Buying Extended Warranty

doggie750

What do you guys recommend where to buy before the 1yr manufacturer warranty ends?

hochpt21

Knock on wood that I don't get burned ( but I haven't yet ) but I never buy the extended warranty.

I figure most items carry a warranty good enough to guarantee a "non-lemon" and if it gets through the first few months of usage...

I'm sure there are opposing opinions however.

vmaxer

hochpt21 wrote: »

Knock on wood that I don't get burned ( but I haven't yet ) but I never buy the extended warranty.

I figure most items carry a warranty good enough to guarantee a "non-lemon" and if it gets through the first few months of usage...

I'm sure there are opposing opinions however.

Same boat here, don't buy them.

tophatjohnny

square trade is a good one!!

chumlie

hochpt21 wrote: »

Knock on wood that I don't get burned ( but I haven't yet ) but I never buy the extended warranty.

I figure most items carry a warranty good enough to guarantee a "non-lemon" and if it gets through the first few months of usage...

I'm sure there are opposing opinions however.

Same here.

Moose68Bash

I ONLY -- and ALWAYS -- buy AppleCare (the extended warranty program on Apple products).

It has paid off richly for me. If you have a problem with an Apple product under AppleCare, Apple takes extremely good care of you, and I have made good use of the program.

My daughter's MacBook Pro laptop, for example, failed with one month left on the AppleCare coverage, and Apple gave her a brand new MacBook Pro that was the latest and greatest model -- not a refurbished three-years-old model, like the one that failed. They also gave her AppleCare on the replacement computer without charge -- another three years of coverage. I figure that I received approximately ten times the cost of the AppleCare program in benefits.

With respect to other products -- kitchen appliances, TVs, etc -- I agree completely with the opinion above that, if a new appliance is going to fail because of a manufacturing defect, it will likely fail within the standard warranty period. Hence, I don't buy them.

vmaxer

Moose68Bash wrote: »

I ONLY -- and ALWAYS -- buy AppleCare (the extended warranty program on Apple products).

It has paid off richly for me. If you have a problem with an Apple product under AppleCare, Apple takes extremely good care of you, and I have made good use of the program.

My daughter's MacBook Pro laptop, for example, failed with one month left on the AppleCare coverage, and Apple gave her a brand new MacBook Pro that was the latest and greatest model -- not a refurbished three-years-old model, like the one that failed. They also gave her AppleCare on the replacement computer without charge -- another three years of coverage. I figure that I received approximately ten times the cost of the AppleCare program in benefits.

With respect to other products -- kitchen appliances, TVs, etc -- I agree completely with the opinion above that, if a new appliance is going to fail because of a manufacturing defect, it will likely fail within the standard warranty period. Hence, I don't buy them.

Can one get AppleCare on an iPhone they got through Verizon??
Sounds like it would be worth it??

rooftop59

For tech gadgets, I use squaretrade. I have filed a couple claims through them, and it is painless. You will have the money in your paypal or bank account within 5 days as they promise. And it starts after the manufacturer's warranty ends, so you can double or triple the warranty duration. Finally, they will help you get claims settle with the manufacturer within that warranty period.

For large appliances, I buy from a local shop that sells an extended warranty and has their own repair division. I have already utilized their services a couple times. Warranty well worth the money.

I am sorry but the philosophy exposed above (just don't buy a warranty) is hogwash for several reasons:

1. First, there is this little thing called "planned obsolesce" that American companies starting employing in the 50's. How long does a product have to last for the consumer to continue to buy, yet maximize profits by forcing a new purchase sooner rather than later? This is not just about electronics, but large appliances as well. So yes, it might last through the manufacturer's warranty, but I'm sorry, I don't want my $2500 fridge or $1800 washer/dryer to only last three years.
2. Most manufactere's are notoriously difficult to deal with when it comes to warranty claims. This is one reason why so many of us love polk (*and apple), because their customer service is rare, not the norm. A good third party company like squaretrade will help make sure that claims get dealt with.

Of course, with smaller purchases I often don't bother, or if I know the company will honor their warranty. Just my 2 cents...

motorhead43026

I will buy a warranty on a tv, (and did) on my Sony purchased this year. The reason is, if it breaks you have to box it up and send to be repaired and pay the freight. With the warranty from BB they come to you and repair. Just depends what it is and how much it costs. For the most part I pass on extended warranties.

tonyb

Depends on the price of the item your buying. Anything under 500 bucks is a throw away imho. Appliances that cost 2-3g's....yeah I'd buy an extended warranty if it was cost efficient to do so. Same with cars, TV's, or any other expensive item.

Good thing is the built in obsolesce hasn't hit audio products, not yet anyway. Amps, pre amps, dacs, speakers, can last forever. It's the constant changing of software that makes things in audio obsolete.....which imho is done on purpose also.

rooftop59

I agree with you on audio equipment tony. Amps, speakers and subs especially last quite a long time, and if a used amp etc lasts a week it will likely last years.

As for the threshold being $500, well lets just say I have more dependents that you at this point , so I have to watch my wallet a little closer. College ain't gettin any cheaper... My threshold is closer to $100-200, but then again, my average bottle of wine costs about 10 bucks and the last time I spent 3 bills for dinner was, well, never

tonyb

rooftop59 wrote: »

I agree with you on audio equipment tony. Amps, speakers and subs especially last quite a long time, and if a used amp etc lasts a week it will likely last years.

As for the threshold being $500, well lets just say I have more dependents that you at this point , so I have to watch my wallet a little closer. College ain't gettin any cheaper... My threshold is closer to $100-200, but then again, my average bottle of wine costs about 10 bucks and the last time I spent 3 bills for dinner was, well, never

LOL....I hear ya bro. Lets look at it from a price point though, would you spend 50 bucks for an extended warranty on something that costs 150 ? Not likely I would think.

Here's a tip from an old guy who has been done with the college thing for awhile now....it doesn't get any cheaper after they are done.

Half the time they come back home and you wind up supporting them while they decide "what they want to do". Or....they get married, another cost to incur. After that it's Grand children and the cycle starts all over again. Then they wind up being stay at home moms, if they are girls, or single moms constantly needing your assistance both time wise and financially.....while taking jobs not even associated with what you paid good money for them to get a degree in.

Boys....will be boys as they say....along with the problems associated with that.

Point being my friend is.....at some point you have to live YOUR life, finish chasing a dream or 2. Hopefully you'll get there sooner rather than later and be able to take the wife out for a 500 buck dinner and drink 100 buck bottles of wine.....and hopefully, the kids will pay this time. lol

In the meantime, buy used gear from trustworthy people to stretch that buck.

rooftop59

OMG weddings...I have three girls. I am just hoping that by the time they get married they either a. have a good job and can pay for a good chunk themselves or b. see their parents egalitarian marriage and find a partner whose parents will help foot the bill lol...

The first option is especially likely since college educated women are not getting married until their late 20s/early 30s. Here's hoping at least...

As for the dinners, well at least like you I love to cook and have a nose for finding good deals on wine, so for now it'll just keep happening at home, which is fine. But yes one day I would like to taste a nice high end vino...

rooftop59

BUT back to the warranty issue. On squaretrade, a warranty on a $300 bd player for instance is $20 for two years (if you use the 25% off coupon that they always send out), and again, that's on TOP of the manufacturer's warranty. Less than 10% for a warranty from a reputable company is WELL worth it IMO...

Sci-fi Polk Guy

I don't know the best place for purchasing an extended warranty, but if you're buying a computer from a brick and mortar store, I'd recommend purchasing an extended warranty at the time of sale. I could've purchased an extended warranty for my tower for $99 at the time of purchasing, but I opted to not do so. About five months after the manufacturer's warranty expired, my computer stopped functioning. The repairs cost about $225. If I had purchased the extended warranty, the repairs would have cost me nothing. I learned a painful lesson.