Do you buy Extended Warranty on Speakers?

[Bluesmoke]

I just picked up a pair of Polk RTi8s and CSi3 from Future Shop. A friend of mine works there and gave me staff discount on them, so I basically paid half of what they retail for.

Anyways, I was wondering if you guys buy the extended warranty, I didn't get it but I plan on using the RTi8s for a long time, so I'm jsut wondering.

 

[CaliHwyPatrol]

It depends on how much it is and how much it covers.

For example, at my store, for those speakers it would be about $75 (per speaker) for a 10 year coverage plan, that covers everything except physical damage. Since Polk covers them for 5 years, you would basically be doubling the life of your warranty. Also, if you were to have problems with them, you just return them to the store as opposed to sending them to a Polk authorized service center.

So it is up to you. Most people call the warranties a rip-off, because the stores make a lot of money on them, which is true, but I wouldn't classify it as a rip-off. The reason the store makes a lot of money on it is because there is a very good chance you will never have to use the warranty. But, if you were to have a problem with the speakers, the store would fix or replace them, no questions asked. I would consider it a rip-off if you paid for the warranty and then the store didn't honor it.

Just recently I had a customer call me up because her $5000 Sony LCD crapped out after a year. Something was shorting inside and was causing the lamps to burn out after a week or so. So we sent someone out to her house and we ended up bringing the tv in and fixing it. Since her Sony warranty was expired, had she not had the warranty, she would have been spending a lot more than the $500 she paid for it getting her tv fixed.

Since you got the speakers at such a discount, you might want to get it, simply because if your speakers take a dump, you might not be getting that discount again, and you would be SOL. But, like I said, up to you!

~Chuck

 

[mtrycrafts]

I just picked up a pair of Polk RTi8s and CSi3 from Future Shop. A friend of mine works there and gave me staff discount on them, so I basically paid half of what they retail for.

Anyways, I was wondering if you guys buy the extended warranty, I didn't get it but I plan on using the RTi8s for a long time, so I'm jsut wondering.

There is just not that much to go wrong with a speaker that would not show up during the regular warranty period. Extended warranty is a great money maker for the business as they pay very little back. Consumer Reports doesn't recommends it in most cases.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Look at it this way. Since you found such a great deal on the speakers, consider the savings "insurance" in your bank account in case something happens. Why give it to the store. They keep a large portion of that money as profit. Speaker mfg's already build in the price of replacement drivers for warranty purposes. Heck, even SVS does it. You are paying for two drivers on those big hogs whether you blow one or not.

If your speakers took a dump, chances are it would be the tweeter. I can't imagine the tweeter in the RTi series costing more than $25 to $30. Plus, you have 5 years on all the drivers.

The RTi line handles huge amounts of power, so I don't see you blowing out your Polks anytime soon. Audible distortion will blow speakers, so keep it clean and save your money.

 

[JES14]

I know I'm glad I got it for my tv, crapped out after 11 months. Now mfg. warranty would've covered it, but NOT the cost of the service call. So for electronics I would spend the few bucks and cover your a@@.
Speakers on the other hand I would not. If there is something wrong it will usually crap out inside the 30 day return/exchange period and as buckeye says you're covered for the long haul.

 

[Sheep]

Couple things to remember about mfw is that it only cover defects, as in, out of the box, first time using it defects, After that, you SOL. And only FS and BB and CC sell "PSP's". There is no point to extending a mfw because it won't be honored after the product has been used for a month.

If you can afford the PSP (product service plan, not to be confused with an extended warranty), then do it. It will add $$ to resale value, and give you piece of mind.

SheepStar

 

[STRONGBADF1]

My theory is don't buy any on electronics if you buy alot of electronics. The money you save will pay for whatever dies prematruely later on. (High dollar complicated items may require more thought.)

Service plans would be different and would depend on the product.

SBF1

 

[lbjazz]

PSP's

Even though I'm not a fan of PSP's on most stuff, tvs are different. If you get the PSP on you lcd, dlp, or LCoS tv at BB it will cover the first lamp replacement. Of course you have to remember to have it done within the first four years (unless it craps out sooner). Even at $400 its not a bad deal b/c you're going to spend probably half that on the bulb, and they'll do it for you.

Another reason it's good on tvs is this. I used to work at a BB and one day a guy called in. He had bought the 52" JVC HD-ILA four months earlier. He was having some serious issues with it so he called us to find out what we could do for him. He didn't get the PSP so there wasn't much of anything we could do because he was past the 30 day return period. We pointed him to the mfg but he had already called them. Although they would fix the thing he had to pay shipping. Grand total for shipping: $420. He should've got the service plan.
But like I said, I'm not usually a fan of PSPs, but in some circumstances . . .

 

[jake51s]

I, like many people on this board, used to sell electronics. Trust me, everyone has a story about how great the extended service is, or how it saved them personally a great deal of money etc. I used the lines too.

For the most part they are a waste of money. Where I worked, on anything you bought for personal use automatically came with the unspoken "as long as you work here guarantee." As long as one would work there, the stuff you buy will be covered so you can tell everyone how great the service is, you didn't even have to buy the service.

Most of the time manufactures are not that hard to deal with. They don't want to lose you as a customer. If you have a large item such as a TV, all the big manufacture's contract with local service companies. They will even come to you and/or pay shipping during their warranty period. The caveat is that you usually have to have the original box for shipping or a manufacturer approved alternative. I think Sony's alternative box requires 9" of padding on all sides, but I may be mistaken.

Bottom line, like any other purchase, caveat emptor.