It's better to have and not need then to need and not have.
Jan 11 '02 (Updated Jan 20 '02)
The Bottom Line In many cases, Warranties are indeed worth it.
Extended Warranties, or Extended Service Plans (ESPs), are sold by almost all computer/electronics stores. In this epinion I'll tell what products they're worth it on, and who sells the best.
In my store, it's my job try to sell you an ESP, even on $20 items. If I don't sell a lot, my bosses get on my back about it. Even though I may commission, I tell someone the benefits of the ESP, and if they don't want it, I don't push the issue.
Of course, I get the "I don't need it" a lot of times. I'm always tempted to tell them somethings on the likes of
"well, don't come complaining to us if Hewlett Packard keeps you on hold for an hour and charges you 50 bucks for it, then makes you pay for shipping to Oregon."
Finally, I'll tell you why most companies only give you a 1 year warranty. When you send your product out to an "authorized" service center, the company gets a cut of the repair costs. During the warranty period, the company doesn't get a cent. Ever wonder why companies put 1 year warranties and things that are likely to break and put really long ones on things that never do?
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That said, let's get on to my recommendations:
Desktop PCs: If you don't know how to repair PCs yourself, invest in an extended warranty. Look for an ESP that also gives to free/unlimited tech support, as an OEM's tech support is often times a toll call, not to mention they keep you on hold for a long time.
Notebook PCs: Deffinately get an ESP on a notebook! The innards on these things are far more expensive to fix than on a desktop PC. Look for an ESP that gives you screen replacement, as those are the most expensive things to fix.
On the two above ESPs: look for ones that cover shipping charges, and if the store offer an on-site warranty, spend the extra bucks on it.
If you're buying a Compaq PC: While I think Compaq's cool, even if you know how to do repairs, buy an ESP anyways because Compaq, even though their reliability has gotten better over the years, has some of the worst out-of-warranty services.
Printers: If it's an inkjet, I'd say it's worth it. For laser printers, not really.
Scanners: Only on the expensive ones.
Copiers, monitors and other things with long warranties: These machines usually come with a 3 or 5 year warranty already on them. You'd have be an idiot to buy an ESP on these, and I have sold ESPs to idiots. One the other hand, if the store offers an on-site upgrade for copiers, then I would consider. Otherwise, no.
VCRs: As repairs are pricey, it's worth it to get an ESP, but not if the VCR is really cheap.
DVD player: You can pretty much leave the store with the standard Warranty here.
TVs: Come on, you have to be a moron to break your TV. Are you a moron?
Rear-projection TVs: Unlike regular TVs, rear-projection units seem to like going into the repair shop (mainly for blown-out color tubes). Invest in an ESP here.
Combo units (TV/VCRs, multifunction machines, etc): Deffinatley get an ESP on these things, are repairs are expensive.
Stereos: My stereos have lasted me a long time. Don't bother.
Digital still cameras/camcorders: For anything portable like these, it's well worth it to get an ESP.
PDAs: These things are pretty darn fragile. Look for one that gives screen replacement.
Large appliances: Large appliances last a long time. Skip the warranty.
Repair-prone brands: Sony, Thompson (makers of RCA and Proscan), and others who have low reliability records should always be mated to an ESP, not just because of reliability concerns, but because these companies usually have less-than-stellar out-of-warranty service (especially Thompson).
Finally, if you're buying a product that you're going to use a lot, it makes sence to buy an ESP.
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Here are the best ESPs:
Best Buy: Best Buy's ESPs have no price tier, so the price doesn't go up (or down) with the price of the product. For example, for digital cameras, the ESP is $60 for 4 years. While that is great if you get something like the Sony DSC-F707 ($1000), it's not if you buying something cheap (HP's 215 digcam, $129). Best Buy is one of the few chains that do their warranty work in store.
UPDATE: I've seen Best Buy employees in action, and if someone says no to an ESP, they just drop the issue. Yet so many people on Epinions.com complain that they've been givin the "hard sell" on ESPs at Best Buy. Best Buy is famous (to people in the industry, not to consumers) for firing you if you fail to sell their ESPs on a high-ticket item. I'm not talking about going weeks without selling an ESP, I'm talking about not selling, for example, a $220 ESP on a $2000 laptop. And don't think that it's illegal. It's known as "Store choice," and they'd tell you, "if you can't sell, we'll replace you with someone who can." The moral of the story is, if you decline an ESP at Best Buy, and the associate desperately tries to make you reconsider, it's only because he/she's trying to keep his/her job, not to harass you.
Staples: Staples relies on outside shops to do the repair work. Carry in and on-site ESPs are offered, and shipping is covered on both plans (shipping is overnight on
the on-site plan if the servicer is to far away.) ESPs on computers also gives you tech support.
Sears: Sears' ESPs are great. They're on-site for big items, and they offer carry-in replacement for many small items.
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That's my take on extended warranties. Hope it helps.
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Epinions.com ID:
samdavidowicz
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Member: Sam Davidowicz
Location: Tamarac
Reviews written: 24
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
I work tech support and also do freelance tech work.
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