AITA for asking meh to help me honor a warranty?
5So long story short:
A long time ago I bought two of these items:
https://meh.com/forum/topics/ge-motion-tracking-led-security-spotlight
It clearly states that it comes with a 5 year manufacturer warranty with Jasco. I contacted Jasco so that they could help my with my warranty and they told me that since this commerce is not an authorized reseller then cant honor “ebay seller sales warranties”
I explained a ton of times that meh is not an ebay seller but they still refused.
So I contacted meh customer support and they replied:
MAR 20, 2019 | 02:49PM CDT
Jonathan replied:
I’m sorry to hear that.
Unfortunately, the in house warranty for that has expired. We are not able to replace that. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.
to which I replied:
I’m not asking for an in house warranty: you sold me a product that you; meh, said it had a 5 year warranty with the manufacturer… I contacted the manufacturer and they will not honor the warranty because they don’t acknowledge you as a legit seller.
So either help me fulfill my warranty with Jasco or honor the warranty you specifically stated the product had.
You can’t leave your customers hanging like that
to which meh replied
Jonathan replied:
Hi again.
We advised of a 90-day warranty with us, and a 5-year manufacturer warranty.
The 90-day warranty with us is expired.
I’m sorry for any confusion.
to which I finally replied
ok, you said, 5 year manufacturer warranty… we agree on that… the manufacturer stated that they will not honor the warranty because you guys are not an authorized dealer…
Im still on my 5 year warranty period… which you stated the item has… with a manufacturer that will not honor said warranty…
Are you telling me that you sold this item through lies? because if the manufacturer is not honoring the warranty because the issue lies within you… as in, not being authorized to sell said item, then why did you guys sold the item stating in the item description that it indeed came with a 5 year warranty
its not a confusion, there are 3 parties involved: MEH the seller, JASCO the manufacturer and Me the buyer… Meh the seller sold Me the buyer an item covered with 90 days warranty with the seller and 5 year manufacturer warranty… I need said warranty for my items because they no longer work, I contacted JASCO the manufacturer and they told me that MEH the seller is not an authorized dealer hence no warranty exists… so I return to MEH the seller who sold me an item with a 5 year warranty.
if you are not going to honor my warranty then could you please tell JASCO to honor my warranty?
Someone has to, again the item I bought came with a warranty… and im not making that warranty up, you in your item description stated that the item came with said warranty.
I have yet to hear back from Meh, but am I being reasonable here? Id just like to know the general opinion on whether I should continue asking help from meh, or just give up
- 18 comments, 52 replies
- Comment
Meh is most likely an authorized reseller- did you try “A Mediocre Corporation” as well with the vendor? Sometimes they’re listed under that. Or just Mediocre.
@sammydog01 I did specify them that they go under different names. meh, mediocre, mediocre corporation, I pointed them into the direction of the listing… they literally sent me down the drain
@jareza That sucks. Looks like you did everything you could.
I was going to say it is weird that they advised of a 5 year warranty with the manufacturer AND a 90 day Meh warranty… But then I clickied the linky and sure enough, the stats post contains the 5 year warranty at the top and the 90 day warranty at the bottom.
Weird.
Your beef is with the MANUFACTURER for not warrantying their product. Not with Meh. Meh did not offer the 5-year warranty – the manufacturer did. Your rant and ire directed at Meh is misplaced.
There is no “authorized resellers or distributor” restriction, is there, in the written warranty included in the product is there?
I would file a complaint with your STATE AG in the consumer ombudsman or consumer product complaint office. If you feel that strongly about a $30 light fixture you bought and used for four years.
What remedy are you asking for, specifically? Replacement? Because that is likely the limit of the manufacturers warranty. You may also be responsible for shipping the defective item back to them and paying for shipping the replacement to you.
You have probably already spent more than the item is worth (your time us free, right?) plus the shipping costs you have to pay and JASCO knows this. That’s why they offer a ridiculous warranty that only an {Imp} would actually take them up on it.
So are you that {Imp}?
@mike808 Manufacturers offer warranty to NEW items, not anyone that just resells the product, otherwise you can keep on selling them used. That’s why there are authorized re-sellers lists which I have no doubt that meh knows all about.
If the manufacturer warranty is void for whatever they’re selling they don’t offer it in the description.
Meh said the manufacturer warranty is valid, the manufacturer said it’s not. It’s meh’s responsibility to make sure they sell things as described. They should help him with the manufacturer, if they can’t they should offer some compensation.
It’s a matter of service, knowing you can trust where you buy, not a matter of a few dollars.
Next time when the description for a nice $600 camera says Manufacturer warranty for 3 years - would you trust meh???
@mike808 you must be a super fun person to be around with… its not a matter of price, its a matter of principle: if meh is unsure about a warranty just warrant the product for 90 days and dont put the manufacturers warranty in the description if you are not certain they will honor it. Im asking meh to help me contact the manufacturer for a solution… and yes if you did not read correctly I bought two of them…
If something is warranted for 5 years and Jasco is not honoring said warranty and meh sold me a product that clearly stated it had a 5 year warranty then I want someone to honor said warranty.
I dont expect you to empathize with me, heck your reply made me wonder how {dopplegangers} you have, but hey, thats not of my business: to each their own.
If you like being stepped on go ahead. Im looking for closure not looking for an estimation on how much my time is worth.
@jareza Because never in the history of companies that make products that fail have they ever lied to {Amphisbaenia} customers to get rid of them.
Sorry, OP. You took the bait. The manufacturer warrants the product. It is irrelevant who sells it. Unless Meh sold a “like new”, “open box”, or a “refurbished” item, the manufacturer’s warranty applies.
The item doesn’t know who sold it, so the manufacturer’s warranty cannot possibly depend on that.
Your State Attorney General is your remedy if you have more time and money to waste. Maybe small claims court can help you.
Or you could pro-rate your loss - you paid what? $30 and used it for four years out of the five year warranty? That’s like $6 of “loss”. Please.
Cry me a river. Everyone else on the planet has better things to do with their life. Pretty much explains ehy nobody gives a crap about your $6 non-problem.
Sorry, but to answer the title question, yes, it is you that is the {Amphisbaenia} in the room.
@jareza And just because you want closure doesn’t require the universe to provide it.
Dont like it? Don’t buy JASCO products from meh any more if you think they suck. Life is hard.
Sucks to be you, bro.
@jareza @mike808 Goddam Mike. Ease up on the coffee a bit will you?
@mike808 and yet you took the time to answer… again that {let’s not delve into ableist name-calling here} keeps shinning bright.
Not an asshole, but maybe, maybe, a little douchey.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@eonfifty Which one of us?
@sammydog01
The original poster.
@eonfifty I just unstarred you. Take that.
@sammydog01
No!
Ok, fine. You’re maybe kind of douchey too.
/giphy I’m aghast
@eonfifty I have my days.
Well guys thanks for your input. This is the last time I’ll buy something from these guys
Bye!
@jareza Check Snapster’s post before you go. He’ll fix this. We’re not all like @mike808.
Somehow, this thread didn’t contain the warm fuzzy feelings I was looking for.
Why are we railroading this guy? I think he’s got a right to be a little upset. I don’t think he’s directing any at Meh that’s unwarranted. A little disappointment is kinda’ their thing, right?
Seriously though, Meh should back up their claim of the 5-year warranty. If I sell something to someone on Ebay (which I do a lot) and claim it has an X warranty, and the manufacturer claims they don’t cover that item because I’m not an authorized retailer, then it’s on me to fix it. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.
It’s really not Mediocre’s responsibility at this point. But… they should do the right thing from a customer service POV and at least attempt to help resolve the issue by contacting the manufacturer.
We’ve seen this happen before. When it is legal for a manufacture to dodge their warranty (a complexity and rarely defensible), it is certainly not advisable for them. Warning off potential buyers from buying actual inventory held (Ebay the exception) just causes market prices to slide. This and the nasty PR outcome is our mutual leverage to get them to correct their mistake. I will ask the buyer to help later today.
@snapster Very Cool.
So privately held Jasco claims to be over 35 years old and displays all kinds of awards on its website whilst claiming to be a customer-friendly company… seemingly likely being they are based in the friendly state of Oklahoma.
However, Jasco is also a believer in anti-consumer “Unilateral Price Policies”, signaling they like locking down distribution of their products.
So unless Meh bought direct from Jasco, that would explain - but not justify in the big picture - their end-customer-hate.
https://byjasco.com/about-jasco/us-upp
@RedOak Nailed it. The OP’s beef is with JASCO. And
pissing offblaming Meh isn’t helpful in getting Meh to help him deal with a weasel manufacturer making warranty promises they know darn well are worthless.Hold my beer.
He came here to trash Meh because he didn’t get satisfaction with JASCO and wants to blame Meh by association for JASCO’s crummy warranty service. Probably because JASCO, like many companies hiding from dissatisfied customers, has no way to engage them - on purpose.
Meh did its job - it sold a product at a fair price and got the correct item to him on time. That’s what Meh’s warranty is really for - a service function as a conduit between JASCO and thier customers with their products.
So for the OP to hold Meh totally accountable for JASCO’s product failure and making him whole is just a wee bit unreasonable.
Which, mysteriously, how he can be made whole is never stated. He proposes no solution to his problem. Does he want a refund (after using the product for 4 years, mind you)? Or a replacement or equivalent/current model? Does he want to send the item in for refurbishment? Who knows. AFAICT, he just wants to bitch about how terribly *JASCO customer service" treated him. Here. In the Meh forums. And blame Meh for it.
I could only conclude from his public ranting at Meh and anyone who gives him news he doesn’t want to hear that he just wants to pee in people’s cheerios for the heck of it. IMO, yes, he is “that guy”.
That said, super props to Meh for going above and beyond to try to fix the problem in spite of this guy’s inability to recognize an ally to solve his problem. In my experience, Meh/Mediocre customer service has been top notch and willing to find a solution to whatever the hiccup might be.
Now, about those
MEH FACE POPSOCKETS
DAY 165
When are we going to see them offered again?
@mike808 @RedOak If you read the WHOLE story together Im asking MEH for help
should continue asking help from meh, or just give up
I didn’t ask for a refund: in the end Id love getting my floodlights repaired or replaced. I like them a LOT and I cant find a replacement available. When the second one bit the dust I remembered they were backed by a 5 year warranty. Thats when my journey began. @mike808 its not about the money, or time of being an a$$hole, its about trying to make things work, and like someone else said: would your opinion would be the same if it was a 600 dollar camera? or drone?
What I thought was going to happen is that meh would say something along the lines “dont worry, call this number directly and ask for John Smith hell take care of the warranty because he was our seller”… Again something along those lines also
I got contacted my meh today and they are issuing a refund. Kudos to customer service!
@jareza @mike808 @snapster
To be clear, that comment referred to Jasco Customer Service end-customer-hate… not Meh Customer Service!
This is a bit of a murky situation from Meh’s perspective.
While perhaps Meh shouldn’t technically be held responsible for Jasco’s failure to stand behind its warranty, Meh does have some responsibility to its customers to at least do some rudimentary vetting of the claims (5-year warranty) it reproduces.
So for example, in this case that might be a quick call/email to Jasco inquiring whether the warranty would be valid… before reproducing the 5-year warranty claim at the time of Meh-deal-sale.
The “very cool” referred to @snapster stepping in.
@mike808
How much time have you wasted on this? How much is your time worth? Get over it, sucks to be you, bro.
@therealjrn If I spend no time/effort on getting Meh to offer more Meh Face Popsockets then I already know the answer to getting them will be never.
So, the answer can only be … however much time/effort it takes is what it takes to get more.
I can’t answer whether or not the amount of effort is “worth it” until after Meh offers them again.
What I can say is that, so far, supporting @deathbynoodlez and hundreds of other Mehtizens asking every day for Meh Face Popsockets for 165+ days is.
@jareza So, you got your money back. After using them for free for four years (out of the five warranted). Still no working camera replacement, which is really the root problem.
Nice “while Meh could technically be responsible here” CYA while completely ignoring the fact that JASCO definitely is responsible for the warranty on the product they made.
At least you got your money back.
ProTip: Don’t buy JASCO security cameras.
@mike808 Hundreds? Ha ha. At least we all agree it sucks to be you, bro.
@mike808 Mike… Which cameras are you referring to??? there is not a single camera involved… are you even reading whats being posted or are you just trolling around?
@jareza My bad. These days if you’re putting up a light it might as well have a camera too. Costco has some nice looking quality security lights and I know Costco has a solid rep for money-back satisfaction on everything they sell.
@mike808 Waitaminute. Did I miss something? Offered AGAIN? All this time I thought the campaign was for a new product.
@blaineg Yes. On April 10, 2018.
https://meh.com/forum/topics/2-for-tuesday-meh-face-pop-phone-holders
And @deathbynoodlez has been begging for another offering for his wedding for 167 days and still going.
DAY 167
Still no Meh Face Popsockets, Meh.
@mike808 Don’t forget you’ve been begging too, sad sack. Who’s the asshole now, loser?
@therealjrn I’ve been supporting my fellow Mehtizen @deathbynoodlez noble cause for 167 days (and still going).
What cause have you been contributing to on a daily basis for the last five months? I’ll wait.
So you’re all in for Meh preventing @deathbynoodlez and his betrothed from celebrating their wedding with the one gift that truly surpasses all others — the treasured Meh Face Popsockets? What a lonely, bitter person you must be to do that to @deathbynoodlez fianceé
@mike808 I have not “contributed” to a decidedly meh cause like you, true enough. You got me there, Don Quixote.
I’ve been in this situation. Bought a pair of bluetooth headphones made by LG. (Two pair, in fact; It was a BOGO deal.)
First set stopped working in a matter of days. <shrug> It was cheap, I got a spare, I didn’t obsess over it.
Second one stopped working a few days later. Now I’m pissed.
So I write to anyone and everyone at LG that I can, and I’m getting the “not purchased from an authorized retailer” runaround. All I want is one replacement headphone for the pair that failed on me.
(and, FFS, How in the hell am I supposed to know who LG does and does not consider an authorized seller?)
Long story short, I got over it, moved on with my life, and pitched the defective items.
This was maybe 10 years ago, give or take. Ask me how many electronic items I’ve purchased since then… (Spoiler alert: a shit-ton!)
Now ask me, how many carried the LG brand.
Just sayin’…
What do you expect from a company that sells stolen toothbrushes?
@medz Don’t forget the stolen blood pressure monitors!
@capguncowboy @medz Or the underpriced lights.
@capguncowboy @sammydog01 Yeah. Maybe more manufacturers would consider meh an “authorized reseller” if they sold their products for higher prices.
As a counterpoint, Morningsave (one of Meh’s sister sites) sold the current models of Palm coolers (a Yeti competitor) while Meh offered a sweeter deal on their older models. Morningsave sent me an older model by mistake and the one I wanted (the newer model) had sold out.
Morningsave offered a couple of options (keep, return/rebuy, or a discount code for my troubles).
I ended up with two coolers (a smaller new model) and a great deal on both. I told the wifu that it was a BOGO deal at full price. All good.
And who doesn’t like buying more stuff from Meh? Well, except for the OP.
@mike808
According to the posts, every single person who has never gotten a Fuku/Fuko/Irk.
@cinoclav @mike808 And every person who HAS.
Id like to thank Meh customer support for issuing a refund on my order, sucks that Jasco weaseled out of their warranty
thanks a lot for everyone who gave their honest opinion!
@jareza glad this was taken care of.
@jareza You should leave a review on Amazon to warn other buyers that JASCO won’t back their products. And on their website and on eBay.
I’m pretty sure you’ve got this site covered.
@mike808 thats actually not a bad idea, I will do so
thanks! thats the first civil thing I have seen you write.
@jareza What is that saying about the squeaky wheel?
Maybe I should start a thread bemoaning never getting a FUK*/I.R.K., in large part due to dealing with blurry CAPTCHA images that even A. Turing wouldn’t be able to identify.
@phendrick that’s a random lottery and it’s very upfront about it. And they are separate you can’t get both at the same time. No one wants to see you fuck irk. I’ve never gotten a boc, a fuku, a fuko, or an irk. I’m not bitter about it. Despite checking at midnight for years.
A warranty is a promise. And if the vendor advertises that warranty they should be sure it applies to what they are selling. And if the manufacturer tries to fuck over the purchaser the vendor should try and help. At least show that they are a verified reseller from their order and back the purchaser with proof of purchase. If they weren’t a verified reseller and those are terms of the warranty then meh made a mistake or the manufacturer lied to them. Or the whole verified reseller thing wasn’t legal.
Either way it’s perfectly valid to ask for help. Snapster gave it. Why are you guys bitching at him? We all know some manufacturers play dirty. Now we all know jasco can’t be trusted and meh knows to probably not buy their shit again so you don’t get fucked later.
@unksol
Who kicked you in the butt this morning?
“And they are separate you can’t get both at the same time.”
Where’d you get the notion I thought otherwise?
The / in-between Fuk* and I.R.K. indicates “or”, as in ONE of them.
An & would be for both.
“No one wants to see you fuck irk.”
What the hell?
The Fuk* was for fuko or fuku, depending. (The * is a well-known wild card character.) You mention them, so you should know something about them. Apparently you’ve been up watching porn videos.
My post was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, not a put-down of the OP. Rather commenting on his persistence.
Go get some sleep, bro; er, unk.
And get off my lawn.
@phendrick I think my request had reasonable grounds for it to exist… I mean, I still want to be clear that I just asked for help making that warranty valid… thats it
@jareza So you think I was putting you down for your posts? Please read my comments again and tell me where you see that.
You must be wearing old man sol’s glasses. Either that, or reading comprehension is no longer taught in our glorious public school system.
@phendrick wow, sorry dude my reply was meant for mike808 I got confused with the whole thread… no need to get offended; honest mistake on my part
@jareza
Yes, mistakes happen. But why shouldn’t I get offended when I think I am being jumped upon?
Just tell me you made a mistake, and I will forgive you. But then tell me I shouldn’t be offended by your dissing me without my deserving it, and I will not be a happy camper. That cretin sensitized my nerve endings, I guess, here and in another thread.
'Nuff said; I’m gone from this thread. I think the horse has been quite flogged by now, anyway.
@Mike808 I just read the entire thread and I have just one question: Just who pissed in your Wheaties this morning? @jareza was looking for help and support. Period. If what was stated was accurate Meh’s customer service appeared to be dancing around the issue/request. @snapster stepped in and offered to be the advocate for a customer. Ultimately he did the right thing. In any business the future is not single sales; it’s repeat business. Three years ago Papa John’s Pizza ripped me off by not honoring a free pizza I had earned. I have not ordered a single Papa John’s pizza since but rest assured I have not stopped eating pizza. How much money has Papa John’s lost as compared to what it would have cost to give me that pizza? If you figure I average 2 pizzas a month (which I do) that comes out to about 72 pizzas NOT sold by Pappa John’s. Customer service is expensive to a company but it is a necessary expense to protect a company’s future bottom line.
You keep going on about 4 years use as a reason for not getting what was promised. Do you own a car? If the transmission of that car has a 5 year warranty and fails after 4 years are you going to accept $400 as compensation for the $2000 repair bill? I think not. The amount isn’t the issue, the promise is.
I am so tired of people showing a holier than thou attitude toward other people just looking for a little support and understanding.
Flame on!
@Mehrocco_Mole I’m sure it was his cat; they like to do such things.
@Mehrocco_Mole @phendrick bullshit. Cats know where to piss and they do it without you being involved. If anyone’s going to piss in his cereal cause they couldn’t hold it it would be his dog.
@Mehrocco_Mole @phendrick and I guarantee if he’s mad at his cat it’s for wasting his whiskey.
https://theoatmeal.com/comics/cat_whiskey
@Mehrocco_Mole I hope you know you rock!
@Mehrocco_Mole Thats the whole point thanks! I remember when my grandfather said that warranties in the good old days were pretty straightforward and companies would honor them no questions asked: He told me about a great example of JCPenney offering a lifetime warranty on a cars battery for the life of the car… well sure enough Pops being an amateur mechanic took really good care of his car and got a shitton of batteries out of said warranty.
I honestly had no way of confirming said thing: imagine my face when this video showed up in my youtube feed
it really made my day… and got to remember my grandpops .
Also its amazing that they are still honoring a warranty!
Late to the party but still want to add my two cents. OP, I’d be annoyed with Meh also. It’s not just about money, it’s the brush off. Offering a helpful suggestion or explanation would have made a difference.
Glad it was resolved.
@callow thanks for chipping in; in the end, i really did like my floodlights and they are discontinued.
sucks that its warranty was not honored
Glad Meh stepped in. I happen to be shopping for security monitoring right now. Guess which brand I won’t buy.
@themutilator Im also glad Meh stepped in thanks!
After reading all this, the only thing I’m sure of is I’ll be damned if I buy pop sockets on meh. Yes, I know that it doesn’t really matter.
@mfladd Gotta say the fight threads are kind of entertaining.