Is An Extended Service contract on a Laptop Worth it?

[thepimento]

I bought a 1000 dollar Laptop from Best Buy and was offered a 200 dollar 3 year extended service contract.

Has anybody had luck with these in the past? Supposedly it covers replacement Battery if this one can;t hold a charge, or if the HDD crashes.

Though it's probably a case of Murphy's law. If I don't get it, Aliens are going to invade my ThinkPad

 

[Lord Evermore]

Well, I'd hope you'd have a good enough warranty on the laptop in the first place to cover something like a dying battery, during the initial warranty period. If you expect the laptop to last you past the initial warranty and for an additional 3 years, then it might be worth it. But if your warranty to start with is going to be long enough that you'll probably upgrade by the time it's over, then it's pointless to pay for the extended.

If it's actually the "Performance Service Plan", that covers the product from day one as far as I know, and covers normal wear and tear damage as well.

I'd say find out the specifics of the manufacturers warranty, and see what the Best Buy plan will cover that isn't covered there.

 

[corkyg]

It's a good question and there are always two sides on it. My feeling is, they would not offer three year warranties for X dollars unless that was profitable. Therefore, if it is profitable for the dealer, it is a loser for the customer (statistically speaking.)

Having said that - when I bought my last laptop, it had a 15.6-in TFT screen. The replacement cost for that screen alone was about $1000 when I bought it. Would I do it again today? Nope! I would stick to my being "self-insured."

 

[eno]

I would so recommend those plans. I had to replace my battery after 9months of use. And if you want to use the manufactors warrenty then good luck, 6weeks+ of no portable laptop. Also if anything else breaks how much you think it will cost you when labor is a good 60$ an hour or sending it in for months and months, unless you know how to repair laptops. IMO.. get it. Those things cover usage also , the manufactor warrenty does not. Also you would have to pay shipping to the vendor if you don't have the plan.

Just make sure to document all times you have to bring it in so there is no confusion, since they usually have some type of "no lemon" policy after so many service calls.

 

[Sophia]

What brand? You may be able to purchase an extended warranty cheaper directly from the manufacturer.

 

[bozo1]

I would be very surprised if they cover the battery or if they do, does it need to be totally dead or just diminished capacity. A laptop battery simply isn't going to last 3 years. I've found that I get about 9 months use out of one before it diminishes so much that I replace it.

Remember, these salespeoples entire purpose in life is to sell you that contract. Don't believe what they tell you unless you see it clearly in writing.

 

[MichaelD]

90% of the time, I say "hell no" on these PSP type deals. But on a laptop that you'll be carrying, throwing and dropping, I say "hell yeah!!!!!" It's in your best interest.

However, check the plan frist. Ensure that it covers stuff like busted displays, smashed KBs and things of that nature. Cracked screens are the most common laptop malady. Interestingly enough, the LCD screen is the most $$$$ part of the entire laptop.

I dont' own a laptop but when I do buy one, i will buy the extended service plan everything.

 

[BG4533]

If you plan on using the laptop on batteries a lot then the cost of the replacement batteries alone could make up the cost of the extended warranty.

On a side note...Does anyone know if Gateways warrantys on their Solo laptops cover the battery? I have a Solo 5300 and the battery just went from almost 3 hours of life to under 40 minutes of life. Sometimes it only decides to last like 15 minutes. It is really weird.

Brian

 

[Pariah]

Make sure the plan covers the screen. Often it doesn't. If the plan doesn't cover the screen I wouldn't bother, if they have a specific plan for a screen, get it. Most of the other parts in a laptop are cheaper to replace than the basic plan cost. The odds of a CPU going bad are pretty slim at best even if you drop the laptop over and over again. Mechanical parts like the HD, optical drives, keyboard, etc. are usually cheaper than $200 to replace. I have an HP laptop, and the backspace key died, I went to their website and ordered a replacement keyboard for $80 including overnight shipping. I don't know about other companies, but you can order almost any part for HP laptops off their site and have them shipped overnight. This obviously means you have to install it yourself, so if you aren't comfortable taking your laptop apart yourself, the extra cost of the plan may be well worth it.

 

[codehack2]

Absolutely not... I've had 3 different thinkpads over the years and these things are built like tanks... I travel alot for work and have had little to no issues with any of them. Also, your paying a huge premium (20%) for a small piece of mind. If you do decide to go with a serrvice plan though, read up on it 1st... what the sales drones tell you isn't always gospel. @ BB last night, I witnessed a guy that was trying to get a PDA covered that he had cracked the screen on... Sales guys said it was covered when he purchased the plan, service guys said no way. Guess who won?

My rule of thumb is to only get the service plan on something that is going to a large financial drain on me if I had to replace it out of pocket.

CH2

 

[r0guenj]

on any type of expensive proprietary hardware and high ticket items (laptops/lcd monitors/home theater setups/plasma tv's) i would definitely pick up a PSP type plan. the BB PSP does NOT cover abuse(breaking it to get a better model) and accidental damage (running over it with a car/dropping it/cracked screen). it DOES cover power surges, dust, heat, humidity(not something dropped in water though), dead pixels, replacement batteries, regular use, and normal wear and tear(don't ask me why it is listed like that)

The BB PSP is also international (take your laptop on vacation or move to another country) and BB covers all shipping and repairs without an additional service charge.

If it cannot be fixed the PSP will allow a new item to replace it that is comparable to the defective one. if you have no problems with that laptop but in 2.9yrs it breaks, BB will replace it with a comparable model at the time. (it can be, depending on who you talk to, be used as an unofficial upgrade policy. especially in the case of a laptop that is no longer manufactured and needs to be replaced because you have a 3 year PSP on it...........

on a side note for laptops, not all manufacturers consider 1, 2, or even 3 dead pixels on a laptop a defect, just a normal part of the manufacturing process. BB will replace it if there is a single dead pixel anywhere.

 

[codehack2]

The thing to keep in mind is Best Buy and the like don't offer these plans as a service to their customers, they offer PSP's because they make huge margins on them. Remember the odds are in heavily in BB's favor on these plans.

An exception to this falls with enthusiasts that know how to "use" PSP's. I happened to purchase a $300 plan on my $3200 Rear Projection HDTV, because of the following: 1) It's in home... i.e. I don't get stuck loading up a 57" monster in a pickup truck. 2) I can use this plan to get my TV calibrated as needed (To give you an idea, a in home calibration alone can run anywhere from $200 to $300). The plan clearly states that for the duration of the PSP my TV will perform at factory specs. The average joe is not going to call in for service unless something is glarringly wrong with the set... Myself I check my set once every month with professional test patterns and if something is amiss, you can bet I'm logging a service call.

Now if the item falls out of the realm of me being able to "use" the PSP to my advantage, I'll only purchase the PSP if I can't afford to replace the item out of pocket comfortibly, which is a good rule of thumb to follow.

CH2

 

[chizow]

Another great advantage of getting one of these plans is if the store you bought the plan from no longer carries the identical model, you get it upgraded for free (instead of losing it for x weeks/months waiting for a refurb).

Chiz