extended warranty?

[Semidevil]

do you guys sugget getting an extended warranty on a Plasma TV? I bought my tv at Sams.

it comes with the 1 year warranty from samsung. should I go extended?

is it worth it to you guys? what are the chance of a TV dying within the next 2 to 4 years?

 

[CalvinHobbes]

This is the way extended warranties work:

If you get one the TV will last forever, if you don't the TV will break 1 day after the warranty expires 🙂

For big ticket items I will occassionally get them but it really depends on the cost. A lot of times you can get the warranty from the manufacturer for much less than the store. You can also negotiate the warranty cost at the store, it's almost pure profit for them so they have some wiggle room.

 

[blatherbeard]

I personally always get them on anything over a grand.

 

[Fardringle]

Any time I buy something that involves a warranty, I use these criteria to decide if the warranty is worth the money:

1) Will the item still be useful and "up to date" by the time an extended warranty could be needed? Or will I want to replace the whole unit by then any way?

If the item is likely to be replaced before an extended warranty comes in to play, then the extended warranty is pointless.


2) What would it cost to repair the most likely failures in the device, and is that cost more than the warranty itself costs?

If a single repair costs more than the extended warranty, and I intend to keep the item for a while, the warranty is probably worthwhile.


3) Is the item something that my kids are more likely to break? If so, does the extended warranty include accidental damage/breakage?

For something like a plasma TV that can be easily cracked by errant flying toys, an accidental damage warranty is probably a good idea in my house where small children (i.e. walking miniature tornadoes) roam.


4) Does the warranty require that the item be mailed in to a central repair facility at my expense?

If so and it's a heavy item that will cost a lot (and take a long time) to ship, I probably won't want to use the warranty even if I need it, so paying for the extended warranty is a waste of money.

 

[iRONic]

I bought a two year EW for my Samsung DLP because it covers the light engine and bulbs. I bought Vann's five year EW for my Onkyo AVR because it was $50 and covers basically everything.