I got one...for four years. Got it cheap too...relative works in the right place.
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do you guys recommend extended warranties
hey all, i am about to go a preorder the panasonic th 42pd50 and was wondering should i get the extended warranty and if so how much should i pay for it, if not why shouldnt i get it, anyone with bad experiences with warranty, oh buy the i will be purchasing through best buy if it means anything....
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Also, don't forget that you can buy your extended warranty from another vendor - at usually more competitive prices.
I recall at least a couple of threads related to this same topic being started here over the past few weeks. You might want to search on "warranty" to check into some of the responses in those threads, too.
I recall at least a couple of threads related to this same topic being started here over the past few weeks. You might want to search on "warranty" to check into some of the responses in those threads, too.
I never get extended warranties for anything. When I used to, they'd either run out days before my stuff would break, or there would be some technicality as to why the warranty didn't apply to my situation. I find that it's basically like throwing your money away. Of course, some times it's worth it; I just don't think it's a gamble that will let me win in the long run.
If you can charge the panel to a credit card that doubles the warranty, that gives you two years for nothing (assuming you pay it off right away, of course). Extended warranties are extremely expensive insurance, imo, and very high margin items for the retailers, which is why they push them so hard.
Personally, I'll take the free year from Visa and be done with it.
Personally, I'll take the free year from Visa and be done with it.
Buy from costco, you have 5 years to bring it back for a FULL refund tax included, thats the place to buy a panny, or anything.............
Usually, they're not recommended because of what PerryU stated. You're usually paying 10%+ the cost of the item for only a little bit (in relative terms) of insurance. If you do get one, make sure you read the fine print. For my GG extended warranty on a DVD player, I suffered through months of mandatory repairs (3 were required), before they offered me a replacement. By then, DVD players were only going for a little more than double what I paid for the warranty, so the math didn't make sense.
yeah i just remembered awhile back i brought some warranty at 6th ave and they couldnt repair my kenwood reciever, no parts...so they wanted to give me a replacement, the last floor model they had, it was unacceptable to me, it wasnt mint like my unit was. i was pissed, since then i never brought extra warranty or kenwood products...lol
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I'd recommend you consider purchasing an extended warranty for your pd50 unit. Since you are buying a panel at the low-end of the Panasonic line, I'd go with a 1 - 2 year extended warranty. If you were purchasing a higher end unit (i.e. more $ expended up front) like the px500u or ONYX, I'd recommend a 3 - 4 year extended warranty instead. Beware of third-party warrantors who may be out of business a couple of years from now, if you're buying from a B&M store like Best Buy, I'd go with their extended warranty plan.
| Originally posted by david8613 hey all, i am about to go a preorder the panasonic th 42pd50 and was wondering should i get the extended warranty and if so how much should i pay for it, if not why shouldnt i get it, anyone with bad experiences with warranty, oh buy the i will be purchasing through best buy if it means anything.... |
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What's stopping people from simply returning their equipment whenever they want to upgrade? (... besides morals)
| Originally posted by Bud-man Buy from costco, you have 5 years to bring it back for a FULL refund tax included, thats the place to buy a panny, or anything............. |
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You can usually get an extra year of manufacturer warranty via your credit card. Also, depending on the model, some plasmas come with more than a one year warranty. Caveat, I'm not exactly sure what they cover after the first year.
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First hand experience with that.
[soapboxon]I purchased an extended warranty from "Warranty Gold" for our 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee which was to kick in for years four and five after the manufacturers warranty.
The flippin company during those time periods decided to take the money from the purchasers and send it to some jack ass in the cayman islands. I put in a claim and was told that "Warranty Gold" for purchasers of it's policies before July 2002 was bankrupt, hence no coverage. They did offer to set me up with a new one that would be effective from July 2002 and forward...it would cost me an additional $2,400 for two years, the car would have to be inspected by a mechanic and anything that wasn't right would either have to be fixed or uncoverable.
I told them to shove it, didn't get reimbursed for my out of pocket expenses and the vehicle has needed repairs (I'll never get another Chrysler POS again) that would have been covered by the warranty.[/soapboxon]
It's a personal choice...what's your comfort level?
| Originally posted by optivity I'd recommend you consider purchasing an extended warranty for your pd50 unit. Since you are buying a panel at the low-end of the Panasonic line, I'd go with a 1 - 2 year extended warranty. If you were purchasing a higher end unit (i.e. more $ expended up front) like the px500u or ONYX, I'd recommend a 3 - 4 year extended warranty instead. |
You can usually get an extra year of manufacturer warranty via your credit card. Also, depending on the model, some plasmas come with more than a one year warranty. Caveat, I'm not exactly sure what they cover after the first year.
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| Beware of third-party warrantors who may be out of business a couple of years from now, if you're buying from a B&M store like Best Buy, I'd go with their extended warranty plan. |
[soapboxon]I purchased an extended warranty from "Warranty Gold" for our 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee which was to kick in for years four and five after the manufacturers warranty.
The flippin company during those time periods decided to take the money from the purchasers and send it to some jack ass in the cayman islands. I put in a claim and was told that "Warranty Gold" for purchasers of it's policies before July 2002 was bankrupt, hence no coverage. They did offer to set me up with a new one that would be effective from July 2002 and forward...it would cost me an additional $2,400 for two years, the car would have to be inspected by a mechanic and anything that wasn't right would either have to be fixed or uncoverable.
I told them to shove it, didn't get reimbursed for my out of pocket expenses and the vehicle has needed repairs (I'll never get another Chrysler POS again) that would have been covered by the warranty.[/soapboxon]
It's a personal choice...what's your comfort level?
I've tried on several occasions to find people on this Forum that have actually enacted one of these Extended Warranties on TV's they purchased. No one came forward. After reading many complaints on extended warranties all over the Internet, I've come to the conclusion that this is money down the drain. It basically boils down to the store's discretion whether or not a claim will be honored, and there are too many legalese loopholes for them to find cover, which they often do in these cases.
FYI..FWIW...From Consumer Reports 2005 Plasma Review Section
"Weigh the merits of an extended warranty. While extended warranties aren't worthwhile for most products, they may be for high-priced devices using new technologies. Because plasma TVs are costly items that haven't yet established a track record for reliability, check into the cost of a service plan. Find out whether in-home service is covered and whether a replacement is provided if a set can't be repaired."
"Weigh the merits of an extended warranty. While extended warranties aren't worthwhile for most products, they may be for high-priced devices using new technologies. Because plasma TVs are costly items that haven't yet established a track record for reliability, check into the cost of a service plan. Find out whether in-home service is covered and whether a replacement is provided if a set can't be repaired."
I was surprised by the CR recommendation to consider EW's for plasma TV's, as they have consistently advised against them for other products.
However, this recommendation isn't based on anything like research of purchasers' experience, or surveys of their subscribers' opinions. Just an airy statement that EW's "may be worth it for high-priced technologies."
Well, DUH, - they may also NOT be worth it. IMHO the CR recommendation is the off-the-cuff opinion of some writer and pretty much worthless until they back it up with some solid research.
I figure that the underwriters of these warranties probably know more about the actual failure rates of products they insure - including plasmas - than anybody else, including CR, and set their prices to yield HUGE profit margins when compared to other types of insurance. Under such circumstances, the odds favor the underwriters and make EW's a poor buy although an occasional lucky gambler may get paid off.
However, this recommendation isn't based on anything like research of purchasers' experience, or surveys of their subscribers' opinions. Just an airy statement that EW's "may be worth it for high-priced technologies."
Well, DUH, - they may also NOT be worth it. IMHO the CR recommendation is the off-the-cuff opinion of some writer and pretty much worthless until they back it up with some solid research.
I figure that the underwriters of these warranties probably know more about the actual failure rates of products they insure - including plasmas - than anybody else, including CR, and set their prices to yield HUGE profit margins when compared to other types of insurance. Under such circumstances, the odds favor the underwriters and make EW's a poor buy although an occasional lucky gambler may get paid off.
Another thing to consider is that most large B&M stores have their own "tech repair" center and whatever tech response you request outside of the OEM's Warranty may not be an authorized/certified trained tech. Some stores will send their guy over to take a peek at your TV w/the idea of finding someway to weasel out of paying for a warranty issue.
My best advice is to fore-go the offered store Extended Warranty, and use a credit card that will extend or double the OEM's Warranty. If anything breaks after those 2-3 years, then pay out of pocket to an authorized/certified tech for the repair. If I were to gamble, then this would be my absolute BEST BET.
My best advice is to fore-go the offered store Extended Warranty, and use a credit card that will extend or double the OEM's Warranty. If anything breaks after those 2-3 years, then pay out of pocket to an authorized/certified tech for the repair. If I were to gamble, then this would be my absolute BEST BET.
Last time I checked, a very small percentage (e.g., 2.5%) of the customers who buy extended warranties get their money's worth. IMO, the odds are you will be fine without one.
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Very interesting statistic! Where did you find it?
| Originally posted by Guld Last time I checked, only 2.5% of the customers who buy extended warranties get their money's worth. IMO, the odds are you will be fine without one. |
I would buy one. We did not purchase one with our Gateway plasma and after two years, it no longer works. Gateway will also not service it if it's out of warranty. So we basically have a 42" paperweight now. You will probably be better off, since Panasonic is a much better brand but if the extended warrany isn't very much (I've seen them for under $200 for 4 years while searching around on the internet) then I would buy it.
Without getting entangled in the merits or lack thereof, one of the most important factors when considering the purchase of an extended warranty often seems to be relegated to the backburner. Namely – cost. No matter how much you may love having a product's repair or replacement costs covered, and the peace of mind (false or otherwise) that my accompany it, you're still faced with a value judgment. For example, a service plan that may make sense for 10% of a product's sales price, probably won't for the 25% they often cost - especially if you consider that maybe half of the plan's coverage runs concurrently with the manufacturer's own warranty.
It's obviously a gamble either way – but one way guarantees a loss! Besides, if you can somehow adopt the simple "no way" attitude, you won't have to agonize every time you're confronted with such decisions. That's worth peace of mind, too!
It's obviously a gamble either way – but one way guarantees a loss! Besides, if you can somehow adopt the simple "no way" attitude, you won't have to agonize every time you're confronted with such decisions. That's worth peace of mind, too!
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A couple of years ago, on one of those "Consumer Alerts" programs, I remember a quote of a study documenting the profitability of those extended warranties. I can't be certain if it was precisely 2.5%, but it was definitively obscenely low and less than 10%. Ever since then, I have happily and without a hint of reservation declined every single extended warranty I've been offered. Go figure.
NOTE: Original post have been edited to reflect uncertainty.
| Originally posted by cajieboy Very interesting statistic! Where did you find it? |
NOTE: Original post have been edited to reflect uncertainty.
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