My experience with the Future Shop

[Garrett_thief2]

Just thought i'd type this up to let everyone know what happens when you buy from The Future Shop in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

In August i bought a Visiontek GeForce 4 Ti4400 for $369. I bought it because its a kick *** card, with a lifetime warranty.The salesman at the future shop explained to me that Visiontek has an awesome, no-hassle lifetime warranty, and that if i ever had any problems with it, The Future Shop would gladly replace it, no problem. So i decided to buy it right then and there. We discussed the "over the counter replacement deal", wich would have cost an additional $50. I asked the salesman why i should bother with it if the card came with a lifetime warranty.He replied. "i don't know, i'm just supposed to ask you if you want it"

Ok, so fast forward a few months till yesterday.My Ti4400 died.I replaced it with my backup card, and all was well with the system.

So i go down to The Future Shop and explain that i tested the card in 2 different machines, and it failed to display video in either.Both machines work fine with other cards.I am told by Jenn, the customer support girl that the card would have to be tested, and it might take a few hours.I say fine,, and ask what will happen when they find it is a dead card.I am told that i will have to purchase the "over the counter" replacement policy, and that she would back date it. Since they were sold out of Ti4400's i ask her if i would get the 4600 as a replacement.She left for 10 minutes and came back to let me know that i would indeed get a 4600.I say fine, i'll go for that then.

She brings the tech over, and he tells me that i would not get a 4600, but that i would get a Radeon 8500le.I tell them noway, thats BS. They then take all offers of help or support off the table.Now they will do nothing for me.I become angry.Paul, the Tech tells me "what did you expect....Visiontek went under, thats why the card was on a clearance sale" .........I lost it!!! In effect they sold me a card knowing that it would not warrantied, yet they really hyped the warranty. I told them i felt deceived and outraged.

Fast forward 45 minutes.Tech guy tells me that he will give me one option, and i have only a few minutes to decide.They will give me a store credit for $369, to use towards anything in the store, but i have to go for it right now.He walked away to let me think about it.

I tell him that i'm gonna buy a $229 Radeon 9000, and a $170 80 gig hard drive, and i will gladly pay the difference.....he says "noway,dude....its gotta be on a videocard only....if you decide on a $229 card, thats all you get" I lost it again!!.....they are robbing me, with the intent to rape me.....

So in the end, my choices were : 1. Pay $369 for a $229 dollar card or 2. Buy a $530 Ti4600 without any hopes of future support or 3. Fork out the cash for a $650 Radeon 9700 and try to take comfort in knowing i had the best card on the market.

I chose 3.....I had to, it was to only logical choice to make at the time.....

Jenn, the customer support girl was nice, and she did try to help, but Paul, the tech guy, was a real jerk.He was obnoxious.a small guy trying to bully me around.


what do you guys think?

 

[Batman@]

yup, I've had my bad experience with futureshop too, it was for a warranty as well. They are very glad to your 'extra' money for the warrany, but when it comes to replacing the products they are real ***** about it

 

[Tipycol]

Hmm...maybe I should tell my family in Toronto not to deal with Futureshop due to their not fulfilling their warranties, though I'd doubt they'd listen to me any way


Thanks for the heads up

Tipycol

 

[Ottoman]

would u like me to introduce paul's knee caps' to my good friend louisville?

 

[Mr. $T$]

For all of you that dont know what that means;

He is going to take his legs out with a baseball bat. good idea. I will back you up with some long and heavy Iron pipe.


Well you are now the proud owner of a 9700 on the bright side of things.


Life time rating of 1.25

http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1761.html

Read the commets. lol Thay have a problem in short.

I'm a part-time computer sales associate at Future Shop and I've been working there for nearly two years now. I've read all your complaints and I really have nothing to say to them. They are all very valid. If Future Shop has a failing...and it does, it's that it is too lax in their hiring process. Don't get me wrong, we do, on occassion hire people that are qualified but the sad fact of the matter is (to customers) is that the people that are good, eventually leave to go onto better jobs and careers.

This comes from an employee

 

[Garrett_thief2]

Paul is 5'6" and maybe 160 lbs......i'm over 6'2" and 230 lbs.....i think i can handle him all by myself....but what the hell......i'm always up for a party......

Seriously though.....i'm a pretty shrewd businessman.......i'm not a schmuck. I will take the legal approach to start.....and we will go from there.I have emailed The Future Shop with what i have posted here.I have also emailed the ministry of consumer affairs.My brother in law is a corporate law attorney.

I have a few different avenues i can take.If all else fails, i am a welder with a big stack of pipe in my shop.I will kieep you all posted.

 

[Garrett_thief2]

A friend of mine is going into The Future Shop tommorrow with a tape recorder to inquire about the Visiontek Ti4600.He is going to specifically ask about warranties and return policies.Hopefully we will catch them lying.I want them to pay the $322 difference between the two cards.I feel ripped off.......now i am low on money to feed my family for the next two weeks.......i really did not have that money to spend.Now my wife is mad at me, and i can not even begin to hope she will understand why i needed a $650 video card......

 

[William]

http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MzM5

Seems like visiontek is still honoring their warranties and all.

 

[Garrett_thief2]

That article was dated August 19.......i wonder if it is still true?? Looks like The Future Shop not only conned me once, but twice by telling me that Visiontek was not honouring warranties anymore......................

 

[Garrett_thief2]

My wife and I are sitting here posting this to as many forums as we can......hopefully someone from The Future Shop will see it somewhere and attemp to make things right......

I appreciate the support from everyone

 

[Dark Disciple]

I am not sure about the laws up north and if you have any legs to stand on, but good luck.

 

[Yodums]

I hope you realise that Futureshop sells their hardware way over priced. Well glad you got the Radeon 9700 but RMAing it to Visiontek may have have been any better. They aren't like they use to be -- very slow.

Good luck with catching them.

 

[subconcept]

Get out the Louisville slugger like previously mentioned

That is complete BS. I am in toronto and have dealt with futureshop numerous times they are complete jerks.

When 8500s came out they were selling them foir 450+ tax after I got mine for 390 + tax elsewhere.

Now for my next story, i know the meaning or refurbished. I went in there to buy a wacom tablet once. They had them for a cheap price, so I asked where are the wacoms tablets you had for this price blah blah, he goes our wacom tablets are here, I said the one you had for cheap is 150 it wasnt that much on the website, he says oh those were refurbished. I said oh ok well what kind of condition are they in are they working ok cause I would like to buy one, he says well the are refursbished so they are broken, you will have to buy it and send it away to get fixed. I proceeded to leave at that time.

If I am not mistaken refurbished product as been broken but repaired and resold, hehe guess he had no idea.

The people there are generaly stupid, I refuse to go there for anything besides maybe a usb cable or memory card for my camera.

Good luck with going higher I hope your successful, these criminals need to be destroyed.

 

[Yodums]

There's a difference between broken and refurbished. . . Refurbished actually works, it could be like new and remarked as refurbished. There should be a course required for techs.

Yodums

 

[Garrett_thief2]

Just to keep you guys updated....

The Future Shop emailed me back to let me know that they filed a complaint and will be launching an investigation......what that really means has yet to be seen..

I emailed them back demanding that they pay me the $322 difference that i was forced to pay.They told me they'd get back to me once the store manager responds to the complaint.

They can keep their money if they fire that Paul jerk........

 

[subconcept]

Nice, at least they responded and did not leave it ignored, hopefully they are quick with their "investigation"