That extra $60 for the service plan was actually worth it!" - I took the printer back to Best Buy, and explained what had happened (Including the warranty-voiding part), and they said they would send it to the regional repair center for a tech to appraise. They also told me to expect a phone call within the next week.

Two weeks and 45 minutes spent on hold later, I was told that yes, indeed, they would be replacing the printer because it would have cost more to repair the printhead. They just had to finalize the paperwork and send it back to the store, where I would be able to pick up my new unit. I should expect a call in a few days.

Two weeks and another hour spent on hold later, I talked to an indignant rep who told me that since the printer was still under Mfr warranty, it couldn't be replaced under the Best Buy plan - it had to go back to Epson for repair. (They chose to ignore that fact that I had voided said Mfr warranty in the first place) Furthermore they demanded a copy of my original purcase receipt before they would send it back to Epson.

While the printer was at Epson I called half a dozen different Best Buy offices, escalating to the corporate level, and I got stuck with a scumbag whose title I can't recall (Executive Manager of Customer Relations or some such) - he didn't particularly seem to care that the company was renegeing on its statement that it would replace my printer, nor that the process was now in its third month. The most he did was to give me a $50 gift certificate for my troubles - $50 for three months without a printer... that's not even enough to buy two ink cartridges. He scribbled "Thanks for shopping at Best Buy" in the message space.

The hold times are not exaggerated, either - Best Buy has so many people pissed off them it that their phones are constantly swamped, both at the stores and the customer service center. Best Buy *will not call you back*, no matter what their reps tell you to expect. It got to the point where I was calling them twice daily to get the problem resolved... I finally wound up getting my original printer back, with the print head replaced by Epson. I filed a formal complaint with the Better Business Bureau, who told me that they have a backlog of complaints against Best Buy.

So... caveat emptor. I suspect that if you bought a Visor at Best Buy with their service plan, cracked the screen the next day, and brought it back to the store they would say "Well, it's still under manufacturer warranty, and screen cracks aren't covered, so you're sh*t out of luck. Thanks for the extra $30, though."

Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 61

I agree...those BB extended warranties sound great, but I think they are pretty crappy. We got one with our sony video camera. It had to go into service. It took BB 3 months to fix it. They kept telling me, it will only be another week...

But I guess you get what you pay for.

Frank

Registered: Apr 2000
Location: Knoxville, TN
Posts: 42

I've heard all manner of horror stories from customers about replacement warranties from just about every store that offers them, mine (CompUSA) included. For many years, ours were administered by a third party, and finally, it was brought under direct company control. I think that lessened the number of customer complaints quite a bit, but I don't have access to any real numbers to back that assumption up.. it's just based on observation. Busy Buys phone system is pretty bad. I've had to call there to check product status for customers several times, and unless you know the extention of the person you're trying to reach, long hold times seem to be the norm. Urgh.

Alot of people think that these replacement warranties are some sort of scam. And I've seen some companies that do treat them that way, at least unofficially. My experience at the one store that I have worked at is much different. Like I said in my previous post on this thread, its just like insurance. Run the numbers and see what you think is best for you.

--HP

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That which does not kill me had BETTER do enough damage to keep me from firing back!

Registered: Jan 2000
Location: Twin Cities, MN
Posts: 1683

Extended warranties are really just insurance plans. The stores are betting that most people will NOT have any problems OR forget about the service plan and, therefore, the store makes some fairly nice margins on the package.

As for the $19 replacement deal above, GET IT! As for most other extended warranties, especially anything approaching the $100 range, skip them.

Also, keep in mind that stores like CompUSA and Best Buy will attempt to do their own maintenance, which, as we all know, isn't really worth anything.

Of course, for the money you'd spend on the extended warranties, I'd recommend, again, in buying a good protective case!

Registered: Dec 1999
Location:
Posts: 119

I've always believed that any extended service plan is just a huge profit-maker for the retailer. I'm 58-years-old, and I've purchased a ton of stuff in my lifetime. Very little has actually failed and needed repair -- from refrigerators to TV's to Visors, etc. If I had bought an extended service plan for everything, I'd have spent a fortune over my lifetime -- and have recouped very little.

I got my Visor in December and I've had no trouble with it. So far, any money spent on a plan would have been a waste! (I do have a nice grey leather E&B slipper case, but I can't remember ever dropping the Visor and relying on the case to save it.)

It seems that Consumer Reports has repeatedly recommended against such service plans. (But I'm not a representative of Consumers Union and this is not meant as any kind of official statement by them!)