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Home audio & video: Poll: Flat-panel TV purchase, is an extended warranty worth it?
- 7/20/07 10:16 AM
Poll: Flat-panel TV purchase, is an extended warranty worth
by dlsears - 7/20/07 8:32 PM In reply to: Poll: Flat-panel TV purchase, is an extended warranty worth it? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
It's worth it if you have to use it. If you don't have to use it, it's a waste of money. In other words, it's a gamble that your set is going to break. I never buy them for anything else, so why would I buy one for an HDTV flat-panel? All the research I've read about extended warranties is that they are there merely to generate income for the warranty seller.
NO, if you buy it at COSTCO.
by jord9 - 7/20/07 10:04 PM In reply to: Poll: Flat-panel TV purchase, is an extended warranty worth it? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I bought my Plasma specifically at Costco because they will take anything back. No questions asked. The guy even told me if I'm bored with the tv after a year and want something else, to just bring it back. I buy all my large appliance purchases at Costco because of their no questions asked return policy. The best $55 a year money can buy!
Didn't they recently revise the generous TV policy due to
by NM_Bill - 7/20/07 10:24 PM In reply to: NO, if you buy it at COSTCO. by jord9necessity because of large scale abuse?"
If you want to abuse a company, join the many who trash purchases then blithely return it 6 months later. The world's largest retailer can afford to withstand more of that than any other firm.
Then again....
by jord9 - 7/25/07 9:20 PM In reply to: Didn't they recently revise the generous TV policy due to by NM_BillThese TV's are SO cheap now, if mine broke tomorrow, I would think nothing of going out and dropping another $1500 for a new bigger TV. These plasmas and LCD`s have basically reached the throw away price point. So who needs a warranty? Are you really going to sit around without a HDTV waiting for it to be repaired. NO way. I would be down at Costco or Best Buy that same day getting a new one. I don't think I could go for one day without HD.
It doesn't take long for most of us to run out of
by NM_Bill - 7/25/07 10:30 PM In reply to: Then again.... by jord9increments of $1500. Though I do see your point of them approaching a status of disposable appliance.
not usually needed
by munalemj - 7/20/07 11:55 PM In reply to: Poll: Flat-panel TV purchase, is an extended warranty worth it? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I would not get this. It adds quite a bit to an already kinda pricy item (especially for a student!) and it's not usually needed. I'm sure it comes in very handy sometimes, but a majority of the time, I doubt it does anything but make the company money.
LCD Warranty
by smediajr - 7/21/07 4:40 AM In reply to: Poll: Flat-panel TV purchase, is an extended warranty worth it? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
If you buy your LCD from Sam's or Walmart (probably Costco stc) the ext warranty is so cheap you can not afford to be without it. I have used mine several times and have had no problem. Sam's club ext warranty is especially helpful if you have a problem. Your electronic specialty stores rape you on the cost of the ext warranty and at that point it crosses over the value of the chance of a repair
Extended Warranties
by aintnorainbowdorothy - 7/21/07 5:09 AM In reply to: Poll: Flat-panel TV purchase, is an extended warranty worth it? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
It depends on what you pay for the set. The one you talk about, Flat-Panel LCD, is probably a $3000 to $4000 purchase (based on my experience). If the warranty is less or equal to 10 percent of the sale price, then I generally buy one for purchases over $1500. Under that, I just whip out my cred card and never buy from that company again. A large purchase needs at least a three-year warranty. If the extended warranty is for three extra years, totaling four or more years, then it probably is worth it. Especially for rear-projection sets. LCD sets have fewer problems and are probably not worth buying an extended warranty. However, Plasma sets do have problems and those with DLP (Mirror) technology have problems with pixels and mirrors burning out. This is a real problem and worth the extra warranty since those problems generally mean replacing the set. However, you'll probably replace the set within a five-year period, and generally less. Don't buy it unless you aren't familiar with the manufacturer. I wouldn't buy anything from someone I wasn't familiar with and personally, even though I own some Wal-Mart stock, I would never buy anything electronic from them. The stock is only to go to annual meetings and be a gadfly.
Good luck on your purchase. Just remember to buy from a reputable builder and dealer and you shouldn't have any problems.
No extended warranty
by arnold88 - 7/21/07 8:45 AM In reply to: Poll: Flat-panel TV purchase, is an extended warranty worth it? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
The prices on these items are dropping too fast to justify an
extended warranty.
ext. warranty for flat panels?
by percycharles - 7/21/07 8:52 AM In reply to: Poll: Flat-panel TV purchase, is an extended warranty worth it? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
you can always go to a place like Tiger Direct, buy a refubished HDTV with it's 90 day warranty, get the extended warranty (that will equal or go beyond the mnfg's warranty) and thereby save a few hundred dollars.
No refurbished for me...
by chanelgal - 7/22/07 8:38 PM In reply to: ext. warranty for flat panels? by percycharlesI once purchased a refurbished Phillips home theater system from Overstock.com. It was a VCR/DVD combo and the VCR part never has worked. I should have sent it back but it was so heavy, I wouldn't have been able to carry it to the post office, so kept it and told myself never again would I buy anything refurbished or reconditioned.
Another time I purchased a Porsche with an extended warranty for one year and it was a waste. I didn't use up the amount I spent for the few repairs I got. After that I have tended not to go with warranties.
A few years ago I purchased a Dell laptop for $850 and didn't buy the warranty. It broke after 2 years, and maybe I should have bought a warranty for that, but I was tired of it by that time and was anxious to upgrade.
Three weeks ago I purchased a 42" Akai Plasma and did not buy the warranty because the TV was only $800 on sale. I'm nervous and hope it doesn't go out after only a year. If I had spent over $1000 then I might have purchased the warranty, but so far I've not had much luck in purchasing a warranty on anything.
Worth it for cheap brands
by andrewbaggins - 7/21/07 9:02 AM In reply to: Poll: Flat-panel TV purchase, is an extended warranty worth it? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Flat panel displays, power supplies and processor chips are all sorted and graded when they are made at the parts factory. Lower grade parts wind up in lower-priced TVs. The failure rate of lower grade parts is greater, and so is the chance you'll be faced with an expensive repair soon after the warranty expires.
Many computer users have experienced this on a smaller scale with LCD monitors. Some brand-X models give several years of good service, while others experience blown power supplies, failed backlights, multiple dead pixels, etc.
At home we had a bargain-priced PIXO AT700 17-inch LCD which had a power supply failure after about five months, a backlight failure a year later (which they very kindly repaired for free even though it was out of warranty!), and then failed again when it was about three and a half years old.
The point is that if the warranty is only one year (as opposed to three years on some better models) then an extended warranty may be worthwhile - IF IT DOESN"T COST TOO MUCH!
This time around we're buying better quality and crossing our fingers! I just ordered a new Samsung 226BW 22-inch monitor. Samsung provides a full 3-year warranty.
A $69 extended warranty on our old cheap Compaq laptop saved us hundreds on repair costs when we travelled with it in our motorhome.
where do you get your information?
by woodygg - 7/21/07 9:09 AM In reply to: Worth it for cheap brands by andrewbagginssorted and graded?
parts either work or don't - they're not pumpkins and aren't graded.
components are generally very cheap period - and there's little difference in the cost of most of their parts - what will matter is mfg. location - most have moved to lcm (low cost mfg) - malaysia, mexico, eastern europe, etc.
many of the 'low cost sets' are made from the same components and use the same design as more expensive sets - this is very common in mgf. not nearly as common as in other products (microwaves for example - where there's essentially two manufactures that make almost all microwaves, regardless of brand).
LCD screens certainly are sorted & graded. Computer chips
by NM_Bill - 7/21/07 11:41 AM In reply to: where do you get your information? by woodyggsometimes sorted & graded. Fact.
sorry,
by woodygg - 7/21/07 11:54 AM In reply to: LCD screens certainly are sorted & graded. Computer chips by NM_Billi wasn't referring to lcd screens in my post...
although, i highly question this as they also either work or don't. those i'm not as familiar with.
they're not going to put one's that don't work (dead pixels, etc.) on any television.
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