extended warranty on TV? (worth it?)
 

I am ready to buy a $2100 widescreen TV (Samsung DLP 50") online. Is it
worth it (advisable) to pay another $300 for the extra 3 year extended
warranty? Factors to consider I guess are will the company I buy it from be
in business in 2-3 years if and when the TV has problems and needs warranty
servicing, as well as how cheap the TV might be in 2-3 years as prices
fall. In 2-3 years the TV will likely need a new $300 bulb/light, so if the
TVs then are down to $999, factor in $300 for a replacement bulb plus the
$300 extended warranty plus $100 lost interest on the $300 and I am out
$700 versus perhaps being able to buy a new TV for $999 in 2-3 years.
Feeling unsure what to do. Thoughts? Advice?

Beowulf wrote in
:

I am ready to buy a $2100 widescreen TV (Samsung DLP 50") online. Is
it worth it (advisable) to pay another $300 for the extra 3 year
extended warranty?

No... extended warranties are a rip off (else why would they sell them)?

Also if it's an online company, how are you going to return the TV for
repair?

Check your credit card... extended warranties may already be covered by
your credit card company.


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

"Beowulf" wrote in message
...
I am ready to buy a $2100 widescreen TV (Samsung DLP 50") online. Is it
worth it (advisable) to pay another $300 for the extra 3 year extended
warranty?

Waste of money. As you said, the prices will be coming down, or new
technology will make this obsolete. Plus, the shops offering these
warranties are making a real killing. The chances of these things pooping
out in three years is almost nil, and the chances of remembering you have
the warranty, remembering where you bought it, or the store (if it's a small
one) being around in three years even less.

You might want to consider the CRT projection TV. It's not as sexy as DLP,
LCD, or plasma, but it's proven technology, it's reliable, has no bulbs to
burn out, it's cheaper, you don't need a stand, and you get a much better
picture for the money.

Today's CRT projections don't have the problems that the old ones had. They
align themselves, they're lighter, and best of all, they have rollers so you
can get at the cables without ending up in a truss.

Also, they aren't going to drop in price, so you won't feel the burn when
next year rolls around and your $2100 TV is on sale at Best Buy for $600.

Personally, I feel these newer technologies are going to mature in three to
five years, give or take. By then you'll be able to buy true HD (1080i),
with an HD tuner, more reliable bulbs, and they'll be a heck of a lot
cheaper and easier to install.

I just got my Panasonic 53" a couple weeks ago, and it rocks. Cost about
$1500.

Pagan

Factors to consider I guess are will the company I buy it from be
in business in 2-3 years if and when the TV has problems and needs
warranty
servicing, as well as how cheap the TV might be in 2-3 years as prices
fall. In 2-3 years the TV will likely need a new $300 bulb/light, so if
the
TVs then are down to $999, factor in $300 for a replacement bulb plus the
$300 extended warranty plus $100 lost interest on the $300 and I am out
$700 versus perhaps being able to buy a new TV for $999 in 2-3 years.
Feeling unsure what to do. Thoughts? Advice?

I purchased an extended warranty on a large screen once. Two years later
the insurance company that underwrote the policy went out of business and I
had to pay for the repairs just a short time later. So I never buy them
now.. with one exception.... I buy the extended warranty on products such as
new model cameras that are expensive.. I mean like $2k and up. Newer
technology is sometimes worth the extra.. but TV's??? I don't know. I
wouldn't.


"Beowulf" wrote in message
...
I am ready to buy a $2100 widescreen TV (Samsung DLP 50") online. Is it
worth it (advisable) to pay another $300 for the extra 3 year extended
warranty? Factors to consider I guess are will the company I buy it from
be
in business in 2-3 years if and when the TV has problems and needs
warranty
servicing, as well as how cheap the TV might be in 2-3 years as prices
fall. In 2-3 years the TV will likely need a new $300 bulb/light, so if
the
TVs then are down to $999, factor in $300 for a replacement bulb plus the
$300 extended warranty plus $100 lost interest on the $300 and I am out
$700 versus perhaps being able to buy a new TV for $999 in 2-3 years.
Feeling unsure what to do. Thoughts? Advice?

Beowulf writes:

I am ready to buy a $2100 widescreen TV (Samsung DLP 50") online. Is
it worth it (advisable) to pay another $300 for the extra 3 year
extended warranty?

I just had my TV repaired one week short of the 3-year extended
warranty expiring. The remote control (IR?) sensor had failed,
requiring replacement of a part about the size of a small paper
clip. The technician had a good laugh, taking care to mention that the
part cost about $25, and the labor charge for his on-site visit would
have been around $250, not taking the possible charge for his first
diagnostic visit into account.

I paid around $180 for the 3-year warranty at time of purchase. In my
case, it turned out to be worth it. If I didn't have that warranty, I
would have been very angry. If the part had failed a few weeks later,
past the warranty expiration, I would have been perhaps even more
angry, having spent the money on the warranty but still needing to pay
for the repair anyway.

From what I hear these kinds of failures are rare. But now that I have
some idea of what a simple repair can cost, I'd probably buy the
longest warranty possible at time of purchase.

--
Steven E. Harris

"Steven E. Harris" wrote in
:

From what I hear these kinds of failures are rare. But now that I have
some idea of what a simple repair can cost, I'd probably buy the
longest warranty possible at time of purchase.

You played the odds and won... but on average, it's not worth it.

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

Lucas Tam writes:

You played the odds and won... but on average, it's not worth it.

True. Had nothing gone wrong with my TV, right around now I would have
been thinking, "Well, that warranty turned out to be a waste."

--
Steven E. Harris

Lucas Tam wrote:

"Steven E. Harris" wrote in
:

From what I hear these kinds of failures are rare. But now that I have
some idea of what a simple repair can cost, I'd probably buy the
longest warranty possible at time of purchase.

You played the odds and won... but on average, it's not worth it.


In general, and for many years past, I agree. However, I do
believe that there are currently MANY exceptions, and so each
purchase should be considered individually. Deciding factors:

- cost of warranty
- duration of warranty
- cost of product being warranted
- durability of product being warranted
- typical cost of repairs and availability of parts
- possible reduction in product price is warranty is purchased.

Let me give you an example:

5 years ago I purchased a Sony 36" XBR250 from Circuit City. This
set normally listed for around $2300. It was an out-of-box
special so I got it for around $1800. This thing was 230 lbs so I
didn't want to have to ever move it myself. CC offered me a 5
year in-home warranty for $260 which I bought. Since I had just
saved $500 on the set (most of which I was willing to originally
pay in the first place), putting $260 back into it STILL left me
ahead of the game.

Now a 3 year warranty on a TV is not as good a thing I think, but
I see more and more sets having problems at 4 and 5 years.
Furthermore, technology is moving so fast that electronics are
changing quickly and manufacturers seem to be far more interested
in getting the "latest and greatest" out there than inventoring
old product components.

In any event, the set developed a problem (kept turning itself
on). Sony spent 4 months trying to find a replacement board (the
main processor board) and COULDN'T (or rather gave up trying).
Why couldn't they find a part? probably in part due to the fact
it was 5 years old.

Any, my warranty had the old XBR250 replaced with a brand new
34XBR960. Although I normally would not buy extended warranties,
I did pay $300 on the new set to cover it for the next 5 years.

The comfort factor on this unit was significant enough to help me
make the decision. Note that if I had to pay $400 for a 3 year
warranty (which is really only a 2 year warranty since they all
overlap the original manufacture's warranty), I likley would not
have purchased it.

- Jeff

Jeff Wiseman wrote:

Lucas Tam wrote:

"Steven E. Harris" wrote in
:

From what I hear these kinds of failures are rare. But now that I have
some idea of what a simple repair can cost, I'd probably buy the
longest warranty possible at time of purchase.

You played the odds and won... but on average, it's not worth it.

In general, and for many years past, I agree. However, I do
believe that there are currently MANY exceptions, and so each
purchase should be considered individually. Deciding factors:

- cost of warranty
- duration of warranty
- cost of product being warranted
- durability of product being warranted
- typical cost of repairs and availability of parts
- possible reduction in product price is warranty is purchased.

Let me give you an example:

snip
Any, my warranty had the old XBR250 replaced with a brand new
34XBR960. Although I normally would not buy extended warranties,
I did pay $300 on the new set to cover it for the next 5 years.
- Jeff

I had a similar experience with a Samsung I bought at Sears. I opted for
the home service extended warranty (some require you to bring/ship it to
a service center). The tv was 150lbs, too much trouble for me to deal
with. Anyway, after three visits to fix problems, I got a brand new
model delivered and setup. Here's the best part, after I got the new tv,
I call Sears to transfer the warranty to the new tv, they couldn't do
it, so they refunded the full amount I paid for the extended/service
warranty.

10 years ago I bought a 36" tv and a 5 year extended warranty. The
picture tube went 2 weeks after the warranty was up and the store I
bought it from covered the cost just because it was so close. Go figure
I won one, lost about 7 others.

young...

steve wrote:

Jeff Wiseman wrote:

Lucas Tam wrote:

"Steven E. Harris" wrote in
:


From what I hear these kinds of failures are rare. But now that I have
some idea of what a simple repair can cost, I'd probably buy the
longest warranty possible at time of purchase.

You played the odds and won... but on average, it's not worth it.

In general, and for many years past, I agree. However, I do
believe that there are currently MANY exceptions, and so each
purchase should be considered individually. Deciding factors:

- cost of warranty
- duration of warranty
- cost of product being warranted
- durability of product being warranted
- typical cost of repairs and availability of parts
- possible reduction in product price is warranty is purchased.

Let me give you an example:


snip

Any, my warranty had the old XBR250 replaced with a brand new
34XBR960. Although I normally would not buy extended warranties,
I did pay $300 on the new set to cover it for the next 5 years.
- Jeff


I had a similar experience with a Samsung I bought at Sears. I opted for
the home service extended warranty (some require you to bring/ship it to
a service center). The tv was 150lbs, too much trouble for me to deal
with. Anyway, after three visits to fix problems, I got a brand new
model delivered and setup. Here's the best part, after I got the new tv,
I call Sears to transfer the warranty to the new tv, they couldn't do
it, so they refunded the full amount I paid for the extended/service
warranty.