Well let me start by saying I am not here representing Best Buy in any way. I was simply sharing the information I was told. I am not even in the Home Theatre Department. I am curious and want to read the newest PSP brochure. I know in the past the bulb was not covered, but recently we received word it is covered.
CCourtney: For the record, I did not even see your post when I made my post, therefore my post was not an attack on you or anything. I kind of feel you are being a little nasty towards me. Sorry for any confusion, I am just trying to help out.
I totally understand your concern over the "Also not covered are replacement costs for lost or consumable parts". I urge you to ask your sales person for the proof that a bulb is covered. I urge you to get it in writing from a manager on your CPO.
The main debate is what is a "consumable part". I urge you to discuss, find, and/or get it in writing from your sales person or manager. Someone’s word will not help you 2 years down the line, you are correct.
Good analogy on the car 'Porsche' thing. I am not exactly sure why a PSP is not called a warranty at Best Buy, but it is not allowed to be called one no matter what. It is also not to be called an insurance policy. I think a true "warranty" is technically only between the manufacturer and the buyer. Oh well, you think what you want and I will think what I want. :>
It is all up to personal preference and luck as far as needing to buy/use a PSP.
I must say I see a lot of them being used for problems. I am not sure what the odds are of failure/trouble with a device. I personally think certain items might be useful to have a PSP on more than others.
I think laptops are a good thing to get a PSP on myself. The Li-on battery is replaced under a PSP, it is not a consumable item. We often replace batteries under a PSP. li-ion seems to go bad after a year or 2 for sure. See Ipods. :> Another thing is dead pixels on LCDs. Normal wear on a keyboard / touchpad over a couples years. It is nice to know you can get a new keyboard touchpad as needed.
OK I do not want to imply a PSP is an insurance plan, but think of the concept behind insurance. You might buy life, fire, and auto insurance and have your coverage for 30 years with no claim or major loss. Do you consider that a failure and you should not buy insurance? It is for peace of mind. I think of a PSP as piece of mind. If my $4000 laptop starts smoking from one of the fans not spinning correctly and fries the motherboard, etc 1.5 years after I bought it, I would be greatly disappointed. FYI: A PSP also covers Power Surges as well. Although this may never happen, a person might like this piece of mind. Again this is all personal preference. Please do not consider me being nasty in any way. Maybe you do not want it for peace and mind, maybe your mortgage or lien company requires the coverage. Either way, it is personal preference. I am sure Insurance companies would not exist, or PSPs would not exist if the odds (over time), were against them. I realize we are not talking about 30 year PSPs, as a PSP can be from approx 2 to 5 years depending on the product.
The most common things I see from people being bitten by a bad experience with a PSP are if it expired or if the product was physically damaged. Physical damage from dropping etc like with a point of impact is not covered. Please see a sales person or manager for any clarification in writing as needed. It is not an insurance policy. Let’s please not go into further details about any specific problems you had. :>