Extended Warranty

[Cardiac]

One exception to Never, in my book. I do take out the Supercare warranties from Richer Sounds for audio / video gear. Not only do they represent reasonable value, they also allow you to get your premium back if no claim is made by returning the policy within one month of the expiration.

For what it's worth - I have no connection, I just like that kind of deal.

 

[ttcycle]

My pennies worth is, how much will you be using the camera, how much did it cost you and what level of camera is it-basically is it an entry level SLR or a higher end pro model? If you intend to use it sporadically or not on a professional basis then forget about the extended warranty or specialist photography insurance. If its a entry level camera without high usage then consider bunging it on your home insurance if you have it. However if your camera was a grand or more and you would be using a lot ie heavy professional usage such as 500 plus shots each shoot then get specialist cover as eventually parts such as the shutter may wear out or if it gets stolen the cost is so high to fork out for.

 

[Lisa21]

I keep being hassled through the post to take out extended cover on my Dyson washing machine,for 140 quid a year.Without this cover its 87 quid for the engineer to come and fix it,and its then covered for 12months if anything else goes wrong.In 4years its been repaired 3times and iv only had to pay the one call out charge.You do the maths on that one...

 

[thomas]

No! They're not good value at all. As you say, technology these days is pretty reliable, and I think you'll find most goods are covered for far longer than the manufacturer's warranties by EU legislation that specifies that goods must last for a 'reasonable' amount of time before breaking down. This is years, for most household appliances, and I'd say the same applies to cameras too.

Save your money, IMHO.

I think most electronic items are guaranteed for 6 years under EU law...but don't hold me to that!!!

I bought the richer sounds extended warranty which was a fiver for 5 years. The item went wrong so was good to have it. They'll refund it as well if you go in when it's just run out; but I never bothered as it would probably take more time and money to actually do that

 

[thomas]

The EU minimum is only two years, I'm fairly certain.The sale of Goods act in the UK gives longer, but there are all sorts of get-outs for the retailer.

Yes, I got Richer Sounds cover on a telly and a pair of speakers. Both were extremely cheap and I thought it was worth the extra as their prices were extremely low.

just done a quick google. Can't find anything concrete but maybe it's EU which is 2, but UK law which is 6:


http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=1719963

I think you'd probably spend a lot of time faffing around trying to get my shops to listen though!

 

[ASC1951]

just done a quick google. Can't find anything concrete but .... UK law which is 6:

http://forums.moneys...d.php?t=1719963

Er, no it isn't! Did you actually read through that thread?

All the Sale of Goods Act does is re-state the normal contract position, which is that if you can show there was an inherent defect at the time of purchase, you have six years to do something about.

Do not confuse that with a six year guarantee. It is isn't the same thing. For instance, some consumer items aren't expected to last six years, so if your one wears out after four years you don't necessarily have a claim.

 

[montage]

I do on some things such as laptops..... I seem to get through laptops at an alarming rate, and they always die about a year after the normal warrenty

 

[Bromptonaut]

Washing machines and Dishwashers where there are complex mechanicals, otherwise no.

I recognise that D&G and like companies are equipped to win more than they loose but OTOH their charges probably represent a lower repair cost than I'd get 'on the rack' with a broken washer. The last machine needed a repair about evry 18 months and D&G stumped up for most of a new one when it finally went completley t*ts up. I reckon I just about broke even.

 

[Night Train]

Well, after 5 years my laptop developed a fault today. The power supply died and the little green light went out.

On closer inspection I found that the plug that goes in the back of the laptop was showing some frayed conductors through the stress relief ferule so I cut it open and found that the insulation had been pulled back and the conductors had shorted.
I cleared the short and tested the power supply and it was working again.
I then taped up the bare conductors and applied a heatshrink sleeve over the top.

A dead easy fix and no need for the extended warrenty.

 

[Black Sheep]

I had the extended warrenty from jessops when I bought my D90 as some things can wear out, for example the sensor and mechanisms if using the camera a lot (unlikely but possible) and basically takes the hassle out of warranty claims against nikon

the accidental damage cover was a major part of the decision tho.

 

[meenaghman]

@Night train, those DC connectors are a real pain in the arse. Both the internal and external ones. The charger one is an easy fix (I prefer to use a new pin and solder .. connectors available for £1 for 3 on ebay.. I've usually got solder in the house (although trying to find lead solder with flux core getting harder..and lead free can be a bit of a bastard to use). The internal ones are a bit trickier.. just replaced on my daughters.. again though bad design.. not enough support for the motherboard in the laptop.. anyone with a cynical mind would say that its designed to fail !!! Had to replace an LCD screen on my other daughters laptop. That was an easier job.. although ended up opening the case twice .. piece of old screen had wedged the fan.. I thought I'd forgotten to clip a connector on.. but I should have checked the fan was rotating freely anyway. Fan seems to be OK,, but a but noisy... I think due to crack in casing (darling daughter managed to let laptop fall and break screen).. I took the opportunity with both laptops to clean all the lint and fur out of the cooling fins/fans and under the keyboards etc. I find I can generally fix things where I see it replacement of a component although sourcing a component can be quite hard work.

As per my previous post many of these items are designed to fail. I finally got rid of our old microwave .. about twenty years old, it was still working but my wife didn't like having to use a long nose pliers to turn the timer..I did want to fix it, but was over-ruled... it was one solid piece of equipment. I doubt the new one will last 20 years, although it is also an oven and a grill.. helped at xmas dinner time to have another oven.

I think on a broader level we should start to properly recycle things .. ie fix them. Recycling is seen as dump and throw away, rather than canabalise and fix.

 

[benborp]

I was looking at getting a new DSLR and aiming to spend about 2.5k. I was surprised by the quality of the care plans offered by manufacturers. The cover while being decent mechanically was very good for loss and damage which is a major consideration with this type of kit. It certainly outperformed the coverage I would get from extending my house insurance to cover the item.

 

[PK99]

Do you ever take out the extended warranty when buying new goods? The reason I ask is that I am about to buy a new DSLR and have been offered three years of cover for less than 5% of the asking price of the camera.This seems like a pretty good deal on the face of it, but then I started to think....I cant remember the last time something we have bought broke down in the first three years. Consumer goods seem to be of a very high standard nowadays. Having said that, digital SLRs are quite complicated things with a lot of moving parts and electronics to go wrong.... Have you had the need to use an extended warranty?

I bought a sony vaio all in one desktop in November 2007 for £999, it died in october 2010. after sony eventually deciding that they could not replace the graphics card.

I got a cash payout of £1499 based on the current retail price of the nearest spec model in the vaio range. Good value for the £70 quid 3rd year extension!

 

[PBancroft]

Many years ago as a student I used to work in a major electrical retailer. They did and do have a reputation for being rather heavy handed in selling the extended warranty service. After all, the sales staff make much of their commission from it.

I did and do think it has its place. Some devices are tried and tested, and well maintained quite easily - fridges, freezers, dishwashers etc. For those kinds of products I don't think the extra money is really worth it in most cases (but there are exceptions).

Somewhat disappointingly some devices are considered almost consumable by people and ready for replacement in three years - mobile phones, for example, or iPods. Sad, but true. Some people might want the warranty where they don't "need" the latest gadget, but for others it would be a waste of money.

Yet other devices, such as HD plasma TVs with inbuilt bluray players and HDD are somewhat untested territory, with a lot of slightly unsteady technology entering the market where companies want to offer the best spec at the lowest price. For that kind of product, the warranty is definitely worth the money.

I was regularly taken to task for not selling enough warranty services, and was threatened with being sent for "retraining" (despite getting 100% the first time around). We were expected to sell warranties on £15 clock radios at £10 a pop, or similar ludicrous options. Some people could sell that kind of crap, but I couldn't. It had a big part in me choosing to leave and go back to selling shoes.

 

[SavageHoutkop]

Hmmm....

I've taken out (and would take out again) cover on a laptop. I did claim on the first one, the battery died just over a year in (strictly speaking it wasn't covered anymore as the battery cover was still only a year, whereas the rest of the bits were 3 yr). The battery was replaced for me at no cost.

Generally speaking the insurer will always *on average* do better than a bunch of people just replacing as things give up. Of course, if you're the unlucky one who has to replace three newish large appliances in a year, you'll probably regret not taking the insurance out.

TBH I'd be unhappy if most 'large' appliances didn't last a good while. That's why my washer/dryer is a Miele - there was a free 5 yr manufacturer guarantee thrown in.
For a good quality digital camera I might well take the insurance out. I agree with the lots of little moving parts to go wrong argument, and I wouldn't be able to fix it if it did break.