Community Chat

[gardenman]

Most devices have what's called "the bathtub curve" when it comes to failure rate. If you look at the cross-section of a bathtub there's a steep part at the end then it stays flat for an extended period of time before gradually tapering back up. (you can Google "bathtub curve" to see examples of  the curve.)

The highest failure rate is the steep initial part of the curve when manufacturing defects, damage in transit, etc, take place. That's almost always the part of the curve covered under the manufacturer's warranty. The long flat part (bottom of the curve) when nothing is likely to go wrong is when they want you to buy an extended warranty. By then anything that's likely to have happened will have happened and your device should be relatively trouble-free during that stretch. The long gradual slope up at the other end of the curve is when the device ages out. If you've been buying an extended warranty through the flat part of the curve you've likely already paid for the replacement via the warranty cost, or more. 

Now, if you're buying a phone, tablet, or laptop, and you're the clumsier type who tends to drop anything and everything, an extended warranty that covers drops could be good. Just read the fine print. Many only cover one drop. And reading the fine print on anything is wise. Many service contracts include pro-rating where they devalue the device each year you own it. In year one or two they may give you full replacement value. As the device ages, the replacement value can drop a lot.