Do you buy Extended Warantee for a Laptop, why and why not?

[Cheapest]

I want to know how many of you did buy an extended warantee when you brought your laptop! Why do you want to buy and why not!


I got the Extended warantee from CC when I brought a Sony FX370 laptop because I got a such deal (less than $500) last month. With the 4 years extended warantee of $345 with a total price of less than $900 exclude $100 rebate. This laptop is the display model so I has no batteries ($250). Is it worth? I don't know !

 

[littlezipp]

Not worth $300 that's for sure!

 

[iamwiz82]

well, you cant really fix too many things on a laptop, so i would buy it.

For example, your video card in youtr home system dies, you pull it out and throw another one in there. Most laptops do not have a removable video card, so you wouldnt if that happened. Also, laptop screens are fragile, and can have pixels burn out.

 

[Rallispec]

i didnt when i bought my laptop becuase i couldnt afford it.

however, you cant really fix your own problems very well on a laptop so i kind of wish i had. But I've been lucky so far and not had any problems. (knock on wood)

 

[RossMAN]

<< well, you cant really fix too many things on a laptop, so i would buy it.

For example, your video card in youtr home system dies, you pull it out and throw another one in there. Most laptops do not have a removable video card, so you wouldnt if that happened. Also, laptop screens are fragile, and can have pixels burn out. >>



I would buy it in your case because 1) you got the display not a brand new still factory sealed laptop and 2) a lot of things can break on a laptop which aren't as easily replaced as a desktop, esp the LCD display.

 

[apoppin]

NEVER. Why pay for an extended warranty when you can get one for free?

Simply purchase your notebook with a premium credit card (e.g. VISA Gold) and your manufacturer's warranty is automatically doubled (up to an extra free year).

 

[vi edit]

<< I got the Extended warantee from CC when I brought a Sony FX370 laptop because I got a such deal (less than $500) last month. With the 4 years extended warantee of $345 with a total price of less than $900 exclude $100 rebate. This laptop is the display model so I has no batteries ($250). Is it worth? I don't know ! >>



Can you rephrase that in english for me?

Ok, the laptop cost you $900 right? Or was it $800 after rebate? I couldn't really couldn't tell from the post. How long of an warranty came with the purchase? 1 year? And did CC throw in an extra year for free? So are you really asking if $345 is a good price for 2 extra years of warranty, for a grand total of 4 years?

Help me out here, I'm having troubles following you

Any way I look at it, I see $345 as a HUGE amount of money for an extended warranty. Dell puts a 2 year, ONSITE extended warranty on their machines for only $129. That's nearly 1/3 of the price of yours, for about the same coverage.

All I see is $345 that can go twords a future laptop purchase If you already have 2 years of warranty, I say skip it. Invest that money and then save it as a downpayment on a future laptop purchase. That's my $.02 though.

 

[Oyeve]

Depends on the cost. My last laptop I bought almost 2 yrs ago cost only 99 bucks to extend 3 years. So I think its definately worth it. I may be sending it soon cuz the freaking left mouse button and the space bar are wearing out. And if it wasnt on warranty compaq said they would charge me like 150 buck just for parts let alone labor.

 

[ElFenix]

<< Simply purchase your notebook with a premium credit card (e.g. VISA Gold) and your manufacturer's warranty is automatically doubled (up to an extra free year). >>

could the display model situation do something to the manu's warranty?

 

[hopeless879]

<< NEVER. Why pay for an extended warranty when you can get one for free?

Simply purchase your notebook with a premium credit card (e.g. VISA Gold) and your manufacturer's warranty is automatically doubled (up to an extra free year). >>



The extended warranties usually cover batteries and lcd displays, which the manufacturer's warranty does not cover.

 

[RossMAN]

<<

<< Simply purchase your notebook with a premium credit card (e.g. VISA Gold) and your manufacturer's warranty is automatically doubled (up to an extra free year). >>

could the display model situation do something to the manu's warranty? >>



That's a good question, I'm guessing as long he has the original box with UPC, the warranty card (which he mailed in) and the sales receipt does not indicate "display" then VISA/MasterCard/Amex wouldn't know that it's a display unit.

 

[apoppin]

<< could the display model situation do something to the manu's warranty? >>


Not usually. Displays and demos usually come with the full manufacturer's warranty (CurseitCity included).

I know my Dell warranty covers my battery and TFT for a year . . . my credit card company simply doubles it to two years.

AND, when you buy an extended warranty (usually) you cannot take it back to the store during the period of manufacturer's coverage (you deal directly with the manufacturer until the original warranty expires). At least CUSA has this (irritating) policy).

 

[Atrail]

I paid $120 for 2 extra year (total of 3yrs) on my Dell 8100.
That seems to be on the pricey side to me!

 

[spanner]

Umm, By the time the original warranty ends (atleast 2 years otherwise it can't be a good laptop) it will probably be a relic, i.e you will be able to buy the same model new for the same price as the extended warranty. If not, you could probably pay to get it fixed for less then the extended warranty. In other words screw the extended warranty, its a loss all ways you look at it.

 

[MazerRackham]

I kid you not, my roommate's laptop's CDRW drive died one day after the warantee expired!!! OMG that was funny. I might seem like an assho!e for laughing about it, but you guys don't know my roommate

He has a Dell 4000 series, btw.

 

[apoppin]

<< I kid you not, my roommate's laptop's CDRW drive died one day after the warantee expired!!! OMG that was funny. I might seem like an assho!e for laughing about it, but you guys don't know my roommate >>



If he bought it with a premium credit card he is still covered. If that's all that goes wrong with it, he came out about even as he can get a CDRW for about the price of Dell's extended warranty.

I can't agree with notebooks becoming obsolete as quickly as desktops. Many of the P133s-200s are still in good service and quite usable (and still sell used for $200-400). I can't imagine my PIII866 completely outdated in a couple of years as my PIII800 desktop would be (I already upgraded my desktop to 1.24Ghz and plan to have 3Ghz by the end of Summer). I expect my lappy will still be playing DVDs, running office programs and surfing the 'net two full years from now . . .

 

[Cheapest]

OK, vi_edit.

It's extractly what I said. Or here the story. A month ago I was planning to by a Toshiba 1.02 G for $6.99 after rebate at CC (Read Hot Deal thread). When I arrived every of those laptop were solved. The sellman told me if I am interested on some display model. And just happen the Sony FX370 without battery. He had given me it worth about $950 minus the battery ($230) came out $690. I told me is that including 3 years warantee and he said only one year manufacture warantee. I asked him how much include 3 years and he said $880. I said OK included everything for this price. He asked his boss and they said no! I told him the battery was missing and it is display not NEW! He said not even a scratch on it!! I check very detail and sure there is not even a scratch on it. I told him this is still a display and he said it was display on january. I told him it the same. Because there were about 10 of them (See Hot deal section) he sold me $880 out the door (including tax 3 years extended). When I drove my car I found out the recepts said the warantee expire on 1994. I drove back and told the the sellman and he said yes for three years not two. He then talk to his boss again and they found out CC did not have 3 years warantee but had 2 or 4 years. So they change the prices (adjust) to $878 which is $2 less with 4 years warantee. The receipt said Warantee (4years was $345) and the Laptop + tax was around $543.

 

[Cheapest]

It's extractly what I said. Or here the story. A month ago I was planning to buy a Toshiba 1.02 G for $6.99 after rebate at CC (Read Hot Deal thread). When I arrived every of those laptop were solved. The sellman told me if I am interested on some display model. And just happen the Sony FX370 without battery. He had given me it worth about $950 minus the battery ($230) came out $690. I told me is that including 3 years warantee and he said only one year manufacture warantee. I asked him how much include 3 years and he said $880. I said OK included everything for this price. He asked his boss and they said no! I told him the battery was missing and it is display not NEW! He said not even a scratch on it!! I check very detail and sure there is not even a scratch on it. I told him this is still a display and he said it was display on january. I told him it the same. Because there were about 10 of them (See Hot deal section) he sold me $880 out the door (including tax 3 years extended). When I drove my car I found out the recepts said the warantee expire on 2004. I drove back and told the the sellman and he said yes for three years not two. He then talk to his boss again and they found out CC did not have 3 years warantee but had 2 or 4 years. So they change the prices (adjust) to $878 which is $2 less with 4 years warantee. The receipt said Warantee (4years 2006 was $345) and the Laptop + tax was around $543.

By the way, this is sort of surprise buy (Means I did not expected to buy this laptop but rather buy the Toshibra instead). I did not get any contract from them!! I call them up and they told me they don't have a contract but rather on the receipt it said extended to 2006!

So far I am happy with it.I was tried the firewire with my firefire HD and it work perfect. My friend went CC and brought another one with the same deal about a week after I brought it.

 

[rootaxs]

I have an IBM A21p Thinkpad with a 3 year international warranty. Since i bought it using my Amex Blue i automatically get double the warranty (up to 5 years total).

So for what i paid on my Thinkpad ($1k less than retail at that time via IBM's ebay auctions) i got a great laptop and 5 years (3 w/ IBM, 2 w/ Amex) of International warranty to boot!

 

[Noirish]

a good credit card usually boosts your purchased product warranty by a year or two.
also, if it doesn't break within the first 3-6 months, the chances are that it's not going to break 2 or 3 years from then.
i really don't see a point in purchasing extended warranty unless 1) it's not brand new 2) it's extremely expensive and the extended warranty is not more than 5% of the cost.

 

[Pliablemoose]

One of the FEW things you should buy an extended waranty on is a laptop, they're too hard to work on yourself & expensive to have fixed.

I had a Toshiba that died 1 year & 1 month after I bought it, but I'd sprung for the ext waranty. Then the bast**rds lost it while it was supposed to be repaired, they paid me the full retail price to replace it...

 

[Desturel]

I payed for a $200 for my extended warrenty for my Lifebook, but that's because I got a display model and was able to get a 1.3Ghz with 512 DDR and 40gig HD for $1200. It only seemed right that I pay at least $1400 for it. Also since it was a display model, I want extra insurance just in case some wannabe cracker was messing with it before I got it. With display models, I don't like to take a chance. BUT $345 is way too much for that warrenty. I'd say skip it in your case.

 

[Cheapest]

I was using AmExp Blue. Is that means I got 8 years Extended Warantee????????? DO I have to call AmExp Co to request it???

 

[rootaxs]

Double the warranty, max of 5 years.

 

[Cheapest]

Nop! I call AmerExp and they told me that for any item if you buy extended warantee they will NOT honor. If you have not then they will double up to a year.