Future Shop vs. Me (Perhaps)…
Posted by WehrWolf on February 20th, 2010To Whom it May Concern,
Currently, as I write this, I am hoping the story will turn out to be a little more interesting; I always looks for little nuances which may help combat the prosaic way my typical day usually goes and, if this story ends well, it is my hope that readers from this site can use my story as an augury and guide to their experiences with Futureshop in which it may help them deduce what course of action to take in a similar situation. I, of course, feel no internal ethical conflict in my struggle against this company, as I often associate companies who exist solely on the principles of for-profit: who strive only in their own self-interest – with moral decadence. Isn’t it so true that the one naturally follows the other.
So let’s get one thing straight: Futureshop is a for-profit company and that is why they exist, to make money. They are like many companies that have existed and that still exist to this day. They do not really care about the consumer, they care about the consumers’ capital investments. That is why they treat you nicely, and that is why they try to give you good customer service. I find it almost amusing (as sociopathic as that sounds) when people get wroth (angry) because they have been treated impersonally or unjustly in the stories I read on this site. Do you honestly think an immoral company whose deprave fetor sticks to your nostrils like an irremovable slime really cares about you or it’s employees on a personal level? Perhaps you could argue individual people do, but I mean the bureaucracy itself as a whole. Do you think Futureshop cares whether you live or die? It is this same mentality that allows corporations to permanently destroy the environment on a daily basis….it is this same mentality that allows companies to do many things…and it makes me sad. Capitalism is a great achievement of the human race, but the governments of the world must remember that natural law is natural law, and self-interest strives in the name of self-interest: it must be controlled with governmental regulation so as not to damage the equilibrium with which this environment exists upon and so as to not violate the lives and rights of the citizens it interacts with.
Before I begin my story, I would also like to leave a little note to the employees who (and I cannot even begin to surmise why) defend this company with such vehement in their posts. Most of the rebuttals I read from Futureshop employees do have a point. I just read a post about a man whose laptop was replaced under the warranty, but he just wanted it fixed, not replaced. He was also angry about the fact that his warranty ended after his unit was replaced in full. The Futureshop employee (who I am assuming it was because he knew the policy of the Product Service Plan) stated that the warranty fulfilled it’s obligation and did exactly what it stated it would do in the plan contract. On top of that, the employee also pointed out ,with optimism, that the customer actually received a brand new laptop for the warranty price of $150.99+-. He does have a point, but I try to understand why someone would give time to such a meaningless cause. Defending a for-profit companies policy contracts? There are environments being destroyed, people starving, mass homelessness, (and if we go out of the country) genocide and the rest, and you are spending your time defending the name of a for profit company (and one that probably doesn’t even pay you monetarily what you deserve for your work as a human being)? Of course I am using extreme parallels here, and very hyperbolic contrasts to prove my point, but nonetheless please ascertain something from this. What I am trying to say, is that this is a hollow cause, there is no depth to it, no humanity. Then I realized, and from my personal experience as I have to work for corporations in order to put myself through school: the employee is emotionally attached to the company and their coworkers, they emotionally identify with it in some aspect, and it is therefore hard to detach oneself from that company in one’s own thoughts when he or she reads and replies to posts on this website. The reality is however, you work for a typical capitalistic corporation, one of many and one who operates in monetary self-interest. Yes people on this website may be complaining about circumstances which are, ultimately, not Futureshop’s fault (as it is just a mindless entity doing what it was made to do), and yes they may be acting just plain ridiculous, but, look at what you are defending.
Now of course, one may pick up a tone of hatred to wards capitalism in my comments, but I am not a ‘communist,’ and I am not a supporter of this either. I am simply aware of the injustices occurring in the world at the hand of unregulated capitalism and greed, and this makes me angry.
I feel I have put in my two cents, and much more than needed. I should also move out of the realm of good and evil and world problems and get a bit more down to Earth. Let’s go to the meat and bones, shall we?
I bought an iPod nano from Futureshop. I also bought the Product Replacement Plan with it (they replace the product in Product Replacement Plan (PRP) and do not fix it like the Product Service Plan (PSP)), as the sales associate told me it covers lithium ion batteries, and I know for a fact that a lithium ion battery begins degrading from the very first time you discharge it, so I was guaranteed a new iPod nano when the new ones came out before my warranty expired. A year and a half later my iPod started having click wheel problems and would not turn on sometimes. I brought it into Futureshop, they sent it out for warranty. A couple weeks later, the warranty department calls me claiming that they will not back the warranty because of water damage. I accept this answer in shock (as my iPod has not been rained on, or dropped in water), then call them back. Supposedly, there was an area on the ‘board’ that looked a little discoloured that could of been a place where there was water. I ask myself was this deduction really based off of empiricism? I go online, and realize that there are others who have been rejected via the water damage claim. I call back the warranty department, no answer. I then decide to leave messages and ask them for a list of scientific proofs in which they used to come about their decision that my iPod was water damaged, and also proof that this discoloured area could not of been caused by them, or in the manufacturing process, and that I would like this list mailed to me so that I can give it to a lawyer. I however, receive no answer, and the warranty department simply sent my broken iPod back to my original Futureshop. The Futureshop calls telling me my broken iPod has come back for pickup. I arrive at the store with my story, the manager helps me (nice guy by the way). He shows me the iPod, and I noticed that the warranty repair centre did not bother putting the iPod back together properly as the top plate is ajar (another way for water to get inside while in shipment). The manager expresses concern for my story and says he will take care of it. Since then, I have not heard from Futureshop about my iPod for 6-8 months, maybe more, as I have lost count. I am hoping that they have simply lost it so that I can demand a new one. However, to state, I am simply pissed. I am also anticipating being told that my warranty has expired (since they have had it for months past the end of my warranty contract date), so they cannot back it. I have called them again, and am waiting for a callback answer, which I have not received yet. If, Futureshop does not back my past warranty, I will be taking them to small claims court. I have no problem with this and it will be of no inconvenience to me, as I am currently working on my undergraduate degree towards admission to law school, and do, in fact, enjoy going to court. I will be keeping up to date on this website what does happen with this situation. Also, if my warranty is backed, I may still consider court, for the lost time without my iPod, emotional detriment this has caused me, and the fact that they tried to bambuszle me and have wasted my time and life. I was also thinking, due to the amount of people who have had their warranties not guaranteed by Futureshop for frivolous reasons (and I will also acknowledge the fact that there are many who have had their warranties turned down due to legitimate reasons), perhaps some form of communication could be established between all of us, and we could ponder on the idea of a class action lawsuit?
To end this and to restate what I mentioned in the beginning, I simply hope that my experience can be used by others so that they will be able to decide what to do in my type of situation if they want to take action against Futureshop. We will see if they decide to back my warranty or not if I push back. If they don’t, we will see if they decide to spend much more than the worth of a new iPod to hire a lawyer in court, or to just give me a new iPod. I would like to say, this is all very exciting to me, in a rah rah, take it to the man kind of way.
Thank you for reading,
- WehrWolf
