Extended Service Warranty's

[kgoings]

So I know all the consumer advocate groups out there say don't buy them. And I seldom do. BUT... a little story..

Feb 4th 2006, getting ready to host a Superbowl Party (Seahags and the Squealers) ZAP my big screen TV dies. It was 10 years old so I figure it had served me well. I run to my closest Electronics store (Circuit City) and buy a really nice Sony. My wife is running at the mouth to the sales person and he talks her into an extended warranty. $500(5yrs)

Fast forward to two months ago, my TV goes ZAP! And I figure for sure it is out of warranty, I do some troubleshooting and find that the lamp is just burnt out...fix it my self.

Fast forward to three weeks ago, TV goes ZAP! I figure I must have done something wrong with the lamp replacement...nope still good. I do some diagnostic testing (counted the blinks on the standby light ) and find out BAD NEWS! Its toast. I figure I am buying a new TV and I am royally pissed off!

The wifey goes looking for the warranty, but I tell her "Trust me, its not under warranty anymore"...she finds it and it is under warranty till Feb 6th 2010! WOOHOO!

They came out and looked at it, and sure enough...its TOAST! So they are either gonna send me a brand new 60inch Mitsubishi or 1800 bucks! My choice!

Nice!

if that were me man it would have gone out of warranty the day before it broke thay should change the words ''sods law'' to ''adams law''

[kelmac07]

Good for you!! I always buy them on major purchases. Had my first plasma go out last year and was only 20 months old. Ended up getting the same deal as you...another 50 inch or $ 1799. I took the money and went to Costco and bought a 55 inch Vizeo.

[icehog3]

I avoid the extended warranties as a rule, but I did make an exception for my 50" Panasonic plasma....it wasn't too expensive, and gave me peace of mind for my first plasma purchase. Glad yours worked out well for you Kirk.

[bigloo]

I dont by these, I self insure. Figure this... if you bought a TV, washer/dryer, Bluray, etc, etc and add up all the warranties, if probably adds up to more then replacing the most expensive item. A better deal is to use an AMEX card for major purchases, they double manufacturers warranties for up to 2 years for free. Adding this into the equation, make these store offered warranties even more expensive. Anyway, I am gald you got to use it and enjoy the new TV but honestly, you rolled the dice and got lucky. Generally speaking you are better off self-insuring unless you are the most unlucky person in the world. Take the cash and go shopping... $1800 buys a LOT these days! Enjoy it.

[kgoings]

Originally Posted by bigloo

I dont by these, I self insure. Figure this... if you bought a TV, washer/dryer, Bluray, etc, etc and add up all the warranties, if probably adds up to more then replacing the most expensive item. A better deal is to use an AMEX card for major purchases, they double manufacturers warranties for up to 2 years for free. Adding this into the equation, make these store offered warranties even more expensive. Anyway, I am gald you got to use it and enjoy the new TV but honestly, you rolled the dice and got lucky. Generally speaking you are better off self-insuring unless you are the most unlucky person in the world. Take the cash and go shopping... $1800 buys a LOT these days! Enjoy it.

I don't use credit cards. And I never buys these, this is the only one I can really think of...glad it worked out!

[bigloo]

I would seriously consider getting an Amex for big purchases. I had a laptop with a manufacturers warranty of 1 year go bad at 18 months. AMEX tried to fix it, no go, so refunded the full amount and I bought a new one (plus I get a nice 2% check at the end of the year for all purchases). I also charge all bills that accept credit card free of charge to it which essentially saves me 2% on those charges (be careful, some places charge 5% to pay with credit card). I am with you with credit cards in general, but the double warranty is huge for me, I buy anything that can break with it and the 2% cassh back does not hurt either.

Check out the new LED lit LCD screens, they are AMAZING! They have true black which really makes the picture quality amazing.

[Azpostal]

That is awesome! I just had a Sony go out 3 weeks ago and replaced the lamp and it worked for 2 weeks. Well I didn't get the warranty so I have a 50inch sitting in the living room next to the 32 I took out from the bedroom. I might have to get one next time because the TV was only 3 years old.

[68TriShield]

Originally Posted by bigloo

I would seriously consider getting an Amex for big purchases. I had a laptop with a manufacturers warranty of 1 year go bad at 18 months. AMEX tried to fix it, no go, so refunded the full amount and I bought a new one (plus I get a nice 2% check at the end of the year for all purchases). I also charge all bills that accept credit card free of charge to it which essentially saves me 2% on those charges (be careful, some places charge 5% to pay with credit card). I am with you with credit cards in general, but the double warranty is huge for me, I buy anything that can break with it and the 2% cassh back does not hurt either.

Check out the new LED lit LCD screens, they are AMAZING! They have true black which really makes the picture quality amazing.

Yea well, Sears just bought us a new 1000 dollar dryer and threw in a free extended warranty.
That said, on certain appliances we do buy the extended warranty.
Do you work for AMEX?

Originally Posted by 68TriShield

Yea well, Sears just bought us a new 1000 dollar dryer and threw in a free extended warranty.
That said, on certain appliances we do buy the extended warranty.
Do you work for AMEX?

I sure don't and I really really value all of Amex's services, the extended warrenty being just one of them. Any big purchase, and any electronic, I buy on my Amex. I am not carrying a balance with them, you have to pay at the end of every month, but I am getting a LOT from the relationship!

-D

[GreekGodX]

Originally Posted by bigloo

I would seriously consider getting an Amex for big purchases. I had a laptop with a manufacturers warranty of 1 year go bad at 18 months. AMEX tried to fix it, no go, so refunded the full amount and I bought a new one (plus I get a nice 2% check at the end of the year for all purchases). I also charge all bills that accept credit card free of charge to it which essentially saves me 2% on those charges (be careful, some places charge 5% to pay with credit card). I am with you with credit cards in general, but the double warranty is huge for me, I buy anything that can break with it and the 2% cassh back does not hurt either.

Check out the new LED lit LCD screens, they are AMAZING! They have true black which really makes the picture quality amazing.

This is a great piece of advice Visa, MC and AMEX all offer some sort of warranty when using their cards for purchases. This saves a lot of money and pain when dealing with extended warranties from B&M's. They have a lot of fine print that makes their warranties useless.

Visa Info

MC info

AMEX info

[bigloo]

Originally Posted by 68TriShield

Yea well, Sears just bought us a new 1000 dollar dryer and threw in a free extended warranty.
That said, on certain appliances we do buy the extended warranty.
Do you work for AMEX?

Heh, no, never have worked for Amex or any other financial company. Nope, just a very happy customer. The reason Amex charges more at the retailer end for their services is in part to cover the services they provide. My Amex is my go to card for this reason. They are truly "on your side" when stuff happens and many people do not know or take advantage of the warranty extension offered automatically on purchases (keep your receipt AND a copy of the billing statement that included the charge BTW).

[ade06]

My big screen blew out back in Feb., but thanks to MC's 2x the manufacturer's warranty, they picked up the $700 repair bill. The timing worked well for me, because the MC 2x warranty ended in March.

[kenstogie]

:My girlfriend's billion dollar washer went on the fritz and her extended warrenty fixed it. As a general rule like Tom I avoid them. I factor how much all of them totalled would be vs how many things break on me and thier cost, which isn't many/that much. Course the peace of mind alone they provide may be worth it, it's an individual call.
Glad it worked out for you though.

[TheTraveler]

I normally skip the extended warranty bit myself but I was blessed with a little foresight when I bought my wife's treadmill. In less than three years she's "crossed the country" on that thing at least once. She killed two main motors, one elevation-control-motor, a belt and the actual tread-belt.



I'm so very glad we got the extended warranty on that one.

[marge796]

Glad to hear this worked out for you brother.





Chris.....

[poker]

I usually only consider an extended warranty when purchasing a car.

[shilala]

I have a three year bumper to bumper extended warranty on my cars, and I just bought a warranty on my iphone.
I'm pretty sure that's all three extended warranties I've bought in my lifetime.
Nice work, Kirk. (On the listening to the wife part.)

[BlackDog]

My family seems to be pretty hard on cell phones, so I get the warrantee on those now after replacing a few on my own dime.