So What If They Say Your Appliance Is Only Warranted For One Year!
Dec 02 '02
The Bottom Line Don't waste your money on these warranties. If you have problems, call the company!
After owning a Sears store and being pressured to sell those maintenance agreements, I have become a FIRM believer that you do not need to spend your hard earned money on these extended warranties. Basically, you are betting the company that their product is inferior and will not last, so why would you make the purchase in the first place.
Some simple background information is that your merchandise is most likely guaranteed for a year. If you purchase that three year warranty for $75 on a new washing machine, then you are actually only buying one for two years. Rest assured, at the end of your warranty, extended or not, you will get a phone call wanted to renew or sell you one.
If you look at the average life expectancy of a major appliance today as quoted by Consumer Reports:
Freezer 20 years
Refrigerator 15 years
Range 12 years
Dishwasher 11 years
Washer 11 years
Dryer 13 years
You can see that most of these are designed to last. I have to say that I have never really had any appliances that did not live out their life expectancy.
There are two exceptions, and I want to share those with you today. Like I said in the beginning, if you are buying an extended warranted that is betting that your product will not last. So, lets assume you didn’t purchase the service agreement, and as soon as your appliance is out of warranty, it quits working or has major problems.
I have discovered that the old saying “the squeakiest wheel gets oiled” is the best approach to deal with manufactures today. Our economy is not in the best of shape, and they need your business. So, my Frigidaire refrigerator starts making lots of weird noises, and the day after the service man comes out it quits working. The average for a refrigerator is 15 years, and mine was 13 months. So, I got on the phone and let the company know that I was not happy with their product. I was especially irritated that they didn’t have a toll free number. They agreed to fix the problem with no charge to me. At that point I was satisfied that it was going to be fine. However, less than a month later all of the lights on the icemaker went on. I had cubes and crushed ice at the same time, as well as the extra ice button was on. Obviously we had another problem.
Calling the local service people, they came out and said “oh I can fix that”, and I said “I don’t want it fixed!” I got back on the non-toll free number with Frigidaire and simply told them that I wanted a new appliance. I was not going to be satisfied with having to fix anything that was almost new. After being passed around from manager to manger, I finally got my way. They agreed to an 80% rebate on a new one, which I felt was fair.
I found out that this appliance had major problems, and this model just stopped working after about one year. So, why should I buy an extended warranty? You shouldn’t because the consumer has a lot of power today, and more people need to use it. Some companies are more difficult to deal with than others, but you can have you way. Don’t yell, but be very firm about what you want. Do not stick with “we’ll fix it”, as that just isn’t going to be satisfactory.
Another appliance story was with my Maytag gas range. It was also just out of warranty, and the repair people could never get the gas settings right. Apparently it wasn’t ever going to be “just right”. I called Maytag twice, and the second time, a manager offered to basically replace my range with an electric one. There was no hassle, no rebate form, just a new stove, a follow-up phone call, and they had a toll free number.
Those are two examples of how you as a consumer can save money by not buying extended warranties, and stand your ground if something isn’t working right. So what if the warranty just expired! They want your business, and do not want you telling your friends horror stories about their company.
So, save your money and skip the warranty, shop wisely for your appliances, and deal with a company that has a good reputation. Also, don’t back down when they tell you NO the first time. Remember; just keep moving up the chain until you get a manager that will help you with your problem.
No one should ever think that the company has no responsibility after the first year! Hope this helped and read, read, read, before you make those big purchases!
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sweetsue_98
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