Need your opinions and help,, getting ripped off.

[stc_101]

Hey guys,
I've basically been going through hell with Best Buy. I got a kicker 12" L7 and went to best buy to have it installed. I bought all replacement speakers to get rid of my factory, and a new cd player, and had to get an amp for the speaker. I know jack shit about stereo's so I let the salesman know what I had to find out what I needed. He picked out a punch 5002 and told me it wouldn't be enough to give the speaker everything it needed but I wasn't gonna pay any more than the 350 for that one. so $1200 later and 2 days worth of my car in the shop i pull out of the shop, One song and about 10 min later the sub stops working. I check the fuses on the amp and they are blown, take i back to best buy and they say my sub is blown.... is it me or does it seem like they should have some responsibility in it?

[RocketFast321]

after $1200 they better fix it.

[bt8705]

Circuit city ripped me off 75$ b/c i was supposed to get a 50% discount on speakers after i bought a cd player and it was a online deal. The next day they said it never existed and they wouldnt give me my money back. I have stopped buying car stuff from them and best buy. Plus you can find stuff online for a fraction of the cost they are selling it for. They should fix yours.

[cosmocanyon]

Hey, I actually work @ best buy (albeit not in the install bay), and I for one, think that they need to fix this for you. I'm actually a member of the geek squad, and can tell you that for starters, if you brought that amp into us within the 14 day return-exchange policy, we'd open up a BRAND NEW one and give it to you. After that, we'll send it out the the manufacturer for you FREE OF CHARGE because you bought it at BBY. At least at my store that's how we work it. It seems like you're within the 14 days though, so go get a new one. We work out DEVO-Exchange policies with all our vendors for exactly that reason: some sh!t just doesn't work right from the get go.

- Evan

[dutch]

Sub may be blown, but i've never heard of a sub blowing that causes the amp to blow a fuse also.

Wiring is screwed somewheres anyways.

Take it back.

[Silver99SE]

The fuses blew before the sub or amp did. That's what they are there for. They are trying to rip you off big time. If I were you I'd do a little research (on here and on the internet) and know exactly what's wrong with the system. Then I'd take it back and mention the BBB and tell them they had better fix it and you're not going to pay one red cent. I'd tell them that they better have your system working THAT DAY or you'll be calling the BBB.

[cosmocanyon]

Like I said before, they will return/exchange everything if you take it up to the tech service bench instead of going back to the install bay. But, hear my warning, if you walk in there telling them what they are going to do, and saying you'll call corporate or the BBB, you will not get anything.. maybe they will send it to the service center for you, if you didn't buy a service plan I'd doubt it... You catch more flies...

- Evan

[Silver99SE]

From his post it sounds like he's already going through hell with them, meaning they don't want to help him out. Ya if someone just walks in there the first time and demands something of course they're not going to help him out. But if they're saying that his sub is blown after 10 minutes, they're trying to rip him off plain and simple. I've dealt with stores trying to rip me off before and believe me when I say if you stand your ground the customer is always right. A rip off is a rip off and they try to get by with that because some people just bite the bullet and let themselves get taken. Let Best Buy try to do that to me.

[birdhouse]

As Evan said... It sounds like this happened very recently, so take it back and do what he said. Second, did you buy the extended warranty with the speakers, amp, and the likes? If you didn't, I hate to say, you're an idiot... For car audio, the more warranties you have, the better. The Circuit City I go to for my stereo needs is amazing with helping me out in my situations. If I blew a front speaker, they'll just give me a brand new set for free. If my headunit is messing up, they've given me a new one right out of the box and took the old one back. Now, I don't think the HU example would work now because of how old it is, but still, you get the picture. Extended warranties + electronic anything = no hassle, no headaches, no worries.

[Hodge]

make a big scene right infront of everyone talking to the store manager saying you will bring this store down blah blah make up some good stuff. tell em you want it fixed and then my suggestion is to never deal with best-buy especially spending 1200 there. you might as well go to a store that actually does good installs (not saying that they don't). for example a local store. i would just go to a place that specializes in things like that.

[matts]

i doubt your sub is blown. i've blown amps before and not even hurt the sub. sounds like they've got a bad connection somewhere down the line...or maybe the insulation got rubbed thin. could be several things as to why the fuse blew, but it shouldn't have blown. i'd try being nice first, then if that doesn't work is when you get rude. just take it back to the install bay and have them take a look at it. just tell them it quit working and leave it at that, let them find out what's wrong with.

i WOULDN'T take the amp out and take it back like evan (cosmocanyon) said. about 99% of the time if you start tampering with the installer's work it will void what little bit of warranty you may have. i would use that as a last resort if they're not going to fix it under any circumstances....then what do you have to lose?j

like i said, kill them with kindness first, then get rude, then bring in a lawyer and/or the BBB. and skip up the chain of command. dont walk in and start talking to some guy who don't have any kind of authority to do anything. go straight to the store manager or highest ranking person there. they're more likely to resolve the situation and keep the customer/retailer relationship strong. some of the jack legs that work at these places could care less if you ever step foot back in that store or not.

[stc_101]

thx for the replies guys, I was in a bit of a rush when I posted that and didn't quite fill everything in. Everything I bought from Best Buy except the Sub. They say the amp still works but the sub is blown. It was the amp the salesman reccomended me to get, now they are saying it was too much.... 500 watt amp... the kicker L7 is rated rms 750 so shouldnt have been a problem right? I am supposed to be hearing from the general manager today. I can return the amp for refund no problem but then i'm out 60 bucks for the amp install, and 60 bucks for the amp kit. and Still got a blown sub. So unless I throw one hell of a fit to get em to replace the sub I'm properly f'd.

[birdhouse]

If their shitty install is what fried your sub, then they have to pay for it. There's no other way around it. They messed something up in the install to fry your coils... Make sure to bring this up next time you talk to the manager.

[stc_101]

well, update for anyone that cares,,,
called the manager today b/c i got tired of waiting for him to call me, he tells me by checking to see if the fuse on the amp was blown when the speaker shut off, I voided my installation warranty. He was trying to imply that I changed the settings that they put on the amp. I threw one hell of a fit and he said to give him one more day to try to find a solution.

I got off the phone and broke out my paper work, installation warranty has nothing in it about be void if you change settings. the only thing that voids it is if sperate equipment is added to installation by someone other than best buy.

I called him back and informed him of what I read. he said i was incorrect and headed to the audio dept. while on the phone w/ me. Then he read the warranty for himself while on the phone w/ me. After about five minutes he finally said.... "it's not in here" I agreed... told him I wasn't trying to be a dick, I just want them to replace my sub w/ something of equal value and quality. He said ok, jotted down my sub info and specs and told me he'd call me tommorow. maybe a small win for the good guy... maybe not,,, tune in tommorow lol.

[matts]

i wouldn't want something of "equal value". i'd want a L7. it's been a while since i've been to best buy, but last time i was in one i don't recall seeing anything that was of equal value.

and i know it's hindsight now, but i wouldn't have told them i touched anything. i would have carried it back to them and played stupid.

[sc02grandam]

in those 10 min that it did work.. did you turn it all the way up? since your sub is underpowered (and probably not broken in) your amp may have been clipping and thats how it got blown...

which in that case its your fault

[stc_101]

I turned it up... but by no means did i have it blasting... as i said in a seperate thread,,, i turned the bass down and faded it to the front b/c I'm just not into that loud sound, just wanted to give the car a good sound.

oh, and best buy carries the fosgate p3's,,, those are pretty nice eh?

[sc02grandam]

Originally posted by stc_101
I turned it up... but by no means did i have it blasting... as i said in a seperate thread,,, i turned the bass down and faded it to the front b/c I'm just not into that loud sound, just wanted to give the car a good sound.

oh, and best buy carries the fosgate p3's,,, those are pretty nice eh?

oh my bad... just read the other thread

i think the L7's are worth more than the p3's. ive never actually heard a p3 before.. but i have heard p2's and they are pretty decent. i have a 12 L7 as well and it can take a beating. Dont know why yours got fried so quick