Experience with Dick Smith

LMapheox on 20/07/2013 - 21:50

Hi All,

I just wanted to share my experience I had with Dick Smith. I will refuse to deal with them in the future from what I have been through.

I purchased a laptop with 2 years extended warranty about a year ago. I has been taken care of and one day it just wouldn't switch on. The Mainboard was fried. I called up their warranty team to get a claim number and was told to call their outsourced repair team to organize it to be fixed.

I did so and item was picked up to be repaired 2 weeks later. It took another 8 days for them to evaluate the situation. I was told it will take another 7 days to receive the new board, 2 days to test then up to 3 days for delivery. I called up Dick Smith and they informed me there is nothing I can do but wait it out. I wanted a refund since it will take so long and I need it for Contract work. They said they don't deal with rentals. I went into their store and found rentals.

Anyway, I called ACCC and they informed me in this situation I am entitled to ask for a full refund. Consumer Protection Laws superseded any retailer terms and conditions. I called Dick Smith back and they said "Consumer Protection Laws do not apply to us". I was quite annoyed to be lied to so I filed a complaint at the ACCC and with the Department of Commerce.

I called Dick Smith asking to speak to their General Manager, they refused to put me through. I sent 3 letters, 4 emails and made 8 phone calls. They kept repeating to me that someone will call me back. The same person did call on two occasions, it was the Warranty Team's team leader who kept saying Consumer Protection Law's do not apply for them and told me to wait it out as it is almost fixed.

I called back their outsourced repair shot and they informed me that it is another 9 working day wait as parts are hard to find. I have no problems with these guys as they are very professional and do try their best to help.

Looking at their Facebook site, I am surprised that the company is allowed to operate. https://www.facebook.com/dicksmithaustralia

I was then contacted by one of their branch Managers and pretty much told to stop calling them and I have no rights but to wait it out. He asked me what issues my laptop was experiencing and that he could fix it on the spot. I'm not going to waste my time to respond, I have been fixing and building computers of all kinds for over 10 years to know he is lying. I just didn't want to pay for parts when I already paid for the convenience of warranty. I never thought a repair could take so long otherwise I would of done it myself.

I just want people to look out for these guys. I wish I did some research before purchasing from them. I hope this has helped fellow OzBargainers make the right choice for their next purchase.

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Comments

  • PLA74 on 20/07/2013 - 21:55
    +3

    Sheesh thats bad, thanks for letting us know…won't be buying anything from them now!

    • Mapheox on 20/07/2013 - 22:28

      All good if you are buying durable stuff from them like cables. Just a pain/write off if you buy something of value and it breaks.

    • m2000 on 22/07/2013 - 09:52
      +2

      Actually DO NOT buy their "Extended warranty".
      which they keep promoting and asking you to buy!
      I think it shoud be fine for most other stuff.

  • TheAviator on 20/07/2013 - 22:48
    +4

    They can't shirk their responsibilities under consumer law like that. Hopefully you get a response from you ACCC complaint. Unbelievably poor service!

  • Car-la-la on 20/07/2013 - 23:25
    +2

    dick smith are dicks

    • Tal_Shiar on 20/07/2013 - 23:32
      -4

      clever dicks…

      • kiwipride on 20/07/2013 - 23:36
        +1

        No, just dicks

        • Tal_Shiar on 20/07/2013 - 23:37
          -4

          no clever dicks….

    • asik28 on 21/07/2013 - 22:04
      +2

      They need viagra to approve their erected warranty.

  • mahgo on 20/07/2013 - 23:48
    +1

    Out of curiosity, how long does a product have to be away getting "repaired" to be entitled for a refund under Consumer law?

    • Tal_Shiar on 20/07/2013 - 23:53
      -1

      if you believe "the checkout", its whatever you consider to believe a reasonable time

    • Mapheox on 20/07/2013 - 23:58
      +1

      When I spoke to ACCC, I explained to them about my laptop. They mentioned it is a "Major" issue if it wasn't a "Minor" issue. Minor being it can be fixed within a few hours not days. Keep in mind that you can put together a few computers/laptops within an hour with no operating system installed so it is quite reasonable.

      Different time frames for different products. I would give the ACCC a call to verify if you have a specific item you want to check. I wouldn't expect the same time frame for a car or something.

      Edit: Also if their terms states 5 working days and it has been over 5 working days.

  • aerona on 21/07/2013 - 01:13
    +1

    I guess the take out message is, don't buy laptops from dicksmith cause i've had no trouble getting warranty on other products. Super easy and quick

    • Mapheox on 21/07/2013 - 03:07

      Looking at their Facebook website I think it is a bit more than just laptops. I also had issues of Hard Drives where I bought a brand new one and found Acronis files on there. I guess it depends on the value of the goods too.

      • Agret on 24/07/2013 - 21:31

        Many new hard drives come pre-loaded with trial versions of backup software already loaded on in the hope that you buy the full version. Some of the western digital drives put it on a special partition that is very difficult to delete and is impossible to delete on some models. It is not an issue of the retailer, take it up with the manufacturer or research things before you buy them.

    • frostee on 24/07/2013 - 18:42

      Had a good experience returning a printer on extended warranty as well. Dropped it off and they called the next day and told us they would replace it with the equivalent new model which was delivered about three days later.

  • c64 on 21/07/2013 - 01:21

    is the laptop outside of the manufacturer's warranty?

    have you examined the t&cs of the extended warranty?

    you are also a bit naive relying solely on one computer for your work.

    • Mapheox on 21/07/2013 - 03:03

      The laptop is outside the manfacturer's warranty and should be covered by Dick Smiths extended warranty. Regardless, Consumer Protection Law supersedes any T&C's of any warranty in Australia. Niave? No, I have backups and paying out of my own pocket when I purchased extended warranty to cover this stuff. The only helpful thing about Dick Smiths extended warranty is the part where they say they take up to 5 working days to determine whether it is a repair, replacement or refund. It took 3 weeks. This one bit of information is undeniable fact that they have taken too long.

  • CI on 21/07/2013 - 01:27
    +1

    Dicksmiths pretty crap

  • RockyRaccoon on 21/07/2013 - 05:11
    +1

    Could you advise what action the ACCC have offered to do to assist you.

    That is important for us to know. It sounds like they are great on advice, but could be poor on action.

    • Mapheox on 21/07/2013 - 12:33

      ACCC will take action against the company if there is a trend. They are only able to assist you with your rights but not legal advice. They did tell me what I am to do from there which was contact the Department of Commerce which will look into this case and come up with a resolution.

      I don't know if that helps but yeah, ACCC are only out there to make sure businesses abide by the law. Department of Commerce is there to assist consumers.

  • odc on 21/07/2013 - 07:52
    +3

    I've had great experiences with Dicksmith warranty. Last year same thing happened to my 3 y.o laptop which was purchased for $800. They gave me a $660 store voucher which was awesome considering I saw the same laptop going for $300 online. Took less than 5 working days for vouchers to arrive. So wife ended using it to buy an s3. About a month ago her phone was playing up. Rung Dicksmith and advised me to go to the Samsung store because it would take them 3-4 weeks. Samsung ended replacing it with a new phone within a week. So really appreciated their advise and customer service.

  • BobD on 21/07/2013 - 08:08
    +2

    Your profile shows that you are in Perth so talk to the Consumer Protection people there. http://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/consumerprotection/ This web page has links to every thing you will need. You should make your local state Consumer Affairs / Protection people as a first stop. The ACCC are more like policy makers and the locals are (supposedly) the doers.

  • jason101 on 21/07/2013 - 09:32
    +1

    I'm no expert, but is the problem that Dick Smith "sold" you a warranty which is operated by a third party vendor (ie the warranty really has nothing to do with Dick Smith) therefore the issue you have is actually with the warranty provider and not with Dick Smith itself - hence DSE have no willingness to help you. Pretty poor but my guess would be that this is the situation.

    I bought a Peugeot a couple of years ago with an extended warranty, after a short period of time the battery died and was not covered by Peugeot factory warranty (16 month old battery grrr) anyway I was put through to their "extended warranty team" which turns out to be an insurance company who needless to say also wouldn't cover the battery - the point I learned though was that Peugeot had nothing do to with the extended warranty after they sold it to me - I had simply bought a 3rd party warranty (which turned out to be useless).

    • Mapheox on 21/07/2013 - 12:41
      +2

      If Dick Smith sold me the warranty operated by a third party then they are misleading as the name is actually Dick Smith Extended Warranty. Either way, Consumer Protection Laws states that the Seller (in your case if the vehicle dealership) are the people you deal with regardless. They have no right to send you off to the manufacturer. If you call the ACCC, they will confirm this.

    • MementoMori on 22/07/2013 - 09:57

      That's terrible. My car still has it's original battery from Dec 2007, still works fine.

    • EnALup on 22/07/2013 - 13:22

      Peugeot in your case was the manufacturer. But you purchased the card from the dealer and if they sell you extended warranty, they should back it ( not Peugeot ).
      Extended warranties are third party most of the time, but as the dealer is selling it, they are responsible.

      In OP's case, Asus is the manufacturer and Dick smith is the retailer.
      Selling Extended warranty means you pay extra for peace of mind. 1 or 2 laptops die out of 100, so insurance companies are making huge money out of it. Pathetic that they don't back it up.

  • Miss Dior on 21/07/2013 - 11:08

    Saw something in the Telegraph newspaper (Sydney) yesterday that the Federal Court of Australia, following legal action by the ACCC, had required placement of a public disclosure advert declaring that HP had made false, misleading or deceptive representations in breach of S18 & 29(1)(m) of the Australian Consumer Law. It was a big advert - but placed on page 10 so you need to look at the left side of the newspaper. Looks like the ACCC is tightening up. Poor service will be reflected in lower economic activity so I'm guessing the govt wants to improve the economy any way it can, including enforcing consumer laws more strongly. The advert asks people to contact HP if they believe they have been denied a statutory right. Unclear which brand your computer is, but if its HP this may help. If not it may still be worthwhile filing with ACCC.

  • bich.light on 21/07/2013 - 15:40

    Any new development on this front?
    I will continue to purchase from Dick Smith as I have in the past but only for small electronics, batteries or Apple computers.

    • Mapheox on 21/07/2013 - 19:19
      +2

      I will keep this post updated if anything develops. like I said, I'm not giving up after the lies they have told me and the way they treated me. Small items are ok since you can just throw them away if they break. I wouldn't be buying anything over $100 from them though.

  • grapedrink on 21/07/2013 - 18:01
    +1

    This poor guy was abused (and negged) by OzBargain members for giving his experience with Dick Smith:

    http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/110024#comment-1494363

    I backed him up though. Glad the truth is coming out.

  • wbeer on 21/07/2013 - 18:17

    https://www.dicksmith.com.au/our-services/dick-smith-extende…

    Check your T&Cs booklet.. whether it says.

    "We will replace the Covered Item in accordance with Our Replacement Terms if We attempt to repair the Covered Item and that repair takes longer than 21 days."

    and…

    "Where a repair to Your Covered Item, which is a laptop or tablet device, has been assessed by Our repairer to take more than 5 business days to be completed You may request a loan laptop or wi-fi enabled tablet device during the repair time by contacting the Administrator"

    (unless you purchased the laptop before the policy was changed to include the above terms)

    • Mapheox on 21/07/2013 - 19:06
      +1

      I have the booklet. It doesn't say 21 days. I am not entitled to a loan laptop. Plus, it doesn't matter what their terms and conditions say. Consumer Protection Laws over right their rules which is if it is a major flaw, I can choose a refund. I don't want to go through this ordeal if it happens again.

      EDIT: If they changed it, they should notify me if the changes apply to me. Even then I paid for the warranty valid at the time, not the newer crappy warranty.

      • wbeer on 21/07/2013 - 19:40

        Consumer Law applies to the initial purchase of the laptop- which you always have regardless of an extended warranty purchase - you can follow this up with the retailer or the manufacturer.

        The 'extended warranty' purchased is an additional service which has some Consumer Law guarantees also. You bought this 'service' at the time and if they don't correspond with the T&Cs of that policy AT THAT TIME, then you have recourse.

  • p1 ama on 21/07/2013 - 18:31
    +1

    Hoping somebody can explain this to me, but is it really fair to get a full refund?

    Surely a laptop purchased two years ago is worth less than half of its original RRP now. A similar analogy would be demanding to get paid the full price for a car when your insurance writes it off. It should be the same for laptops and any other goods, isn't it - i.e. market value, not how much you originally paid?

    (Off topic I know, but it was something I was pondering as I read).

    • wbeer on 21/07/2013 - 18:52

      All stems from the ACCC's definition of a Major or Minor Failure…. to be honest they don't even know their own definition- its extremely ambiguous and no wonder why there are so many instances of confusion like this.

      Some major failures make sense such as - 'unsafe' items (exploding batteries, recalls, etc) but they also include 'acceptable quality' - whatever that is…. no one knows.

    • Mapheox on 21/07/2013 - 19:15
      +3

      The laptop I purchased is the Asus k55vd laptop. It is still a good laptop considering it caters for my specific needs. 2 USB 2 ports, 2 USB 3 ports, 15.6" screen, 8gb ram, 750gb hard disk and all the other cool stuff. Hard to find a similar spec item in stock. Most laptops in the price range only have 2 USB 3 slots for the Asus brand. It is an i7 gen 3 which I am happy with.

      If they can give me a replacement I would love it but the thing that I don't want to to deal with these guys ever again. I also paid for Warranty that is absolutely useless. They feed me lies so I want that warranty money back.

      Fair? Well, consider that I paid for a laptop that is not working for over 4 weeks and paid for warranty care which the team lies to me about, I think I deserve a lot better. Plus warranty is pretty much insuring the RRP price of the laptop for the whole 2 years, not market value.

  • Multi21 on 21/07/2013 - 21:57

    Had a similar experience with Dick Smith.
    I bought an Acer notebook and everything worked fine. No modifications, only used it for uni work, CAD and browsing. Few months down the line, it suddenly would not switch on. Before sending it for repairs under the warranty, I talked to the manager at the store and he told me the whole process would take 4 or more weeks. It was in the middle of the semester and had tons of work to do, couldn't afford to lose it longer than a week. Never would have imagined the process would take so long. I decided to take it to a friend of a friend who's good with computers. He had it working the same week, for a fee of course. Still better than waiting forever.

  • bobjane on 22/07/2013 - 02:51
    +3

    Not defending it in any way but bear in mind that if delays in the warranty repair process are not acceptable to you then it's not just a matter of avoiding Dick Smith. Most manufacturers and retailers will be similar.

    Other than perhaps Dell (depending on stock availability), I can think of no other company that will repair in under 2 weeks. Forget getting a refund, none will do that.

    I had HP/Compaq repair a stuck lid latch on a 1 month old laptop purchased from Myer. You should have seen the 'repairer' they outsourced to - a derelict warehouse in a semi abandoned lot, the receptionist's seating was a 2 seater roadside sofa that she filled and did not (could not?) get up from, zombie 16 year olds in skate clothes shuffling laptops from one haphazard waist high pile to another. The ETA was "next week" for 8 months after which it came back with the latch repaired but the rest of it physically falling apart.

    • Mapheox on 22/07/2013 - 10:41

      Well, if they say 5 days then fix it in 5 days. If it is more, then let me know and I wouldn't of paid for the warranty or would of made other arrangements. The fact that they keep lying to me just makes it so inconvenient.

      If they told me 4 weeks, I would of hired a laptop from day one and been at least ok with it. Being told 5 days and waiting 3 weeks then calling to check up and telling me it will take another 7 working days is just wrong. I didn't pay $180 for that service.

    • Agret on 24/07/2013 - 21:37

      Lenovo have 'next day business warranty', it normally takes at least 5 days to repair the laptops you give them.

      If they told me 4 weeks, I would of hired a laptop from day one and been at least ok with it. Being told 5 days and waiting 3 weeks then calling to check up and telling me it will take another 7 working days is just wrong. I didn't pay $180 for that service.

      I called back their outsourced repair shot and they informed me that it is another 9 working day wait as parts are hard to find. I have no problems with these guys as they are very professional and do try their best to help.

      Seeing as Dick Smith are not the ones performing the repair, just their outsourced shop they can only relay what the repair shop tells them. If they told them 5 days initially then that's what Dick Smith would tell you, if they tell another 7 days it's a problem with the repair place. Yet you say it's fine to hear another 9 days direct from the repair shop. I think the repair place is pretty unprofessional here for not quoting an accurate time in the beginning, where are they are getting the replacement board from that it's taking them this long??

      • Mapheox on 26/07/2013 - 11:51

        The replacement comes from Asus direct. I know it wouldn't make business sense to have it in stock. I agree with the number of days being told to wait. If it is 9 days then say it is 9 days. Don't sugar coat it.

  • Ramrunner on 22/07/2013 - 08:00
    +8

    Look, I know Dick Smith, JB, Harvey Norman, Officeworks etc. are cheap. I get that. But if you want service for a complex thing like a notebook it's simple - DON'T BUY IT THERE!!! Or at least DO NOT GET THE mass merchant's EXTENDED WARRANTY.

    None of the mass retailers have in-house repair staff. Most of them don't even have technical staff (Yes I know Dick Smith call themselves techsperts, but just ask them a REAL technical question).

    They move boxes. They buy a box from Acer, Asus, Toshiba, whatever - they sell it to you. When it comes back, like you found out, it goes to a third party. They buy in bulk, they buy cheap, they make low margins. There's no room for service.

    FANTASTIC for you initially on price. Crap if something goes wrong.

    Asus and Toshiba (and I'm sure others also) have, in their product line up, an EXTENDED warranty FROM the manufacturer. There's hardly any margin in it for the retailers, but it generally costs about the same as the mass merchant warranty. BUY THAT INSTEAD OR EVEN BETTER - do not buy from the mass merchant, but buy from the smaller computer retailers who actually know how to repair them, have staff, WANT your business and are prepared to go that little further to have you satisfied.

    Tell us what you think about Dick Smith (and others do this also) with your wallet.

    • MementoMori on 22/07/2013 - 10:02

      Well said.

    • Mapheox on 22/07/2013 - 10:44

      I only bought it because of 2 reasons, price and convenience. I purchased the extended warranty thinking that it would make up for their lack of service. I was wrong. That is why I'm going for a refund and getting it from a specialty store. Totally agree with you.

    • dreadpiratedan on 22/07/2013 - 14:07
      +1

      Agreed.. except for the harvey norman being cheap part :p

  • spiev on 22/07/2013 - 10:42
    +4

    I doubt any one will see this comment now - but I too would recommend to avoid DSE forever, and am not surprised OP had all this happen to them.

    To cut a long story short, I cancelled a purchase immediately after ordering (before it was processed by their system). The phone operator screwed up and didn't do it properly, so a few hours later I got a shipping confirmation email.

    Despite the delivery not actually happening and the stock remaining in their inventory, they refused to refund me the money. They had excuse after excuse for WEEKS. Weird ones too, like 'oh our PayPal refund lady has been sick the last week'. What the hell? I would call every Monday and Friday, and both days they would say 'yep this coming Friday, we process our PayPal refunds'. It never came.

    After 44 days, I opened a PayPal dispute. I kept calling. "Oh yep yep yep we will refund it soon, we just have a PayPal refund backlog at the moment". I got to know all the staff members there as I probably had to call between 15-20 times throughout this ordeal.

    After their lack of response to the PayPal dispute, I escalated it to a claim, and PayPal refunded me my $500.

    It was bizarre. A huge company refusing to refund me the money they agreed I would be refunded. It took months to resolve. DSE are an awful corporation and an awful retailer who deserve zero business.

  • Yummy on 22/07/2013 - 19:03

    I will never ever buy anything from Dicky ever ever again.

    Trying to get replacement for my broken Canon SX150IS (still in ext warranty) from Parra's shop last Friday & guess what they refused & referred me to the hotline. Over the phone they offered me an alternative Nikon S6500.

    Bizarrely the lady asked me for the comparison specs of both cameras as to why I refused the alternative. How the hell do I know about that Nikon model that very moment? I asked if they dont have replacement (which I love my SX150IS to death), just gimme the damn giftcard so I can decide later (i asked nicely tho). She refuses that & still insisted for the specs coz of their policy. Struggling to give answer I asked for her supervisor. Refused! I mentioned ACCC, she dont care. Asked me to call back when I got the spec. pppfffftt she's challenging me WTF?!! 20 mins wasted.

    Armed with infos from Wiki then I called back those dickie's b!atches, another lady answered. I explained the situation & read the damn specs from wiki to her & explained the difference between CCD & CMOS. She said she'll call me back. 5 mins later she approved the giftcard & she will send me email of how to return the broken cam. No email till now. Great, I dont think I will ever see that giftcard.

    Their extended warranty is a waste of money & time AND it is SRLY a TRAP! Avoid this bad Dicks at all cost!

    • Mapheox on 22/07/2013 - 19:26
      +2

      Look at their Facebook page. I don't think you will get it anytime soon. Also, do you really want to deal with them again? I suggest asking for your money back and going elsewhere more focused on service.

      Before wasting more time, confirm your rights by calling ACCC. You don't want to be on hold for 20 minutes without undeniable truth as they will shrug you off.

      • Yummy on 22/07/2013 - 22:26

        I don't have FB & I'm not sure where am I looking at. All I can see is Jordie does this Jordy does that.

        Can I complain to this guy instead?

        • Mapheox on 22/07/2013 - 22:29
          +1

          https://www.facebook.com/dicksmithaustralia?filter=2 I just wanted you to see how many people are chasing up their vouchers and how long they have been waiting. You put up a post and someone tried to put you in touch with someone to help. Usually it's the Customer Liaison team who are also rude.

        • Yummy on 22/07/2013 - 22:39
          +1

          Holy cr@p!

          Now I don't feel lonely no more. :p

          I think something will happen with thei private equity owner. Seems everything are messed up online, phone & their actual shops. Dickies tries to pack up in hush hush maybe, running away with our monies.

  • Mapheox on 22/07/2013 - 19:19

    Just an update. Today they called me and left me a voice message. The same lady who said Consumer Protection Laws don't apply to them. I called back and after 20 minutes on hold another lady answered and said the person I'm after isn't available.

    I left a message for her to email me as I'm working. I get an email from The Warranty Group who manages Dick Smiths warranties saying they would like to propose an alternative solution. Now they worry and willing to use common sense after I lodged the complaint with ACCC and the Department of Commerce.

    Anyway, I emailed back asking to call me back ASAP as I don't want to be placed on hold again. I wait and later get an email saying the number they have on file is disconnected. I updated my number with them before so that's why they could leave me a voicemail. I reply with my number and straight away she mentioned that she has a meeting to attend.

    I will have to wait until tomorrow now. 4 weeks and counting.

    I suggest everyone who has problems with Dick Smith warranty to just lodge a complaint or they just won't care.

    • Davo1111 on 22/07/2013 - 21:35

      out of curiousity, have they left a message (or an email) saying that consumer laws dont apply to them? that would be the icing on the cake.

      I'd suggest office of fair trading

  • nikey2k27 on 22/07/2013 - 19:31

    they are get worst. i told off after want to get my tv fix.

  • YTW on 22/07/2013 - 20:22
    +2

    These kind of experiences are why I get so pissed off when the salespeople at DS/JM/HN etc give you attitude (and act like you are the world's biggest idiot) for not buying their extended warranty.

    I'm getting to the point where I don't want to shop at these places because I know the transaction will be so unpleasant.

  • Mapheox on 22/07/2013 - 22:11

    It was during an actual phone call she said it. I've been asking for them to send me emails from now on. I want it all in writing. They seem to just email back asking me to call them.

  • KingstonTheNotSoWise on 23/07/2013 - 01:56

    Just a heads up for people, most places that sell laptops A) Don't manufacture them, so they can't just snap their fingers and fix or "put one togheter". B) will take around 1-2 months to get the product fixed under either the manufacturers warranty or even their own extended warranty. They can say 1-2 weeks but never expect that. Ever. It can happen anywhere as well, not just Dick Smith unfortunately.

    • Mapheox on 23/07/2013 - 10:31

      So it is false advertising. If they take 1-2 months then they should state it and we can make other arrangements. Just Dick Smith outsourced warranty department "The Warranty Group" have a bad attitude when dealing with clients.

  • Mapheox on 23/07/2013 - 13:13
    +4

    So The Warranty Group calls. Agree to replace the laptop as they have been contacted by the Department of Commerce and the ACCC. The model they offered is inferior as it doesn't have the specs I need which the Asus K55VD. Just so people don't assume I have high expectations, the broken laptop has a 6 cell battery, 8gb ram and MMC card reader whereas the replacement has a 4 cell battery, 4gb ram and no MMC card reader. I do a lot of photography so the battery life, ram and card reader is very important. Everything else was the same.

    I have to wait until tomorrow as I just want my money back now. Thinking long term, I don't want to go through this again if something happens.

  • Mapheox on 23/07/2013 - 16:15
    +1

    Finally, a settlement. The managers for The Warranty Group and Dick Smith are working together and agreed to send me a replacement. This is in my favor if it doesn't break again.

    If they offered me a loan like stated in their webpage (https://www.dicksmith.com.au/our-services/dick-smith-extende…) or told me the simple truth, I wouldn't of gone so far. I just needed a working laptop and get a service I paid for.

    If I am lied to, pushed and given no alternatives even when I am entitled to them, then I will push the boundaries just as they have.

    Thanks everyone for their support and I hope everyone ends up with a settlement in their favor.

  • Natt on 23/07/2013 - 18:59

    Good stuff.

    I won't go into how some of the responses made me just shake my head.

    I am glad they finally ponied up to their Statutory obligations and thumbs up for not letting this go :)

    • Mapheox on 24/07/2013 - 00:39

      Cheers Natt. I just don't understand why they don't treat everyone properly in the first place. It would save time and gain customer loyalty which is a lot more profitable than burning people and then spend more to regain trust and reputation. I guess it's all about short term gains.

  • paloverde88 on 23/07/2013 - 20:12

    extended warranty is rubbish I am never interested in it and frankly I think they should be banned like funeral insurance they are such cons I have never ever heard of anyone with a pleasant extended warranty experience.
    maybe these companies should put on their website of real life actual happy customers of extended warranty who have made successful claims.
    If extended warranty was that good, Ads for extended warranty should be, "I got an entire new lounge set free after suzie the cat peed on it. Gee thank you extended warranty!!!"
    "My laptop was replaced no questions asked after just 6 months of usage and it just died, gee thanks Extended warranty, I could never have done it without you!!"
    "Oh thank God for Extended warranty, all my grocery bills were paid for the month, all 30 days after the fridge failed. Gee What would I have done without extended warranty"

    That's why Extended warranty is a load of rubbish a heap of shit. it's riddled with so many ridiculous clauses and conditions that you really need to be a perfect specimen of Gandhi to claim it and still may get rejected.
    When offered extended warranty, I just said to them nicely, "I don't believe one bit of it"

    • Ramrunner on 24/07/2013 - 07:53

      Correction if I may. those RETAILER extended warranties through a third party are CRAP - indeed.

      However!!!

      I took out an ASUS OFFICIAL extended warranty with my X31A Ultrabook just over a year ago as it was on a $20 special (normally $80).

      Over the cost of an Ultrabook nearly $2000 at the time is was a no-brainer for me.

      Well, JUST LAST WEEK, a FEW DAYS after the original warranty expired the SSD went. Rang Asus, they confirmed it was in warranty till 2015, dropped it in to Morley service centre, NEXT DAY it was ready to pick up and has been sweet ever since.

      Just saying don't generalize please. The extended MANUFACTURER warranties I've had experience with (Asus, Samsung and Toshiba) are brilliant in my experience.

  • Mapheox on 24/07/2013 - 00:55
    +1

    I thought I would like to make it clear that Dick Smith Electronics (DSE) outsources their warranty and repairs to The Warranty Group (TWG). When things go wrong, that's when you realise there is a clear communication breakdown. With a name like "Dick Smiths Extended Warranty", it easily misleads customers to believe it is all Dick Smith products and services.

    TWG doesn't know of DSE's obligations and doesn't know about what is promised as they aren't in the retail business. When you contact DSE with warranty issues, they believe TWG will take care of it and trained to direct you there. This makes the client feel like they are given the run around.

    When DSE and TWG work together and communicate like the managers did, issues get sorted as they are forced to take ownership and put their reputation on the line.

    This needs to be fixed by working together and understanding each parties obligations. At the moment it just seems DSE wants customers to help cover the cost of the TWG contract by buying Warranty and TWG wants to make a buck anywhere possible.

  • DealWatcher on 24/07/2013 - 16:05

    I found so far that DSE's extend warrenty is the worse, secondly Bing Lee than Harvey Norman.

    Office work is the best so far especially items under $100.00, they sent you a cheque with no question asked. With my LapTop ( $879.00), fixed 4 times, pick up and delivery within 10 business days.

    Purchase 3 x DVD player ($20.00) from DSE ( recently post by OZbargain fellow), received confirmed email from DSE say it is ready to pick up. next morning receive a phone call and said there are " No stock" don't come, asked how comes I am still received the confirmation email, she replied " that is why I call !" OK, and then hung up. WTF !!!!!!!!!!!!

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