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So how good is that Monster Warranty? You feel lucky, punk? (1 Viewer)

Chu Gai

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2001
Messages
7,270
Garrett..
What can we, the apartment renters do in the way of electronic protection above and beyond renters insurance, that isnt a waste of good money?
Well reviewing your renter's insurance and shopping around for a better, more cost effective approach is always a good idea.
You could always ask your facility's management if they've got devices installed to deal with lightning. Many larger buildings do. If they don't you could always take a proactive approach and get a petition. But aside from that, I'd do what I could to make the best out of a somewhat bad situation. For example, you can buy a $4 circuit tester at Home Depot and verify that your wiring is correct, and if not have the building management fix it.
After that, probably the best that you can do is to buy a unit with the highest joule rating you can that everything in your HT system plugs into. Price is not a factor here and you'll find that a $20 Stratitec has a rating over 2500 joules. The Panamax Max series also has a fairly high rating. If you don't like the MOV approach, then devices based upon Silicon Avalanche Diodes such as the DPS series from Transtector are also highly effective (a little under $100). But really, a good insurance policy will put a smile on your face when you realize you can go shopping again and get even a better TV and it's not going to cost you.
 

JohnFF

Agent
Joined
May 9, 2002
Messages
44
Yet again, Chu speaketh the truth. I'd love to see actual numbers for any of these company's CEG: total claims and claims paid in full.
 

Chu Gai

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2001
Messages
7,270
You know, all I want people to do is think about what it is that they buy and I certainly don't think anyone has to agree with me. When things seem too good to be true, there's a reason. When a dealer strongly suggests, and some are better at this than others, an exteneded warranty, then don't just listen to him, get a copy of it and sit down and carefully read it at home. Think about what you want to get extra protection on because maybe, it's worth the financial cost to get that peace of mind and maybe it really isn't worth it at all. That's a judgement call and it really shouldn't be made quickly or at the 'enemy's' workplace. With regards to surge protectors, the difference between a $20 unit and one that costs $200 makes a difference to only one person. That person is the CFO or accountant from the company selling a $5 unit for $200. You see, perceived value is a funny thing with people. One of the things it's intimately related to is price. There's a company that among other things, makes what's known as electrochemical detectors. These are devices that can be used to detect the presence of chemicals in the part per billion range and lower based on whether they can be oxidized or reduced. Anyways, the comapany is BAS, and the founder of the company who was also the inventor of the instrument, sold them initially for a few hundred dollars. He got some takers but no real interest and hardly any repeat sales. He was perplexed. Here he's got an inexpensive device that has great use in fields like biology, environmental sciences. It works. It's the only one out there. No one is flocking to his doorstep. Well he made various inquiries and the one consistent reply was that people weren't taking it seriously because it was priced too low in relation to everything that was out there. As far as they were concerned, anything priced that inexpensively had to be a toy...a curiousity if you will. Well how did he fix the situtation? He jacked the price up big time. Now it sold in the thousands and the replacement parts were now in the hundreds. Orders came in and a leader in the industry was born. This happens all the time in life.
 

David Judah

Screenwriter
Joined
Feb 11, 1999
Messages
1,479
You think Monster and retailers are out to bilk the innocents. Great--we get it. You are really preaching to the choir though, because most that participate here are a little more discerning than the average consumer when it comes to electronics and related accessories.

Sure there's alot of markup on these devices and sure they know they're not going to have to replace many peices of equipment, so they offer a "marketing" warranty. The average guy thinks "Hey, this must be good if they are confident enough to offer an up to $100,000 replacment warranty."

Those of us who know how insurance works in all its different forms, including extended warranties, know its a crapshoot, but I will say with regard to warranties, you're sure glad you have one if your equipment breaks outside of the manufacturers warranty.

I think the surge protectors that Monster sells and others can be effective. They protect from the small, daily spikes that could potentially cause a unit to fail early, they can reduce noise in the AC line, and some will isolate the analog components from the digital ones.

I agree that whole house protection will give you the most safety, but as you said the chances of a system blowing surge, in most areas, is pretty slim(Floridians might disagree though :)).

So for a $100+, depending on how fancy you want to get, you can have your bases covered quickly and easily. Now will that be cash or charge? :)

DJ
 

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