warranty or no warranty?

[sudoer541]

I want to buy a TV from bestbuy its on sale and as usual I have to get the extended warranty to repair my TV for free. Now I know a lot of people who are telling me not get get the extended warranty because its a waste of money. But they always fail to answer this question "How am I going to repair my TV if somethings happens to it after two or three years?"
I am not sure i there are any places that can fix your TV for a low price.
btw I just realized that I already asked this question before but no solid solution was offered.

edit: I know the credit card trick that doubles your manufacturers warranty but the issue is what do I do after the manufactures warranty expires OMG!!! I am panicking!!!

[pwnst*r]

do what will help you sleep at night. if you can't afford an outside source to fix your set or buy a new one, get the warranty.

[Tristam Green]

I want to buy a TV from bestbuy its on sale and as usual I have to get the extended warranty to repair my TV for free. Now I know a lot of people who are telling me not get get the extended warranty because its a waste of money. But they always fail to answer this question "How am I going to repair my TV if somethings happens to it after two or three years?"
I am not sure i there are any places that can fix your TV for a low price.
btw I just realized that I already asked this question before but no solid solution was offered.

edit: I know the credit card trick that doubles your manufacturers warranty but the issue is what do I do after the manufactures warranty expires OMG!!! I am panicking!!!

Just don't replace the OS on it and expect them to fix it when somethings goes horribly wrong.

Because it voids the warranty, am I right fellas?

[dvlchd3]

It honestly depends on what type of TV you're buying. LCD's I would say is worth it. They cover on replacement of the LCD panel...or whatever the lcd part of the tv is...if you have any dead pixels...that is defintely nice.

I ALWAYS buy the service plans from "Best Try" only because I used to work there, and know the ins and outs of each one. I've only ever had to buy one monitor, one laptop, one camera, one camcorder...etc.

Most of the service plans cover a power surge. So worse comes to worse, just hook your TV up to a 220 outlet before the 2/3/4 years is up. :P

[Frak]

If you're worrying about it, buy the warranty. It may not help any, but you'll sleep better at night.

And, uh, don't install another OS on it or anything. AMIRITE FELLAS?

[lisati]

Go with what works, and don't be scared to ask questions about what is actually covered by what you're paying for.

I recently saw a thing on TV recently that suggested that extended warranties are often a waste of time (and money) because of protection built in to law (which has a habit of being different in different places). It must be true because it was on TV!!!

But what happens when something goes wrong after the period covered by law and by standard warranties? I had something go wrong with a camcorder a year or so back (the firewire connector was acting up or something of that nature) and was able to get repairs done under the extended warranty I'd paid good money for.

[NoaHall]

If you're worrying about it, buy the warranty. It may not help any, but you'll sleep better at night.

And, uh, don't install another OS on it or anything. AMIRITE FELLAS?

Yeah, and try not to turn it of or anything - make sure you don't move the cables around, or use different speakers. They won't support it then.

[aysiu]

I would recommend against the extended warranty / service plan. I'll offer my two cents, but it's ultimately your money. Do what you think is best.

My wife and I have bought two large-screen TVs ever. The first one we bought we decided to get an extended warranty on. For five years, the TV worked fine. Absolutely no problems. Then it broke (it was a rear projection TV, and the convergence of the colors was off). What do you know? We'd paid several hundred dollars for an extended warranty, and when did the TV break? Right after the extended warranty was over. We debated about whether we should get it repaired or just get a new TV. We decided to get it repaired by a local TV repairman. It cost only a couple hundred dollars to fix (less than we paid for the extended warranty we never used). And that was an in-house repair. Didn't have to send the TV back anywhere.

A couple of years later, we got a new TV with no extended warranty or service plan. It broke within a month. LG (the manufacturer) acknowledged the problem, sent a technician to confirm the problem. The technician came back to our apartment the next day with the replacement part. Now everything's worked fine on that TV for almost a year with no other hiccups. That replacement was very little hassle and cost us no extra money.

My general feeling is that manufacturers' warranties are good (they're usually 90 days to a year). They make sense. If the product breaks within the first month, the manufacturer will fix it for free. If the product lasts longer than the manufacturer's warranty, it will probably last much longer than the extended warranty as well... and the cost to pay for the eventual needed repairs will likely be less than paying for the extended warranty.

In other words, I don't think it's worth it to buy an extended warranty or service plan. Pay yourself the money. Put it in a savings account. If something goes wrong with your TV, pay to get it repaired (use a local TV repair person, not Best Buy).

[cariboo]

Having been in the tv repair business at one time, if the tv doesn't break down in the first year of operation, it isn't likely to happen during the 5 year lifetime of the set. The way things are going in that end of the electronics business, is that even if it breaks within the first year of operation, parts are not likely to be available.

My Samsung 32" broke down three months after I bought it. I went the wrong way around getting it fixed, by bringing it back to the dealer I bought it from, they sent if off to their repair depot 300Km away and after 2 weeks I hadn't heard anything about the repair. I called the repair depot and they kept putting me off, saying the tech wasn't available, or the parts were on order. After another week of this, I called the manufacturer, and was told I should have called them in the first place as they would have just replaced it with a newer model.

As it was, they had to have another tv shipped up from California, and they just put the back of my TV on the new set, so the serial numbers would be the same and shipped it back to me. All this took about 6 weeks to accomplish.

As for buying extended warranty, it can be a good deal if your set does break down, but once it kicks in you have to deal with the warranty company and not the manufacturer. 70% of the extended warranty fee goes to the company selling it, so sometimes it may be hard to get the extended warranty company to do anything, and when they do it takes a fair amount of time to get the problem resolved. It may mean having to ship the set to another city to get it repaired, as most tv repair shops refuse to deal with extended warranty claims, as the pay is so low.

It's up to you if you feel better buying an extended warranty go for it. Personally I don't think it is worth the cost.

[alphaniner]

I dunno about electronics, but when I sold appliances at Home Depot I became a big supporter of extended warranties. Yes, the retailer makes out gangbusters because they are rarely 'exercised' by the consumer. But if something goes wrong, having one is a Godsend.

[sudoer541]

Having been in the tv repair business at one time, if the tv doesn't break down in the first year of operation, it isn't likely to happen during the 5 year lifetime of the set. The way things are going in that end of the electronics business, is that even if it breaks within the first year of operation, parts are not likely to be available.

My Samsung 32" broke down three months after I bought it. I went the wrong way around getting it fixed, by bringing it back to the dealer I bought it from, they sent if off to their repair depot 300Km away and after 2 weeks I hadn't heard anything about the repair. I called the repair depot and they kept putting me off, saying the tech wasn't available, or the parts were on order. After another week of this, I called the manufacturer, and was told I should have called them in the first place as they would have just replaced it with a newer model.

As it was, they had to have another tv shipped up from California, and they just put the back of my TV on the new set, so the serial numbers would be the same and shipped it back to me. All this took about 6 weeks to accomplish.

As for buying extended warranty, it can be a good deal if your set does break down, but once it kicks in you have to deal with the warranty company and not the manufacturer. 70% of the extended warranty fee goes to the company selling it, so sometimes it may be hard to get the extended warranty company to do anything, and when they do it takes a fair amount of time to get the problem resolved. It may mean having to ship the set to another city to get it repaired, as most tv repair shops refuse to deal with extended warranty claims, as the pay is so low.

It's up to you if you feel better buying an extended warranty go for it. Personally I don't think it is worth the cost.

I am going to buy a 32" Samsung TV as well! (LN32B460):o but I heard good things about Samsung Tvs.
after the warranty expires can Samsung fix your TV at a low price right?
I understood what you said but not entirely the part in bold above. I am still panicking a bit because the TV is on sale its $500 until the 31st of December!

[handy]

My understanding is that in the old CRT TVs/Monitors, the most likely place for failures to occur was in the high voltage circuit.

Once you get away from a CRT you don't require the high voltage circuit anymore, so I would think that the LCDs & the like really should be far more reliable.

As has been said by others, the most likely time for electronic components to fail, if they are faulty, is in the very early part of their life.

I wouldn't get the extended warranty myself. Apart from the fact that you are already buying the thing on sale. ;)

[cariboo]

I'm still a member of a home electronics repair mailing list, the biggest complaint is lack of parts for newer 2-5 years old equipment from the manufacturer. Most of the parts are now purpose designed, in most cases generics won't work. If there are no parts available, you are out of luck.

Consumer home entertainment devices aren't built like they used to be. Most of it is designed, then the designs are are put up for bid, the lowest bidder usually gets the contract to build the number specified, there is usually a request for about 5% spare parts built in to the order, once the parts are gone, that's it they are gone, there are no new parts produced ever.

Be happy if your new TV/stereo, whatever lasts 5 years, and be prepared to buy new in just a few years.

[yester64]

I once worked at a retail store and yes, thats what they want you to sell.
In my personal experience, there is no need to buy a warranty and even consumer report states this.
Yes, you do buy a peace of mind, which were shatterted by the fact that you have fear that your tv might break at one point.
I got myself once a warranty for a printer. The printer never broke.
You have to remember. If the product fails, it will ususally occur very soon in which case you can exchange it anyway.
Later on, it will most likely work as it should.
Store know they fear and that were they feed on.
I doubt that any lcd or plasma tv will break. It can happen, but the chances are very slim.

[sudoer541]

I'm still a member of a home electronics repair mailing list, the biggest complaint is lack of parts for newer 2-5 years old equipment from the manufacturer. Most of the parts are now purpose designed, in most cases generics won't work. If there are no parts available, you are out of luck.

Consumer home entertainment devices aren't built like they used to be. Most of it is designed, then the designs are are put up for bid, the lowest bidder usually gets the contract to build the number specified, there is usually a request for about 5% spare parts built in to the order, once the parts are gone, that's it they are gone, there are no new parts produced ever.

Be happy if your new TV/stereo, whatever lasts 5 years, and be prepared to buy new in just a few years.


I once worked at a retail store and yes, thats what they want you to sell.
In my personal experience, there is no need to buy a warranty and even consumer report states this.
Yes, you do buy a peace of mind, which were shatterted by the fact that you have fear that your tv might break at one point.
I got myself once a warranty for a printer. The printer never broke.
You have to remember. If the product fails, it will ususally occur very soon in which case you can exchange it anyway.
Later on, it will most likely work as it should.
Store know they fear and that were they feed on.
I doubt that any lcd or plasma tv will break. It can happen, but the chances are very slim.

thanks guys! So am gonna go ahead and buy that TV. I found some TV repair shops, they are a bit far but its worth it if something happens to my unit.
btw without the warranty I am going to save $200 + $100 because the TV is on sale.

[cariboo]

There are deals to be had, that's for sure. When I bought my Samsung it was marked at $999.00, I got it for $799.00 because it was going on sale the following weekend. That was 2 years ago, the price has come down quite a bit since.

[Xbehave]

thanks guys! So am gonna go ahead and buy that TV. I found some TV repair shops, they are a bit far but its worth it if something happens to my unit.
btw without the warranty I am going to save $200 + $100 because the TV is on sale.
Just to clarify you will still have a warrenty, they can't take away your pre existing rights/warranties, which I think varies by product and where you live, but is normally at least 6 months. And as others have pointed out if something is going to break it will usually break in this period.

[sudoer541]

thanks everyone! your suggestions make sense 100%

[fromthehill]

had a laptop with 1 year warranty
I had the warranty extended to 2 years with theft insurance, and a replacement laptop for the time it is getting repaired

it broke after 2, 5, 8, 15, 18, 16, 24 months
the third repair took 7 months because the parts weren't made anymore. they had to repair the laptop with parts from an other laptop that needed to be repaired

thats why I would vote against extended warranty. If it's a problem that happens to a lot of people there will be no parts available when you need it

[Tristam Green]

just don't replace the os on it and expect them to fix it when somethings goes horribly wrong.

Because it voids the warranty, am i right fellas?


if you're worrying about it, buy the warranty. It may not help any, but you'll sleep better at night.

And, uh, don't install another os on it or anything. Amirite fellas?

plagiarism! D:

[RiceMonster]

plagiarism! D:

When I read "Amirite fellas?" I hear it like butters from south park.

Am I right fellas?
http://wasteyourlife.files.wordpress.com/2007/03/butters.jpg

[CharlesA]

I think the only thing I have an extended warranty/service contact on is my treadmill..

I don't bother with it for personal electronics, since parts are hard to come by after 6 months to a year. That and most of the time, if something is going to fail, it'll fail before the manufacturer's warranty is over (3-5 years)

[Frak]

When I read "Amirite fellas?" I hear it like butters from south park.

Am I right fellas?
http://wasteyourlife.files.wordpress.com/2007/03/butters.jpg

I... am.... BUTTERS!