Pushy Sales Clerks Demanding Extended Warranties

[Rich Riddle]

I purchased a Kenmore refrigerator yesterday and knew about the model prior to purchase. It makes the eighth one folks in our family have. We have two of that model in our home and this one is for a rental unit. They sales clerk would not give up about being super pushy on selling an extended warranty. She nearly demanded a purchase of one from every customer she approached. At check out, she ask me a half dozen times to purchase one. Then she asked how I wanted to pay for the extended warranty after continually telling her no. She indicated how foolish it is to not purchase one, how low-quality appliances are made, how I could get more money if it broke since it was a scratch/dent, how much it cost to repair appliances. Her diatribe never ceased. I am guessing they get a commission on the sale of warranties.

Sears wanted $189 for a three year warranty, or two additional years for a scratch and dent $519 refrigerator. I checked at the Home Depot and they would charge $65 for an extended warranty at the same price point. American Express doubles the warranty on appliances for free, so in reality the warranty would only offer one extra year. About this time every year some news agency does a story on how worthless extended warranties are to consumers but in November & December people will spend 1.2 Billion dollars on extended warranties.

As far as appliances go, you typically see a "bathtub" curve on break downs. You either typically see them immediately upon purchase or just before they bite the dust for good. Not so many problems in the middle. Research has shown this for quite some time.

[Bruce Page]

I was trying to buy a washer & dryer at Best Buy and walked out because of a pushy salesman that wouldn't take NO! for an answer. The look on his face was priceless.

[Erik Loza]

I was a retail manager for almost ten years. The thing to remember is that the sales associates you are dealing with at all these big-box retail places are entry-level and not really skilled sales people. It's probably their first real job. Hiring for big-box retail outlets like Best Buy is what we called "turn-and-burn". They are also under a lot of pressure from their managers (who, themselves, are under a lot of pressure from district) to push the value-added items like extended warranties and so on. So, you have these kids who just entered the work force, trying hard not to blow it and ergo, being overly pushy on the sales floor. It's like when you first started asking girls out and every girl said no to you because you probably came across as a pushy jerk rather than a sincere guy. We all were, that's how it goes.

Personally, I expect those types of questions and have never been offended by being asked and likewise, have never had an associate push back at me. Maybe it's my demeanor, but I only say no once and am never rude about it, but they know that I am not interested. Just my 2-cents.

Erik

[Pat Barry]

...As far as appliances go, you typically see a "bathtub" curve on break downs. You either typically see them immediately upon purchase or just before they bite the dust for good. Not so many problems in the middle. Research has shown this for quite some time.
This is a highly overused explanation. Its descriptive but really not insightful. In fact, this model is rarely used for reliability anymore. Bathtubs don't fail right away, ever, unless they were improperly installed, after that, its more likely consumer induced damage than wear-out. When does a bathtub ever really 'bite the dust'? LOL.

[Mike Henderson]

On many items I feel the extended warrantee is not a good deal. As you point out, Rich, most things like refrigerators either fail immediately or at the end of life. And most items come with a warranty that covers the early failures.

Another issue is whether they will really live up to the warrantee. This is a bit different but when we bought our house, it came with a homeowner's warrantee. I had an issue with the stove and called the warrantee company. They refer to a local company. So when I go the name of the local company, I did some research on them on the Internet. There were a lot of reviews that said the same thing - that the company showed up, collected the money you had to pay (maybe $20) and then told you they had to order a part. Then, you never heard from them again.

Since I didn't pay for the warrantee and since I needed the stove fixed immediately, I called the appliance repair guy I work with and paid him to fix it.

I called the warrantee company and complained about them working with a company that got such bad reviews but, as far as I know, they continued to work with them.

Mike

[John O'Brien]

I normally don't go for an extended warranty, but........we bought a Kenmore Elite (made by LG) French door refrigerator and my wife decided to get the warranty. We have had to have 2 repairs so far. First we had an error code, something to do with the freezer fan. A common problem with this model according to the internet. It was replaced under warranty. Then the ice maker stopped working and was also repaired by Sears.

I forget how much we paid for the extended warranty, but I think we are ahead of the game.

[Rich Riddle]

John,
I bought about the least complicated refrigerator they sell, no bells and whistles. No ice maker, no water in the door, no computer, etc. It's like the Yugo of refrigerators.

Mike,
Angie's List reports that home warranty scams constitute the highest percentage of complaints of any companies. They are utterly worthless. Typically the service call fees are higher than one could simply call a technician to fix the problem.

Pat,
Sometimes I forget how scientific and nerdy I talk. In statistics the "bathtub curve" looks like a capital letter U whereas a "Bell Curve" (or Unit Normal Distribution) looks like an inverse U. A bathtub curve shows most problems (or any statistical anomaly) occur at the beginning and the end.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathtub_curve

Erik,
I am not known to possess the overly polite demeanor you possess.

Bruce,
Walking out proves your point, but the next closest Sears Outlet is a long drive. I wimped out and returned for a stove after checking to ensure the "Viper" wasn't working.

[Dan Hintz]

On more than one occasion I have told the sales associate (after being asked about the extended warranty several times), "I told you I'm not interested, and I mean it... if you raise the issue about the warranty one more time, not only will I not purchase the item from you, I will inform your manager that you cost the company a sale." I don't believe that has ever failed to shut them up.

[Thomas Pender]

Have any of you all tried to buy a car lately? Even worse.

They try to sell you maintenance plans , warranties, and junk on the car. Worse yet, they misrepresent the benefits of the plans (claiming the need for maintenance not in the maintenance schedule) and sell warranty plans, typically, for a 100% or more markup. They call these guys the finance office, whether you want to pay cash or finance, they bite on and do not give in easy. Consumer Reports recommends not buying and I personally know of no one who ever made out well on one of these plans.

The funny point is that when I buy wood working stuff, I am not pressured to buy warranties - they know we expect it to last and just the implication we need a warranty would chase us away from the sale. Have to admit my Grizzly, Jet, Festool, Onieda, Bosch, Makita, etc., stuff has been rock solid over the years if you do not count my inability to make some of it work as intended. :)

[Jeff Monson]

Just a polite "no thanks I will take my chances" usually works for me. I seldom get asked twice. The one that makes me chuckle the most is Harbor Freight, the store I go to from time to time will ask, "do you want to add 5 years of protection for $10?" when I say no they respond "ok well I can go ahead and double the mfg. warranty for free." This has happened quite a few times and I really have to struggle not to laugh till I leave the store.

[Dale Coons]

It's the shape of the tub, not how a bathtub lasts. Cut a lengthwise cross section or look at the side of an old style tub with legs--it has a high spot at both ends (the beginning and the end of the 'curve') and a long low part in the middle--sort of "U" shaped. High failure rates occur at the beginning and end of life, but once you make it past the first bit (usually a defect if it fails here), the likelihood is your appliance will last a long time, until you get to the point where parts start failing (end of life). Models producing this shape of curve are still used frequently to predict failure rates for parts--hence a warranty period at the beginning to cover bad parts, then the assumption that unless it is abused or misused in some way, the part will last a long time.

So Rich is right. Warranty deals are usually not in your best financial interest they are there to make money. The mfr warrants the device usually for a period that would cover the initial breakdown (of course, you may get the 'one' that fails the day after the warranty expires), so the extended warranty you pay for covers you for a period your device is far less likely to break down--its a great money maker. On the other hand, if a breakdown or repair costs seem daunting, maybe that 'insurance' is a good thing for you. I don't have repair insurance on my cars. My son, who is totally unhandy feels it is worth it--has it and has used it.

[Matt Meiser]

Even bigger question is whether Sears will make it 3 years to service that warranty? They have to be about out of assets to sell to raise cash.

[Curt Harms]

I was trying to buy a washer & dryer at Best Buy and walked out because of a pushy salesman that wouldn't take NO! for an answer. The look on his face was priceless.

Best solution. Think the knothead learned anything?

[Kent Adams]

I purchased a Kenmore refrigerator yesterday and knew about the model prior to purchase. It makes the eighth one folks in our family have. We have two of that model in our home and this one is for a rental unit. They sales clerk would not give up about being super pushy on selling an extended warranty. She nearly demanded a purchase of one from every customer she approached. At check out, she ask me a half dozen times to purchase one. Then she asked how I wanted to pay for the extended warranty after continually telling her no. She indicated how foolish it is to not purchase one, how low-quality appliances are made, how I could get more money if it broke since it was a scratch/dent, how much it cost to repair appliances. Her diatribe never ceased. I am guessing they get a commission on the sale of warranties.

Sears wanted $189 for a three year warranty, or two additional years for a scratch and dent $519 refrigerator. I checked at the Home Depot and they would charge $65 for an extended warranty at the same price point. American Express doubles the warranty on appliances for free, so in reality the warranty would only offer one extra year. About this time every year some news agency does a story on how worthless extended warranties are to consumers but in November & December people will spend 1.2 Billion dollars on extended warranties.

As far as appliances go, you typically see a "bathtub" curve on break downs. You either typically see them immediately upon purchase or just before they bite the dust for good. Not so many problems in the middle. Research has shown this for quite some time.

If this happened to me, I would have simply said nothing after about the 3rd time and walked away. I'm in sales for a living myself, but this clerk's actions is what makes me sick about where we are going in the sales world. I happen to work for a bank and if we pushed and sold like our executive team asked us to do, we'd be insolvent in no time as everyone of our customers would leave. This type of sales culture is hollow and hellish to work in. Make a quality product, charge more for it if you have to and stop trying to make up for poor quality with expensive warranties that are too much of a hassle to get a claim paid, which is their business model. No pride much anymore left in much of big corporate America, IMHO.

[Pat Barry]

It's the shape of the tub, not how a bathtub lasts. Cut a lengthwise cross section or look at the side of an old style tub with legs--it has a high spot at both ends (the beginning and the end of the 'curve') and a long low part in the middle--sort of "U" shaped. High failure rates occur at the beginning and end of life, but once you make it past the first bit (usually a defect if it fails here), the likelihood is your appliance will last a long time, until you get to the point where parts start failing (end of life). Models producing this shape of curve are still used frequently to predict failure rates for parts--hence a warranty period at the beginning to cover bad parts, then the assumption that unless it is abused or misused in some way, the part will last a long time.

So Rich is right. Warranty deals are usually not in your best financial interest they are there to make money. The mfr warrants the device usually for a period that would cover the initial breakdown (of course, you may get the 'one' that fails the day after the warranty expires), so the extended warranty you pay for covers you for a period your device is far less likely to break down--its a great money maker. On the other hand, if a breakdown or repair costs seem daunting, maybe that 'insurance' is a good thing for you. I don't have repair insurance on my cars. My son, who is totally unhandy feels it is worth it--has it and has used it.
Oh sure, I agree, the curves are usually the high stress points where you would expect the failures to occur. The funny thing, to me, is that the high failures at the end of life is exactly as expected. I mean where do you expect end of life failures to occur except at the end of life? What the??

[Jason Roehl]

Oh sure, I agree, the curves are usually the high stress points where you would expect the failures to occur. The funny thing, to me, is that the high failures at the end of life is exactly as expected. I mean where do you expect end of life failures to occur except at the end of life? What the??

The point is that the end-of-life spike is within a consistent time frame for a given product. The bathtub curve results from graphing the number of failures (or repairs) on the y-axis (vertical) vs. time on the x-axis (horizontal). So there's a high initial spike in failure count for any product (covered by the standard manufacturer's warranty), then a modern washer, for instance, might have a second spike around the ten-year mark, not covered by any warranty since they would rarely go much beyond five years. A range's second spike might be at the 20-year mark. Between the two spikes are very few failures.

[Pat Barry]

The point is that the end-of-life spike is within a consistent time frame for a given product. The bathtub curve results from graphing the number of failures (or repairs) on the y-axis (vertical) vs. time on the x-axis (horizontal). So there's a high initial spike in failure count for any product (covered by the standard manufacturer's warranty), then a modern washer, for instance, might have a second spike around the ten-year mark, not covered by any warranty since they would rarely go much beyond five years. A range's second spike might be at the 20-year mark. Between the two spikes are very few failures.
If that's the case then it sure would be nice if they told us how long its supposed to last when we go to buy it

[Dan Hintz]

Oh sure, I agree, the curves are usually the high stress points where you would expect the failures to occur. The funny thing, to me, is that the high failures at the end of life is exactly as expected. I mean where do you expect end of life failures to occur except at the end of life? What the??

Well, they DO say that in a search for something, it's always in the last place you look.

[Pat Barry]

Well, they DO say that in a search for something, it's always in the last place you look.

No kidding, that usually happens when I realize that the reading glasses that I'm looking everywhere for are on top of my head.

[Steve Peterson]

Well, they DO say that in a search for something, it's always in the last place you look.

It would be really silly to continue looking after you find it, so you always find something in the last place you look.

Steve

[Steve Peterson]

I have heard horror stories from employees of Best Buy or Circuit City that they have very strict quota requirements for extended warrantees. They have very tiny margins on the sales price because everyone is competing primarily by price. The profit on the extended warrantee may be 10X more than the made by selling the item. The workers fear that they will lose their jobs if they don't meet certain quotas.

My wife always pushes me to extended warrantees. I always say no even for big ticket items like cars. The warrantee that extends coverage past the 36K factory warrantee until 70K might cost 5-10% as much as the entire car. We have never had any major mechanical breakdown until well past 100K miles, so there is a very small likelihood of a breakdown between 36K and 70K (bathtub curve). The way I get my wife to stop pestering me is to tell her that we are buying the car outright with the money we saved by not getting the extended warrantee on the last 10 cars.

The thing that cracks me up is the original salesman telling you how reliable the car is. An hour later the warrantee guy is telling you that you need the warrantee to cover the pile of junk you just agreed to buy.

Steve

[Art Mann]

I just returned a new high end laptop to Best Buy. I clicked the HP "help" button on the task bar when I first got it and the resultant message instructed me to install a BIOS update and to upgrade the graphics card driver. After performing these operations precisely according to the instructions, the Start button in the lower left hand corner of the screen would no longer function and the touch screen didn't work. It turns out this is a very common problem with Windows 10 on certain brands, including Hewlett Packard. I tried many different possible solutions from Hewlett Packard and Microsoft and nothing was successful. When I returned the computer, the salesman first insisted I let the "Geek Squad" to look at it. I politely declined and asked for my money back. Instead of doing that, he tried to get me to accept some other similar HP product in their inventory. I politely informed him that I was incredibly frustrated and was exercising the maximum possible self control I could manage. I asked him if he would like to see a demonstration of how I really felt about the matter. He grudgingly wiped the hard disk in my presence so as not to violate my privacy. I am kind of proud of myself for not unloading on the guy. Why does it always have to come to this in order to get a store to honor their written warranty?

[Pat Barry]

I just returned a new high end laptop to Best Buy. I clicked the HP "help" button on the task bar when I first got it and the resultant message instructed me to install a BIOS update and to upgrade the graphics card driver. After performing these operations precisely according to the instructions, the Start button in the lower left hand corner of the screen would no longer function and the touch screen didn't work. It turns out this is a very common problem with Windows 10 on certain brands, including Hewlett Packard. I tried many different possible solutions from Hewlett Packard and Microsoft and nothing was successful. When I returned the computer, the salesman first insisted I let the "Geek Squad" to look at it. I politely declined and asked for my money back. Instead of doing that, he tried to get me to accept some other similar HP product in their inventory. I politely informed him that I was incredibly frustrated and was exercising the maximum possible self control I could manage. I asked him if he would like to see a demonstration of how I really felt about the matter. He grudgingly wiped the hard disk in my presence so as not to violate my privacy. I am kind of proud of myself for not unloading on the guy. Why does it always have to come to this in order to get a store to honor their written warranty?
Funny, I just bought a low end HP laptop from Best Buy ($279 or $379 as I recall) and had exactly zero problems getting it started up and running. Yours must have been on the front end of the bathtub curve. Mine apparently is not.

[Val Kosmider]

"Trust me, if this thing breaks down in the next couple of years, I will be back in your door and you will be replacing it." I have zero tolerance for crap...or "sales".

Having said that, my SO bought a kitchen full of appliance a couple years back. The price kept coming down, and every time we went to sort out the final details, they threw in a few hundred more dollars. On the day that she went to sign the final papers, they threw $300 at us...and then asked the "Extended warranty question" which just happened to cost $300.

Like a putz, we folded, and took the warranty.

In two years, new washing machine exterior panel, new dishwasher door, and the mother of all replacements, a new side by side refrig door. LG, Kitchen Aid and Electrolux appliances which aren't cheap, and cost a LOT to repair.

So...gulp.....choked on our own policy....and it turned out to more than pay for itself. But had we not had the extended warranty, would have been in there screaming and hollering like a wounded pig.

Still can't stand it when they badger you with the question and won't take no for an answer.

[Brian Brown]

She indicated how foolish it is to not purchase one, how s are made, how I could get more money if it broke since it was a scratch/dent, how much it cost to repair appliances. Her diatribe never ceased. I am guessing they get a commission on the sale of warranties.



I would have asked her "If this is such a low-quality appliance in the first place why are you selling it to me, and why should I buy it?" Then I would have walked out and never gone back. Oh wait, I have done that to numerous businesses.

[Frederick Skelly]

Have any of you all tried to buy a car lately? Even worse.

They try to sell you maintenance plans , warranties, and junk on the car. Worse yet, they misrepresent the benefits of the plans (claiming the need for maintenance not in the maintenance schedule) and sell warranty plans, typically, for a 100% or more markup. They call these guys the finance office, whether you want to pay cash or finance, they bite on and do not give in easy. Consumer Reports recommends not buying and I personally know of no one who ever made out well on one of these plans.

Try this. Say something like "Gee, I'm really looking for a durable car. If you think I'm really going to need this extra warranty protection, I should probably go down the street to the [Toyota, Honda, or whatever] dealership. Reliability is very important to me." That ends it, every time.

[Art Mann]

Funny, I just bought a low end HP laptop from Best Buy ($279 or $379 as I recall) and had exactly zero problems getting it started up and running. Yours must have been on the front end of the bathtub curve. Mine apparently is not.

The computer was a Best Buy exclusive and hadn't been on the market long enough to receive even a single customer rating yet. I should have know better than to buy a new and unproven product. I have other HP computers that work just fine.

[Art Mann]

When I first started working for Chrysler Motors, there was an ad campaign going that featured Lee Iacocca talking about the 5 year, 50,000 mile warranty. At the timer, it was, by far, the best in the business. When I saw the ad, I remember thinking that I don't want a car with an outstanding warranty. I want a car that doesn't need one.

[Erik Loza]

Regarding autro dealerships, I feel like all the pressure to buy these value-added services like warranties and such, is a result of the market we now live in, where consumers can go on line and essentially get the car for almost nothing over what the dealer paid. The dealership has overhead and needs to pay for that somehow. With the internet, the buyer can shop around without doing any actual work, and pit one dealer against another to see who will go lowest on what the various dealers (I assume) essentially all paid the same from, from the mfr. So, the margins have gotten really slim over the years.

Erik

[Charles Wiggins]

Here's how you deal with pushy warrantee salespeople (Warning: Language!):


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6YEpXS_ugU

[Charles Wiggins]

This is from 2004, but it sums it up pretty well.

"Last year, profits from warranties accounted for all of Circuit City's operating income and almost half of Best Buy's, say analysts. They figure that profit margins on contracts are between 50% and 60%. That's nearly 18 times the margin on the goods themselves. For example, a four-year contract on a $3,000 flat-panel TV costs about $400. Best Buy gives its insurers $160 and keeps $240 for itself."
http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/stories/2004-12-19/the-warranty-windfall

[Rich Riddle]

Regarding autro dealerships, I feel like all the pressure to buy these value-added services like warranties and such, is a result of the market we now live in, where consumers can go on line and essentially get the car for almost nothing over what the dealer paid. The dealership has overhead and needs to pay for that somehow. With the internet, the buyer can shop around without doing any actual work, and pit one dealer against another to see who will go lowest on what the various dealers (I assume) essentially all paid the same from, from the mfr. So, the margins have gotten really slim over the years.

Erik
Erik,

Dealers get a percentage or "holdback" on the volume of cars they sell. They also make tons of money on the service department. It's the same way with a gas station-most owners make very little on the gas but rake in tons on you if you venture inside for a bite or snack.

[Erik Loza]

Erik,

Dealers get a percentage or "holdback" on the volume of cars they sell. They also make tons of money on the service department. It's the same way with a gas station-most owners make very little on the gas but rake in tons on you if you venture inside for a bite or snack.

That makes sense.
Erik

[Kev Williams]

Never had anyone try and PUSH a warrantee on me, "no thanks" usually is enough. Most things I buy I won't even consider an EW.

But CARS these days... I'm a pretty good wrench, but I want NOTHING to do with fixing newer cars... Last February I bought the wife a 2013 Mustang GT convertible. Price was good, got it from a dealer where a friend is the sales manager, and he knocked $3000 off the price. I put it on a 7 year contract at 2% interest, and spent the 3 grand I saved on a 7 year bumper to bumper warrantee.

If I never need it, so be it, but I'll be right glad to have it if I ever DO... :)

$3 grand sounds like a lot, but it's substantially less per $ spent than $189 for a $520 fridge! And it's much less than the basic car insurance will cost in 7 years (which I likely won't need either)

[John Goodin]

My dad managed the credit dept at Sears in the early 70s. Back then the big push was not warranties but credit apps. He said the boss an didn't care if a sales man sold 10 dishwashers or 30 but a certain percentage of buyers better apply for credit. They knew if they opened a charge account they would become loyal customers for life.

[Jason Roehl]

This is from 2004, but it sums it up pretty well.

"Last year, profits from warranties accounted for all of Circuit City's operating income and almost half of Best Buy's, say analysts. They figure that profit margins on contracts are between 50% and 60%. That's nearly 18 times the margin on the goods themselves. For example, a four-year contract on a $3,000 flat-panel TV costs about $400. Best Buy gives its insurers $160 and keeps $240 for itself."
http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/stories/2004-12-19/the-warranty-windfall

And Circuit City is no longer around...

[Jerome Stanek]

I never buy extended warranties on cars or trucks. If I start to have much trouble I get rid of it. I don't see spending extra money for something I will never use. the normal warranty is long enough and if you read the fine print on the warranty you may get a surprise at how much you pay for a covered item. I asked how much I would pay to have an antenna replaced and it was $80.00 using the warranty also I asked if the rubber trim on the bumper had to be replaced and they said it wasn't covered as are a lot of other parts.

[Rich Engelhardt]

When the sales person asks about extended warranties, I just say no.
When they go on and on, I look at them in the same way I look at telemarketers.....

Yes, they are annoying, but, they are only doing their job.
@ least they have a job - - unlike an enormous number of people in my wife's family......:rolleyes:
That thought mellows me out quite a bit..

[Scott Shepherd]

When they ask me more than once about it, I usually just say "No thanks, if it doesn't last and the company won't stand behind fixing it, then I just won't buy another one of their products when I have to replace it".

[Dan Hintz]

My dad managed the credit dept at Sears in the early 70s. Back then the big push was not warranties but credit apps. He said the boss an didn't care if a sales man sold 10 dishwashers or 30 but a certain percentage of buyers better apply for credit. They knew if they opened a charge account they would become loyal customers for life.


And Circuit City is no longer around...

And Sears has been struggling for quite a long time, too. My mother was a personnel trainer for Sears for over 25 years (back when they actually cared how their personnel acted on the floor). I doubt anyone thinks they have a "loyal" Sears customer just because they filled out a credit app.

Times have changed, that's for sure...

[Roger Feeley]

Many years ago, a friend of mine rented a car and the agent really put the hard sell on him to take the collision damage waiver. he finally paid the $10/day. But, as he told me, he ran over every curb he encountered. He scrape the car on every concrete corner. he repeatedly keyed the car. I guess the car he returned was a wreck. of course they took it back and there was no charge for the damage. I would never do this but I can't help but laugh when I think about it.

[Matt Meiser]

The last time I bought something at Circuit City the clerk told me my total, then added the warranty and ran my card. I didn't catch it until after I signed. Told him he better get the store manger over there immediately. It was an "accident" of course. Wonder how many people never realized they were pulling that scam?

[Jerome Stanek]

The last time I bought something at Circuit City the clerk told me my total, then added the warranty and ran my card. I didn't catch it until after I signed. Told him he better get the store manger over there immediately. It was an "accident" of course. Wonder how many people never realized they were pulling that scam?

Had that happen to me also when I bought a refrigerator. They added it after I said to right it up. It was a 5 year extended warranty on a refrigerator that had a 10 year warranty to begin with. When I asked them about if I get 15 years of warranty they said no just 5 years. That's when I pointed out that I never gave them permission to add something extra that and to remove it. They didn't want to but finally did.

[Frederick Skelly]

Here's how you deal with it]
Pretty darn funny Charles!

[Brian Elfert]

Had that happen to me also when I bought a refrigerator. They added it after I said to right it up. It was a 5 year extended warranty on a refrigerator that had a 10 year warranty to begin with. When I asked them about if I get 15 years of warranty they said no just 5 years. That's when I pointed out that I never gave them permission to add something extra that and to remove it. They didn't want to but finally did.

What refrigerator has a 10 year warranty? I will have to check that brand out next time I need a refrigerator.

[Brian Henderson]

The last time I bought something at Circuit City the clerk told me my total, then added the warranty and ran my card. I didn't catch it until after I signed. Told him he better get the store manger over there immediately. It was an "accident" of course. Wonder how many people never realized they were pulling that scam?

Not an appliance, but years ago, I took my dog to get fixed at a local vet and while there, they tried to sell me all kinds of stuff, bandanas, mugs with the dog's picture, etc. I opted out of every single thing, but when I came back to pick up the dog and pay, they had added all of it on. I refused to pay, showing them that I had even said no on what I had signed and they complained that they had already made all of this stuff. I told them I hoped they enjoyed it because I wasn't paying for it. That was the last time I ever went there too.

[Pat Barry]

Not an appliance, but years ago, I took my dog to get fixed at a local vet and while there, they tried to sell me all kinds of stuff, bandanas, mugs with the dog's picture, etc. I opted out of every single thing, but when I came back to pick up the dog and pay, they had added all of it on. I refused to pay, showing them that I had even said no on what I had signed and they complained that they had already made all of this stuff. I told them I hoped they enjoyed it because I wasn't paying for it. That was the last time I ever went there too.
This was a common approach we found at the photographer. We wanted a special portrait taken and picked throu the shots to find ONE we wanted. We ordered it and then we we came back to pick it up they had given us a package with all these bonus pictures, enlargements, glossy's, matte finish, settings we didn't want, etc. They were indignant that I refused all of this except the one we ordered. This happened previously when we had a family portrait too. Close-ups of all the kids, individual shots, family groups. I told them all we wanted was ONE nice family portrait. We come in to pick up and again they have a huge assortment of really nice photo's in various sizes and finishes. They were incredulous that we didn't want them - well we wanted them of course but no way we wer BUYING them. Its like they were saying "you guys are going to throw away your kids (pictures)"