After your warranty expires, you are basically on your own. They don't have good customer service on repairs.
Check out this:
http://hdguru.com/?p=107
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I think this is a little over stated and somewhat misleading. I have had to get three pieces of technology fixed in the past 3 or 4 years, out of warranty; a Toshiba TV, a JVC VHS VCR and a Viewsonic computer monitor. And also a GE Microwave oven, within warranty. All are obviously mainstream brands.
The Toshiba repair was by no means cheap or worth it, and I just decided it was cheaper to buy another set than to get it repaired. The manufacturer had a minimum service fee of something like $250 just to look at it, with no guarantee of being able to repair it. Plus I would have to pay for shipping to and from manufacturer (about $250), so my minimum cost would have been $500, not including parts and actual repair. The TV cost me $900 new, and it was about 4 years old when it broke. I bought a new TV. Interestingly enough, I've had a Goldstar TV for over 10 years (an off brand), and it still functions flawlessly.
The JVC VCR was the same thing, only I was told directly by the JVC repair center I should just go out and buy a new one. Minmum charge was something like $150 just to look at it.
The Viewsonic was also the same deal. The minimum repair charge was about $250, plus shipping to and from the repair center in Atlanta (21" monitor that weighs about 70 lbs.). Again, no guarantee of repair. As it turned out, my neighbor's father is a technician at Brandsmart and he repaired it for me - new V-Synch chip, and it ended up costing me $45.
The GE oven was 3 years old, and it was actually still partially covered under warranty (parts only). However, when we called for service the deal was something else. $75 just to send a repairman to look at it (it's a built-in oven, so there was no sending it to the manufacturer), and then labor costs on top of that at $75/hour. This is why I now have an LG oven in my kitchen.
So, buying mainstream name brands may seem like a safer route, but may not be all that this article makes it out to be. In the real world I live in, these off brands can be as much as 30% cheaper, so they often sell for $200-500 cheaper. With technology items like TVs, a lot can change in a year, let alone in 2 or 3 or 5 years. So, if you buy a $1500 Samsung or Hitachi TV today, and in 3 years it breaks, would you be willing to spend $700 to get it repaired? And even if you opted to get it repaired, would you be willing to wait 3, 4 weeks or even longer for the TV to be repaired and returned to you?
I have my doubts about the motivation and purpose of the article in question. I suggest you read some of the customer reviews in various forums and see what kind of problems people often encounter with the name brand models, and the customer service levels. You would be surprised.
