Game PS3 Extended warranty. Beyond economical repair so here's half the value in cash...what?

jaybee

jaybee

jaybee

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So my brother's PS3 went wrong about 19 months after he purchased a pre-owned bundle from game. He originally purchased 1 x PS3 Phat, 1 x Dual Shock controller, 2 x new ish games all for £289 with Game extended 2year warranty. He phoned up the Game aftercare insurance "Allianz" and they told him the procedure to send it all in including controller (not incl games) and then upon receipt told him that it was beyond economical repair so they would be sending Game vouchers so he could buy another.
Immediately alarm bells started ringing and I wondered why they simply wouldn't replace it as they state they would. Apparently, because it's an older Phat model, they can use the "discontinued product" card and basically to cut a long story short they are providing him with £189 which is about 60% of the original purchase price.
I think he has a right to feel a bit hard done by? You pay extra for a warranty "safe" in the knowledge you are covered for 2 years, then he loses out and has to stump up the extra to afford to buy a replacement slim model. Even preowned bundles start at £229 at game.

What do you think?
 
That doesn't sound good I'd be in the same situation on my Elite then, but in my own case I would go straight for a miss sold claim with GAME branch itself.
 
Can he insist on the console back and the vouchers? Some back street computer stores can fix nearly any fault. How long it lasts though...
 
jaybee said:
So my brother's PS3 went wrong about 19 months after he purchased a pre-owned bundle from game. He originally purchased 1 x PS3 Phat, 1 x Dual Shock controller, 2 x new ish games all for £289 with Game extended 2year warranty. He phoned up the Game aftercare insurance "Allianz" and they told him the procedure to send it all in including controller (not incl games) and then upon receipt told him that it was beyond economical repair so they would be sending Game vouchers so he could buy another.
Immediately alarm bells started ringing and I wondered why they simply wouldn't replace it as they state they would. Apparently, because it's an older Phat model, they can use the "discontinued product" card and basically to cut a long story short they are providing him with £189 which is about 60% of the original purchase price.
I think he has a right to feel a bit hard done by? You pay extra for a warranty "safe" in the knowledge you are covered for 2 years, then he loses out and has to stump up the extra to afford to buy a replacement slim model. Even preowned bundles start at £229 at game.

What do you think?
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just found a pre-owned one in stock on their website for £150 which includes a game, it is an older phat model
 
Am I reading this wrong? Their replacing an older second hand model with a brand new one, wheres the problem? :confused:
 
Hostile17 said:
Am I reading this wrong? Their replacing an older second hand model with a brand new one, wheres the problem? :confused:
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Reading it wrong I think? They are keeping the old "uneconomical to repair" one and his controller, and are "replacing" with £189 of Game vouchers - aka not enough to cover cost. Basically the argument is, why should he be out of pocket to obtain a like for like replacement PS3 or a new slim model? i.e. He is going to have to use those vouchers plus add a bit of money of his own to get a replacement pre owned one or a new slim. As said above, looks like there are some older PS3 phat preowned for less. He will want a warranty again though I expect despite it being a bit rubbish.
I just read through the terms of Allianz's insurance, and basically the lowest possible thing you can expect, he has been given. i.e. He falls in the 18-24 month period after purchase, plus it's an older discontinued model of which they have no replacements in stock, plus it's uneconomical to repair. Consequently he gets 60% only of original purchase price, because it's 18-24months after purchase.

Overall, a bit pants, but I guess better than having to buy the whole thing new with no help.

Oh well.
 
If it's in the small print, not a lot he can do, but it doesn't sound like much of a warranty, plus doesn't he now lose everything from the hdd?

I never buy extended warranties for reasons like this.
 
Unfortunately a shrewd business move on Games part though - I'm guessing that they probably fix the model and then resell it as pre-owned?

Say it costs them £50 to fix the problem and they then resell the console for £139, it's cost them peanuts.
 
Take the 189 quid voucher but ask for the old console back and have it repaired or sell it broken.

I still got 90 euros for my broken launch PS3.
 
He paid £289 for a fat ps3, and your comparing it to the cost of the new slim, I am assuming the £189 is the equivalent value of the old fat PS3 now, tbf the new slim is £229. if you are getting it for £40 i would be grateful and get on with it?

I'm sure £189 could buy you a fat ps3, second hand obviously but it's not Games' problem that the product was discontinued.
 
If they're not fixing it, I believe he has the right to get the console back. After all, he paid for it, it's his console, and if they're not fixing it or replacing it then he should get it back. I'd be straight on the phone to them demanding the console back, as well as the vouchers.
 
If it makes you feel better when I traded in my old fat ps3 game were a bit thick and were pretty determined to tell me it was an 80gig even though its only ever had a 40gig hdd in it.... (so they gave me extra money for no reason)

Anyway 189 quid should get you sensible replacement, the old one you'll probably just have to jam on the bay or something anyway. (or you can just trade in your ps3 games and get another console and games or something if your feeling weird). Most importantly 189 quid gets your a 120gig slim (or 160gig according to the internet) which isnt too bad at all!
 
Davey_Pitch said:
If they're not fixing it, I believe he has the right to get the console back. After all, he paid for it, it's his console, and if they're not fixing it or replacing it then he should get it back. I'd be straight on the phone to them demanding the console back, as well as the vouchers.
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hmm, can see your point. but I don't see company parting with the money and giving you the console back. I'm sure if you argue this the terms and conditions are going to start coming out.

Buy yourself a new one and move on :-)
 
its a bit like this with tesco warranty after a certain amount of time if it cant be repaired they give you what they think is the value of the console at present.

it looks like they have given you what they think is the value of the ps3 phat?
 
edit: I thought it was on home insurance.

If it's on game's personal warranty service, they should replace the model with the new one.

I Work at Tesco's and we have an aftercare warranty. If the product is faulty/damaged accidentally and the product is discontinued then we will either exchange for another Suitabe product (In this case we would exchange it with the Slim) or issue a refund (If we have no other suitable to exchange it with).

Since you paid £289 they have to replace your PS3 with a new slim one. (I'm not sure what game's terms and conditions are, but this is the whole point of buying a warranty).

I would refuse the money and ask for exchange for a slim one.

Same could be said with Dell's insurance, if you laptop goes faulty/damaged they will either repair it or exchange it with a newer model sometimes even better.
 
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beachBOYken said:
its a bit like this with tesco warranty after a certain amount of time if it cant be repaired they give you what they think is the value of the console at present.

it looks like they have given you what they think is the value of the ps3 phat?
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I work at Tesco's and Tesco's will exchange it with a product with a suitable product (Must have reciept). So if you paid £300 for a PS3 old-gen, they will simply swap it with the slim one but not give you the money difference etc.
 
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Linx said:
Since you paid £289 they have to replace your PS3 with a new slim one. (I'm not sure what game's terms and conditions are, but this is the whole point of buying a warranty).
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It all depends on the small print though, if that says that as soon as a product is discontinued they can offer the approx. value in vouchers that's all you are going to get.

But I agree with the fact that it is worth fighting for a new Slim (or the voucher and the broken Phat+controller)
 
Game/Gamestation have changed their terms my mate purchased one of the insurance plans end of 2009 and was told in the 2 years you bring it to store for a swap or repair they don't honour this any more you now have to deal with the insurance company which the terms now state they will repair it or offer any pre owned console if you refuse this then that is your problem if they have no pre owned (which is basically ones they have patched up themselves) then they will offer 70% off the value.

This has just happened to my friend I mentioned with a 360 and I even have pictures of the inside of the 360 he was send showing it had 2 repair jobs done to it already for e74-e75 errors the back date was 2008.
 
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