Those pesky little service plans

[sexiphatchick]

I was just reading another post that mentioned extended service plans, and it made me remember this story. I actually had a customer leave his merchandise at the register once and walk out because I offered him an extended service plan.

Me: Would you like to buy the extended service plan for an additional $9.99?
SC: Don't you automatically back up the stuff you sell?
Me: Yes sir, for 90 days. After that you have to go through the manufacturer, unless you purchase the warranty.
SC: So you're telling me it's going to break down on me.
Me: No....sir....I just have to offer the warranty...
SC: Well, if you sell it and something goes wrong with it, you should have to take it back.
Me: We do, sir. You have 90 days to return it if anything goes wrong. After that, the manufacturer's warranty picks it up.
SC: Forget it, if you guys have no confidence in your merchandise, I'll go somewhere else.
Me: O.........K...........

[RetailWorkhorse]

*Blink-blink*

....gu-wha'?

[Keiara]

Wow guess that guy never heard of freak accidents

[Mike Taylor]

No, he's just a SC who doesn't listen to what the sales associate is telling him.

When I worked at FAO Schwarz, Nintendo had sent us a memorandum on what to do if a customer tried to return a defective game console (at the time, this was the N64). We were supposed to encourage them to return it directly to the manufacturer. Mind you, this is directly from Nintendo of America themselves. I tried explaining it to a customer one day and ended up going through roughly the same conversation as sexiphatchick.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

This is what happens sometimes when you push extended service plans/warranties/whatever the hell they're called at your place of employment.

Joe Average tends to think they're a rip off and the product must be defective if you're pushing the warranty so hard.

This is one of the several reasons why I refuse to offer them when doing furniture carryouts. I'll be damned if I lose a $300 or so sale over about a $25 extended warranty.

[lordlundar]

No, he's just a SC who doesn't listen to what the sales associate is telling him.

When I worked at FAO Schwarz, Nintendo had sent us a memorandum on what to do if a customer tried to return a defective game console (at the time, this was the N64). We were supposed to encourage them to return it directly to the manufacturer. Mind you, this is directly from Nintendo of America themselves. I tried explaining it to a customer one day and ended up going through roughly the same conversation as sexiphatchick.

They still do actually. When you buy a Wii console, there's a sheet of paper in the manual package that says to contact Nintendo directly in the event of a problem.

[Skeksin]

I would explain that the Sith are everywhere and you never know when one will take a lightsaber to your product. In the event that one does and it is after the 90 day coverage the extended warranty will cover it.

[Polenicus]

This is what happens sometimes when you push extended service plans/warranties/whatever the hell they're called at your place of employment.

Joe Average tends to think they're a rip off and the product must be defective if you're pushing the warranty so hard.

This is one of the several reasons why I refuse to offer them when doing furniture carryouts. I'll be damned if I lose a $300 or so sale over about a $25 extended warranty.

Except... if the product was defective, it wouldn't make sense for you to push the warranty, because then you'd have to take it back, and either replace it or refund the purchase price.

Warranties work best for those pushing them if the product is NOT prone to failure, just like Life Insurance companies prefer to insure the healthy. The point in both cases is paying a fraction of what a service is worth (In this case, complete repair or replacement of a game console) since 9/10 you won't NEED the service.

SC logic is interesting sometimes, isn't it?

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Well isn't this special....

Management has begun yet another big push for extended protection plan sales, despite our conversion rate being up for the past few weeks.

During the team huddle where this push was made, some employees questioned certain parts of the plan, especially this little bit of legal mumbo-jumbo from the brochure for the furniture EPPs, listed under "Exclusions--What Is Not Covered":

Floor samples, ready-to-assemble, outdoor, patio, pre-owned or "as is" furniture, wicker, rattan, or furniture used for rental or located in screened rooms where the furniture may be directly or indirectly exposed to the elements.

Now those employees, as well as other people who read this part, took this to mean anything that needs to be assembled prior to use isn't covered under an EPP. And it just so happens that 98% of our furniture has to be assembled before use. If we're reading it that way, then customers who actually buy an EPP for a furniture item probably are too.

Also, this weekend we sold a display futon (We had to build several displays of this particular futon so we could display some new futon mattresses that came in after Christmas. The mattresses have since went to clearance and sold out, so now we're selling the display futons.) This weekend somebody bought one of the futon displays AND an EPP on it. The register prompted the cashier to mention it and the customer took her/him up on it. That customer is going to be thoroughly SOL if they ever need to make use of their EPP.

Another thing--if somebody buys a furniture item and returns it, and we put it back on sale, does that make it "pre-owned" and thus not covered by the EPP?

Management has sent a list of employee concerns up to corporate and they're waiting for clarification. Meanwhile, it probably won't be too long before management decides to follow me outside and watch me try to sell an EPP on a furniture item I carried out for a customer. I am not looking forward to being graded on how well I can BS somebody.

[MadMike]

Joe Average tends to think they're a rip off and the product must be defective if you're pushing the warranty so hard.

And it certainly doesn't help when it does turn out to be a ripoff. Not saying all of them are, but I've had bad experiences with them. When we bought a laptop for my son at Circuit Shitty, the salesperson talked us into buying a service plan for it. "If it's not working right, just bring it in and we'll exchange it, no questions asked!" Well, there may not have been any questions, but there was a huge runaround. Apparently they love to take your money for these things, but when they have to actually pay out, they'll drag their feet every step of the way.

Believe me, I'm not shedding any tears over CC's demise. Now, if Acer would go under as well, I'd feel completely vindicated.

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

I hate having to push them too and would say in most cases they aren't really needed. A problem I have is that SCs think that the extended protection covers EVERYTHING.

Sorry but if your kid decides to drop your new cell phone in the toilet, good luck getting a replacement on the manufacturer warranty.

I'd bet the average customer doesn't even understand the concept of a "manufacturers defect"

[Demolition Man]

And it certainly doesn't help when it does turn out to be a ripoff. Not saying all of them are, but I've had bad experiences with them. When we bought a laptop for my son at Circuit Shitty, the salesperson talked us into buying a service plan for it. "If it's not working right, just bring it in and we'll exchange it, no questions asked!" Well, there may not have been any questions, but there was a huge runaround. Apparently they love to take your money for these things, but when they have to actually pay out, they'll drag their feet every step of the way.

That's not just a CC exclusive. I had to go through the same thing with CompUSA after my laptop quit working. They tried to find every excuse in the book to not honor what no less than three sales people and one manager when I bought the laptop told me. So don't feel bad.

Then again I used to work for CC until this last Sunday. So yeah.... that comment about "not shedding tears" greatly offends me.