extended manufacturer's warranty

mjk91383

i just recently received a letter from PHILIPS concerning the warranty on the rear projection television that i purchased this past march. they're offering me their extended warranty at just $189.95 per year, for up to three years.

with my television being a floor model for some 3+ months at the sam's club where i purchased it, and with the 2-4 hour daily use by the family, i'm concerned with how long the picture tubes and other such components may last.

i've never purchased an extended warranty before on any of my other televisions, simply because of the fact that none of them ever cost over $300. my current rptv, however, cost me nearly $1,800.

i value everyone's opinion here on the forum, and was curious as to whether or not any of you guys feel that an extended manufacturer's warranty would be worth the money? i'm probably looking at just purchasing one year at this time, but that may change between now and january.

RuSsMaN

I personally don't care for the extended warranty.

I look at it this way, if something was to break, how much would it cost to fix? More than the cost of the warranty? 189.95 a year? I'd invest it, and take your chances.

But then again, if it brings you peace of mind, go for it. I have run into people that would loose sleep over something like this.

Cheers,
Russ

TroyD

I echo Russ's sentiment. I look at it this way, the company is making a profit from these service contracts, which means they take in more than they pay out. Catch my drift??

BDT

fireshoes

Originally posted by TroyD
I echo Russ's sentiment. I look at it this way, the company is making a profit from these service contracts, which means they take in more than they pay out. Catch my drift??

BDT

If it breaks and you buy a new one, they will make money. If it breaks and you have it repaired, they will charge you $60/hr plus parts, and pay their repair technician $15 and they will make money. They are going to get their money one way or another.

That said, I would say $189 per year is an extraordinary ripoff. The store I work at sells a 3 year extended warrany for $119 total or 5 years for $249. Not too shabby.

brettw22

I'm not familiar with the costs involved in parts on a RPTV, but I have purchased extended warranties on other things. My laptop, for example, is something that I did that on simply because if one thing was to break (i.e. sound chip) the whole mother board would need to be replaced and end up running around $1000.

If RPTV's are anything similar, like one color tube needing to be replaced and that's not going to offset the others that aren't replace, I'd get the extended warranty. I know at the retail level though, you can negotiate the price of the extended warranty. I guess that all depends on where you're buying it from too......

Basically, like Russ said, it's one of those peace of mind purchases.

MxStYlEpOlKmAn

man, my dad has a 12 year old mits, projection tv, 9 years old - about 5 hours a day use - still runnin clear as gold!

goingganzo

i got the extended warentee on my 65 inch but it was 3 k and i get 1/2 of the 350 back after 5 years if i dont use the warentee but i usaly buy the warentt on most floor models i get if they are prety cheap the warentee and i spend a good chunk of change on the item like car subs get the extended warentee it pays for itself i took back 1 sub i had 5 times in the first 2 years and i still have 2 left

xfontanax

I generally, never get extended warrantees. Whether it's 9.99 or 999.99. I believe if you buy a quality product, it should last past what the extended warrantee would've given you. My Hitachi 53" has been transported across the country and across the pacific, and works fine. For some though, the peace of mind might be worth the money.

mjk91383

thanks for the advice so far, guys.. you're always a help.

one thing that i failed to mention in my previous post was that i've already had the television serviced twice since i bought it. the first time around, they had to replace the protective screen because it was somehow scratched on the inside. second time around, the television was making a really annoying rattling sound from the inside. turned out that one of the screws came loose, probably due to the fact that my SVS sits right behind the television.

the cost of replacing the screen, labor included, came out to somewhere around $300, but since it was under warranty, i paid nothing. the service from PHILIPS thus far has been superb. they have arrived at my house on both occassions within 48 hours. the total for tightening up the loose screw was about $75 or so, their usual cost for labor.

here's the text concerning the extended warranty in question:

"This plan provides coverage for any operational parts or labor required for your consumer electronics product during the time period specified. You will not have to pay for any repair service performed by one of our highly skilled, factory trained servicers.

This plan provides for a brand new replacement product with comparable features at our option or if we determine that your product is beyond repair. If we replace your product, then this will complete our obligations under the terms of this Service Contract and your coverage will cease on the date you receive your replacement product. Your new product will come with our standard warranty."

like i said before, i've never purchased a warranty on anything before. if something breaks, i usually just go buy another one. the one thing that makes this situation different is that i basically know nothing about the life of the components that make up my RPTV. i've tried finding a website that lists the life expectancy for bulbs and whatnot, but to no avail.. any ideas?