Westinghouse BBB rating: CC and falling
Thus continues the ongoing saga of Westinghouse, their low-quality electronics, and their incompetent or evil (I can't decide which) customer service department, who likes to take your broken crap and never bother sending you a replacement.
I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau in California, and Westinghouse never bothered responding to my complaint. The sort-of-good news is that Westinghouse's AAA rating has dropped to CC. There are 58 unanswered complaints listed on that site. I hope their rating keeps dropping until it lands squarely in the mud where it belongs.
Not that the BBB rating is going to do much good in the bigger picture, and it's not going to return the money I wasted on the monitor I'll probably never see again, but every bit of new business I can prevent that company from attaining is another victory in my mind. I've already cost the company far more money in new business than it would've cost them to just send me a fixed monitor to begin with. Plenty of people have let me know they aren't going to buy Westinghouse brand from now on. For every person that bothers leaving me a message on this website to that effect, there are likely many more silently avoiding the company, which is good.
I think another good idea would be for people to file some complaints with the California Attorney General's Office. Oh how I wish it was financially feasible for me to fly to California for a week and sue them myself. But maybe the AG can take action if enough people make a stink.
I'm going to be writing a letter to Westinghouse's corporate office, and I'm going to post their reply or lack thereof. I have little hope that I'll ever hear a response.
I've been getting a lot of people leaving comments describing their dealings with Westinghouse, and their encounters with Westinghouse's policy of making crappy broken electronics, then giving you the cold shoulder when you mail their crap back to them and try to get it fixed and returned. I feel bad (and angry) for everyone in the same boat as me, trying to get the people at this shyster company to do their damned jobs, so I'm not going to keep quiet about this.
(Read the whole crappy story of Westinghouse's dishonesty and horrible customer service: The beginning, Update 1, Update 2, Update 3, Update 4, Update 5, Update 6, Update 7, Update 8, Update 9, VICTORY, aftermath.)
What is the address for the corporate office? I think I will be writing as well.
I have it written down at home… I'll update this post to include the address when I get home tonight.
Here is the latest information from the BBB:
In the absence of any response from the company this complaint despite our two requests to them, we are closing our file on this complaint.
This unanswered complaint will become part of the information we report to the public on this company for the next three years. Should any government agency request our files on this company, your complaint will also be included.
If you have settled this complaint directly with the company, would you please email us to let us know that, as well as any other comments you might have. Your help in doing this is important to ensure that our report to the public on this company is accurate.
Thank you for using the Better Business Bureau.
Looks like I am back to calling Westinghouse directly.
When I asked for Westinghouse's “corporate office” address, they gave me this:
Office of the President
Westinghouse Digital Electronics
12150 Mora Dr.
Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670
That's just their publicly accessible address with “Office of the President” stuck on the front though.
WOW you still haven't gotten it back?
Keep persisting. Don't give up!!!!
I finally got the television back as of yesterday (August 19th).
So, what have we learned?
It takes at least 108 days to get your property back from Westinghouse if you want them to make good on a warranty promise to give you working merchendise.
Here's hoping it continues to work.
No response to either of my 2 BBB complaints. I spent nearly my half of my entire summer (student working part time) attempting to get this company to do the right thing.
Its unbelievable that a business like Westinghouse is still in practice in 2008.
Thank you Brian for allowing us to share our opinion and serve some justice on this crooked company.
9/24/08 I was just informed that my TV has not been checked in even though it was received on the 17th by Westinghouse. They still haven't found my tv in their facility. All I get is we are trying our best. No more Westinghouse products. Please pass on so that others don't get experience the same problems.