Warranties worth it?

[OzzieGT]

Hey,

Some relatives are looking to buy a new computer. They want a computer for basic stuff like browsing / word processing. I was thinking about telling them to get a low-end Dell or Gateway system as this will fill their needs just fine. What I'm wondering about is the warranty...is getting support pretty easy with these warranties? If so I might tell them to just get a 3 year warranty and be done with it...if they have any problems all they have to do is call and get things taken care of. If the customer service is really bad though, it wouldn't justify the $150 price tag. Thoughts? Experiences?

Thanks,
Osman

 

[Fanny]

Im not sure about Dell, but Gateway has pretty good customer service and techsupport

 

[Druid21]

Yes, the warranty is worth it.

I was a Dell user for 3 years (well technically I still am...) and I purchased the 3 year onsite warranty when I got the computer. A week before the warranty expired my mobo fried and took the RDRAM with it. After calling Dell and some over the phone trouble shooting to determine the problem they sent a technician out with a new mobo and RDRAM and got it fixed for me. This didn't cost me a cent because of the warranty. With tech time it would have been a $400 bill.

Dell customer service is good and if your relatives are going to get a cheap computer for surfing and word processing Dell will be a good option for them. Just remember to fork over the cash for the extended warranty. Dell uses proprietary parts on the cheap machines so if something goes wrong the warranty will end up saving you money.

They do out-source thier customer support phone stuff to India but most of the people Dell hires speak decent English.