Office Depot review: Failure to honor the plan on a timely basis 22

I agree. I will never do business with Office Depot again. Their buyer protection plans are deceptive. They give you a brochure outlining the program and refers you to "Terms and Conditions" that are posted on their website.

The Terms and Conditions are broadly and vaguely worded so that they can creatively interpretate applicability of the plan. They then interprete the plan in ways that are no where close to a "common language" interpretation.

When you press them on it, they hem and haw and as with last evening, they place you on hold - I was on hold for over an hour - hoping you will give up.

They essentially are hoping you will either give up on your claim or recognize that in most cases it is too costly to seek legal action.

I have learned my lesson.

Hi, I work at office depot as a tech assosciate and we have copies of the terms and conditions at all of our registers. Also any customer that purchases a plan takes a copy of it home with them including a wallet size card that has there contract ID and information on it. Anyways it's hard to argue with the infinite pages on the internet about how warranties suck and are a hassel, but I'm bored so I'll give it a shot. First off if the $1000 computer you bought broke, it's going to be a hassel... your computer just broke. I think alot of people immediately assosciate this frusteration of there computer breaking with there having to deal with the warranty service. While apparently some customers do have delays getting there shipping labels thats not to say that every customer who uses a plan has that problem. If you were contacting the manufacturer they wouldn't even send you the labels or a box. You pay for the shipping... and while your doing that there going to add on some labor. So you ran in to a few idiots on the telephone while calling office depot's call center. Honestly I've never worked anywhere that didn't have a few idiots working for them. If you had to deal with the manufacturer you would have to deal with the same idiots, but english would be there 2nd or 3rd or maybe 4th language. These people's job is to answer the phone and fill out a form. It's not rocket science and they certainly don't hire rocket scientist to do it. My point is that every customer does not have a terrible experience with dealing with the warranty, but there is going to be some hassel involved. If you spend a 1000$ on a computer and you don't really care much about spending a 1000$ to replace it then skip the warranty. Good luck in the future and I hope that the company I work for does a better job at taking care of the customers that I sell plans to because it just makes my job harder. :(

Agreed, Awsten!

Well Said Awsten!
I also work at Office Depot and I have read those terms over and over and I agree with you.
No matter where you go there are hassles! At least goign through the warranty, you get a replacement. It was way better than spending another $1000 on a computer and by 4 moths of waiting...you just got yourself more for your money! Technology advances so quickly that your once $1000 pc is now only costing $500 and the newest, coolest touch screen is now $1000 which you can get because you got a gift card for the vaule paid on the first one! You got the better end of the deal! Way better than being out a computer or dealing with the manufactuer!
The problem with consumers is they expect everything ligity split and right when they want it. When it's convenient for them!
The warranty isn't a magic wand to swap it out in a day. It is a guarentee that we will fix or replce your item! Now, it does not NORMALLY take more than 2 weeks but you had an exceptionally bad experience and I don't blame you for venting, but not everyone has bad experiences and personally, I buy warranties on everything I can because I would rather be out $150 for the warranty than $1000 for the pc that doesn't work!

I just want to contact tech support. You installed Mcafee anti virus 10/5/08 on my new computer but regularly it pops up to say ""Windows did not find any anti virus on this computer"" 3 of theboxes are ok but the MALWARE protection I can''t get to update. We are no where near an Office Depot and will be away for some months. Thanks for your help! B

I think that Office Depot Warranties are big load of crap! My laptop crashed two weeks before Thanksgiving, so i called and receieved a box with labels after i filed a claim on 11/21/08. I was told that it would take 1-2 business days for them to receive my laptop and then 3-4 to repair it. When my laptop had not returned in 2 weeks, I called on 12/11/08 and I was told by a representative that Cyber test was almost done repairing my laptop and it would be returned to me within a week. Well a week came and no laptop arrived.. I called again on 12/16/08 and was told that someone would call me with the status of my laptop in a day or two. Not Shockingly, No one ever called. I called back on 12/23 and was told that they had to send it to HP because they c ouldn't fix it and that I would get it back within a week. Well once again, that week never happened. I have spent the last two days on the phone trying to figure out WHERE my laptop. Today, Office Depot said they couldnt tell me anything else and gave me Cyber test's number to call them myself. Cybertest told me the same information and told me that I needed to call HP and gave me their number. I then spent over half an hour getting transferred all over HP's departments. I am paying a very high warranty price, and I should not have to call and find out where the heck it is. One HP Rep. says that Cybertest received it on 12/22. However, I have talked to many other HP reps that have no clue and Cybertest says that HP still has it. I am very annoyed at this point, because it seems that my laptop has been lost. So dont tell me that its the person's fault because we want a speedy repair. I have been without my laptop for over a month.. This is ridiculous!

OFFICE DEPOT Protection plan is a complete rip off. I paid 299.99 for an additional 2 year warranty - CLEARLY asking - 2 years after the manufacturers ? YES, well - 9-20-08 was the end of the warranty according to Office Depot. What they don't inform their cashier while selling the warranty - LAPTOPS start @ the date of purchase - REALLY, as if I would have paid 300 bucks for an additional year - additional 2 year warranty after manufacturers DOES not apply to LAPTOPS. I found this out 4 months too late. I WILL NEVER STEP A FOOT INTO OFFICE DEPOT AGAIN ! - After I called the service center - I called Office Depot - and asked a question - if my son purchased a laptop computer and bought the warranty for 2 years - would that be after the manufacturer - and the answer was YES - so I called the service center back and requested a supervisor - He argued with me - and said he would 3 way the conversation - HOWEVER, he spoke with the office depot rep @ the store in private before I came on. SO - of course the story changed. THEY DO NOT STAND BEHIND WHAT THEY SOLD. His response to me was "now purchase a monitor" this way you can see the screen - AND THEN HE HUNG UP ON ME !

Office Depot has changed their Performance Plans (Extended Warranties). Now you pay for an Accidental Damage plan that starts from day one. This covers the laptop if YOU caused the failure (Drops, spills, Cracked Screens). It starts the day you purchase the product because during the first year it's under a manufactures warranty and the manufacture will not cover your product if YOU caused the failure. So if you accidentally damage your laptop you are covered during that first year and a year or two after the manufacture warranty. These are their Premium Plan. I work for Office Depot and the older Plan Structure in my opinion sucked but they have completely changed their Extended Warranties. Premium Plans start day one and cover accidental. Standard Plans start after the manufactures warranty. Pricing is better, turn around is also quicker. The main problem in repair a laptop is each laptop is different. Replacement parts are not as interchangable as desktop replacement parts which have all become pretty standard. So, 2 to 3 years down the road if your laptop breaks it may take some time to find replacement parts for your model. Most of the time when you see a Laptop on the shelf in a store they have finished manufacturing that model. That's where if they can't fix it, they replace it come in handy!

Flat screen plasma TV from Office Depot: $1200.00

2 year ppp service agreement: $149.00

Experiencing my TV fail due to a defect and having to make over 25 phone calls to the service center, inviting a serviceman into my home 6 times, pulling an 80+ pound TV off of the wall 6 times, receiving the wrong parts 5 times, and waiting 8 months for a replacement or repair only to be told that I'll have to wait even longer: Priceless

I used to spend several thousand dollars each year at Office Depot on supplies for my company. I won't spend a red cent there for the rest of my life.

Go choke on it Office Depot.

you people are idiots...first of all i work for the performance protection plan tech support. You people ### and complain. Read the terms and conditions after you buy the protection plan. Laptop plans start on date of purchase because are warranty covers some the mfg doesn't cover. Don't listen to the idiots associates at the store. Read what you purchase idiots and quit ###.

My point exactly anonymous10000, to call customers of your company idiots is exactly why I will not do business with you again. Whether or not we spilled or broke it shouldn't even matter, The fact still remains that after spending Hundreds of dollars on protection plans we still are not receiving the service that was promised. I am now on week # 3 of getting the running around and your computer is here, your computer is there and guess what still no computer. The point remains is that your company sells a product that is a waste of money. I would rather save my money and purchase another laptop then deal with the stress of waiting week after week for excuses and empty promises. Defend all you want. You still have angry customers that your company deceived and failed to deliver to. Idiots taking the calls is not the point, I've spoken to many idiots and they all have the same answer, we do not know when you will get a replacement.

Worst plan I've ever had the misfortune to use. I've sent in my laptop for the same problem so many times already. Each time I send it in, I don't have a laptop for 2-3 weeks. Whatever they do, it works for about a month (longest) and then breaks down again. As a college student, this is really inconvenient as I need my laptop for everything. This time, they sent it back without fixing anything, and the only solution they can give me is to send it back in again. I'm so sick and tired of talking to people who just keep telling me to send it in so that they can waste more of my time. I hope that anyone planning to buy the protection plan reads these comments because I would believe all of them are true. For those that do work at Office Depot and are trying to sell these plans, stop. You're just causing the customers more frustration. You guys may do your job well (I don't doubt it) and I'm sure none of the problems are caused by you, but you're causing customers to essentially waste their money just to waste their time. DON'T BUY THE PROTECTION PLAN!

My HP IQ504 was 3 months out of the HP warranty when it developed a BIOHD-2 error and wouldn’t boot up. On my initial call, the woman (the only name I didn’t get) told me I would have to ship the computer back to them and she would send me the box to ship it in. It’s never arrived. I just hung up on my 5th call to the Office Depot Extended Warranty bozos. Every time I call they (Jerry, Anthony, Patrick, Dave & Chris) apologize, verify my address again, and promise to send the materials in 3-5 business days.
This last time, Chris (a purported supervisor) told me it was still within the 3-5 business days. He would not tell me how the materials were sent, couldn’t provide me with a tracking number, only repeated the company line “3-5 business days call back if you haven’t received the materials” until I hung up!

I will never do business with Office Depot again!

1 800 Waaahmbulance

First of all you all pretty much deserve what you get. 75% of you come without the slightest idea of what you want in a laptop, besides what it will look like when you sit your pretensious [censor] at your local starbucks' to use it and be noticed. This is compounded by the fact that most of you already have at least one computer at home and at least one mobile device with which you can look at reviews on said product. instead you all rely on the salesperson to sell you something tailor made to your life. You as a consumer should at least have a rough idea of what you want in a laptop, but everyday I see the same thing, a bunch of mouth breathers standing in front of laptop displays trying to figure out which one looks the coolest for the money that you want to spend. So much for today's consumer being the educated consumer. Frankly most of you are lazy and don't read any stipulations that come with a product or service that a retailer is selling. I love the United States, but its amazing how lazy people here have become. Most consumers know that if they [censor] loud enough or escalate the issue that they will get some kind of favorable resolution. Acutually I blame the retail system in general. If we as a whole would stand our ground, and not cave in to you mouthbreathers then there would probably be less turnover in retail. Do us all a favor and take some personal responsibility for the mistakes you make and stop whining about what the retailer didnt do for you. God, do any of you remember when you ordered something and you actually had to wait for it to come in? The fact is we've become an "instant society" where is much easier to [censor] than get off your [censor] and do something about it.

There is no customer empathy. The stores simply cheat you into buying protection plan. There should be a law suit against office depot. They partner with these manufacturers to frustrate customers to death. Its really a dead society with no morals and no ethics. The same people after their training at these places become some of the worst citizens. I will never do a business transaction with OfficeDepot again [period].

Educated consumers don't get cheated. Therems a thing called asking questions. You're nieve and stupid if you don't think that there would limitations to the offers and protection plans provided. As far as a "Dead Society" is concerned, when these super store one stop shopping venues started to pop up I don't remember seeing Joe consumer screaming bloody murder. If you want Mom and Pop service from a corporately owned company, you're kidding yourself. Because these companies deal with so many customers who know nothing about the products they are buying they obviously have to have more stringent return policies and protection plans. If they didn't, they would have to increase prices to accommodate the large portion of consumers that are addicted to returning product. Since your only point of contact is the store management automatically its our fault. Consider that these indivoiduals are just likke you trying to make a buck, then imagine them getting [censor]ed out by someone like you just because they have to follow their companies policy. If I had my way, I would give a return to everyone, but unfortunately that's not how it works. Next time you decide to blow up and have a hissy fit over someone telling you no consider that they are just doing their job. Or better yet, consider that its not the training that makes them "the worst citizens" its more likely the unending parade of obnoxious uninformed citizens that piss and moan in the belief that we're just saying no because we want to ruin your day.Do us all a favor and take the time to find out what your buying before you buy it. There are a ton of consumer sites dedicated to service and product reviews...which is pretty funny considering that the first web site you managed to find is one that allows you to yet again, [censor].

Hey all.

First off, I feel like I should notify everyone that I am a current Office Depot employee.

These plans are NOT a rip off. Number one, read the fine print. They cover NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR, SHOCK AND SURGE, PROVIDE 24/7 TECH SUPPORT, AND COVER ACCIDENTAL DAMAGE.

Now, that being said, I can personally attest to seeing several laptops come back into the store from people that had purchased plans. Did we send them back to the manufacturer or tell them to call the number on the brochure? Not a chance. We returned the old laptop as damaged and then exchanged it for a new one like the one they had (or one close to it if it was a model that we didn't carry or were out of stock in). The only thing that we expect from the customer is that they purchase another plan.

1) They bought a plan that covered accidental damage and other issues.
2) Something happened that the plan covered.
3) They got a new laptop for as little as $99 or as much as $299.99 depending on the price.
4) They buy another plan so that when they break the next one, they can do the same thing over again.

Can anyone tell me how that isn't taking care of the customer? I consider myself to be a relatively ethical person. I'm no pillar of society, but I do believe in some form of moral hazard.

Please stop ### people, and understand what you are buying. Almost ALL of these issues can be avoided by asking questions of the associate who is selling it to you, but the final decision is up to you.

Yes, there is pressure to sell plans. But there is more pressure to take care of the customer.

Sorry guys, just had to let you know that in this case, the customer ISN'T always right. All of you complaining are looking for places to vent, and I get that. I understand how you feel. In reading this, I have realized that a lot of people have felt this way. What I have found is that people who purchase a plan, 95% of the time are happy that they did it.

Tis all from me, happy complaining, Mr. Internet.

Deucez, playa.

After being an employee of office depot for 11 years, I can say that I have never been so happy in my life. No more selling of plans that no one really understands. No more idiot customers that would rather complain incessantly and throw tantrums until they get their way. No more [censored]bag corporate that gives policy they won't even stand up for. No more "I know someone who know someone that knows how to fix computers" or people who think they know what they are doing then ### and moan when they screw it up and blame the company. No more monkeys that look at adult sites and get a virus and cry that the anti-virus (which warns of security issues that have to be over-ridden before you can proceed) didn't work and it's our fault. No more dementia laden old geezers who couldn't fix a ham sandwich thinking they know what they are talking about when it comes to computer repair. No more issues with inventory being short and someone ### on Saturday about an item in the add on the previous Sunday. No more not being allowed to say "no, you are not taking responsibility for your own actions". Now I work for a government agency that follows policy, will back it up, and I can say "I don't have to take your ###. If you want help, you'll act like an adult and take personal responsibility for yourself". If retail groups were to treat customers like that (including online retailers), people would do one of two things: live without it, or grow the f up.

I bought the 2 year accidental damage on my Asus tablet and keyboard I bought as a bundle package. The service tech even acknowledged it was a bundle package. I dropped my tablet it damaged my tablet and keyboard, they could not repair they refunded only the tablet not the $150.00 keypad saying I should have bought 2 service plans! REALLY! I was suppose to know that? I bought the keyboard and tablet as one unit, How was I suppose to know I needed 2 plans? The service tech said they should have told you that in the store, I bought it online and no nothing was said. Does anyone know of any recourse ? I have an attorney on retainer, I am contacting him today. I know it is only $150.00 but it is the principle of it now. It looks like they have many issues out there on their service plan. I will buy (because I have to) my replacement, but never again will I ever purchase anything from them, nor will my business, nor anyone I can talk to and share my information as well as a few informative sites (like this one) I have come across.

I purchased a two year agreement from Office Depot "Asurion" and the printed quit working in two months. After filing a claim they kept stalling and stalling (many hours in phone calls logged) on this claim until the contract expired "I am sorry but we can find your claim number."

We were treated like dirt by the store manager when we confronted them with this problem.

I will never do business with Office Depot / Office Max again!

I purchased an Ativa phone Model #AD583 on Friday, Oct. 20th in St Petersburg, FL
Today, I had my computer tech install it for me, only to find out the batteries are dead.
They have been charging since Oct. 20, and are not charging.
I purchased a Home & Office Protection plan - Contract #: [protected].
I would like to return the phone system.
bernadettenolan7@gmail.com
Bernadette Nolan