Future Shop fakery with extended warranties is very IRRITATING! I was so mad. Bastards! (I know it’s not logical of me to wind up so embittered when in actual fact I wound up kicking ass on this deal, but the end isn’t really the point. The point is: unless you live with psychopaths you’re probably not used to people lying straight to your face, and it’s not a nice feeling.)The short of it is: Never Ever buy an extended warranty from Future Shop.The long of it is: I know, I know… Duh.Who in their right mind buys extended warranties?I never do. Well, I almost never do. Just like I almost never let the salesperson get through their obligatory extended warranty sales pitch. But we all have our weaknesses, and the one time I went ahead and let the guy make his spiel he played on mine, and his spiel seemed to make sense. (Since I was buying an ipod as a gift for my wife while I went away for a few weeks to Africa, I was feeling protective.) So when the salesguy made the pitch that one day, a year-and-a-half down the road, or two years, even up to three…, that ipod was going to break, or malfunction, and I was going to have to bring it in, and then not only would I be paying for expensive repairs but they’d be shipping the thing off and it would take 6 weeks to get it back, I fell for it. And what was the gift-recipient, who would by that time have duly ipod-ified their daily routine, going to do for all that time? Better to take the extended warranty and then when repair-day came, they would swap it across the counter with whatever was the current equivalent model, no muss, no fuss. (So, if it was the cheapest ipod when I bought it, as it was, they would swap it with whatever the current cheapest ipod at the time of the repair.)Okay, it’s embarassing now to have to admit for having fallen for it, but like I said, I was feeling protective, a bit angstsy for my imminent departure, and was able to rationalize the purchase the way you can when spending money on somebody else, even if you couldn’t when spending money on yourself. I bought the Future Shop 3 year extended warranty. (Which is a bit misleading in itself, since it’s just the normal warranty, plus 2 years.)But ‘the Spiel’ was a big fat Future Shop lie.What happened? When the battery stopped accepting charges last week, I got the box together and took it in. No muss/no fuss? You think? I was at that damned counter for an hour and a half! And I left all flushed and stressed as well. I don’t like confrontation, I just don’t. But I don’t like being lied to, condescended to, or tricked, either, and I just planted my feet and refused to leave.Here is roughly what transpired, conversation-wise:FutureShop Manager: Okay, we’ll just mail that away for you then. Thank you.Me: Um, when you sold it to me last year you said you would just swap it over (see above) if it ever needed repairs.FutureShop Manager: Well, that’s not our policy.Me: Well, the thing is that’s what your salesman told me when I bought it last year.FutureShop Manager: I can simply tell you that’s not our current policy.Me: But… but… if that’s what it was when you sold it to me then you still have to respect it, right?FutureShop Manager: I don’t think that was ever our policy.Me: But that’s what your salesman said.FutureShop Manager: The detailed limits of the policy are spelled out on the policy you received when you bought it.Me: Look. Your salesman told me, not 20 feet from here, what the policy was. He never gave me a policy to look over and review.FutureShop Manager: It’s on the back of the receipt.Me: But I didn’t get the receipt until AFTER I bought it, and I bought it based on what he told me. After I’ve bought it, it’s too late, isn’t it?FutureShop Manager: You always have 30 days to cancel an extended warranty after you’ve bought it.Me: The funny thing is, he never mentioned that when he sold it to me any more than he mentioned that the policy wasn’t what he said it was.Me (sensing futility, and deciding to try another tack): Why did he tell me that was your policy if it wasn’t?FutureShop Manager: Um, I don’t know what precisely he told you.Me: I know precisely what he told me. I remember very clearly because buying the extended warranty went against my better judgement but his sales pitch eventually won me over.FutureShop Manager: Well…Me (pressing advantage a bit): Look, his name is right there on the receipt. Let’s go ask him.FutureShop Manager: Yes, that associate is no longer with us. (At this point the manager and another behind-the-service-counter person exchange knowing glances. I don’t know what they were knowing, precisely, but from body language it was clear they knew I wasn’t making it up.)Me: Are you saying that I’m lying about what he told me?FutureShop Manager (not wanting to explicity call a customer a liar with a growing lineup of other irritated customers waiting behind him): No, no, of course, not, but he shouldn’t have said that. We’ve instructed our salespeople not to say that anymore.Me: But he did say that.At this point you have to add in quite a sizeable number of minutes for disappearances, running around, employee/manager conferences, and god-knows-what. Finally, he came back.FutureShop Manager (conceding a bit): The thing is, sir, (I was sir again at this point), even if we were to swap the ipod, that model is discontinued. Me: He said that would never be a problem, and that you’d choose the appropriate model from the current line. (see above)more stalling and conferencesFutureShop Manager: Yes, sir, there is a current appropriate model. But, unfortunately, we’re out of stock.Me: (not wanting to give in after all this) Do you have any ipods in stock?FutureShop Manager: Only more expensive ones.Me: Fine. Find a more expensive one and I’ll pay the difference between the one you owe me and the one I’m taking.FutureShop Manager: (looking in computer, then hesitating) Okay. There is one. You’ll have to pay $60, plus tax, for the difference.Me: Fine.And at this point my little story could have been over. Frustrating, but over. And I wasn’t even bitter about the $60, really. True, I didn’t think I should have had to pay it, but in the end I ended up bringing home a nicer ipod than I expected, and I was okay with that.But here is the mind-blowingly shitty part: (maybe I’m just naiive, but this shocked me)Even this compromise was a big fat lie. THERE WAS NO $60 UPGRADE CHARGE!When I got home and looked at the receipt, it was clear as can be: with price drops and the passage of time, the new ipod was $30 cheaper than the original, and the receipt showed it. He refunded me the original. He charged me for the new one. And instead of refunding me the difference or even calling it even, he tacked a new $90 extended warranty on to the bill!! That was the supposed $60 difference I paid. (-$30 plus $90) What an asshole! I would have been very happy to make the trade even, but no, so that he could rack up his own personal commission for selling extended warranties, he made me pay sixty bucks extra and didn’t even tell me why.On the plus side, I remembered from our conversation that afternoon that you always have 30 days to refund an extended warranty, and I marched right over with my receipt and got my $90 plus tax back.So, in the end, was it worth it? No. No. No. Stress, resentment, and high blood pressure is not worth it. I wound up hating the store and refusing to shop there. True, I switched an old 15gb ipod for a 30gig colour model plus a $60 refund. That’s sweet. But having to stand there and argue and be lied to, straight to me my face, in the end outweighs everything else. Not worth it.So, to recap: don’t believe Future Shop extended warranty promises. Don’t ever buy the extended warranties from them. In fact, avoid them, if possible. This sad story of being ripped off buy the mofo’s that work at future shop sucks!! I recvieved this in a email this afternoon and can also be found over @:Story Posted Here Too:)‘

Posted by Admin on Sunday, September 18th, 2005 at 2:19 am.