Best Deal on an Extended Warranty? (1 Viewer)

[Ben Chick]

I purchased a 55" Sharp Widescreen set yesterday (shipping sunday), but did not buy the extended warranty at Best Buy. The clerk really pissed me off, so I was totally turned off to it. I'd of shopped elsewhere if I didn't have $800 in gift certificates to use up there. I checked Sharp's website and I can add a year for $150 or 3 years for $339. The 3 year option is year one less than Best Buy for a little more cost, but I have had extreme troubles making use of Best buy extended warranties in the past on other products. Are there any other ways to get an extended warranty? It had been mentioned to me that I might try to get one through Sears. Can I even do that since the TV was not purchased there? Has anyone done anything like that? I just want to buy a little piece of mind.. I just felt I would not be getting that with the extended service contract from Best Buy. Any other options?

 

[JamesMH]

GE financial are pretty good, costs about the same but don't start until the original 1 year is up, means you get a total of 5 instead of Best Buys 4 years.

 

[Ben Chick]

How do I get in touch with GE Financial?
I am not sure on the base warranty on the Sharps. I thought it was one year, but the Sharp website leads me to believe it is 90 days.

 

[JamesMH]

Goto http//www.ge.com select extented warranty and select consumer electronics.
I got my fridge warranty through them for $119, 100% covered for 7 years, compressor for 9 years. Can't beat that.

 

[Ben Chick]

Thanks for the link to GE.. Unfortunately if this is where the warranty is located The drop down box does not include TVs larger than 36". Guess I could call
GE Warranty Management at 800.626.2224 and find out if they cover larger TVs. The other place I have come across on various forums is at http://www.sonic.net/soundscape/delta.html so I should check them out also. Why is it no provider for extended warranties posts any prices for RPTVs?

 

[Ben Chick]

The guy at Sonic.net fixed the website, so now the price is showing as $250 to extend my warranty 3 years, so that should give me 4. It is cheaper than the Best Buy 4-year $299 service plan. The Sonic.net warranty is through Phillips. From what I have read, it looks to be a very good warranty service. Can we get some more reports on it here?
Secondly, I followed up on someone's mention of buying a warranty through Sears. I explained to the clerk at Sears that I did not purchase a TV from them, but was wondering if I could buy their extended service contract. He sternly told me "NO" and said "this is NOT allowed". So count that option out.
I need to find out about the GE extended warranty still.
Any opinions on this warranty provider?
Viking Warranty
They appear to have the best rate for 24 months. That would give me 3 years total with the manufacturer's warranty. How many RPTV owners have a problem within 3 years and after? I am considering this provider because I'll only have to spend $150. I need some better details on their coverage though.
Furthermore I have found these providers to check out. I am not sure if they can provide coverage for us large screen TV owners.
AON Warranty Group
Warranty Superstore
I hope this thread will be useful and comprehensive to others. I've done too many searches on this forum and can only find bits and pieces at a time regarding actual providers. Please share any other providers as well as your recommendations. Let's make this the Ultimate Extended Warranty Provider thread.

 

[Ben Chick]

oops.. double post

 

[Randy Tennison]

Ben,

Here is my opinion on warranties. Make sure what you are paying for. Is it merely an extension of the manufacturer warranty? In other words, does it only cover defects in workmanship, or does it cover accidental damage, and acts of God?

I worked at Montgomery Ward for many years, and their warranties were pretty good. They covered anything you did to the unit. For example, rent a bad tape and Blockbuster that screws up your VCR, your covered. Dog eats the remote, your covered.

Look very closely at the coverage. Is there a deductible? Is there a lemon policy? Do they service it, or just repair it (routine maintenance)? Are power surges or lightning strikes covered? How about theft? (Much cheaper than your homeowner's deductible!)

Lastly, you might want to talk to Sears service center. They may be able to sell a warranty to you, when the store cannot. I have two warrantys through GE Capital, but haven not had to use them.

And then again, you can take the money for the warranty and place it in an interest bearing account, and keep it for any repairs down the road.

Good Luck!

 

[Ben Chick]

Thanks Randy Tennison for the right questions to ask.
I've been mailing/talking to the different providers. So far
Viking Warranty is looking to be a super value! Here's an e-mail from Mark Grommesh at Viking Warranty. I have sent him another e-mail with more questions. I will post the answers. This warranty is looking better and better. The website says they are backed very well so if they go out of business the warranty will remain. Anyway:
1) All policies on TV's retailing for more than $1,000 are in-home policies
2) All parts (including those you mentioned) and labor are covered for the
life of the warranty subject to the exclusion (usually customer abuse
related)
3) We offer a 4 year extension for $179.99 which begins after the
manufacturers warranty expires, this policy has no deductible.
If you have any other questions, feel free to contact us toll free at
800-240-2980, or take a quick look at the terms and conditions of the policy
at:
http://www.vikingwarranty.com/homeel...elec_allus.asp
Thanks, and let me know if I can be of any further assistance.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ben Cichanowicz"
To:
Sent: Friday, November 23, 2001 1:05 AM
Subject: What is covered with HDTV?
> Hello! I was wondering what is covered by your extended service contract
> for rear projector HDTV sets under $2500. I recently purchased a Sharp 55"
> Widescreen TV set and am shopping for an extended warranty. Does your
> warranty cover parts/labor such as the picture guns/lighting element? The
> service is "in-home" for such a large set right? Do you have a warranty
for
> such a set for 3 years or more instead of two? How much would that cost?
> Any details you could provide would be helpful for me to make my decision.
> Thanks!

 

[Ben Chick]

More from Viking Warrany:

******************************

As to your questions.

1) While under warranty, if a component fails or does not operate as

designed so that the picture on the TV is less than what was originally

designed for the unit, you can file a claim to have the TV repaired. The TV

doesn't have to stop working to file a claim, having a picture quality less

than the original quality when purchased is enough reason to file a claim.

2) There is no "Lemon policy" as you put it, but our policies are "repair or

replace" and if the same part continues to fail, the claims rep who is

handling the claim can authorize a replacement of the unit. This is a

reasonable request for a recurring failure of the same component.

3) Our policies are extended warranty policies, not extended maintenance

policies so there are no yearly maintenance programs included. However,

should you have a claim, when the service tech is on location, they will

clean the guns, screen, and any other component which effects the picture

clarity.

4) Any acts of god or nature such as lightning, flood, power surge are not

covered under this policy. Those types of claims should be covered under

you home owners policy. Our policies cover the same elements as the

original manufacturers warranty only.

5) Cats - No, this would be considered abuse and would not be covered.

Remotes - yes, we have a facility that repairs remotes.

6) Theft - No, again this would be a home owners claim. (I don't want to

run into the thief who is making off with the 275 pound TV either)

If you have any other questions, please let me know. I think you have found

that no one out there is going to beat our prices, our coverage's are

comparable to the others found, but we don't have the high markup you find

in the stores. Our administrator (who has been doing this for 17 years) may

even be the administrator for the other policies you are looking at, so the

service level will be satisfactory.

Thanks for your business.

Mark Grommesh

Viking Warranty

***********************************

I think I will purchase my extended warranty through Viking Warranty. They sound exactly like what I need.

 

[Ben Chick]

I just purchased the 4-year extended warranty from Viking for my 55" widescreen Sharp RPTV. It is basically an extension of the manufacturer's warranty, certainly (at least) equivalent to the crap warranties I have been suckered into at Best Buy, only much more affordable. I guess I am the hometheaterforum 'guinea pig' for this warranty company. I hope I never have to use this warranty. I'm assured 5 years now on my set.

 

[Henry Carmona]

I purchased a Best Buy Service Plan when i purchased my HDTV.
Well, over 2 yrs later, my TV (Toshiba) goes bananas and they cant fix it
Sooo, a couple hundred dollars more and ive upgraded to a 50H81
Happy Camper!

 

[Ben Chick]

Henry Carmona Viking Warranty assures me they would do a similiar thing if the TV was not fixable, though I could only get an equivalent set. The people I spoke to said the repair techs make every effort to repair the set and will authorize a new replacement if necessary. The last extended warranty I bought for my last TV at Best Buy was useless and overpriced. It also was for a Toshiba, but unlike your Best Buy store, mine just said "sorry" and kept directing me to the shoddy repair shop they endorsed. After too much frustration (multiple 'repairs' with poor results), I just "lived" with the problem until I decided on my new set (which is wonderful). Viking offered a longer warranty for much less money for all the same coverage as Best Buy (aside from your lucky trade-up).