Extended warrantees and retailers? Advice? (1 Viewer)

[Chris PC]

This pertains to Canadian retailers.

I am looking at getting a Panasonic F87K (black) 5 disc DVD carousel from either of Future Shop or 2001AudioVideo here in Canada. I am also thinking about buying one of their extended warranty or extended service plans. Both have roughly the same time frame. $29 gives you an additional year and $39 gives you 3 extra years, with Future Shop also offering a $34.95 option for 2 extra years. Incidentally, Future Shop doesn't even have the Black models in and I've been watching for a month. I don't know why they only have Silver. I am pretty sure 2001AudioVideo has a black model in stock as I asked them, but until I see it with my own eyes, who knows.

Has anyone used these and do you have any advice? For $40 it seems like a reasonable bet to prevent costly repairs.

Experience? Feedback?

 

[SethH]

Extended warranties are completely based on how risk-averse or risk-prone you are. You will most likely not have any problems with your new dvd player (this can be shown statistically). If there are major problems there will likely be a recall. But, it seems like for some people everything they ever buy breaks. Conversely, there are some people who have bought lots and lots of crap without anything ever going wrong with it. I guess some of it comes down to luck. But if that $40 will buy you comfort for the next few years, then go for it. Run a search through some of the forums here (particularly the receivers forum as I remember a thread there) to find various opinions on this topic.

 

[Chris PC]

Thanx. I'll check into it.

 

[Adil M]

Bets a 5 disc changer by Panasonic will break (carousel, fuse, motor spindle) in *3 years. That's what I'd get. No one repairs those things they just waste some time and give you a credit.
You will probably get to recycle your money w/i 3 years if you use it regularly.

Are you going to use it a lot?
Cd's and Dvd's?
Smoke, dusty, *clumsy?

I mean we all know Jack Briggs would have this thing last 40 years , but we are not all perfect.

40 dollars is about 1/3 the cost of the player. The warranty is probably pro-rated?, the product probably is not?
How much time is the warranty process? what does it say in writing?

Once you get these basic ?'s straight you'll make the decision w/ ease.

 

[brentl]

Best idea is to buy it on a card that extends the warranty another year.

That way you get 2 years, if it breaks after that who cares!

Brent

 

[Chris PC]

Yeah, four years is ok I guess. Just so if I sell it in a year, the buyer gets something worth while and a chance at warranty. Future Shop's warranty is transferable. I'll check out the fine print for each warranty and flip a coin. I've had a Panasonic CV51 for 3 years and its fine. Haven't used it massive amounts, but enough.

 

[Nathan*W]

A lot of these places bend over backward to sell their extended warranty. Store Managers love to see these numbers high - so make it work to your advantage. Determine the price you want to pay (even if it's the price they're asking) and find the person in the store who is authorized to negotiate price. Then tell that person you are interested in buying X-piece of equipment and are interested in their extended warranty, but you would like him to reduce the price by the amount of the warranty.

For example, if X-Equipment is $200 and the extended warranty is $35, then you are willing to buy X-Equipment for $165 (plus the warranty).

I have successfully done this on about 6 occasions. The manager goes for it because their warranty numbers go up, and they are still basically getting full markup for the equipment. You get the extended piece of mind for basically free.

 

[Andrew Pratt]

Most large ticket items at FS can be discounted by the warrenty price give or take a bit so what Nathan proposes isn't unreasonable at all...at least they've been willing to move for me on the items I've inquired about.

 

[Chris PC]

I was going to try something like that, only half that. I was going to ask for 179 plus 39. I guess I could try 160 plus 40 for the warranty. I doubt they'll go for that.

 

[Chris PC]

Well, I got the player for $179 and had the guy knock off $10 off the component cable. One thing I noticed that sucks is that it costs $20 to transfer the warranty to another owner if I sell it. Oh well, better than not being able to transfer it at all, but it does suck that its another money grab.

 

[Chris PC]

Even though they have a no return policy, I returned the player and kept the cable. The player wouldn't play one of my store bought DVD's, and 2 other f87's at the store also wouldn't play the dvd. The saleperson was talking credit but I insisted return and refund and to his credit (no pun) he didn't protest too much before refunding the player even thought the policy is no returns. I'm never shopping at a place that has a no return policy again unless there are no alternatives. The F87 is supposed to have MPEG DNR and yet its not adjustable or defeatable like on the F85 so I'll forget about it for now. 2001audiovideo is so-so as a store, but their no-return policy and $20 transfer fee for esp is bogus.