[Quivox]

Consumer Reports frequently states that extended warranties for electronics are nothing more than a cash grab by the stores, and other online publications seem to agree. But is this true of CRT RPTV's as well?

Seeing as how most problems occur in the first year, would it be safe to buy a new RPTV with just the manufacturers warranty, or does everyone here recommend paying the extra cash for a few more years of warranty??

 

[jfischer]

There are a ton of threads here that have already been over this topic ad nauseum.


However, I will give you my opinion EW's are insurance. Typically one buys insurance to cover against catastrophic losses (medical problems, car accidents, etc). A repair on a TV set is not what I would consider catastrophic, but someone else might. It all boils down to your tolerance for risk.


EWs provide at least 50% profit to the selling store, and that's why they push them so hard. In the end, only you can decide if the risk of needing a repair beyond the vendor's warranty is worth $300-$700 for insurance that will cover the repair if you do need it...

 

[minhi]

this is a very personal decision that does not always involve logic, hopefully this thread stays civil.


i consider myself a logical person, but i still got one, it makes me feel better. ultimately does it make you feel better to have it, or does it make you feel worried if you don't have it? See? doesn't make much sense does it

 

[goober22]

My $.02 worth. I never buy an extended warranty. My experience shows that if it doesn't die within the factory warranty period, you shouldn't worry about it.


I bought a 36" RCA about 11 years ago for $2200. Salesman tried to sell me the 5yr warranty for $249.99, I passed. 5-1/2 years later, 1/2yr out of warranty IF I had got it, It lost picture. It cost $125 parts and labor to fix. Warranty would have done me no good there and I would still be in the hole $125 if it would.


2 months ago at CC, bought a cable modem for $84 (with tax) and signed up for cable service. Modem came with a $20 rebate and a $60 signup rebate. After rebate = $4. Guy tried twice to sell me the $25 warranty! Told me they would replace it free. I said, I'm only paying $4 now, IF it breaks, I'll worry about it later (or put the $25 towards a new one OR rent one for $4 a month.)


Bottom line is: it's really up to you. Some people like the "warm fuzzy" it can give them, some (like me) think it's a waste of money, some might actually have some major failure and put it to use. My belief is that all the money you could spend on "warranties" could be left in the bank and used IF you had a repair.

 

[htwaits]

Maybe a CRT RPTV from a good company is worth the risk of not buying a service warrranty.


A $3,000 to $7,000 LCD or DLP RPTV where the light engine would cost $1,300 and up plus labor to replace is not a $4 modem. It's a big time gamble.

 

[jfischer]

Quote:

Originally posted by htwaits A $3,000 to $7,000 LCD or DLP RPTV where the light engine would cost $1,300 and up plus labor to replace is not a $4 modem. It's a big time gamble.

And the price of the warranty reflects this. If there's a 10% chance that I'll need to spend $1,500 on this set after the 15 month warranty, and to insure that I won't is going to cost me $600, that's a bad gamble. As with any gamble, the house wins every time.


I usually upgrade my TV every year or two. In 2 years, this $3,500 DLP set will be worth, at best, $1,500 anyway - and a new DLP will probably be $2,500 or less. If I dropped $300-$600 on an EW every time I bought a TV, I'd have blown enough on EW's to buy a whole new TV!


Now, this is just my opinion, and what works for me. Other folks keep their sets for 5 years, and may stand a better chance of getting some value out of an EW. EW's are great if you are one of the 10% who needs a repair, but a bad investment if you don't.


Bottom line is if it helps you sleep better at night, or gives you some other benefit in return for the cash, then it's worth it for YOU. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to buying an EW, each individual buyer needs to decide if the cost is worth the benefit, that's all...

 

[htwaits]

Modems at $4 and changing TVs every year or two would make a service warranty a bad deal for anyone.


How about owning a $4,500 msrp DLP and paying $400 for a four year extention of the warranty? Because of the modular nature of DLP repair costs would, in almost all cases, equal or exceed the cost of the extended warranty.


In this example what you would need to know is the probability of needing a repair during the period after year one through the end of year four. That data isn't available anywhere so it's a gamble.


I would never take out insurance on any thing with a known track record that skewed the odds in favor of the insurer unless I couldn't afford the loss. I don't know what the track record will be for DLP, LCD and LCoS RPTV sets.

 

[jfischer]

Quote:

Originally posted by htwaits In this example what you would need to know is the probability of needing a repair during the period after year one through the end of year four. That data isn't available anywhere so it's a gamble.

True, since DLP sets haven't been around for 4 years yet nobody knows for sure what the repair incidence is on them over that period of time.


However, I'm still willing to gamble that if my set doesn't have any major issues in the first 15 months, it'll last at least 2 years. Beyond that, I will have moved on to something else anyway

 

[mguisado]

I usually never buy extended warranties. I did buy them twice. Once for a cell phone and once for my DLP TV. The only reason I bought them was because the cost of the warranty could be used as a store credit (once the warranty period is over).


The cell phone needed a $75 repair and it was covered under the extended warranty, for which I paid $25.


Knock on wood, that the TV will not need repairs. If it does I hope the repairs will be more than what I paid for the warranty.


It's a personal choice.