How many people bought service plans? (1 Viewer)

[GeoffL]

Hrm....so I guess the sense that I shouldn't buy a protection program.

That's ok, because I've come down to that conclusion in the last couple days.

My purchase isn't that big, ~$1500. It's not like it's 4-5K.

Thanks for all your help! I stopped shopping at BB after they "scared" me into buying a protection program.

whirley

 

[Nathan*W]

Do what I do:

If you feel you need the warranty, get them to include it for free!

If you're spending $1,500 on a TV and the ESP is $300, tell the salesman you'll take the TV for $1,200 and he can add the warranty for $300. I've done this on three seperate occasions, and the salesman eats it up every time. They get commission on the warranty , and you get piece of mind for what you were willing to pay anyway for just the unit.

Trust me when I say the markup on electronics will more than cover the price reduction you ask for.

 

[Carl Johnson]

I've got an even better story than that. My brother bought a $69 open box VCR from Circuit City and the salesperson tried to sell him a $75 ESP

 

[Jeff Kleist]

They've tried to sell me one on a $20 game controller

 

[Bill Slack]

BestBuy tried very, very hard to sell me an extended warranty on my waffle iron. It already comes with a 2 year one. Ahh... but if anything at all happened to it, they would replace it at the store for me, for only 25% of the purchase price.
I just couldn't see my waffle iron jumping off the counter an apparent suicide attempt. And I couldn't see the two pieces of metal and a heating element breaking too easily. And when I asked the BestBuy guy if it was covered if I smashed it against the wall I was standing next to, he couldn't give me an answer (but STILL tried to give my other good reasons for getting!)
Needless to say, I DID ask to purchase an extended warranty on the CDs I was buying, and he wouldn't sell me one. The nerve!
Look, I don't try to be a dick to the guy trying to sell it to me, but after I say no 2-3 times, leave me alone. Especially when it's a damn waffle iron.

(I did buy one for my TV. It's just too big to take in for service, and a house call is the cost of the warranty. Worth the piece of mind for me. I've never bought any others.)

 

[Rob Ritch]

For what it is worth, I purchased the 3 year protection on my 53" Sony. I have noticed that event though I have set the picture up with the Avia that is looks a little out of focus. I called sears this morning and talked to a technician, he asked me about the inputs and the cabling, as well as the picture settings. After I told him how the TV was swt up, he agreed that it sounds like either the focus or the convergance. He went ahead and scheduled an appointment to have the focus and convergence both set. He wanted to schedule it for Tomorrow morning but that did not work for me, so he scheduled it for Saturday.

I paid $250 for a three year contract that does include the annual service. There is no charge for this visit and it does not count against my annual maintenace either. In my case at least the contract has already almost paid for itself with one visit. The price to have this service performed if it is not under a protection plan is $200. YMMV

-Rob

 

[David Guill]

With electronics statistics show that 97% of all failures occur within the first 3 months and clearly 99+% occur within the first year. So, if the device is going to break down it will break down in the first year. Purchasing a "maintenance" or "service" agreement is basically handing money to the dealer.
It's up to you though, The dealers love the easy cash.

 

[Matthew Cook]

As an ex electronics salesman the first rule of the company is sell the product, 2nd sell the add ons, and 3rd sell the warranty. If one doesnt want 2nd or the 3rd item together get them to buy atleast one. If you dont do so management doesnt get happy with you.

 

[drobbins]

This is my theory of extended warranties.
Most items come with a minimum of a 1 year warranty. If there is a factory defect chances are that it will show up during that first year.
When I am asked (pressed) to buy the extended warranty, I usually asks them why I need it. They reply with the usual "it could break after the 1st year". I ask them to explain to me "why I should buy the item in the first place if they think that it won't last over a year?" They tell me that "it will probably last a long time with out braking". Then I ask them "then why do I need the extended warranty"? At this point if the salesperson starts bumbling with explanations that he realizes don't make scene.
I had one salesperson try to sell me a $5.00 warranty on a $25.00 wireless controller. He said that it would protect against power surges. Power surges on a wireless?
I have been buying stuff for over 30 years now and have never need an extended warranty. Even if I did need a repair, the money I saved on all the warranties that I didn't buy would easily pay for that one repair. The only exception is my cars. I like the warranty to last at least as long as my payments. On one car I had the AC unit go bad. The warranty was cheaper than the repair would have been.
Thats my 2 cents.
Dave

 

[Jonathan Dagmar]

Can I offer a slightly different take?

Extended warranties are not ALWAYS a good deal, nor are they always a bad deal. You really must consider it on a case by case basis. I personally would always buy the warranty on a projection TV, because though the chances of a probelm after the 1 year manufacturers warranty expires is slim, if it does happen, the repair will likely cost much much more than the cost of the service plan, once you acount for the labour.

On the other hand, purchasing it on any speakers, with the exception of powered subwoofers would be downright stupid, IMO.

Finally I would just like to comment on the great amount of animosity towards salespeople I have seen in this thread. Where just doing our jobs! I work at a certain big box electronics store, where I recieve no commission, a wage barely higher than the minimum, and recieve absolutely no benefits when I sell a service plan, other than not being hassled by the sales manager. They have even started making us hold our bloody clipboards in a particular, and very unnatural way.

So when we offer you the service plan, which, remeber, is sometimes a very good idea, please dont be rude to us. We already deal with enough people who treat us lowly retail employees that dirt, we really dont need more heaped on us. I've even had people accuse me of trying to screw them over right to may face at the very mention of it.

I work my ass off, and ALWAYS direct customers to the product I think is best for them, and the accesories I think are best for them, without rergard to any of the stupid lists of clearance product or high margin items management hands out to me. SO you can bet if I suggest a service plan, its because I have to. And if I push it, it's because I really think you need it.

Also remember the flipside, when a customer doesnt buy a service plan, and then comes back six months later with a broken tv, and we have to tell them "sorry, call the manufacturer", you wouldnt belive the abuse we often take after that. And it happens more often that any one would want to believe.

 

[Thomas_A]

I will buy extended warranty based on what the item is. I have had too use some...others was of course, just a piece of mind issue....I about died other day. Purchased a DVD at CC and the guy asked me if I wanted to buy a protection plan for 1.99? (think it was). 14.99 for the dvd..then 2 bucks for protection. Covers breakage, scratching...defective...lol. I was like...Now they have gone too far! But I wonder...how many folks buy it. They tag it on the price...they have too go in and take it off..not add it on!!! oh boy!

I have protection plans on my DLP HDTV and my LCD FP- extended warranty covers bulbs! and are long enough that it will warrant it. yes...I'm pre-paying for the bulbs...but I get more added with it...gotta love it.

 

[JasonRabb]

Hi gang, good info from what you have all posted thus far!

How's this for "sneaky" or just good thinking...open up a credit card with "X" Bank that offers warranty protection and make your purchase with that. Then just pay off the credit card with the funds you would have spent. In other words, why plunk down the money with cash or a debit card when there are plenty of CC's that offer an extension of a manufacturer's warranty as part of the perk of carrying it? I did that with a City Bank card and got an extra year put on for nothing,(on top of a manufacturer 1 year warranty) since that is the policy of the card. So I got 2 years for free. I know that there are a bunch of credit companies that do this too, but I am not sure which since I only researched the cards I currently held. But it would make sense for Amex and others to try to match these types of concepts. What do you all think?

 

[Jonathan T.]

dont count on credit cards to portect you. Since they only extend the manufacturers warranty, they are next to useless, because frankly most manufacturers warranties are next to useless. Also most credit card companies will require three quotes, obtained at your expensse from their approved service centers, before they will authorize the repair...

Just saying....

 

[DustinT]

I perfer Circuit City because the sales people are not paid commission, from what i've been told. the Customer service was so great one day that i asked because i planned to come back and buy from that particular sales person if indeed they were commission based.
so, my warranty history. I decided against it for my new $300 surround system. didn't think the price was worth it.
STILL trying to decide on the Plasma that i'm buying in a week. but i don't think i'm going to get it. my budget is about $2k for the plasma, and i plan to leave it with the house when i move in 2 years.
DID NOT get the extended warranty for my '99 silverado pickup. at 77,000 miles the transmission blew up, about 2,000 miles (or 3 weeks for me) after the warranty WOULD HAVE ran out anyways... so for the price i WOULD have paid for the extended, i bought a new transmission instead.

 

[Rick_Brown]

"If you're spending $1,500 on a TV and the ESP is $300, tell the salesman you'll take the TV for $1,200 and he can add the warranty for $300. I've done this on three seperate occasions, and the salesman eats it up every time. They get commission on the warranty , and you get piece of mind for what you were willing to pay anyway for just the unit."

Nathan, that's the best shopping tip I have ever read in this forum! I'm going to try it next time I make a purchase. Thanks very much for sharing it.

 

[Jonathan T.]

If you're spending $1,500 on a TV and the ESP is $300, tell the salesman you'll take the TV for $1,200 and he can add the warranty for $300. I've done this on three seperate occasions, and the salesman eats it up every time. They get commission on the warranty , and you get piece of mind for what you were willing to pay anyway for just the unit."

That won't work at Best Buy, no comission there...