[ponjohn]

Every consumer advocate says DO NOT buy extended warranties on any appliances or consumer electronics.

Well, the screen on my laptop cracked and it is 3 weeks shy of two years old. Had I bought the extended plan it would have saved me 370.00.

That is the estimate I was given to fix it because the LCD is obsolete and can only be purchased from China. Normal LCD repair is 199.

So now I am looking for a new one for 450.

I'm not sure I understand the logic in not buying them.

[GreysonWinfieldEsq]

You should check EBay for the screen.

[sleepy]

Why did the screen crack? Even under warranty they won't fix abuse damage.

[PonchoV8]

Extendeds often cover that type of thing. I cracked mine by closing something in it and then leaning on it. You can replace the screen yourself for the cost of a screen ($50 or so). Find a video on Youtube that show you how to do your specific model. I only paid $100 for my new $265 laptop so it's not such an injury.

DO NOT BUY A SCREEN FROM BLISS OR EAST COAST LCDS out of New Jersey. They're quoting and selling specific screens and shipping you generic crap that probably is DOA in the first place. Their hope is that you have to have the part right now so you keep their POJ and suck it up.

I'm buying one on a Walmart purchase of a dehumidifier. It's a 1 yr parts and labor, 5 yr sealed unit, but you have to pay labor if it goes. Dehums frequently don't last 5 yrs. So on sale it's $20 off. $20 for a 2 yr extension on top of the 1 yr P&L.

[ponjohn]

Originally Posted by sleepy

Why did the screen crack? Even under warranty they won't fix abuse damage.

Wasn't abuse, it is a 16:9 format screen and I went to adjust the angle and had the mouse in my right hand. With my left I grabbed it low on the left side and walla it cracked.

I've been out shopping and I have felt newer models with the larger screen and they easily adjust even if you grab it within an inch of the hinge.

Clearly the hinges on my Sony Vaio are too tight.

Shoould have made them with a grease fitting.

[PMD1969]

Originally Posted by ponjohn

Every consumer advocate says DO NOT buy extended warranties on any appliances or consumer electronics.

Well, the screen on my laptop cracked and it is 3 weeks shy of two years old. Had I bought the extended plan it would have saved me 370.00.

That is the estimate I was given to fix it because the LCD is obsolete and can only be purchased from China. Normal LCD repair is 199.

So now I am looking for a new one for 450.

I'm not sure I understand the logic in not buying them.

You should buy better products? Buy them at Costco and the extended warranty is automatically added.

[PonchoV8]

What is this Costco you speak of?

[ponjohn]

Originally Posted by PMD1969

You should buy better products? Buy them at Costco and the extended warranty is automatically added.

You don't even know what laptop I have. That's like saying you need a haircut and I've never seen you.

I shopped Costco, nothing under 800 bucks with the larger screen.
329 for a Lanovo with 15.6 screen.

[PMD1969]

Originally Posted by ponjohn

You don't even know what laptop I have. That's like saying you need a haircut and I've never seen you.

I shopped Costco, nothing under 800 bucks with the larger screen.
329 for a Lanovo with 15.6 screen.

That's why the comment/question was ended with a question mark. If you sign up for Costcos online only sales they are much better. I picked up a Toshiba Satellite i7 1TB 8GB BluRay 17.3 for $699 and it bumps the warranty for another year.

I trust that you are getting your hair cut regularly and are well groomed yes?

[andyg]

My backpack was knocked down a flight of stairs at school one day with my laptop in it. All parts were covered for repair then and just a few days ago I sent it out for a spill on the keyboard. Best $250 I have spent on a $700 laptop. 3 years of accidental coverage and a one time battery and charger replacement should I ever need them. Sure it was expensive up front, but it has paid off for me.

[Rob B]

I am not an extended warranty person what so ever but I did purchase one when I bought my first LCD flat screen 5 years ago. It cost me $70 for a 3 year warranty. A week before it expired I called the company because it had the typical black line that would show up on the screen from time to time. They sent a guy out, he wrote an estimate of $1200 to fix it. The warranty Co. called back and sent me a check for $900 to go replace it. I got more money back than what I paid for it including the warranty, got to keep the "bad"TV (gave it to my Mom who still uses it) and was able to go out and buy a bigger, better TV for less money. Needless to say, I bought another extended warranty.

[PonchoV8]

I was wrong once.

When I was in my 20s I bought an RCA TV at Circuit City and bought the extended warranty. You have the option to cancel that contract within a certain amount of time. After a while the TV started cutting off and on and I called the service man because I purchased the extended warranty. He had to take the TV to the shop. When he called back he said couldn't find my information but I needed a new picture tube. I insisted that I bought it and stated how much it cost, etc.. I know I bought it and even made a trip to the store manager to discuss it. Long and short they said they'd cover it. Six weeks later I was preparing to go for a long stay in Ca. I made the calls, the TV was ready and upon pickup I discovered numerous nicks in the cabinet from their personnel. I protested, they offered to patch the cabinet, I refused and said I'm leaving for Ca tomorrow. They told me to walk out on the floor and pick out a replacement TV to take with me. I got a new Mitsubishi that I should've bought in the first place.

A while later I realized that I had canceled the extended warranty contract shortly after receiving the first credit card bill. I had already sold the TV while it was still in the box when I came back from Ca.

[cayenne]

Originally Posted by ponjohn

Every consumer advocate says DO NOT buy extended warranties on any appliances or consumer electronics.

Well, the screen on my laptop cracked and it is 3 weeks shy of two years old. Had I bought the extended plan it would have saved me 370.00.

That is the estimate I was given to fix it because the LCD is obsolete and can only be purchased from China. Normal LCD repair is 199.

So now I am looking for a new one for 450.

I'm not sure I understand the logic in not buying them.

In the meantime...why not just plug the laptop into a regular monitor...and you can use it that way...or at least, will help you along if you want to get things off of it (if you've not taken proper backups regularly)...

HTH,

cayenne

ps. if you don't have a spare computer monitor, most any flat screen tv can also be used....

[PontGuy]

Statistically the extended warranties are a bad deal. Sort of like the odds in Vegas, sometimes you come out a winner but overall the house comes out way ahead. You are much more likely to pay more for all the warranties than you would paying out of pocket for the few times something goes bad that really shouldn't have. But on a big ticket item it may be worth it depending on your finances and how much it will hurt if there are problems down the road.

Shortly after the flat screen HD TVs came out I bought a 42" Magnavox and declined the extended warranty as I always do. Just before the standard warranty was up the TV cut off a few times for no reason which made me nervous. And around the same time I got a letter with an offer to extend the warranty for $100 or so. I decided to pay the $100 and sure enough within a couple of months it cut off and stayed off. I called the warranty company and described the problem, and they sent me a check for the original purchase price. Didn't even send out a service rep, just told me to toss it. Technology had improved and prices had dropped, so I was able to buy a new Sony that was a much better TV and pocketed the rest which was actually more than the extended warranty payment.

I came out way ahead that time.

[fiedlerh]

Got an extended warranty from CC for my DirecTV equipment. I was new to the service so I bit. When the remotes failed a 18 months later CC said "not our problem call DirecTV". DirecTV said "not out problem call CC". With an extended warranty you are at the mercy of the retailer and the extended warranty company. They seem to deny claims for any reason.

My dad had some extended warranties on his Mopars thru Chrysler and he came out ahead because something was always breaking, and they actually paid the claims.

[cayenne]

Originally Posted by fiedlerh

Got an extended warranty from CC for my DirecTV equipment. I was new to the service so I bit. When the remotes failed a 18 months later CC said "not our problem call DirecTV". DirecTV said "not out problem call CC". With an extended warranty you are at the mercy of the retailer and the extended warranty company. They seem to deny claims for any reason.

My dad had some extended warranties on his Mopars thru Chrysler and he came out ahead because something was always breaking, and they actually paid the claims.

I don't buy them for 'most' things...but I make a few exceptions.
I get apple care with my iphone, and my macbook pro.

I hesitated, but got one online for a 59" Plasma tv I got last year...because I was a bit afraid I might have a burn in problem (not really a problem for modern plasmas I found out)..and it covers for power surges, etc....next tv, likely I won't get one.

But the apple stuff....I've used the apple care on most every product I've bought from them in the past years....in fact a couple of times...the things failed shortly after the extended warranty was out (my iphone by a whole month it turns out)...and the guy at the store was very nice, and went ahead and replaced the whole unit with no hassles.

I really appreciated the service I've gotten from them. They're $$$...and yes, some things do fail..but they've never given me a problem anytime and have made sure I was a happy customer before I left the store....

[Norwood]

I laugh when the sales person tries to sell you a warranty on the 49.00 printer.

Most lap top screens can be bought for under 75.00. If you have any mechanical skill you can replace it yourself in under an hour.

You tube a GREAT source for "How To" videos.

http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...ac.lOs0vEvFmfY

[limejudge69]

I've had many great dealings with Triangle Laptops in Durham NC. Bought a few keyboards, batteries and screens from them. I always check with them first on any computer repair parts.

[David Jones]

I've never bought an extended warranty on anything.
That should have me money WELL ahead.

[Jerry H.]

I bought a new ACER laptop with the wide screen this winter from Staples, $329 on sale. Basic Laptop with everything I'll ever need, DVD burner, Windows 7, etc. I'll use it for 3 years or so and buy a new one. By that time it will be outdated anyway.