Cancelling Credit Card Protection is a pain!

**Flare** · 08-30-2010, 08:07 AM

You know; it's not so much that these protection services suck, I'm sure some people might benefit from having this, but man, the process of canceling this service when you didn't want it in the first place is the worst experience ever!

So last week I signed up for a Best Buy card, thought it may come in handy around Black Friday for some 18-month no interest purchases.

As I fill the form, the lady at the store offers me an "Account Shield" protection on the card, which is some sort of insurance against (buzzword) "life-changing events", oh and it's supposed to give you (buzzword) "peace of mind" and I don't know what other bullshit.

Of course the lady at the store stresses the fact that "this is FREE as long as you don't carry any balance, so, just shut up slave and accept it".

She was so persistent (and a tad hot) that I said "here, signed! Get out of here and show me some ass as you walk away".

So, this morning, card in hand, I promptly call the 800 number to cancel this thing. Boy, I wasn't prepared for this.

First, I'm almost certain they artificially make you wait for the next available representative so there's a chance you get tired (or forget who you called in the first place) and hang-up. I'm sure they bet on people who will not wait and then forget about canceling their stupid service.

Luckily I have a headset so I could still do some work while I waited. No joke, I was on hold for more than 10 minutes!

Finally (and Shane knows what I'm talking about since he has had to go through this), some Indian guy with poor English skills answers the phone and starts babbling some undecipherable gibberish. I had to ask the guy to repeat himself over 4 times.

Once I finally understood what he was saying, it turned out he was "letting me know that it was OK for me to keep this service", because I have no balance of the card (of course, I just got it yesterday) so there was nothing for me to worry about (there's that "peace of mind" buzzword again).

Yeah right, I'm sure some stupid sheep that called before me gladly accepted his offer and hanged up the phone (or probably misunderstood him thanks to this Engrish and thought he had canceled the service).

I said "No thanks, cancel it please"; yet he insisted 2 more times before I had to shout at him "I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE SAYING! I STILL WANT TO CANCEL THIS!"

Finally, the dude bitterly canceled the protection service and gave me the cancellation number.

I have a reminder to call again in a week, just to make sure this service was really canceled. It wouldn't surprise me if the service is still running.

See, the moment that lady at Best Buy said "Oh, and you can cancel this service at any time without any problem whatsoever", I should've just told her the hellish experience I was certainly going to go through.

Fuck you Best Buy lady, fuck you. You weren't even that hot.

OK, maybe a little.

**Darksol** · 08-30-2010, 09:09 AM

Poor flare. Falling for the wiles of a woman. You should know better by now.

Sent from my Droid

**Dragon57** · 08-30-2010, 09:11 AM

Always, just say 'No'. I get calls all the time from the companies I have credit cards with pushing their 'protection' plans. They drive me crazy and you can't put them on a don't call list because you have a business relationship with them. Sheesh!

**TechMaster** · 08-30-2010, 10:22 AM

Muhahaha. Welcome the The Evil American Credit Card Hell.

**joejet** · 08-30-2010, 10:48 AM

Damn, i feel like such a mexican... i had that crap on my first credit card for like 3 years before i figured out what it was (and it had an annual fee!)... and i remember it being a pain to get rid of. Whats worse, i had no idea how it got on there...

**Flare** · 08-30-2010, 11:09 AM

Oh and that Best Buy chick also fed some story about "how she had a brand new TV that she bought with the card, and after 1 week it got stolen, thanks to that card protection, she was able to replace it with no money out of her pocket".

Somehow I didn't believe her.

**ArcadeNut** · 08-30-2010, 03:18 PM

Yeah, I never get those stupid things. I also never get the "Extended Warranty" or "Extra Protection". Years ago I bought my Digital Camera (DC265, that should tell you how long ago it was!) at Best Buy. The guy asks "Do you want the extended warranty?". I replied "If I run over it with my car will you replace it free?". His response... "Why would you run over it with your car?". I passed on the "Extra Coverage". Camera is still working great to this day (even though I just bought a new one, not from Best Buy).

**Flare** · 08-30-2010, 05:56 PM

My rule is... I got for extended protection on big ticket items that have moving, mechanical parts. I pass on the rest.

I recently bought a pair of Washer & Drier at Sears, I paid the $300 a piece extra for the 5 year service. I also just bought a new fridge last week, I passed on the extra warranty.

**WorknMan** · 08-30-2010, 06:03 PM

Originally Posted by Flare

My rule is... I got for extended protection on big ticket items that have moving, mechanical parts. I pass on the rest.

Me too. I also get extended warranties on external hard drives, as those only seem to last about a year for me if I don't.

It's really too bad about the state of appliances and electronics these days. I had an older gentleman at work recently tell me that he just got a new toaster, as his old one died after about 50 years of service. Can you imagine? The first VCR my dad bought in the early 80's lasted nearly 20 years.

**joejet** · 08-30-2010, 06:42 PM

I have a fridge from 1972 or so with a child trap door latch - retro and cool as hell and it STILL works... then i got a Samsung Fridge a few years ago for like $1500 and it lasted like 2 years..

All major appliances get warranties for me (on my 3rd washer / dryer in 6 years) from now on.