Take part in a short activity and share your valuable opinion on new design concepts for AVSForum! >>> Click Here
Our native mobile app has a new name: Fora Communities. Learn more.

Extended Warranty Dilemma

2111 Views 26 Replies 12 Participants Last post by retexan599, Jun 25, 2008

adam320

Discussion Starter · Jun 17, 2008

I know the general consensus is that the EWs from Best Buy are a rip off. This is my dilemma. I purchased the Samsung 58650 last Thursday from bestbuy to take advantage of the 3 year/no interest deal. My house is still under construction and we don't close until 6/30. By the time I have it delivered it would be about 20 days after I purchased it which only gives me 10 days to test drive it to make sure everything is working ok before best buy's 30 day return policy is up. In this instance do you consider the $500 extended warranty? Samsungs warranty is only 12 months (i thought it was 24).. This is my first plasma and best buy's EW covers everything including burn-in. I like the idea of being able to get a new TV just before the EW is up assuming there will likely be some kind of burn-in after 3 years of use (the odds are my wife will find a way to screw it up, and this atleast gives me peace of mind).

1 - 20 of 27 Posts

Cleveland Plasma

· #2 · Jun 17, 2008

The odds of you getting burn in are slim to none. Any extnded warranty bought off line would be about half that price for 3 extra years of coverage.

Cleveland Plasma

· #3 · Jun 17, 2008

Some companies to look at are:

RepairMaster. They add 5 extra years to the manufacturers warranty. >

Mack Camera. They add 3 extra years to the manufacturers warranty. >

CPS. They add 5 extra years to the manufacturers warranty. >

See less See more

3

creemail

· #4 · Jun 17, 2008

Adam,

There is actually no difference between a B&M store warranty rather than a CPS Warranty. The difference is the margin that made by Best Buy. They go through a wide area network of technicians, just like any other warranty company. It is your best bet to shop around and like Cleveland said you should be able to find warranties for at least half to 1/3rd the cost.

*Rule of thumb, a 3-year warranty should cost you under $5/mo...That gives you plenty of value to work with. Based on BB warranty's pricing you will be paying over $10/mo. Not good.

Chris

creemail

· #5 · Jun 17, 2008

Take a look at the Mack or CPS, does it matter ? Thread...

Some good info...

Chris

NTX1

· #6 · Jun 17, 2008

A few months back I purchased a 50" Panny plasma from (puke)CC along with a EW which I come to find out afterwards I paid wayyyyy too much and their EW has a bad rep so I did some searching and thread reading here at AV for a solution.

I ended up purchasing a sweet 5 year plan from CPS and I know they'll be there if I ever need to call upon them for service

Same day I purchased my CPS EW I also sent in my CC EW contract cancellation which I received a check for within 10 days

No burn in on our 77U after 6 months.

See less See more

2

creemail

· #7 · Jun 17, 2008

Quote:
Originally Posted by NTX1 /forum/post/14103302

A few months back I purchased a 50" Panny plasma from (puke)CC along with a EW which I come to find out afterwards I paid wayyyyy too much and their EW has a bad rep so I did some searching and thread reading here at AV for a solution.

I ended up purchasing a sweet 5 year plan from CPS and I know they'll be there if I ever need to call upon them for service

Same day I purchased my CPS EW I also sent in my CC EW contract cancellation which I received a check for within 10 days

No burn in on our 77U after 6 months.

Very nice! Great to hear. Again you understood that anywhere from $8-$12/mo is too expensive. No value to show forth.

Chris

Ajvessey

· #8 · Jun 17, 2008

Does the same hold true for extended warranties purchased through the TV company? I just got a new Panny, and a 3 year extended warranty runs about 300 from Panasonic directly. Would I be better served to go elsewhere for an EW? That works out to about 8 a month (and that's with the employee discount!), so I'm wondering if any factors like superior service make it worth the extra price.

Cleveland Plasma

· #9 · Jun 17, 2008

Depends on which model TV you paid the $300 for? What was your price on the TV without freight and taxes.

rwr1776

· #10 · Jun 17, 2008

Quote:
Originally Posted by adam320 /forum/post/14102997

I know the general consensus is that the EWs from Best Buy are a rip off. This is my dilemma. I purchased the Samsung 58650 last Thursday from bestbuy to take advantage of the 3 year/no interest deal. My house is still under construction and we don't close until 6/30. By the time I have it delivered it would be about 20 days after I purchased it which only gives me 10 days to test drive it to make sure everything is working ok before best buy's 30 day return policy is up. In this instance do you consider the $500 extended warranty? Samsungs warranty is only 12 months (i thought it was 24).. This is my first plasma and best buy's EW covers everything including burn-in. I like the idea of being able to get a new TV just before the EW is up assuming there will likely be some kind of burn-in after 3 years of use (the odds are my wife will find a way to screw it up, and this atleast gives me peace of mind).

Make sure there is not clause for "abuse." I've been told that no EW covers Burn-in because it falls within the "abuse exemption."

I'd be interested to see if you find otherwise.

That said, I'm a big fan of EWs and have come out on top nearly every time I've purchased one. The key is negotiation. For a $3000+ plasma, my opinion is you should be able to get a 5 yr EW for $225-$300. I'm being a big vague to comply with forum rules, feel free to PM me for specifics.

See less See more

Ajvessey

· #11 · Jun 17, 2008

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cleveland Plasma /forum/post/14103452

Depends on which model TV you paid the $300 for? What was your price on the TV without freight and taxes.

I haven't actually bought an EW yet, which evidently may be a good thing. That price was for a 3 year warranty on a 42pz800u through panasonicdirect (discounted too!). Looks like I might be better off doing a 5 year through one of the sites you listed above..

Cleveland Plasma

· #12 · Jun 17, 2008

Quote:
Originally Posted by rwr1776 /forum/post/14103560

Make sure there is not clause for "abuse." I've been told that no EW covers Burn-in because it falls within the "abuse exemption." I'd be interested to see if you find otherwise. That said, I'm a big fan of EWs and have come out on top nearly every time I've purchased one. The key is negotiation. For a $3000+ plasma, my opinion is you should be able to get a 5 yr EW for $225-$300. I'm being a big vague to comply with forum rules, feel free to PM me for specifics.

Everything you said is correct, Including warranties being less than 10% of the actual insured unit cost.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ajvessey /forum/post/14103752

I haven't actually bought an EW yet, which evidently may be a good thing. That price was for a 3 year warranty on a 42pz800u through panasonicdirect (discounted too!). Looks like I might be better off doing a 5 year through one of the sites you listed above..

These warranties have to be bought from dealers like ourselfs, so I guess I will talk to you soon

See less See more

NTX1

· #13 · Jun 17, 2008

Quote:
Originally Posted by creemail /forum/post/14103337

Very nice! Great to hear. Again you understood that anywhere from $8-$12/mo is too expensive. No value to show forth.

Chris

Another thing Chris is that I don't feel "dirty" with CPS as I did when I purchased the CC EW

I also received my CPS contract the same day. +2 rep for Chris @ MAV.

See less See more

2

creemail

· #14 · Jun 17, 2008

Quote:
Originally Posted by NTX1 /forum/post/14103840

Another thing Chris is that I don't feel "dirty" with CPS as I did when I purchased the CC EW

I also received my CPS contract the same day. +2 rep for Chris @ MAV.

Thanks buddy!

Chris

TubeFan

· #15 · Jun 24, 2008

Is it possible to purchase an extended warranty on a TV that is 4 months old? Or have I missed my window if I don't buy it within 30 days? It is a Pioneer that is still covered under the manufacturer's warranty.

googleme7

· #16 · Jun 24, 2008

I can't believe that tv buying has come down to purchasing warranties online just to save a few bucks. This is ridiculous.

I like how the OP says "the general consensus is that the EWs from Best Buy are a rip off." How is it a ripoff to pay $500 to cover your $4,000 tv? I mean seriously, you drop that much coin on a Plasma and are building your own house, but $500 is a ripoff...

I can guarantee you, a major repair on that TV is going to cost Best Buy more than the $500 you pay them. The dirty little secret about extended warranties, is that a high number of TV's purchased, won't need repair within the first 3-5 years and after that time, most people will just junk the TV and buy a new one.

So what it all boils down to is, what kind of service that small percentage of people who need major repair receive. Do you honestly believe that buying a cheaper warranty from one of these sites, is going to give you the same level of service as Sears, CC, HH Gregg, Best Buy, etc? I don't think so.

You also have to read the fine print. Those online warranties don't cover you during the manufacturers warranty period, so if something goes wrong during the first year, they don't do ****.

See less See more

Probe 2C

· #17 · Jun 24, 2008

Quote:
Originally Posted by googleme7 /forum/post/14149295

I can't believe that tv buying has come down to purchasing warranties online just to save a few bucks. This is ridiculous.

I like how the OP says "the general consensus is that the EWs from Best Buy are a rip off." How is it a ripoff to pay $500 to cover your $4,000 tv? I mean seriously, you drop that much coin on a Plasma and are building your own house, but $500 is a ripoff...

I can guarantee you, a major repair on that TV is going to cost Best Buy more than the $500 you pay them. The dirty little secret about extended warranties, is that a high number of TV's purchased, won't need repair within the first 3-5 years and after that time, most people will just junk the TV and buy a new one.

So what it all boils down to is, what kind of service that small percentage of people who need major repair receive. Do you honestly believe that buying a cheaper warranty from one of these sites, is going to give you the same level of service as Sears, CC, HH Gregg, Best Buy, etc? I don't think so.

You also have to read the fine print. Those online warranties don't cover you during the manufacturers warranty period, so if something goes wrong during the first year, they don't do ****.

Guess who works at best buy and is mad that he doesn't get the fat commission check when people don't buy the EW lol!

You're right, the concensus is that the level of service from the websites isn't the same as Sears/CC/HH/BB... it's BETTER!

And why is it a ripoff to pay $500 to cover your $4000 TV (despite the fact most of us on here would be charged $500 for our $1000 TV)??? Because you can get a better warranty for less money.

Sure, in the event the warranty is needed it costs more than $500 for BB to honor it... but in the 90% of circumstances where it's not needed that's pure profit. Should the cost of auto insurance be equal to or more than the cost of replacing or repairing a car? I'm sure EVERYONE would sign up to pay $600/mo to insure their $35k car for 5 years.

Read the fine print indeed... if the B&M store's warranty 'cover' you during the manufacturer's warranty period what are they covering? You're already covered.

See less See more

googleme7

· #18 · Jun 24, 2008

Quote:
Originally Posted by Probe 2C /forum/post/14149420

Guess who works at best buy and is mad that he doesn't get the fat commission check when people don't buy the EW lol!

You're right, the concensus is that the level of service from the websites isn't the same as Sears/CC/HH/BB... it's BETTER!

And why is it a ripoff to pay $500 to cover your $4000 TV (despite the fact most of us on here would be charged $500 for our $1000 TV)??? Because you can get a better warranty for less money.

Sure, in the event the warranty is needed it costs more than $500 for BB to honor it... but in the 90% of circumstances where it's not needed that's pure profit. Should the cost of auto insurance be equal to or more than the cost of replacing or repairing a car? I'm sure EVERYONE would sign up to pay $600/mo to insure their $35k car for 5 years.

Read the fine print indeed... if the B&M store's warranty 'cover' you during the manufacturer's warranty period what are they covering? You're already covered.

Yes, I am sure the people working at Best Buy get a big "fat" check every week for peddling extended warranties...

I'm not even gonna touch that one.

You just show me how many people who bought from those websites have actually had to get service. And yes, read the fine print:

The equipment will be restored to proper operating condition at no charge to you (this includes warranted parts and labor for manufacturer defects). Such service, repair, adjustment of the equipment is assured the registered contract holder, provided the equipment has not been tampered with, modified, damaged as a result of liquid, grit, power surge, burn-in, impact and physically broken parts. This service contract only covers a unit malfunction. Customer maintenance is not covered.

Well gee, that pretty much covers them, not you. They only have to make good on repairs that are a result of normal wear and tear (ie, the kind of repair that is the least likely to be needed).

And car insurance covers you in case of an accident. Your warranty from the dealership covers wear and tear. So your analogy makes no sense.

See less See more

rwr1776

· #19 · Jun 24, 2008

I have to agree that my repair experience has been better with B&M warranties, but you have to be willing to walk away from the whole deal when (not if) the B&M tries to charge too much for the Display + EW.

Negotiate at the time of purchase and pay 8-10% of the purchase price for 5 total years of coverage...that my mantra.

googleme7

· #20 · Jun 24, 2008

Quote:
Originally Posted by rwr1776 /forum/post/14150988

I have to agree that my repair experience has been better with B&M warranties, but you have to be willing to walk away from the whole deal when (not if) the B&M tries to charge too much for the Display + EW.

Negotiate at the time of purchase and pay 8-10% of the purchase price for 5 total years of coverage...that my mantra.

When you consider the average sale that the big box stores do, you are usually getting about 10% off a $2,000+ tv, so there is your warranty savings right there.

It's the people in this thread talking up online warranties that are going to help continue the downfall of the tv industry and keep companies like Walmart growing with their ****** service.

I swear I wouldn't be surprised if some of these people buy 2ply toilet paper and then separate it into 2 rolls just to save a buck...

See less See more

1 - 20 of 27 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.