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The Truth about Extended Warranties....

post #1 of 42
2/21/05 at 2:59pm
Thread Starter 
When buying a notebook from HP, Dell or Acer.... whould I purchase the extended warranties? How about the ones which cover all accidental damages?

Or is it better to pocket the 300 dollars and take my chances? I am extremely curious to hear what people out there think.....
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post #2 of 42
2/21/05 at 3:21pm
I think you will find that in most cases, if an electronic component is going to fail, it will do so in the first year. Thats why I bought a just 1yr at home service warranty. Of course anything can fail at any time so this isnt a hard and fast rule. For example the play and eject buttons on my JVC DVD player just crapped out, FIVE days after the warranty expired.
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post #3 of 42
2/21/05 at 3:41pm
The biggest enemy of laptops is heat and over a period of time the more heat a laptop is subjected to the more chance of a problem. I always buy an extended warranty because it is very costly to repair a laptop. If you frequently transport your laptop then Complete care or accidental coverage is a very good idea. IMHO
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post #4 of 42
2/21/05 at 3:56pm
I got complete care with mine. It comes with a 3 year warranty since I ordered through small business. Normally, I wouldn't do it but since you can't replace laptop parts your self as easily as you can desktop I thought it would be worth it. Plus if it messes up 2.5 years down the road, Dell probably won't have my model and I'll get a new one
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post #5 of 42
2/21/05 at 3:57pm
You also might want to see if you can get a computer through the EPP program. If you can, that helps mitigate some of the cost of the extended warranty.
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post #6 of 42
2/21/05 at 4:17pm
if you are in NY and FL you are out of luck with dell anyways for complete care.

like any insurance, you don't need it 'til you need it. it's a mystery and nobody knows...the problem with complete care is that you have only 30 days from invoice date to get it. you can extend warranty any time during the warranty period though. if your lappie is gonna fail, you should notice within the first year (i.e. plastic parts habitually breaking at mounting points like my last lappie), failed devices etc.

then again my car waited until just after the warranty period to fail. so again nobody knows.

you have to do the cost benefit for yourself. now all warranties are not equal though..so read the fine print. for example, i only bought extended warranty at best buy once in my life and it turned out to be worthwhile since the vcr failed three times. normally, i do not buy extended warranties, especially on electronics because it is a waste of money.

for computers it is a bit different, especially for lappies. i carry mine around all the time and computers tend to have a higher part failure rate than other electronics gear (lots of moving parts).
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post #7 of 42
2/21/05 at 4:32pm
Since this is a Dell forum, I'll assume it's regarding a Dell laptop. If that is truly the case, I could not recommend HIGHLY ENOUGH that you get an extended warranty *and* complete care!!!

Dells laptops are not like IBM's.

I have several Dell desktops between work/home that I'd never buy an extended warranty for, but as for the laptops........DEFINITELY!!!!

Inspirons/Latitudes are just not high enough quality.....(ever wonder why Dells are so cheap?)......and as such require warranties!! My .02!!
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post #8 of 42
2/21/05 at 5:13pm
Thread Starter 
what ib would you recommend i look at for power but not hardcore gaming?
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post #9 of 42
2/21/05 at 5:25pm
it depends on your budget and what your needs are. are you gonna carry it around alot? are you needing light, are you needing graphics, are you needing big screen, etc.
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post #10 of 42
2/21/05 at 5:41pm
Off the top of my head with no idea on what you need I would say 8600.
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post #11 of 42
2/21/05 at 5:42pm
Thread Starter 
I would like a nice screen but i dont care about size... i want something powerful enough to play all games, but not the best (ie 9700 might be good enough). i want a very good value and i am willing sacrifice weight and battery life.

any ideas? dell 8600?
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post #12 of 42
2/21/05 at 6:03pm
when you say complete care... do you mean Dell's GOLD service?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Maklar
I got complete care with mine. It comes with a 3 year warranty since I ordered through small business. Normally, I wouldn't do it but since you can't replace laptop parts your self as easily as you can desktop I thought it would be worth it. Plus if it messes up 2.5 years down the road, Dell probably won't have my model and I'll get a new one
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post #13 of 42
2/21/05 at 6:12pm
Complete care is a waste if you have homeoners insurance or renters your probably covered for xx amount I added a rider on to my renters ploicy to up my computer equipment coverage from 5,000 to 10,000 as I have 5 computers and I pay a whole wooping $224 a yr for my renters coverage and YES it does cover anything, drops, quits working or stolen so why waste more money on complete care
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post #14 of 42
2/21/05 at 6:19pm
I ordered through Small Business so it is called something else. It was the middle tier package.

As for homeowners, mine only covers if it is stolen. It does not cover any damage done to it. Do you have a deductible on that?

Another thing, if it is for a business, your home owners technically doesn't cover it as well. You have to have a separate policy for it.
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post #15 of 42
2/21/05 at 6:54pm
Check with your agent on adding a rider that would cover everything and as for the buisness part what they dont know won't hurt them and my deductible is $50
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post #16 of 42
2/21/05 at 6:57pm
I just recycled my i8200 to my sister, with complete care I had the MB and screen replaced, so essentially it is a new laptop.

There were some nagging issues, etc. so I could with a clear concience get the parts, its a nice way to recycle a laptop
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post #17 of 42
2/21/05 at 7:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by johnparjr
Complete care is a waste if you have homeoners insurance or renters your probably covered for xx amount I added a rider on to my renters ploicy to up my computer equipment coverage from 5,000 to 10,000 as I have 5 computers and I pay a whole wooping $224 a yr for my renters coverage and YES it does cover anything, drops, quits working or stolen so why waste more money on complete care
not true, most renters and homeowners insurance do not cover accidental damage..and most have limits on computer coverages. if you pay a whopping $224/yr that is far more than paying $300 for 4 years of extended and complete care. you cannot blanket say that renters and homeowners insurance covers..there are stipulations and laws vary from state to state on what can be covered.
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post #18 of 42
2/21/05 at 7:25pm
And if you file it under your homeowners, or even a seperate policy just for your computer, when you go to cash in on the insurance policy in the even of a claim, that will be a mark against you and could lead to later on raising your rates. With the Dell insurance, your home/auto insurance does not know anything if you drop it and send it back into Dell. Insurance companies are VERY picky, and will mark anything against you they can, including filing claims, even though they say they don't all the time. A friend of mine works for an insurance company, and even if you call in and ask a question about whether something is big enough to claim or not, and you tell them your name, they will file that in your records, even if you decide not to file a claim, and it could potentially be a factor in raising your rates.

So bottom line, get the Dell insurance, not anything related to your home/auto insurance.
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post #19 of 42
2/21/05 at 8:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by laffingbilly
not true, most renters and homeowners insurance do not cover accidental damage..and most have limits on computer coverages. if you pay a whopping $224/yr that is far more than paying $300 for 4 years of extended and complete care. you cannot blanket say that renters and homeowners insurance covers..there are stipulations and laws vary from state to state on what can be covered.

My 224yr is for all my stuff not just the computers the extra coverage for my PC's was $12 a yr beat that sucka
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post #20 of 42
2/21/05 at 8:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jslessley
And if you file it under your homeowners, or even a seperate policy just for your computer, when you go to cash in on the insurance policy in the even of a claim, that will be a mark against you and could lead to later on raising your rates. With the Dell insurance, your home/auto insurance does not know anything if you drop it and send it back into Dell. Insurance companies are VERY picky, and will mark anything against you they can, including filing claims, even though they say they don't all the time. A friend of mine works for an insurance company, and even if you call in and ask a question about whether something is big enough to claim or not, and you tell them your name, they will file that in your records, even if you decide not to file a claim, and it could potentially be a factor in raising your rates.

So bottom line, get the Dell insurance, not anything related to your home/auto insurance.


Let me set you straight on this one my previous insurance company and the one I have now didnt put a mark on your insurance unless you had more than 2 claims a yr which then they would be suspiciuos of fraud. And your friend is incorrect or works for a small insurance company they cannot use a possible claim against you when doing rates as that is not a claim and my brother inlaw works for a major Insurance carrier in califorinia so I just called him about that and the insurance commisioner in California would be very interested if that happened in this state
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