Extended Warranty Worth It?
 

I'm leaning heavily toward one of the Samsung DLP RP units, either the
HL-P4663W or the HL-P6063W.
Any thoughts regarding the reliability of Samsung's DLP systems?

If I make the purchase from one of the local chains, i.e. Best Buy or
Circuit City, should I consider an extended warranty? I never do these for
other purchases but when spending ~3g's for a set I'm wondering if it may be
worth the extra 15% for the warranty.


Roger Wright

"Roger Wright" wrote in
:

If I make the purchase from one of the local chains, i.e. Best Buy or
Circuit City, should I consider an extended warranty? I never do
these for other purchases but when spending ~3g's for a set I'm
wondering if it may be worth the extra 15% for the warranty.

No, extended warranty is not worth it.

Usually large TVs have in home warranty repair for the first 1 or 2 years -
so it defeats the purpose of an extended warranty (who really wants to lug
such a big TV back to the store???)

Also, your credit card may have double warranty coverage...

--
Lucas Tam )
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The 4 year extended warranty from Best Buy has in-home service for
televisions 27" and larger, so you don't have to "lug" anything. DLP does
have more moving parts than LCD because of the color wheel, and the DMD has
greater potential for problems than an LCD matrix. Best Buy also covers
your first bulb replacement, which can run more than $300 depending on where
you purchase the lamp, and a service tech will install it.

Majority of customers at our store purchase the PSP (aka service plan) on
DLP/LCD/D-ILA RPTVs since it covers the bulb, but most people don't buy one
for CRT RPTVs since the guns generally don't wear out, and the PSP doesn't
cover screen burn-in. Manufacturer's warranties by default do not give you
surge coverage either, but if you have a decent joule rating and equipment $
guarantee that usually isn't a problem. Lemon protection is also covered,
but I haven't heard of many RPTVs that have to be repaired more than 3
times. If you don't get a PSP I would at least pick up a cheap UPS to
connect your television through. If you have a power outage while the TV is
on, the fan doesn't have a chance to properly cool the bulb down which can
greatly shorten its life.

I'm not familiar with Circuit City's coverage but they should have brochures
in store.

Jeremy

"Lucas Tam" wrote in message
.. .
"Roger Wright" wrote in
:

If I make the purchase from one of the local chains, i.e. Best Buy or
Circuit City, should I consider an extended warranty? I never do
these for other purchases but when spending ~3g's for a set I'm
wondering if it may be worth the extra 15% for the warranty.

No, extended warranty is not worth it.

Usually large TVs have in home warranty repair for the first 1 or 2
years -
so it defeats the purpose of an extended warranty (who really wants to lug
such a big TV back to the store???)

Also, your credit card may have double warranty coverage...

--
Lucas Tam )
Please delete "REMOVE" from the e-mail address when replying.
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/coolspot18/

Jeremy Gillow wrote:


the DMD has
greater potential for problems than an LCD matrix.


This part of your statement doesn't ring true from what I read on
http://www.AVSFORUM.com .

Of course I could be wrong but the incidences of stuck mirrors is
becoming very rare from what I read. And my and my neighbor's X1s have
none. I thought that dead LCD pixels were more common.
The Color wheel is a moving part that could go wrong. But that, too, is
pretty rare. The newer models seem to have become quite reliable.

There are dozens of threads on this topic that can be found by doing a
search at AVSFORUM.

Jeremy Gillow wrote:
If you don't get a PSP I would at least pick up a cheap UPS to
connect your television through. If you have a power outage while the TV is
on, the fan doesn't have a chance to properly cool the bulb down which can
greatly shorten its life.


Jeremy


Yes!! I did purchase a UPS and our Infocus X1 just kept running twice
when our power went out allowing me to do a proper shutdown. This is
very important.

"Jeremy Gillow" wrote in
:

The 4 year extended warranty from Best Buy has in-home service for
televisions 27" and larger, so you don't have to "lug" anything. DLP
does have more moving parts than LCD because of the color wheel, and
the DMD has greater potential for problems than an LCD matrix. Best
Buy also covers your first bulb replacement, which can run more than
$300 depending on where you purchase the lamp, and a service tech will
install it.

Whenever you're buying a extended warranties you're playing an odds game
- the odds are always in the stores favour, otherwise why would they
offer such warranties?

How much is the extended warranty for 4 years on a 2800.00 RPTV? 400.00?
In home warranty for 1 or 2 years is already covered by most
manufacturers. Bulbs - they don't usually burn out until after 2000 -
4000 hours - that means with 4 - 5 hours of television viewing per day
you'll get a life span of about 3 years. A replacement bulb runs about
199.99 direct from Sony - you might even be able to get it cheaper
online.

For an extended warranty to be worth it, you're betting on:

1. You didn't buy a lemon - but if it is, you can return it to the store
within your exchange period
2. Your TV will break down within the first year (not likely... and if
it does, the manufacturer will repair it in home usually)
3. Your bulb will blow out at least twice during your first 4 years (not
likely either)

Concerning the bulb replacement aspect of the warranty. The Sony Grand
Wegas have a self-contained bulb unit. All you do is open up a back
panel, pull out the bulb cartridge, plug the new bulb, and screw the
panel close. If you can read a 4 step instruction sheet, you can replace
the bulb yourself - it's hardly rocket science (the average fridge
instruction sheet is probably more complex than the bulb replacement
instructions).

Considering the quality of electronics these days... it's really
doubtful that the warranty wil be worth it.
--
Lucas Tam )
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"Roger Wright" wrote in message ...
I'm leaning heavily toward one of the Samsung DLP RP units, either the
HL-P4663W or the HL-P6063W.
Any thoughts regarding the reliability of Samsung's DLP systems?

If I make the purchase from one of the local chains, i.e. Best Buy or
Circuit City, should I consider an extended warranty? I never do these for
other purchases but when spending ~3g's for a set I'm wondering if it may be
worth the extra 15% for the warranty.

Suggest you search web and newsgroups via Google.com for thoughts on
extended warranties. I really don't have much experience with them,
but here are a few thoughts:

* Assuming you have the self discipline, you can set aside the price
of the extended warranty in a savings account and then apply that
money to repairs later, if needed. In other words, you can self
insure.

* There are other sources of extended warranties, not just the stores
where you buy the item. I assume that via the web, you can probably
shop around. In effect, extended warranties are insurance policies,
and you can shop for the best deal.

* Extended warranties are hugely profitable for sellers, which should
tell you that most buyers will never need to use the extended
warranty.

* If you buy a TV via credit card, your credit-card company may
automatically extend the warranty. For example, I bought a watch with
a 6-year warranty from the maker. However, because I bought via credit
card, my credit-card company will automatically double the original
warranty, so now I have a 12-year warranty.

If you're considering buying via credit card, contact your credit card
company(or companies, if you have several cards) and ask if they'll
automatically double the warranty for anything you buy. I think many
credit-card companies provide features like this, but many consumers
aren't aware of this.

(snip)

"Roger Wright" wrote in message
.. .
I'm leaning heavily toward one of the Samsung DLP RP units, either the
HL-P4663W or the HL-P6063W.
Any thoughts regarding the reliability of Samsung's DLP systems?

If I make the purchase from one of the local chains, i.e. Best Buy or
Circuit City, should I consider an extended warranty? I never do these
for
other purchases but when spending ~3g's for a set I'm wondering if it may
be
worth the extra 15% for the warranty.


Roger Wright


I never get an extended warranty, because most stuff will break during the
warranty period if it breaks at all
This is because defective parts have the life of a fruitfly, usually
NOW, if you feel more "comfortable" getting the warranty then get it, but
its an expensive security blanket.
I bought a new car that had been wreaked, a "salvaged vehicle" for 9,000,
6,000 under sticker, but it had NO warranty.
Your sets warranty is prob for a year, trust me, if something on your
techologically advanced set breaks it will prob break during the first
year, prob during the first 90 days
Samsung is an exellent company, go to a circuit city or a sears or a wall
mart and you will see 30in tvs (hdtv) from phillips, panasonic , sanyo, and
samsung, notice how similar they are?
They are basically the same set, built by samsung for all of these people,
as I understand it

N wrote:



* If you buy a TV via credit card, your credit-card company may
automatically extend the warranty. For example, I bought a watch with
a 6-year warranty from the maker. However, because I bought via
credit card, my credit-card company will automatically double the
original warranty, so now I have a 12-year warranty.

If you're considering buying via credit card, contact your credit
card company(or companies, if you have several cards) and ask if
they'll automatically double the warranty for anything you buy. I
think many credit-card companies provide features like this, but many
consumers aren't aware of this.

"N", Sure would like to know which card doubles a six year warranty?
Re-read your credit card
contract as most, if not all, only double up to one year. (6 month = 1
year, 1 year = 2 years).
At least that's the case with my VISA, MC and American Express cards.


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I never get an extended warranty, because most stuff will break during the
warranty period if it breaks at all
This is because defective parts have the life of a fruitfly, usually
NOW, if you feel more "comfortable" getting the warranty then get it, but
its an expensive security blanket.
I bought a new car that had been wreaked, a "salvaged vehicle" for 9,000,
6,000 under sticker, but it had NO warranty.
Your sets warranty is prob for a year, trust me, if something on your
techologically advanced set breaks it will prob break during the first
year, prob during the first 90 days
Samsung is an exellent company, go to a circuit city or a sears or a wall
mart and you will see 30in tvs (hdtv) from phillips, panasonic , sanyo, and
samsung, notice how similar they are?
They are basically the same set, built by samsung for all of these people,
as I understand it


I'd like to follow up by agreeing that Sears is a good choice for
Samsungs and other TVs. I've had good experiences there... and I know
that if you do opt for the warranty (which is debateable) that Sears
is one of the few places to have their own service techs to come and
fix your machine.
That said, I agree that in most cases if something is wrong w/ your TV
is will break down sooner rather than later...