NO, we can't support another store's service contract.

[sld72382]

Backstory so this makes sense:

The retail store we answer phones for owns a popular computer support company. A branch is located in every single one of the retail stores. A couple of years ago, the retail store decided to license out some branches of the computer support company to a popular office supply store. Why they would want to put the branches in a competitor is beyond me, but it is what it is.

OK, fast forward to now. Most of those licensed branches in the office supply store have disappeared. There are still a few left but that's it.

So, I get this guy on the phone on tier 1. Tier 1 is the dept that handles the retail store's onsite computer service contracts. NOT THE OFFICE SUPPLY STORE'S SERVICE CONTRACTS OR ANYONE ELSE'S, ONLY OURS.

Here's a bit of the convo:

SLD: You know this by now.
MC: Misled client, not really hugely sucky but when they decide to stick to bad info....
OSS: Office Supply Store in question.

SLD: I'm afraid I'm not pulling up your computer, sir. Are you sure you put it under that number?
MC: That's because I didn't buy it from you guys, I bought it at OSS.
SLD: I see. At this point you're going to have to contact OSS's service line.
MC: But the guy at the store told me to contact you guys!

Yep, the guy at the OSS told him to contact us. What he failed to tell the client was he should only contact us for Tier 2 (pay-per-incident) support if he had an issue his service contract didn't support. To take advantage of his service contract from OSS, he needs to call the number on the back of it's pamphlet.

SLD: *Relays above info to him.*
MC: I don't believe that, the guy told me to contact you!
SLD: Sir, there would be no reason for me to lie to you. In order to take advantage of that service contract you bought at OSS, you need to call the number on the paper you got with the product.
MC: I see a number on the brochure they gave me, I'll try that thanks.
MC (to someone in the background): What an ass trying to hassle me.. *Hangs up on me.*

Gotta love people who get wrong info and refuse to believe anything else.

[earl colby pottinger]

Ouch

Ouch, years ago (over a decade in fact) I worked as a tech at a store that supplied manufacturer's warranty service on a range of computers (Apple, Commodore, Compaq, IBM, etc), additionally we provided our own extended service of the hardware we sold.

This of-course meant it did not matter who you bought your computer from, we would fix it for free if it was inside the manufacturer's support dates.

Time and time again people would show up with equipment that they bought elsewhere that was out of the warranty period, but they would start to complain because we stated a charge but their friend's repair was free. Of-course their friend had bought their unit from us, but they did not because they thought our prices were too high. There was a reason why our prices were higher, and they were no where cost to what the repair costs were now going to cost.

Worse, were the ones with extended warranties from other stores. At-least if the store was local we could try and contact someone to pay for the repair, but why do people fly to Florida, Europe, even Australia and expect a Canadian service center to honor the warranty blindly?

[HawaiianShirts]

I had the opposite of that some time ago.

A woman brought in her notebook. The screen was shattered. She claimed that "it just happened" while she was in the shower, and she didn't know how. We guessed she had closed the lid with a mechanical pencil still sitting on the keyboard. The shape of the damage and the little piece of graphite embedded in the screen made for fairly good clues.

She had purchased one of our store's service contract, but not the one that covers that kind of damage. She demanded that we fix it for free. Her reasoning was that it wasn't her fault because she "had no clue how it happened," and therefore it should be covered. I told her that we would not fix it for free. Techs told her we would not fix it for free. Managers told her that we would not fix it for free.

She got mad, made some more demands that we refused to meet, then gave us this line: "Fine. Then I'll just take it over to *Competitor* where they actually CARE about their customers. Maybe THEY'LL honor my warranty!"

Yep. She said she was going to take her compy to the guys down the street and try to make them make repairs under our service contract. I'm not sure what happened. We never saw her again.

[sld72382]

When and if I get a laptop later this year, I'll be sure to get the accidental damage warranty. so that kind of thing doesn't happen!

[Akasa]

I got the if anythign happens to it, its covered warranty myself as well.
I can just see myself accidentally dropping my laptop, or using it at a coffee shop and spilling my coffee on it. /shudder