Extended Warranty Plans

[MARV]

How do we feel about them? A good idea or a ripoff?

I had an extended warranty on the first computer I bought, years ago. The one time I had to use it, they were of no help whatsoever to me. I had a bad crash and I just wound up fixing it myself after a good deal of research.

It seems like the only things that [i]could[/i] go wrong with all my electronic equipment would be through my own negligence, normal wear & tear or maybe a power surge and these are things that extended warranties wouldn't cover anyway.

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[i_like_lectric_motors]

Total ripoff. There's a reason why almost every electronics store offers
them and it's not to help the consumer.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/co ... _mz020.htm

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[coop41]

I've said NO before the salesperson can get the words out of their mouth

[reillygirl]

Years ago I had purchased the "Bumper to Bumper" warranty on a chevy cavalier. When driving home from the city one night I hit a huge pot whole on the LIE. A bolt on my front bumper broke, so I too the car to the dealer to have it fixed and they informed me that it wasn't covered! My "bumper to bumper" warranty did not cover the bumper!!!!!!

[MARV]

And what about the calls you get at home just as the manufacturer's warranties are about to expire? These bastards keep a record of when you made your purchase so they can try and get you. I got a call the other night. They made it seem like I called them. Anything to get you on the phone. I just told my wife to hang up on them - don't even say anything. Whatever you say they use as an opportunity to keep you on the phone longer and try another sales pitch.

Oh, hi Reillygirl! Nice to see you here [8D]

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[Spit]

A while back I bought a CD at Circuit City and was asked if I wanted to include what I think they called a service warranty for the disc. I looked at the sales person like are you kidding me. Anything to make an extra buck or two .

[eight6]

Extended as in beyond the normal manufacturer's coverage, or a "all the bells and whistles" version of their normal coverage? If it's the latter, I'd say yes, good idea, esp. for things like computers. I've got Dell laptops for my business, and they fix/replace a number of problems, no questions asked. We're talking about things like LCD screens, keyboards, Bluetooth cards etc.

At a cost of about $500.00 per computer for 3 years of coverage, I figure we've come out way ahead. Just shop for 15.4" LCD screens and get a unit cost, (with next day on site installation) and you'll see what I mean.

If we're talking about the stupid stuff like an extended warranty on a watch battery, I just laugh.

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[FreeWave]

I'd only recommend it on a laptop. At $1000 for a screen replacement, $500 for a motherboard replacement, and similar huge repair costs it appears worth it most of the times. I know Compusa covers the screen twice (for really no questions asked), and will replace the battery during its lifetime which is rather unique. Laptops get a lot more use and break down a lot more then desktops.

Covering it on a projector is smart if the policy covers lightbulb replacement and is cheaper then the part cost.

Otherwise it rarely makes sense unless its a cheap policy that lasts multiple years.