Shopping Discussion

The Brick warranty. Scam, or am I being unreasonable?

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  • Jan 5th, 2024 3:26 am
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Banned
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Jun 22, 2012
4737 posts
722 upvotes
Shhanada
FYI, Jim Caldwell (head of The Brick) just appeared on television minutes ago bragging about his direct relationship with the President of Frigidaire and other companies, and how they are granting Jim the ability to have huge discounts of up to 50% off this weekend.

Unless he's lying, that should mean The Brick can use this special relationship to replace your defective product without it costing them a precious nickel. All they'd have to do is get over their tendency of working against the customer's interests, and do the right thing in this case. Frankly if I was Jim Caldwell or even the local store manager, this would have been resolved for you weeks ago.
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Nov 4, 2006
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GVR
SurplusPlus wrote: Contradicts the prior promise of "current replacement value".
No, it doesn't. It qualifies "current replacement value".
Appleton wrote: Ok Avenger. Point taken, but have you taken a minute to look at the links presented and compare what is said up front, along with the two models? I'm guessing no, because you are selectively ignoring my requests to do so multiple times.
They're extremely similar. But that's not relevant.

Based on a quick view of the terms of the agreement you made,
The brick can:
a) Replace your current fridge with something they deem to be equivalent. That could mean a different brand/model.
b) Credit you for the cost of replacing it with an equivalent, up to a maximum of what you paid for your original fridge.

It's not up to you which option they choose, and it's not up to you what they deem to be equivalent. They're going to choose whatever makes the most financial sense for them. Meaning that if they have a similar model that's selling for below what you originally paid, they'll give you that. If they don't, they'll credit you your original purchase price.
Newbie
Jul 23, 2005
89 posts
2 upvotes
So avenger, would you also agree that they are misleading their customers by putting up front on their no lemon guarantee that they will replace the product with a comparable one at no cost. That is my argument right now. That wording should be changed to reflect what the true warranty is offering. A credit of what is sold.

Customers shouldn't be mislead and forced to read through mounds of fine print and legal bs. Many customers are ignorant to most of these terms. The decency of the retailer is to stand behind their word, and they're not in my opinion. That's my beef.

I paid the difference like I said, but I'm still putting up a fight because of the next person that gets duped into believing one thing and getting something else because "they didn't read the fine print". The retailer should have the onus to properly explain the grounds of the terms to the customer, and not be able to offer something that promises one thing, while hiding the true nature of the warranty under pages of fine print and blame the customer for not reading.

My goal is to have the wording on the website changed to something more realistic that coincides with what the actual warranty is
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Jan 6, 2004
8495 posts
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Milton
I'm not disagreeing. It isn't immediately evident exactly what you're signing up for. As bad as it is, in this day and age we as consumers have to educate ourselves and question what we are getting. In this case it was written albeit not as clearly.

The way I looked at it when I had the same problem is I was still better off than I would have been if I hadn't bought the warranty. Luckily they didn't try to force a lesser or downgraded unit on you.

Once you make the mistake once you'll be more thorough next time. I know I am.

Unfortunately it's the abusers such as the costco return thread examples that cause businesses to tighten up like this. That's just my speculation though.

What they should do and did do are different things unfortunately.
Newbie
Jul 23, 2005
89 posts
2 upvotes
Right, agreed. And knowledge is the best course. But unfortunately big companies like The Brick obviously don't give a crap about their customers and their word.

If it weren't not so blatant like this

"No Lemons, Guaranteed
If your product requires more than three functional repairs during the warranty period, The Brick will replace it with a comparable product at no charge to you. "

Then maybe I wouldn't have a problem.

And even in the warranty the "or" statement comes into question. Everything is left open to interpretation, and the valid points on both ends here proves that exactly.

What decides the or, what defines the term comparable? All this is left open to interpretation, and obviously gives the retailer to do whatever is the least they have to do to oblige their warranty, while saying whatever they want to the customer.

In my case if I was called up on May 20th then perhaps I wouldn't have put up much of a stink. The thorn in my side is the fact that we have lost 5 days wages to be home for repair techs, two refrigerator full of food, countless nights having to eat out, ongoing spoiled produce from having no refrigeration, and poor diet as well. Not to mention the stress and anguish of having to deal with this for the last two months. None of this seems to matter to the brick, its like they don't give a damn what they put us through. You would think in the rare occasion such as mine (if it is rare) that they would be more willing towards honoring what their warranty states. (depending on interpretation of course, but I'm no lawyer).
Banned
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Jun 22, 2012
4737 posts
722 upvotes
Shhanada
UnCeo wrote: No, it doesn't. It qualifies "current replacement value".
Not it doesn't. Current replacement value isn't subjective, it's a dollar figure established today ("current"). Current replacement value means today's cost to replace the item, not last's years.
UnCeo wrote: it's not up to you what they deem to be equivalent.
Wrong, the consumer does absolutely have the right to disagree with their interpretation.

Unilateral terms and conditions like these do not supersede consumer law. And especially considering their unilateral and non-negotiable nature, a small claims court would not necessarily adopt the strictly one side nature of terms, especially ones that contradict other terms and representations.
UnCeo wrote: Meaning that if they have a similar model that's selling for below what you originally paid, they'll give you that.
The similar model is selling for *more* right now, not less. However the company president is bragging he's got special clout with Frigidaire to slash prices, so maybe this problem can solve itself.
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Jun 22, 2012
4737 posts
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Shhanada
Appleton wrote: My goal is to have the wording on the website changed to something more realistic that coincides with what the actual warranty is
I think you're dreaming if you think companies like The Brick will cease stooping to fine print trickery and making their representations clear and fair.

I think society as a whole is better off if you make them do the right thing. For some corporate official to have to upset their day to approve the credit, or pay a lawyer to show up at court to feebly defend their shoddy behavior would teach them more of a lesson.

I think companies like this will always act the way they've been acting and they will always say one thing while they are selling the warranty but say the opposite when a claim arises.

They assume consumers will just roll over, and certainly the apologist attitude of the people claiming you don't know how to read or that you're a fool for not "understanding" the stilted fine print are proof that their assumptions about the passivity of consumers is at least partially true.
Banned
User avatar
Jun 22, 2012
4737 posts
722 upvotes
Shhanada
Appleton wrote: Right, agreed. And knowledge is the best course. But unfortunately big companies like The Brick obviously don't give a crap about their customers and their word.

If it weren't not so blatant like this

"No Lemons, Guaranteed
If your product requires more than three functional repairs during the warranty period, The Brick will replace it with a comparable product at no charge to you. "

Then maybe I wouldn't have a problem.

And even in the warranty the "or" statement comes into question. Everything is left open to interpretation, and the valid points on both ends here proves that exactly.

What decides the or, what defines the term comparable? All this is left open to interpretation, and obviously gives the retailer to do whatever is the least they have to do to oblige their warranty, while saying whatever they want to the customer.

In my case if I was called up on May 20th then perhaps I wouldn't have put up much of a stink. The thorn in my side is the fact that we have lost 5 days wages to be home for repair techs, two refrigerator full of food, countless nights having to eat out, ongoing spoiled produce from having no refrigeration, and poor diet as well. Not to mention the stress and anguish of having to deal with this for the last two months. None of this seems to matter to the brick, its like they don't give a damn what they put us through. You would think in the rare occasion such as mine (if it is rare) that they would be more willing towards honoring what their warranty states. (depending on interpretation of course, but I'm no lawyer).
You are in the right of course. I hope you stick them with all the *actual* costs and charges. I would caution you against indirect or intangible costs though. Ongoing produce spoiling is hard to claim. Costs of eating out are a bit fuzzy, since the entire cost can't be attributable to them, perhaps just the incremental cost. Stress and anguish can't be equated to a dollar figure either.

Did you lose actual wages for the 5 days? I would just make sure all the costs claimed are the kind that are easily visible through paperwork. That's what the court likes. Don't even mention stress and anguish, as they have no dollar value and can make you look like a complainer versus looking like a person who just wants fair replacement of actual costs incurred.
Deal Addict
Jun 13, 2014
1154 posts
388 upvotes
Mississauga, ON
In order for consumer protection and liability to work, the "victim" must take the perpetrator to court. Thing's don't change just because there is a law, they change when the law is enforced on their asses. You can choose to get it up the ***** by taking their credit, or take them to court and afford them the lawyer costs to fight this.
Something with more than two legs, but less than three.
Jr. Member
Dec 14, 2010
115 posts
29 upvotes
After reading this entire thread, here are my two cents;

To the OP, Sorry about the situation you went through. The Brick is a terrible company and warranties in general are all crap. It doesn't matter if you read the fine print properly or not, even if you would have presented this current situation as a hypothetical question at the time of purchase they would have lied and told you they would replace with a new one no hassle. That is what they do. Hope in the end you are happy with the outcome.

To everyone else; Things will never change anywhere if we don't all stick together. People need to stop pretending that they are flawless and pointing out what people did wrong. The fact of the matter is the OP is getting screwed. Stop telling him he should have read the fine print and understood it. That is an obvious statement. He obviously read it, but like I said if you ask the salesperson to clarify they will lie to sell you the warranty. These types of forums are meant for people to help others not tare them down. This site is full of jerks some times and this thread is a perfect example. If everyone instead of insulting and kicking others when they are down, would just add support or ideas on how to resolve the issue not just for the OP but for everyone else that might run into the same issue. Now that would make this site so much better. Obviously this part is not meant for everyone that commented, but you know who you are.

*Sorry for any mistakes, punctuation or spelling errors. Its late.*
Member
User avatar
Dec 22, 2011
326 posts
65 upvotes
Oakville
To anybody looking for furniture/appliances etc,DO NOT shop at the brick.The customer service and warranty service are the worst I have ever experienced.Major issues with a leather couch that never got resolved.Buyer beware when you shop there.Good luck OP.
Newbie
Sep 28, 2020
1 posts
It’s still a scam. My son died June 28th.... my fridge, full of food that loved ones gave me, died 6 days later. I call I write and call the brick on a daily basis.... it’s now the end of September and STILL NOTHING. I’m soooo done. Small claims court here we come. 🤬
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Nov 25, 2004
4495 posts
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London
TracyJ41704 wrote: It’s still a scam. My son died June 28th.... my fridge, full of food that loved ones gave me, died 6 days later. I call I write and call the brick on a daily basis.... it’s now the end of September and STILL NOTHING. I’m soooo done. Small claims court here we come. 🤬
send an email to Ellen@EllenRoseman.com she contacted her media contact at the brick about a warranty issue i had they were using covid as an excuses to delay things with in a couple days the store manger called me and issued a full credit to my account and i just had to go in and pick out a new item.
Deal Addict
May 23, 2014
1273 posts
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canada
Appleton wrote: We purchased the fill circle protection warranty. Wasn't aware they had choices, and we weren't offered anything else.

The store manager offered a lower price difference tonight. $200. We may go with this offer. Hardly have any other option.
Why don’t you tell us what store this is. They need some reviews added
Deal Addict
May 23, 2014
1273 posts
873 upvotes
canada
Avenger wrote: I'm not disagreeing. It isn't immediately evident exactly what you're signing up for. As bad as it is, in this day and age we as consumers have to educate ourselves and question what we are getting. In this case it was written albeit not as clearly.

The way I looked at it when I had the same problem is I was still better off than I would have been if I hadn't bought the warranty. Luckily they didn't try to force a lesser or downgraded unit on you.

Once you make the mistake once you'll be more thorough next time. I know I am.

Unfortunately it's the abusers such as the costco return thread examples that cause businesses to tighten up like this. That's just my speculation though.

What they should do and did do are different things unfortunately.
The brick is not a company that’s tightened anything up ever. They’ve been a con artist crooked company for decades and it keeps fooling people.
Deal Fanatic
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Oct 22, 2007
9280 posts
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thesick wrote: Why don’t you tell us what store this is. They need some reviews added
This thread is like 6 years old now.
Member
Aug 20, 2020
478 posts
467 upvotes
Weird. I bought a couch back in 2016 and bought a warranty. Had them service the couch like 2 or 3 times for cushion covers, stitching, etc. Warranty expires in March 2021. Well I recently had htem out again only to be told they can't repair it anymore.

I was given two options

The price i paid for the couch towards a new couch

Or take $650 store credit and buy something else.

I took the $650 and bought that $1000 Miele Vacuum - best decision I ever made
Newbie
Oct 31, 2022
1 posts
I am having the same issues but with a MAYTAG washing machine. My issue has been going on for 18 months and I am really getting the run around.
King State Ins told me my warranty had run out because someone told them the parts were not wanted anymore. This is a complete lie, I spoke with the technician and he said it wasn't him.
After getting the Brick and Trans Global involved it seemed that all was fine, I spoke with King State and the lady was rude and hung up on me.
Eventually the Tech came again in Aug and said he was ordering about 6 parts to make sure he would have enough even if I didn't need that many. This was in Aug it is now Nov 1st I haven't heard a word. I phoned Trans Global today the lady said the parts are in she will call me back when the Technician ncan come !!!!!!
I really think the extended warranty with King State is a not above board. I read on internet they are based in Barbados, why are these companies like the Brick dealing with them.
Not only is my washing machine getting worse it is now leaving big stains on my clothing.
To be told I need 3 to 4 parts on a nearly new washing machine is beyond me, why didn't they just replace it?
To say after 18 months I am so upset, you bet I am.

Brenda
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Nov 25, 2004
4495 posts
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66666666666 wrote: I am having the same issues but with a MAYTAG washing machine. My issue has been going on for 18 months and I am really getting the run around.
King State Ins told me my warranty had run out because someone told them the parts were not wanted anymore. This is a complete lie, I spoke with the technician and he said it wasn't him.
After getting the Brick and Trans Global involved it seemed that all was fine, I spoke with King State and the lady was rude and hung up on me.
Eventually the Tech came again in Aug and said he was ordering about 6 parts to make sure he would have enough even if I didn't need that many. This was in Aug it is now Nov 1st I haven't heard a word. I phoned Trans Global today the lady said the parts are in she will call me back when the Technician ncan come !!!!!!
I really think the extended warranty with King State is a not above board. I read on internet they are based in Barbados, why are these companies like the Brick dealing with them.
Not only is my washing machine getting worse it is now leaving big stains on my clothing.
To be told I need 3 to 4 parts on a nearly new washing machine is beyond me, why didn't they just replace it?
To say after 18 months I am so upset, you bet I am.

Brenda
contact your local store and ask for the manger

if they aren't willing to help call the head office 1-866-508-7766

contact there fb page https://www.facebook.com/TheBrick/

file a complaint though the bbb https://www.bbb.org/ca/ab/edmonton/prof ... 117-100036

chances are 1 of those 4 options will get someone to help and they will just replace the unit with a brand new one or offer u a store credit that u can use to buy another unit.
Newbie
Jan 4, 2024
1 posts
Yes, Brick extended warranty is a scam. I bought a tv on June 22, 2023. Tv died on December 26, 2023. My extended warranty includes replacement of the product. Submitter a claim to King and State and still waiting for their response. Customers buy extended warranty on the trust of Bricks. Brick leaves their customers are left at the disposal of King and State and their third party repair contractor.

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