I am a past future shop employee, since then I have moved on to a better job, but I think I should share some information with potential Future Shop Home Theatre customers before they make their move. It would be immoral if I didn’t share this information with people who are spending their hard earned money.

First off I would like to state that I made a lot of easy money at Future Shop, but at the same time, I came to realize that what I was doing was not ’sales’, it was manipulating people into spending their money in a way which would make them think they received good customer service, while at the same time making me higher commissions and customer returns.

Yes this is business, but essentially, that is an unwholesome way to lead your life, and personally I’m glad I don’t have to do it anymore.

Anyways things aside I would like to share to you potential TV buyers some potential reasons as to why you may not want to buy your home theatre at Future Shop.

So lets begin:

Future Shop has a cost in which they get their products for. This price is actually not the real cost, it has all of their overheads factored in, they actually get things for cheaper than their stated cost. So when I state cost, keep in mind that Future Shop gets their merchandise for even cheaper than that.

Future Shop is not there to save you money. They are a large company which must make profit to support its large infrastructure of employees, stores, etc. In order to do this, and make additional profit after that, large mark-ups are the only way this can be done.
Almost all the TV’s are marked up at least a couple hundred dollars.
Future Shop generally sells speakers (polk audio, energy, etc, which btw, are low quality speakers, something a FS Home Theatre Employee would not know since its all they have been around) for usually 3x as much as they get them for.
The Energy RC-70 speakers, are bought by Future Shop for $444 cost each. They are sold for $2500, and if you are lucky, they sometimes go on sale for $1799.

Are you beginning to get the picture?

On top of that you will be recommended cabling. Recently a local TV station bought the Ultra Monster HDMI from future shop ($251.99) and also bought the Dynex ($30), guess what, same picture quality. With HDMI there is no signal loss, especially at short distances, its a digital signal my friends.
A future Shop employee may or may not lie to you, hopefully they don’t lie, they will just phrase it in a way which may potentially benefit you.
They will tell you that monster cables have better sheilding and superior quality etc, etc. What they will not tell you is that the better quality HDMI it won’t make a difference, and that you can get a cable with almost the exact same quality for MUCH cheaper.
Ultra 800 top of the line HDMI cable, cost= $69, selling price = $251.99, commision, probably around $25ish.
Dynex Cable: cost = probaly around $9, selling price = $30, commision = $1.93

Even though each of these cables give you the same picture quality, do you see why a Future Shop employee will emphasize the Superior Quality of the Monster Cable over the Dynex

In Canada we do get dirty electricity and the monster power cleaners will help you with this.
Unfortunately I remember one Future Shop sales associate telling me that he achieved the same result of a monster power cleaner by hooking up two power bars to eachother

Are you beginning to see why things are worded the way they are by future shop associates?

Now some may argue, you get good service at Future Shop. Depending on the sales associate you will, but you won’t save the most money.
This is because of the mark-ups.

The solution to this is to find out what you want, talk to someone who knows about electronics, then get it wholesale.
My family recently wanted to get a home theatre system with the 58? Panasonic Plasma.

From Future Shop the Monster power cleaner we wanted was $800, and the tv was $5000. Plus all the cabling would have been $300ish or more.
We got the exact same TV with almost no markup from a whole sale dealer for $3400, and the monster stuff (which we know is overpriced but we like it cause its cool :P) we also found for MUCH cheaper on the internet.
The warranty from Future Shop on the TV would of costed around $900. We were interested in it until we saw the statistic for failures on flat screen plasmas…a whooping 2%. It wasn’t much higher for LCD’s either.

Instead of spending our hard earned $7100 on our set-up from Future Shop, we got the exact same products through wholesale and without a warranty covering pointless odds for around $4000.
Keep in mind none of this includes GST or PST.
All in all, we almost saved $3000.

Personally I think electronics stores like Future Shop and BEst Buy will go dead someday if customers start getting smarter. They must charge disgusting mark-ups and whatnot in order to keep their infrastructure afloat. Factory direct and whole sale is the way to go. Unfortunately many customers do not have the electronics knowledge to know what they want and need, and that’s where the greedy middle man (the electronics vendor) comes in. Sometimes the case is the customer simply doesn’t know that they can get the product much cheaper somewhere else.

Anyways just thought I’d give you future customers a heads up, hope you save some some money like I did. Remember, if you know the TV you want, get it from a whole sale or volume dealer (I believe that’s what they’re called :P).
And DO NOT trust commissions sales people, they often do not lie, but they when they reveal information to you they leave out key parts, or rephrase things so they sound different, the best example to experience this is with monster cables and PSP (their warranty), honestly just go ask a sales person about either of the two and listen to their polished speeches :).
And remember, their daily job is to change your opinion and to get you to sell things to yourself, many commissions sales people are master manipulators, so watch out!
I find we often trust people too much, and I’m glad I don’t make my living off of people’s trust anymore!
Hope this helps and you save some money.

*Once Again I moved This From The Comments To Front Page*

Comment can be found: My experience with Future Shop.

Admin

News | 10 Comments »

Hey, sorry if I’m posting this under the wrong thread. I sought out a site just like this one to post my experience with Future Shop. I’ll skip the standard shots and plays on the Future Shop name. Here’s my chronology:18 Sept 2005 - bought an LG Electronics WM1814CW front-loading washer and LG DLE2514W dryer. Total 2219.94 before taxes. Warranty portion of 269.99 (which they charged both GST and PST on). Not sure if they can legally charge PST — this alone is worth researching for a class action law suit to hit them where it hurts — in illegal profits.

About 2 months later. Problems with water overflow and suds coming out the back of the washer. Called in-home service at 1-800 number. Waited two weeks for service. Fixed, but not sure how.

About 9 weeks ago. Here’s where the fun began. The machine broke. Water wouldn’t drain and it stopped spinning properly. Metallic scraping sound. Called in home warranty.

One week later. First visit. Repair guy said he needed to order a part.

One week later. I call the 3rd party repair guy directly (after much ado). They say they are awaiting authorization from the warranty company for the part. I ask them to call to check. They refuse.

Next day. I call the warranty company myself. They are unaware of the request for the part. Instead, they tell me they authorized a guy to head out to my place.

Same day. I call the 3rd party guys and get them to check.

One week later. 3rd party shows up and installs the part. Doesn’t work. Tells me I need another part.

One week later. 3rd party guy shows up and installs 2nd part. Doesn’t work. They say they will have to order another part.

I call the warranty line and fight for a half hour to clear up their information. They call the 3rd party to confirm. They leave me a voice message saying they will authorize a replacement. Good, right? Keep reading.

I show up at Future Shop Coquitlam and wait literally 1.5 hours for the one sales guy they have in appliances while he’s trying to sell a warranty to a Chinese woman who I’m not sure understands it all. The sales guy points me to a lower model machine. I point out that the feature set doesn’t compare and escalate peacefully.

I get to the manager who is telling off an older man that he can’t have a replacement laptop. They guy responds, “…so my only option is to buy a new laptop???!!” The manager stands firm and the customer storms off in huff.

My turn. He points out that the machine I want is an upgrade. Technically, it probably is, but it is the lowest model that has the 2 key features I bought the machine for in the first place — delayed wash and hand wash cycle. He tells me I have to pay $300!!! What kind of warranty is that? He tries this double-talk reversal on me that goes something like this (I think they are trained to do this):

So what new features does the upgraded machine give you? I think I’m supposed to list them out so that he can respond by pricing each feature and justifying the dollar value he’s trying to milk out of me. So I tell him to get me a replacement machine of the exact model that they sold me the warranty for and I will be happy — and if he can’t do that, the lowest model that will cover all the features.

He tries to debate this, saying he doesn’t know the machines well enough to give me $300 of extra value. Luckily, my girlfriend had the foresight to print out online comparisons of five machines on a grid with a feature-by-feature break-down. So he buckles and says, get this, that he can make an exception this time because I’m “begging and pleading” with him. I couldn’t believe he actually said that to a customer. If they want to sell warranties, they should honor them, and apologetically offer up the right replacement product voluntarily, not give me a hard time over it.

So it’s off to the customer service counter, dealing with three people who don’t know the procedure. I literally stand there as they fumble with forms and the computer for another half hour. At the end of it, they ask me if I want to buy another warranty!!!

Fast forward another week. The delivery guys arrive with the replacement machine in silver (I specified white, like the old machine). Now I have an unmatched stacker set. They look at the machine and say they can’t uninstall the existing one. WTF? They can only install the new one. They leave the new machine in my hallway.

I call Future Shop back the next day and complain. They say I would have to get the uninstall done myself, but they could recommend a contractor — sure, I’ll bet they would ask for $300 to do this. I refuse and demand that they do the job, so they agree after a long debate and schedule it.

Two days later. The crew arrives, say they can’t uninstall and leave.

Valentine’s Day. I escalate to customer service. After two hours of debate over my cell phone, they agree to send a 3rd party contractor to do the uninstall.

The next day. The 3rd party guys shows up and uninstalls the existing broken machine. He spends an hour on the phone with Future Shop who is telling him not to do the install, but to wait for another crew to do the install. The 3rd party guy leaves. The new machine is still in my hall.

Saturday. The crew (apparently) shows up, leaving 2 messages on my cell number. I call them back and determine they didn’t press the door buzzer. They spend 15 minutes justifying this, saying that it’s really hard to figure out the apartment buzzer number. I explain that mine has my NAME on it — the same name on the invoice — and ask them if they knock on the door when they deliver to a house. Anyhow, they claimed to have called at 1231. I called them back at 1234, and they refused to turn to truck back, citing many deliveries. At this point, I should be a priority but I’m not — oh yeah, I’m a warranty, not big bucks for a new delivery. I find it hard to believe they can turn around a 28 foot trailer in my neighborhood (one lane) in less than 3 minutes. I’ve watched a school bus take over 5 minutes while waiting to pull out of my parking spot.

After another three calls to the store, the delivery company and the warranty company, they agree to send a 3rd party to install. I get the number to call the 3rd party personally and confirm. It gets done, but the old machine is left in my hallway.

They finally picked up the old machine today, but left a voice message on my phone saying they want to schedule for a later date. These guys are not only intent on ripping off their customers; they are also incompetent and ill-coordinated.

I’m looking into a class action lawsuit to force them to disclose on their warranty at time of sale that a customer will be dealing with 4, possibly 5 parties (if you include the manufacturer) who may not communicate with each other nor hold accountable to each other in order to make good on the warranty. Tobacco discloses risks on cigarette packs; Future Shop should disclose risks on its warranties pure and simple. If it does not, it should be forced out of this business by a court of law. They are in denial about this. I last asked them to record a 15 minute diatribe of mine on their customer service line and play it to the executive.

I have a voicemail from an operations manager on my phone. I will update as this goes.

*Moved to front page by Admin*

News | 7 Comments »

*Moved from coments to front page by Admin*

Yes Futureshop is a scam. I bought an HP desktop a Christmas gift for my kids on Dec. 2006. I hooked it up in Jan. After one week it started missing up, you can not be on it for more 3 hours. So I brought it back to futurecrap and I asked if I can exchange it. And they refused because they couldn’t figure out what was wrong with it. I told them everything what it was doing. My whole screen would have lines all the way through it and then it would go to a black screen that says : enter system disk. Will I know I am no computer wiz but I figured it would be the hard drive. By the 4th time I brought it to them then they said that it was the hard drive. But by now its to late for an exchange, which is not surprising with them. So they fixed it but I am still stuck with a defective item. Because after about 6 months it started acting up again. It had a mind of its own, it would work one day, then the next day it wouldn’t. So I bring it back 2 weeks after the warranties done. They told me that they misdiagnosed it back in April 2007. Now they are saying that its the motherboard, they also told me back in April that their was a recall with this item. They still refused to exchange it, after telling me that. They lie to their customers and their policy is crap, they go against their policy. Their technicians do not know anything. How can you not know what is wrong with a computer. My computer is still at futurecrap since Jan.2 2008. They refuse to fix it and so does HP. Futurecrap screwed up and they will not own up to their mistakes. I will be taking my business elsewhere, I just hope people will stop going their. I must of spent about $1000.00 of extended warranty for other products from their, that I have never used. I spent so much money their, its not funny. And then when you have a problem with an item this is how they treat you. The whole place is crap.

Left by paul on January 23rd, 2008

News | 7 Comments »

*Moved from comments to the front page  by Admin*

First of all, extended warranties are ’scams’….. With markups or margins so low on electronic equipment, extended warranty is the way to go where profit margins are a lot higher…. an average of 80% (according to various consumers reports)…. And according to them, it’s not a good investment)…

Especially if you get it at FutureCrap!

It didn’t happen to me (but to a friend) but it just irks me, whether you buy a $50 cd-player or a $2000 laptop, you get almost pressured into buying this, what they call ‘peace of mind’ insurance, extended warranty!

I’m a compute r consultant and a friend purchased a Compaq computer from FutureCrap a little over a year ago and fortunately for him (so I thought), he purchased an extended warranty for two more years (for an extra $159+tax)…

Well, his computer broke and I diagnosed it (am also a A+ certified technician) and the problem is the hard drive… You hear a ‘click-click-click’ and it hangs and freezes, you don’t have to be a certified technician to figure out it’s a hard drive problem.

Anyways, we took the system to FutureCrap and (me, knowing what am doing), told them it’s a hard drive problem. They check my friend’s receipt and no problem, it’s covered and to call them back in a week (how long does it take to get another hard drive?).

After a week, I called and they claimed there’s a problem with the motherboard…. What the heck!? I said, the only problem was the hard drive!… But they claimed they found other problems, so, give them the benefit of a doubt, they ordered another motherboard…

After a couple more weeks, they said they got the motherboard but are waiting for a CPU!…. OK, nuff is nuff, what is the extra problem? Motherboard or CPU? Because they’re completely separate!

So, anyways, after two months, finally got a call from them saying that they’re authorized to give us a new computer since they can’t fix it (duh?!)….. I told them it’s only over a year old and my friend doesn’t really need a new computer! But what the heck, might as well get another one….

So, off we went to FutureCrap, got the paper work done and we pick up a computer replacement and the salesperson asked if we need extended warranty…..

This is how the conversation went:

Me: “What? We already have extended warranty for almost two more years!”…

Salesperson: “Sorry, but since we can’t repair the computer, the warranty is over… However, you’re getting a new one with more hard drive space and more memory”…

Me: “Who cares!”

Salesperson: “Besides, the extended warranty this time will only cost $99+tax. What happened to you doesn’t happen too often that we cannot fix the computer”…..

Me: “Well, it did happen, and my friend just lost $159 in extended warranty and you extect him to purchase another one when you can’t even honour the first!”….

Salesperson: “Sorry, but like I said, this doesn’t happen often and if we can’t fix it, we do give you a new one but the extended warranty doesn’t apply… store policy, sorry, I just follow the rules”….

Me: “So, you have to follow the rules no matter what right?

Salesperson: “Sorry, yes we do… but”

Before he can do more salespitch… I said “So does Hitler’s Henchman…. You know it’s wrong, but you still have to follow the rules right?”….

By this time, he had a ‘frown’ (considering he didn’t get his ‘commission’ on the extra extended warranty, which by the way, is how the salespeople at FutureCrap makes most of their money on commish)… I shook my head and headed up to the counter….

My friend and I went ahead to the counter (with the frowning salesperson carrying the computer replacement)….

And at the counter, the saleslady ringing up the stuff, ask me if I wanted extended warranty! Apparently, the computer she’s using must be saying “Sell… Selll…. Selll….!”…. yeah right!

At this time, I was very tired and just said “You gotta be kidding me!”…

She just smiled and we left.

If I wasn’t there, my friend could’ve been scammed a second time!

My advice is, FutureCrap (like Bestbuys, Steals, or whatever super electronics store… why do you think Radio Schack changed their name to “The Source”?), buy stuff because it’s a good (or great) price, don’t get any extended warranty whatsoever (the manufacturer’s give atleast a year warranty anyways! For LCD monitor, most manufacturer’s give three-year warranty so why bother!)….

Don’t buy small computer accessories there! Go to the small computer shops… Like, USB cables selling at FutureCrap in a nice retail box or whatever (who cares about the box!), or computer memory and stuff…. you’re better off getting it at the good ol’ small computer shops…

The retail electronic stores are just good for high-price electronics stuff (since they purchase ‘bulks’)…. But whatever you do, don’t touch ‘extended warranties’ (you’ll always be told it’s the way to go… yeah, right!)….

If you don’t believe me, do a Google search on ‘Extended Warranties
” and you’ll know what am talking about……

Dec 18, 5:19 AM

News | 19 Comments »

Everything is working great get back to posting !

News | 2 Comments »

I bought a new laptop online in January of 2007, and it arrived 2 weeks later. I’m usually the on-the-run kind of guy; going to work, then coffee shop, then late evening classes or the GYM if time permits. I would get a new MP3 player every year from Future Shop, cause none of the MP3 players I’ve previously owned could live through this rigorous weekly regime.

It was no hassle at all to replace the MP3 players, and I didn’t mind to pay a little more to replace for these small ticketed items. Often than most, many of the staff would smile and politely say that “we can exchange this for you with either a store credit, or an MP3 player at a similar price.” Sometimes the MP3 players that I would get won’t have the same features that I enjoyed in the previous MP3 player, however this is a small price to pay since you’re getting it for almost nothing (when you figure in the initial cost of the MP3 player, and the ever rising internal flash memory capacity, and it’s depreciation value, and in some cases an irreplaceable internal battery, it’s almost worthless within a few years). So, no biggie I didn’t really mind paying the extra few bucks in getting it insured under the Future Shop warranty plan.

But as for the laptop: 319.05 bucks for a warranty! Looking back now, it was money that has gone to waste (with the same amount you can either get a new laptop LCD screen (if by some unholy reason should it get damaged), OR a new SATA hard drive if it conks out on you, OR a new keyboard +++ other plastics and bezels if you get a scratch or a ding, OR a new battery if the battery was to lose its juice, OR a new DVD-R laptop drive if your original just stops reading….). But before I get in my ranting, let’s go far back, to the time before I ever knew this site existed.

“We’re here when you need us.”

I bought my extended warranty from a Future Shop sales representative at the Future Shop store 086 (Just to be fair for the guys who work there, I won’t mention any last names). My sales representative is named Hassan and he was very polite when I approached him with my questions concerning Laptop warranties. We covered every angle of the warranty together; he even gave me his Future Shop business card if any questions were to arise concerning the warranty. I even selected a well padded laptop case that would protect my investment from all the elements. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think he could have gotten commission for both of those items. Good for him, he earned it.

All of January, and early February it was freezing. Traveling from one place to another, or just picking some groceries from the store, I kept my laptop bag in a secure and freezing compartment of my trunk -away from the climate controlled cabin of the car, and away from prying eyes of thieves. I thought it would be a sure way of keeping it safe.

Two weeks later, a crack on the top right corner started forming, and liquid like stuff started to spread behind the glass. I suspect that the cold and hot temperatures or maybe moisture build up (from coffee shop to trunk, then to 4 hours of none stop work, and then back to the trunk) seems to be taking a toll on my laptop.

A friend of mine who builds computers and websites for a living took a look at my laptop, and told me that I should see an LCD specialist, and pointed out a repair shop in the West Island (Montreal). The repair man (Mikhal) told me that I need to replace the LCD, and that a job like this would cost 400 dollars! (Wow, almost half of the price of the laptop!). I told him that the laptop was still under warranty, and that if it was ever opened it, it would void the warranty. He suggested that I should speak to the sales rep about this, and that the LCD screen should be covered under the warranty. He said that the crack could have been caused by extreme changes of temperature, but it is more likely that it was cause by a pressure point (pointing to the cracked LCD screen). However there was no evidence that would lead to suggest something like that was to happen (the laptop top cover had no markings, nor did the keyboard). He wished me good luck and I was on my way.

I proceeded to call my sales rep.

When I called him up, I was on hold for a long time. A lady told me to call back. I did, and I was on hold again…

“We’ll help diagnose the problem.”

The crack started to spread, and so the laptop stays at home on dual monitor support. It’s late February and Hassan hasn’t called back. A few days later, I turned on the computer and Vista doesn’t want to load up. When I Google the symptoms, I read in a trouble shooting article that Vista was in an “endless reboot” loop. It also mentioned steps in how to alleviate this problem by pressing F8 on Vista boot up, and then disabling the “automatic restart” feature. I wanted to get confirmation about what I should do before following the suggestions on the website. I then called the technician at the Future Shop and asked what I should do with the LCD, and the constant reboot problem. After repeated attempts in reaching the technician, I finally go through and explained my problems. First he mentions that they’ve been having similar problems with the computers, and suggested that I backup all my files and proceed to reinstall the software. After backing up my software, I used (the suggested software) HP’s Total Care recovery program and returned my computer to the proper factory default settings. Now it works beautifully but no more of my previously installed programs. That’s ok, it’s almost new. As for the LCD screen I had to go the Future Shop for him to see it. Unfortunately, he didn’t give me his name (CLICK!).
When I arrived at Future Shop, I saw my sales rep behind the cash register serving a customer. The customer, a middle aged woman, was buying a new keyboard and Hassan was there ready with the “Product Service Plan” pamphlet. I stood there and waited for him to finish. The lady was in a hurry and agreed to buy the service plan without taking a look at the pamphlet. She swiped her credit card, and she was gone. Hassan turned to me, and I asked if he remembered me from a month before, about the warranty on my laptop. He them asked me what was wrong. I told him everything. But when I was telling him my story, he was going through my receipts without caring what I had to say.

Without saying a word, he turned around and knocked on the window and pointed to a technician behind the glass, and then pointed to me. The Future Shop technician then comes out, and starts talking to another customer waiting for her laptop to be fixed. Hassan leaves, and without telling me anything. The new technician (no-name, the guy wasn’t wearing a name tag) takes a break from the other customer, and proceeds to talk to me. I tell him the same thing that I told the Hassan, and direct me to a 1-800-HP INVENT number, and said that “I should get a service number, before coming back here.” Short and effective, but I got the idea: I am a stupid customer that behaves like a punching bag every time you throw a rude comment or gesture. The technician then returns to the lady waiting for her laptop.

Throughout this whole ordeal, I was calm, polite, and I did not raise my voice. Maybe I have to for the next time.

“Complete your gift with a Product Service Plan”

“… ensure your recipient will always enjoy their product and to protect them against expensive repair costs.”

After having been on hold at HP, I was told that the damage to the laptop was self inflicted and that I had to pay for the repair and replacement.

So I got swindled out of 319 bucks. The warranty is useless. Future Shop has a “take no responsibility” warranty policy on all their big ticketed items (many sources on this website). Now, I’m having memory problems… With a broken LCD, and an impending doom of constant reboot problem syndrome, I think this warrants’ a replacement under the “no lemon” policy. Wrong… software problems are not covered by the policy, according to the no-name Future Shop technician, even when the laptop is setup in its factory default settings. PLEASE SEE MANUFACTURE. The warranties program, customer service, and in store personal are all phony. Floor personal are all out there for their’ own (commissioned) interests.

PS. To the guy/gal who works at Future Shop “Dear Future Shop Customers,” find a real job that doesn’t harbor deceitful liars.

Mar 16, 4:00 AM —

News | 12 Comments »

Futureshop.ca is the most unreliable service available
After 20DAYS placing an order and 6 CALLS MADE into the costumer service center.
They have the guts to call you and tell you 2 of the 3 items you ordered (totaling $1000 dollars) are sold out. When 3 days ago, you have made a complain to a supervisor on the phone and she had told you only 1 are in back order and she’ll put in a note for you to speed things up a bit, because one of her call girls just spent 30 min on the phone with me telling me to call my credit card company!!!! When in fact there is nothing wrong with my credit card.

THEY have the WORST SHIPPING SYSTEM I’ve ever seen!!!!!!!!!!!!!, and every single person on the phone give you a different excuse. AND THE LAST SUPERVISOR I TALKED TO: Jane (4070) sounded happy and didn’t give a shit about my problem and the fact that after 20days they have absolutely no idea when my orders are coming!!!! What a bunch of slack off people!!!
I’m going to the head office today good thing it’s in Burnaby just half an hour drive from where I live, but it’s snowing outside so I’m not going be happy when I get there!!!!!
I’m going to let them know what happens when you SCREW ONE OF YOUR COSTUMERS LIKE THEY MEAN NOTHING!!!!!!AND WAST 20 DAYS OF MY TIME IS COMING BACK YOU BITE YOU !!!!!

TO ALL THE NICE SHOPPERS OUT THERE. DON’T BUY FROM FUTURESHOP.CA
YOU’LL NEVER GET YOUR THINGS !!!! AND THEY’LL GIVE IT TO SOMEONE ELSE AND YOU’LL WAST MORE OF YOUR TIME.

News | 13 Comments »

All,

I purchased a Maytag Performa Washer and Dryer team as well as a General Electric Portable Dishwasher on June 24, 2006 from the Future Shop in Saint John, NB. I also purchased the Product Service Plan (PSP) for 169.99. These items were delivered to me on June 30, 2006. The first time I used the washer was on July 8, 2006 when I discovered that the washer tub was severely unbalanced and would not balance, even with an empty load. The tub is leaning severely to the right, enough so that there is gap between the washer tub and the rest of the washer. An appliance repairman finally showed up and said he could not/would not fix it.

I have talked to 2 different duty managers on three separate occasions at the Future Shop in Saint John. They have all indicated to me that despite the fact that I have purchased the PSP, they cannot/will not replace my washer because it was a clearance item and they cannot find a suitable washer that is in the same price range. I was told that if I wanted to buy the 2nd least expensive model they currently have in the store (it is also a clearance item) that I would have to pay a delivery fee AND an additional 170 dollars even though I purchased the PSP. Needless to say, I will not agree to that type of arrangement, which is why I bought the PSP in the first place.

Having said that, my advice is DO NOT purchase clearance items at the Future Shop and then waste your money on the Product Service Plan. They will NOT honour the Product Service Plan if the item is a clearance item and they cannot find a “suitable” replacement, which they won’t, because as I discovered, their clearance items are usually discontinued models (mine was discontinued 4 years ago). In fact, I soon found out that Future Shop nationwide does not even carry Maytag washers and dryers any more.

I was also told that if I wish to return my purchases within the 30 day time frame, that I will have to pay an additional delivery fee! Talk about adding insult to injury.

I am not even sure that this location has a store manager, it just seems to have all these different “duty” or floor managers that rotate around. The duty managers I have spoken to did not have good customer service skills and were what I would describe as combative and antagonistic, not only towards me, but also to the customer service rep that I had call the store on my behalf. For example, while on a call with me, a CSR and the duty manager, the CSR asked the duty manager if I would have to pay the delivery fee to return the washer. I will now quote him “For the fourth time, No!”. And he said this in a very rude and condescending tone. Who talks to a customer or client like that?

Additionally, the other duty manager I spoke to told me and my husband that the PSP does not take effect until after 30 days after the purchase. I double-checked with Future Shop customer service and they told me that is not true, that PSP take effect the day of purchase.

The two duty/floor managers I talked to made it clear to me that their policy on my predicament was non-negotiable and my options were as follows:

1.) Return washer and get a “credit” towards a much more expensive washer
2.) Do nothing and continue to have a defective washer

Obviously, neither of these options are suitable, again, because the Future Shop PSP clearly states: “If we can’t fix it, we’ll replace it You’ll have peace of mind knowing that your product will be replaced if we are unable to repair it, or if the repair will take longer than 60 days.” I copied and pasted this directly from their web site.

This is a lie! They have flat out REFUSED to replace my washer.

Stay away, far, far away from the Future Shop if you want to purchase home appliances. If you do feel the need to purchase a home appliance from the Future Shop, then, for the love of God, DO NOT purchase anything marked as clearance.

I have placed a formal complaint against the store to which the district manager is supposed to respond. As of today, July 20, 2006, it has been over 24 hours and no response. This is no surprise, I don’t actually expect a response. But whatever response they have will be in vain because after work today, I am going to the store to obtain a full and complete refund for all of the products I purchased. I will take my business elsewhere. I have already located a new washer and dryer at a reasonable price at a more reputable retailer here in the city which I intend to purchase.

I have posted this letter also to complaints.com. If anyone can think of anywhere else I could post this letter, please let me know because I want to get the word out there so that no one else is bamboozled by these unethical and unscrupulous retailers!

Regards,

Abby Teed-Walton
Saint John, NB

Sorry for the delay in posting this for you

News | 5 Comments »