To Buy or not to Buy? THAT is the question.

[Tomorrow]

Hmmm, it looks like we can't run polls anymore, so I ask for your opinions please.

Okay, we now have joined the 21st century with this fancy new 58" Panasonic plasma tv. I got it for a great price from Costco and it comes with a full, 2 year warranty. It will be quite behind the technology curve in 2 years, BUT...it's still a pretty expensive piece of equipment...for me anyway.

What is the prevailing thinking out there in A/V land? Should I buy or not buy the Extended Warranty?

 

[avaserfi]

I wouldn't waste the money. If you think about it the only reasons these warranties are offered is because long-term companies make money off of them which means less not more repairs are made. Also, you bought a quality set which is made by a company who has a great track record with build quality buy an HD player with that money you save .

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Hmmm, it looks like we can't run polls anymore, so I ask for your opinions please.

Okay, we now have joined the 21st century with this fancy new 58" Panasonic plasma tv. I got it for a great price from Costco and it comes with a full, 2 year warranty. It will be quite behind the technology curve in 2 years, BUT...it's still a pretty expensive piece of equipment...for me anyway.

What is the prevailing thinking out there in A/V land? Should I buy or not buy the Extended Warranty?

I would buy it from Sam's Club and get free LIFETIME RETURN POLICY.

 

[Tomorrow]

I would buy it from Sam's Club and get free LIFETIME RETURN POLICY.

There is no Sam's Club in this state. There are no Pannies in the online catalog and no 58" sets in-stores. Otherwise, return policy is a terrific reason to buy there.

 

[MDS]

An extended warranty is an insurance policy and insurers are in the business of collecting premiums - not paying claims. Some percentage of sets will have an early failure but the risk is fairly low. Were the risk high, you can bet that no company would offer insurance.

Besides, prices continually drop on new technology and if your TV only lasts a few years you'll probably be able to buy the same or better set for half of what you paid for the current one.

I got my Toshiba 52" LCD today and I didn't purchase an extended warranty for it. The price at Crutchfield has already dropped $200 and they offer 30 day price protection so I'll be getting a refund for the difference.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

There is no Sam's Club in this state. There are no Pannies in the online catalog and no 58" sets in-stores. Otherwise, return policy is a terrific reason to buy there.

Oh, well, in that case, no to extended warranty. I never buy them.

 

[Alamar]

I only recommend extended warranties on units that you expect to go bad AND that you don't want the hassle of dealing with otherwise.

For example last year it made great sense to buy the extended warranty for my XBox360.

For a product that you don't expect to go bad, and has a good quality track record, I wouldn't generally recommend an extended warranty.

 

[Nimrod]

I always give the extended warrenties a thumbs down

 

[GlocksRock]

I always give the extended warrenties a thumbs down

Same here, they usually are only good for making other companies more money.

 

[Halon451]

Ditto - I have rarely ever bought the extended warranty for anything. Most equipment comes with a standard manufacturer's warranty anyway, which covers the aforementioned early failure risk. I'd say that if the thing works good for one year it will probably last it's expected lifetime.

It's a crafty way to get more money out of you, IMHO.

 

[Adam]

I suppose that I'll throw my two cents in. I've never purchased an extended warranty and refuse to do so. I haven't purchased a $2000+ TV, though. I agree with those here that have said that you shouldn't need to extend a Panasonic warranty. They are a good brand.

I'd heard (a joke, I think) once that when you bought the extended warranty, they'd just get you one of the "good" units from the store room. Heh, heh. But you already bought yours, so buying the warranty now won't help you. Then again, you could buy it and tell us if they come out to swap your unit out.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Hmmm, it looks like we can't run polls anymore, so I ask for your opinions please.

Okay, we now have joined the 21st century with this fancy new 58" Panasonic plasma tv. I got it for a great price from Costco and it comes with a full, 2 year warranty. It will be quite behind the technology curve in 2 years, BUT...it's still a pretty expensive piece of equipment...for me anyway.

What is the prevailing thinking out there in A/V land? Should I buy or not buy the Extended Warranty?

Consumer Reports doesn't recommend extended warranties on almost all the electronics. Also, remember, that if you buy, it runs concurrently with the factory warranty so if it has a 2 year warranty on it already, a 3 yr extended will cover you for 1 more year I have not seen an extended that starts after the factory warranty runs out. But then, I haven't seen 100% of the warranties out there yet

May want to put that cost in the piggy bank/savings account and see what happens ion 5 yrs.

 

[fmw]

I was in the extended warranty business once. Extremely profitable. The retailers will often make as much gross profit on the warranty as they did on the product. I recommend you go through life never, ever buying one. Self "insure." The amount you spend repairing or replacing anything that breaks will be far, far less than what you spent on extended warranties for everything.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I have never purchased an extended warranty on anything; I was always under the impression that if something breaks, I get to upgreade without a hassle from the wife!

 

[stratman]

My Panny is a veteran of sorts, 4 years old, an eternity in A/V life, never had an issue, they're bullet proof, spend the warranty money on DVDs or that BOSE system you need for your kitchen

 

[gobats]

To buy or not to buy? That is the question.

Not to belabor the point, but, if you buy a TV at the budget end of the HD spectrum does the same advice hold true? I've read horror stories about Olevia and Vizio replaced after 30,60 90 days. Yes, I know that the manufacture's warranty will cover it but I guess I need to hear the collective
voices of audioholics to give me the rocks to buy without extended warranty.

 

[Davemcc]

I have to admit that I did buy the extended warranty on my TV. But that's only because at the time, I bought this TV because the previous TV was in the service center for warranty work just as the mfgs warranty was about to expire. Normally, I never buy the extra warranty, but worried myself into it this one time.