Problems with the Circuit City Advantage Protection Plan

Editor's Note: This horror story has been updated with a brighter ending. If you read this account, be sure to read how things turned out, too.

When we bought our new Samsung DLP television in March of 2004, we also purchased a Circuit City Advantage Protection Plan. Circuit City reps told us, "If anything ever goes wrong, we'll offer in-home repair. If the bulb goes out -- and these bulbs cost $350.00! -- we'll replace it free. Heck, if you put your leg through the screen, they'll replace it with a brand new t.v. just like this one."

Normally, I reject all offers of extended warranties, because, generally, speaking, they're nothing more than a way for stores to add a hundred bucks or so to the sale of electronics you'll replace in two to three years, anyway. In this case, though, DLP was still a new technology ... and the promise of free service and replacement for three years was very attractive.

As it turns out, buying a Circuit City Advantage Protection Plan is actually buying a ticket to an unending nightmare of problems, issues, lies, and delays. Before you buy one -- in fact, before you buy anything from Circuit City -- you need to read about my experience with Circuit City's Advantage Protection Plan.

DEC 15th / Day 1: My Little Problem
In late November, our Samsung DLP t.v. began making a funny noise when powering down: a distinctive "whrrrrrrr" that sounded a bit like a bumble bee coming in for a landing. Otherwise, the t.v. worked just fine -- and the picture was glorious.

Still, since we had the Circuit City Advantage Protection Plan, I called the contact number on December 15th to request an in-home repair.

"No problem," the rep said. "You'll hear from a repairman in forty-eight hours or less."

DEC 18th / Day 3: No One Called
Three days later, when no one called at all, I called the Advantage Protection Plan people again.

"Oh," Elvina told me, "the problem is that we don't have anyone in your area who works on your kind of television. We'll need seventy-two more hours to process the request and find a suitable repair shop."

DEC 28th / Day 13: Taking My Baby Away
Finally, on December 28th (!), a fellow claiming to be from Sims' TV showed up at my door. He was nice enough ... but something just felt wrong. Without so much as a glance at my television, he said he'd have to take it in for service. Then, he loaded my $2000.00 television onto the back of his pick-up truck and drove away.

I told Clyde that night: "We are never going to see that t.v. again."

JAN 11th / Day 27: "You'll Just Get Mad at Me."
On January 11th -- two weeks after Mr. Sims left with our television -- I became curious about the status of my repair. He hadn't called me, so I called him.

"It's not ready," he said. "I'm waiting for a part."

"How long will it be?"

"I don't know."

"You can't give me some idea of when my television will be back?"

"If I give you a date, and it's wrong, you'll just get mad at me."

JAN 22nd / Day 38: The First Promise
On January 22nd -- more than a month after my first call to Circuit City -- I called the contact number again and spoke with Chad. I explained that I didn't think Mr. Sims was able to fix the television. After hearing my story, Chad put me on hold, called Mr. Sims, came back, and reported: "Mr. Sims says he fixed the fan, but that while he was fixing it, the bulb went out. Now, he's ordered a new bulb, and says you should have the television back by the 26th at the latest."

I agreed to wait until the 26th.

JAN 24th / Day 39: Mr. Sims Calls
On Wednesday the 24th, Mr. Sims actually called me. I was thrilled, because I thought our odyssey was over; in fact, it was just beginning.

"I have your television fixed!" Mr. Sims announced.

"Great!"

"Now, there is one problem," Mr. Sims said. "I got the picture back on, but there's a shadow across it. It's still watchable, though."

I was stunned. "I didn't have any problem with the picture. There was a little fan noise -- that's all. My picture was perfect!"

Mr. Sims was very quiet. "Maybe I called the wrong customer." He hung up.

JAN 26th / Day 41: Escalation
When I didn't get my television on the 26th, I called Circuit City ... again. This time, when I made it clear I wanted to get this situation taken care of right away, I was escalated to "Corporate," where I talked to a very polite, very professional young man named Jerrazz Abdul.

Jerrazz was sympathetic and quickly became my ally. "This has been going on too long!" he said. "My records show you've been dealing with this for more than thirty days!"

Jerrazz put me on hold, called Mr. Sims, and came back to me. "Now he says the ballast -- the part that controls the fan that cools the lamp -- has gone out. He's ordered another part. The good news, though, is that this is the third repair logged for this television, so we can replace it for you."

Jerrazz promised to file the replacement order immediately, to expedite it, and to call Mr. Sims and tell him to return the television to us on Monday, February 5th, so that we could get a replacement delivered to our home "by Monday or Tuesday. We'd get it done faster ... but we're swamped because of the Super Bowl."

Jerrazz made a big impression and, frankly, made me feel much better about Circuit City's Advantage Protection Plan ...

... until, of course, I found out that Jerrazz was nothing but a big fat liar.

FEB 5th / Day 51: Bloody Monday
On Monday, February 5th, expecting to get the code I needed to exchange my old t.v. for a new one -- as my Circuit City Advantage Plan promises -- I called Circuit City for what I thought would be the last time.

I spoke with Regina, who called up my file, listened to my story, and said, "Sir, I'm sorry, but there's no record of your exchange request being submitted."

"What?!?"

"No one has submitted your exchange request. It's not in the system. Want me to submit it for you?"

I explained that Jerrazz had handled everything for me.

"No, sir. Nothing's been done. Want me to submit it for you?"

I'm such a foolish, optimistic believer in humanity, I actually suggested that Jerrazz, bless his heart, had physically carried the document to the department as a way of escalating it for me. "Maybe I'm not in the system because he's handling it personally."

"I don't think that's possible," Regina said. "Meantime, let me submit this for you now. I'll also give you Raz's direct extension. Maybe he knows something we can't see from here."

The Amazing Disappearing 'Raz
Monday, I called Raz. Three times.

I left three messages.

He never returned my call.

"You Can't Have Your T.V. Back."
When I called to ask a rep if she could tell me if Raz was in the office, she told me he'd "gone to lunch." Meantime, she said, "You'll have to get your t.v. back before we can deliver the new one. Why don't you get it, so that much will be done?"

I sighed. "Raz was going to call him for me. I guess he didn't do that, either?"

"If he did, sir, there's no record of it."

So I called Mr. Sims. "I'm coming to get my television. Where are you located?"

"You can't just come get this television. It's being repaired."

"That television is my legal property," I said. "I'm coming to get it."

"Not until Circuit City says you can. Not until Circuit City calls me and authorizes it."

Yet Another Call
So, once again, I call Circuit City. "Mr. Sims won't release the television."

They agreed to call him.

An hour later, he called me. "I can't deliver it to you. You'll have to come pick it up."

Meet Mr. Sims
Yesterday afternoon, Clyde and I drove out to get our television back from Mr. Sims, who had had it in his possession now for almost 40 days.

Mr. Sims, bless his heart, is apparently a retired individual operating "Sims' T.V." out of his tiny apartment. My Samsung DLP t.v. was wedged in a corner of the tiny unheated storage room on his back porch, all but lost in a sea of tangled wires and dusty t.v. components.

Yet Another Promise
When I got my television back, I called Circuit City to confirm that I'd done so. (After all, they'd asked me to.)

"Perfect," I was told. "I see that your request is actually already in process. In fact, I show they've already talked to the local Circuit City location to see what equivalent televisions they have in stock ... so someone has expedited it. Looks like you'll have the return authorization code by Wednesday at the earliest ... but by Thursday at the latest."

"Will someone call me with the code?"

"Nah," the rep said. "You just call us, and we'll give you an update."

FEB 6th / Day 52: Bad News Ben
This morning, I called to see if my authorization code was ready.

Ben, a rep I've never spoken to, put me on hold for several minutes before coming back to say, "Good news! Looks like your exchange code is in process ... and you'll have it by February 14th or 15th!"

I want to stress that, all through this ordeal, I've made it a personal goal:

a) not to let this situation raise my blood pressure, and

b) not to become that raving lunatic customer that everyone at the call center knows is a nutcase.

At this point, though, I have Officially Had Enough.

"Ben, that's not acceptable. We've had delay after delay, I've been lied to, and I've been given the run around more times than I'm going into on this call. Someone there approves these numbers. I want to talk to that person, right now, today."

"Your request was just submitted yesterday," Ben said. "It takes a week to ten business days to process."

"Just yesterday, Ben, I was told my request had reached the final level of approval -- that your people were talking to the local store, determining the equivalent replacement television, and on the verge of issuing the code I need. Now you're telling me I've got another ten days to go? No. I want to talk to someone right now who can tell me why I can't get a straight answer from any Circuit City employee."

Ben offered to let me talk to David, who was one of the reps who worked with me yesterday. "I'll transfer you to him, and maybe he knows something I don't and can help."

Yes. I'm an idiot. I fell for it.

Ben transferred me to voice mail. David is another of those employees who never calls back.

Screwed by Circuit City
So where are we? I started out with a great television that developed a slight fan noise -- an irritation, really, but not a critical repair by any means.

Now, a full fifty-two days after my very first call to Circuit City to activate my Circuit City Advantage Plan, I've:

- got a broken, worthless television in the back of my car
- gotten a long list of promises, none of which have panned out
- logged more than four hours of telephone time with Circuit City reps
- never received a call back from any rep who promised one.

And I still, despite my best efforts, do not have the Holy Grail of The Circuit City Advantage Plan: the exchange code I need to swap my worthless television for a working one.

To top things off, I fully expect to be screwed yet again by the exchange process (if and when that approval code ever comes).

Last week, Jerrazz told me I'd get an equivalent television or full store credit for the new purchase price to apply to another television if an equivalent wasn't in stock. Now, the Circuit City reps are saying, "Now, you know, you might not get the exact same t.v. It's not a feature-by-feature swap. Your last television might have had picture-in-picture; this one might not. Your last television might have been a Samsung; this one might be another brand. Your last television might have been 46 inches; this one might be a different size."

So much for, "If you put your leg through the screen, they'll replace it with a brand new t.v. just like this one."

I'm going to call one more time this afternoon; I don't expect any miracles. In fact, I fully expect Circuit City to stretch this entire affair out long enough for my protection plan to expire (and it will, on March 15th), and then say, "Oh, I'm sorry, but your television is no longer covered."

But, whatever happens, I do know this: I will never, ever, ever be fooled into buying a Circuit City "City Advantage Protection Plan" again ... mostly because I will never, ever, ever buy anything from Circuit City again.

How did things turn out? Here's the rest of the story.