What to do When Technical Support Fails?

trifster asks: "At this year's Comdex I purchased a Buslink USB 2.0 Cardbus adapter for my laptop. It was a good price and a partial impulse purchase, however it was defective out of the box. Before Christmas 2003, I set it back via Buslink's RMA process. It will be 2 months tomorrow, and I have not received my replacement nor have the 3 phone calls or 4 emails been addressed. What can one consumer do when he is on the East Coast and his hardware is held hostage on the West Coast? What have your experiences been in resolving these support SNAFUs?"

contact your attorney general

[iamcadaver]

And the one in the state the company is incorporated in. They keep the lists on complaints.

Better Business Bureau, I think, will recommend the same.

What the Better Business Bureau says

[seanmceligot]

I was going to tell you to file for mediation with the Better Business Bureau, but they already have a poor record with the BBB [labbb.org] so it might not do any good.

We rate this company as having an unsatisfactory business performance record, based on a pattern of complaints that cause us concern.

Complainants allege they experience delays in receiving ordered products, or that items are delivered damaged or defective. Some customers complain they experience delays or fail to receive rebates offered as buyer incentives.

The company responds in some delivery complaints by providing refunds, issuing credits or shipping orders. Some rebate complaints are addressed by advising rebate checks would be issued, or that the customer failed to comply with conditions of the offer. A few complaints are closed as disputed, meaning the customer was not satisfied with the company's response. Many other complaints are unanswered.

The Better Business Bureau does not endorse, recommend or disapprove of any product, service or company.

You can report them to the FTC but that won't help your specific case.

Re:contact your attorney general

[dcocos]

As some who how has filed a claim with the BBB I can tell you from the most part it is worthless (even the BBB tells you they can't do anything.) If it is a large enough amount go to court over it, if it isn't vote with your wallet and never spend money with them again.

Go Straight to the Top

[jazman_777]

Back in '96, when Ed Foster had Iomega at the top of his bad list, I had a tape drive go bad. Their whole repair process was screwed up, so I wrote a letter to the president of the company, documenting all the support calls and efforts made to ascertain the status. I asked, "Will I ever see my tape drive again?" A week later, I had it back, fixed. Go Straight to the Top.

Don't do it that way

[alienw]

Never RMA something to a shady company like that. Instead, go to Wal-mart, Staples, or Best Buy, find the same card, buy it, and return your broken one as defective. They'll automatically deduct the money from the manufacturer's account, so the manufacturer will be rightly screwed.

Re:Don't do it that way

[AragornSonOfArathorn]

That's not what the parent poster is suggesting... you don't just return the item to a store that carries it, you BUY it, then return your DEFECTIVE one. How can they tell you didn't buy it from their store? You'll have a valid receipt...

Turboing

[AndrewM1]

You might want to check out The Art Of Turboing [macwhiz.com]. It explains what to do when you can't get a good answer From Tech Support Pretty well. Also, for an example of really bad Tech Support, see CompUSA: How not to handle a turboing customer [macwhiz.com]

Advice that is too late

[angle_slam]

You should have bought from a retailer like Best Buy. If it was defective, you can exchange it for a new product or get a refund. No need to deal with the manufacturer, because Best Buy does it for you.