topic Re: Extended Electronics Warranties - Do You Get Them? in Electronics

Extended Electronics Warranties - Do You Get Them?

grammarqueen — Mon, 22 May 2017 01:39:09 GMT

I broke down and got the Amazon Echo today, but I was wondering if I should buy the 3 year extended warranty they have. Normally I don't because I take good care of my stuff and they last me (I still have my first generation Kindle!) for years. However, a 3 month old Vizio sound bar has been giving me headaches from day one, so I'm leery of getting another lemon.

Do you guys automatically get the extended warranty, or do you just skip it? Thanks.

Re: Extended Electronics Warranties - Do You Get Them?

x Hedge — Mon, 22 May 2017 01:42:15 GMT

Skip it.
Always.

Re: Extended Electronics Warranties - Do You Get Them?

feline groovy — Mon, 22 May 2017 02:28:30 GMT

Skip.

Re: Extended Electronics Warranties - Do You Get Them?

Kachina624 — Mon, 22 May 2017 03:01:23 GMT

Never got one, never needed one. It's not like an Echo has moving parts to break.

Re: Extended Electronics Warranties - Do You Get Them?

hckynut — Mon, 22 May 2017 03:47:02 GMT

@grammarqueen

The only extended warranties I have ever bought were on my brand new cars. This was back when they had only a 1 or 2 year warranty. Why did I buy them?

Because I bought new cars every year or every other year for many years. These were immaculate cars in looks and maintained more than most others, and I did the much maintenance myself.

I always sold these cars myself, not trade-in on my new cars, which I ordered from the factory. Many people I knew were usually waiting to see if this was my new car year, and I never had a problem selling my cars. I sold them at a fair price for cars in excellent condition, that and having a year or more warranty, transferable to a new owner, also helped selling the cars.

That was the only reason I bought an extended warranty. Now I have probably owned more electronic equipment in my lifetime than any 10-20 people put together. Technology(electronics) was a passion of mine since the early 1950's. If it was "the latest" and I liked the technology, I bought it.

Just in the last 18 months, due to our basement sewage flooding, I lost close to $50,000 in just electronic equipment. Not a single "extended warranty" on any of them. They only electronics that were usually problematical were: Cassette tape players, and any device that played any kind of tape, including the VCR.

Those had lots of moving parts and for me, it was cheaper and better to replace, than try to repair. Same now, if a device has internal moving parts(electronic/computerized or mechanical) they are more likely to have issues.

To me, extended warranties are money wasted, as many are built as "throw away items". That is my life in regards to all of my many new items.

hckynut(john)

Re: Extended Electronics Warranties - Do You Get Them?

Cats3000 — Mon, 22 May 2017 09:14:12 GMT

Apple Care with our iMac, iPad and iPhone. Even if we don't use it, it gives us a measure of security.

Re: Extended Electronics Warranties - Do You Get Them?

glb613 — Mon, 22 May 2017 09:53:24 GMT

@grammarqueen wrote:
I broke down and got the Amazon Echo today, but I was wondering if I should buy the 3 year extended warranty they have. Normally I don't because I take good care of my stuff and they last me (I still have my first generation Kindle!) for years. However, a 3 month old Vizio sound bar has been giving me headaches from day one, so I'm leery of getting another lemon.

Do you guys automatically get the extended warranty, or do you just skip it? Thanks.

No. IMHO, it's a waste of money.

Re: Extended Electronics Warranties - Do You Get Them?

Lilysmom — Mon, 22 May 2017 10:02:32 GMT

@grammarqueen, that's how they make their money. I skip.

Re: Extended Electronics Warranties - Do You Get Them?

gardenman — Mon, 22 May 2017 11:12:43 GMT

As a rule you don't need them. I got an Echo the first year they were out and it's given me no trouble whatsoever. It's been knocked to the ground multiple times by a cat who thinks it's perfect for rubbing her head on and it's survived every fall.

By the way, I wouldn't be shocked to see a new Echo emerge in the near future. The recent sale on them here is often part of how Amazon starts to unload existing stock of a product before its replacement comes out. If the old Echo goes "out of stock" at Amazon anytime soon, it'll be an even clearer sign that a replacement is on the way.

Re: Extended Electronics Warranties - Do You Get Them?

PurpleBunny — Mon, 22 May 2017 11:15:56 GMT

Some things we do, some things we don't. Depends. On kid's electronics we always did and it usually paid off.

Re: Extended Electronics Warranties - Do You Get Them?

PurpleBunny — Mon, 22 May 2017 11:18:35 GMT

@gardenman my echo dot gets cat "attention" too - when he's in crazy cat mode, he slams into the cord as he is running amok and pulls it off the table.

Re: Extended Electronics Warranties - Do You Get Them?

gardenman — Mon, 22 May 2017 11:20:14 GMT

@PurpleBunny wrote:
@gardenman my echo dot gets cat "attention" too - when he's in crazy cat mode, he slams into the cord as he is running amok and pulls it off the table.

Yeah, fortunately they're pretty tough little devices though.

Re: Extended Electronics Warranties - Do You Get Them?

gardenman — Mon, 22 May 2017 11:28:56 GMT

Just a quick followup on the whole extended warranty thing. Some cable companies, Frontier Communication being one, now offer product protection packages. For a monthly fee they'll provide you with anti-virus/anti-malware, premium tech support, ID protection, and even let you list ten products that you want protected by a never ending extended warranty which can save you money if you buy things like Lifelock, McAfee/Norton, service contracts or the like for each product you own. The monthly cost is typically somewhere around $20-$25, but if you've got older devices, or expensive devices, that type of a thing can be handy. You typically have to wait 30 days or so after buying the protection before you can file a claim, but if you've got an expensive HDTV or computer that's starting to get a bit iffy, it's not a bad option. Grnted there's still a co-pay for each service call, but it's less than you'd pay a tech just to come out in most cases.

Most service contracts are designed to milk cash out of you during the period when your product is least likely to fail (early in its life) but services like that offer protection later in the product's life. With some computers and HDTV's cositng $2000 or more that $300 a year could end up being a decent investment.

Re: Extended Electronics Warranties - Do You Get Them?

jackthebear — Mon, 22 May 2017 11:48:22 GMT

never

it's a profit center for the company not you

Re: Extended Electronics Warranties - Do You Get Them?

jaxs mom — Mon, 22 May 2017 13:50:57 GMT

Nope, waste of money IMO. I take care of my things. If it's a faulty device it should become obvious during the warranty period.

Re: Extended Electronics Warranties - Do You Get Them?

software — Mon, 22 May 2017 18:11:53 GMT

@grammarqueen wrote:
I broke down and got the Amazon Echo today, but I was wondering if I should buy the 3 year extended warranty they have. Normally I don't because I take good care of my stuff and they last me (I still have my first generation Kindle!) for years. However, a 3 month old Vizio sound bar has been giving me headaches from day one, so I'm leery of getting another lemon.

Do you guys automatically get the extended warranty, or do you just skip it? Thanks.

When it comes to buying a warranty you have to consider if there is manufacturers warranty, and for how long. Then be sure you understand what the purchased warranty gets you. If there is a large deductible or if it only replaces or repairs certain problems it may not be worth it. Only you can decide.

Generally speaking I don't buy extended warranties.

Re: Extended Electronics Warranties - Do You Get Them?

mima — Mon, 22 May 2017 20:23:40 GMT

Normally I don't ever. One exception was just recently. I bought an international model of a Samsung phone from Ebay. If you buy an international model and use it in the US, Samsung won't warranty it. When I purchased the phone off Ebay, they offered a Square Trade extended warranty on it and I bought it. I felt I needed a warranty of some kind for a cell phone just "in case" the screen goes bad or something.

Re: Extended Electronics Warranties - Do You Get Them?

ALRATIBA — Mon, 22 May 2017 20:30:08 GMT

No. Technology changes so quickly that I treat stuff as disposable. My one exception is Geek squad for laptop to handle viruses.

Re: Extended Electronics Warranties - Do You Get Them?

Moonchilde — Mon, 22 May 2017 20:45:33 GMT

It depends on what the item is, how long I expect to have it, and what it would cost to replace it.

I don't expect to, or particularly want to, keep smaller electronics more than three years. After that point the hardware won't keep up with how the device is ideally supposed to work; it will be outdated and probably unsatisfactory at that point.

If an item costs me $100 and a warranty costs me more than $10-$15, no.

If an item costs me $500-$1000, yes. Especially since items that once could be counted on to last for decades are now manufactured to kwap out after a few years.

On an iPad, iPhone or TV, absolutely. Too many things can, and do, go wrong. I've had two major brand LCD TVs just go "Pop to Black" on me after a few years. So whereas once I would have considered all extended warranties a waste of $$, I no longer do.

For an Echo, I personally wouldn't bother. They don't cost that much, and older models already don't do everything that newer models do so what's new and highly functional this month isn't in a year. Plus Amazon's CS is fabulous and you'd either get a refurb (as good as Apple's refurbs) or 30+% off a new one.

Re: Extended Electronics Warranties - Do You Get Them?

Nuttmeg — Tue, 23 May 2017 00:43:53 GMT

I do have a warranty on my Verizon smartphone from the company. This warranty gives me some security software. I usually do not buy warranties.