Even Trained Tech's Get Confused

Good Morning,

 

Many years ago, I purchased a PC from Best Buy. I also bought the warranty I was moving from New York to Maryland. About a year after living in Maryland, the computer started seizing up and freezing altogether.

 

I brought the computer to the service station at the local Best Buy to have it repaired. The tech there, a former New Yorker themselves, advised some possible problems, most likely needing a new motherboard, and I felt confident that computer would be fixed.

 

A week later the computer came back from repair, and all seemed good until when I booted it up at home. The repair tag said it was tested and was fine, no other repairs were performed. Not more than 10 minutes after turning the dang thing on, it started seizing up and froze entirely, the same problem.

 

So, back I go to Best Buy and my friendly tech was on vacation so I explained the situation to the tech on duty and even suggested what the first tech said about the motherboard being the problem. And away the computer went again for another week to the repair station in another part of the state.

 

Again, I picked up the computer and brought it home the second time. Again, nothing was replaced, the PC was tested and worked, but I am not sure for how long. This time it worked for about a day and then started seizing up and froze entirely. You know I was getting a bit perturbed.

 

I brought the PC back a THIRD time and again the first tech was still on a long vacation, so I explained the story again, and again pointed out about replacing the motherboard. I even got the number for the repair station to call them to talk to them about the repair. I called the repair station many times until I reached someone and spoke to them about my PC and about the motherboard. They told me they will test the PC and if it needs a motherboard it will replace it. I explained to them this was the THIRD time the PC was out for repair.

 

The computer came back the third time, and this time the note said the motherboard was replaced and all was well. I shared my story with the first tech when he came back from his vacation and he just shook his head with the fact it took three attempts to fix the PC.

 

Consequently I have not purchased another PC from Best Buy since then, I may, if there is a good enough deal, but I will keep this service experience in my mind.

 

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Suggestion: Anytime something comes back for service a SECOND time, more work should be done than just rechecking the usual. There should never be a THIRD time for the same problem. That is just laziness or poor quality control. I like what Carl Sewell says in ‘Customers For Life’ where the same tech who serviced the product the first time and failed gets to do it again and is held accountable for making sure it is right the second time. And the best part is that they do not get paid for doing the re-work. There is incentive to do it right the first time. Of course if the problem was not the tech’s fault, don’t penalize them, but if it is, then have at it.

 

Enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg

sanford@berenberg.net