Geek Squad vs SquareTrade Extended Warranty. Which is better ?

not sure if you can but see if you can buy warranty from Dell

Interesting thought .. So I just spend 30 minutes talking with Dell's Extended Warranty team (seemed like I was talking to Indians on the other side of the world).

The rep first said its about $340 for just the ONE year, WITHOUT ADH ! When I told him what Best Buy is offering (THREE year WITH ADH), he matched that after talking to his supervisor ... I find this quite odd. They probably offered me like $400 ~ $500 discount altogether in a matter of minutes, which is weird.

Second, when I asked him to send me the full terms & conditions document relating to this extended warranty, he failed to do that, and instead got angry saying that Dell is a much more known brand than BB, etc., and that I should trust them. I mean he failed to share with me a full terms & conditions document. That's a red flag, right ?

When I hung up, he actually called me back to say that I should not call back as there are only 3 reps currently present in their team, so chances are I might talk to the same person again.

Chances are you were talking to somebody in India as a LOT of U.S. companies outsource their customer service to overseas call centers now.

Why is it weird? They want your business and you should want protection directly from the company that manufactured your device and not from a third party. Because at least then you should get back a properly repaired device done by factory techs who will know what they're doing and not some shlep from Best Buy.

How is it a red flag that a company rep for the company that created your device didn't want to email you the entire likely Bible length document? I'm sure they are readily available on the internet someplace if you just use the correct search terms. Most of them are comprised of tons of legalese but the only things you need to concern yourself with are the portions regarding replacements and/or repairs.

Some companies will ship you back an already repaired device rather than have you wait till yours is actually repaired. Most of these documents also usually have a disclaimer that replacement or repair is up to THEIR discretion. There's really not much to go over unless you like picking apart such agreements for hours on end.

If this actually did happen, then I would escalate to a non foreign rep and file a complaint against the rep you spoke with as that was rude and unprofessional on their part. However I imagine it's also very true as it does seem as if these outsourced centers are woefully understaffed.

I agree with most things you've mentioned. I only want to read the T&S agreement in advance so I know exactly what I'll be buying. Both SquareTrade and Best Buy have some stipulations listed which I personally don't like very much, and I want to see how Dell's stipulations compare to that. As I'm a student, spending $300 ~ $400 is quite costly which is why I'd like to know exactly what I'm buying. Also, all my communication with Dell regarding Extended Warranty's details are gotten through verbal communication, which CAN be incorrect. I like to have written confirmation of things, and their website is very 'hush-hush' about the details. They tell you to just call this number. Their chat does the same.

I'm pretty sure I talked to foreign Indian dudes. I've called them 3 times so far since the morning and everytime I asked for a T&S document politely, they add indirectly start getting angry and sarcastic. They keep interrupting whatever I say, don't listen, and insist that "search on Dell's support website about whatever I'm trying to find".

I wish there was a way I could speak to a non-foreign person which is why I tried calling a short while ago. I thought that since its like 3-4 AM in India right now, I might be connected with a local rep. However I was still connected with an Indian dude who again got pissed off when I asked for a T&S agreement document.

Getting the warranty from Dell would be better as they are the manufacturer, but I don't want to deal with a company whose customer service sucks so much. If their staff is so rude BEFORE I make a purchase, I don't know what they'll do AFTER I've paid.

At least SquareTrade people are not rude at this point in time.

I've specifically asked for an American customer service rep before and been switched over to someone without an accent at times. It is tough to get them to switch you over though as I believe the bulk of the CS department is handled overseas. But if you're firm and polite no matter how rudely they seem to come across as, then they should transfer you over.

Too bad Best Buy switched all their plans over to just being repair/replacement plans though as at one point their warranties were glorious. They were called replacement plans and you could simply take your item into a store after the factory warranty had lapsed and just before the additional one was going to expire, say "It don't work right" and even if they tested it and it did work properly you would be given a gift card for the total you paid no questions asked.

Then you could buy the newest version of the item, slap another replacement plan on it and rinse and repeat.

I'll try calling them during a weekday in the hope that I might get connected with an American dude. But if I receive the same response as before, no way am I going with Dell !

What are your thoughts on SquareTrade by the way, if any ? Especially in comparison with Geek Squad ?