Summary
One year ago, I bought a washer and dryer from Best Buy. The technicians they sent to install the washer and dryer stripped out the threading inside the washer that's used to hold the shipping bolts. (Shipping bolts are used to stabilize the washer and prevent damage when it is moved.) I didn't realize this until one year later because I would have to uninstall and reinstall the washer myself in order to check that the shipping bolts were okay. Best Buy customer service lied to me to get me to hang up the first time I called. the second time I called, they refused to fix the problem in any way because I didn't realize the problem until after their 30 day warranty period expired.
Broken Shipping Bolt Threads
I bought a washer and dryer from Best Buy about one year ago. They included installation in the price of the washer and dryer. The installation was performed by a couple of guys who worked for a company that did contract work for Best Buy. When they installed the washer, they had to remove four shipping bolts from the back of the washer. Shipping bolts are used on front-loading washing machines to stabilize them during transit and prevent damage.
A couple days ago I disconnected my washer and dryer so they could be moved to my new apartment. My movers wouldn't disconnect or reconnect the washer and dryer, so I tried to get ready for them. I disconnected both and then tried to install the shipping bolts. One shipping bolt installed without a problem. Another shipping bolt installed at kind of an odd angle.
The last two shipping bolts wouldn't install at all. There was plastic residue on the last two shipping bolts. When I looked at the threading inside the washer, I saw that it was plastic and the same color as the residue on the shipping bolts. The technicians that installed the washer must have turned the bolts in the wrong direction when loosening them, and instead of loosening them, they tightened them until the threads gave out and removed the bolt and the threading together.
I'm not sure they realized their mistake or not, but if they did, I'm sure they didn't tell me about it on purpose. They knew I would not find out about it until the next time I moved at the earliest and that would most likely be so far in the future that I'd have little to no recourse. (That would turn out to be very true.)
Lying to Distract the Customer
So I called Best Buy customer service to try to get this issue fixed. The first guy I talked to was Brian. I explained the problem to Brian. He put me on hold and talked to his manager. When he came back, he told me that the shipping bolts are one-time use only; they're only used when transporting the washer from the warehouse to the customer's home. He also said that the manufacturer would say the same thing.
I didn't know for sure, but I was pretty sure he was lying to me. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, so I thanked him for his time even though he didn't solve my problem and hung up. I downloaded my washer's manual and looked in the section about shipping bolts to see if what Bryan said was true. The manual for my washer says, "Save the bolt assemblies for future use. To prevent damage to internal components, DO NOT transport the washer without reinstalling the shipping bolts."
That seems pretty clear to me. The manufacturer does not think the shipping bolts are one-time use, and Bryan was bullshitting me.
Refusing to Correct the Problem and Demanding More Money
With this new information, I called back. This time I talked to Layla. I explained the situation to Layla. After conferring with her manager a couple times, she gave me two options: pay a $99 diagnostic fee to have someone come out and look at it with the implication that the the washer was still covered under the manufacturer's warranty, or call the manufacturer and try to get them to fix it for me.
I told her that both options were bad, and that if that was the best she could do, then I would never shop at Best Buy again. I told her I'm not going to pay an extra $99 to fix something that should have been done right the first time. She said that if I had bought the Geek Squad protection plan then she could give me some better options. So I asked her, "Why do I have to pay extra and buy protection in order to get Best Buy to do their job correctly?" Of course, she couldn't answer that question because she understood my situation. There's no reason why my previous purchase of Geek Squad protection should have anything to do with getting Best Buy to fix something that they broke.
And of course, the manufacturer will not cover this damage because that damage wasn't there when they produced the washer. The damage was caused by negligence. Why would LG repair a washer that someone else broke? That's not LG's problem.
Boycott Best Buy
Not willing to pay Best Buy a $99 diagnostic fee just to send someone out and tell me what i already know is broken on my washer, I told Layla that I couldn't do business with Best Buy any longer.
Any company that says you have to pay extra in order to ensure that the services they render are performed correctly should be boycotted. That's why I'm never shopping at Best Buy again and neither should you.