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Vaio Warranty: BB, Compusa, or Sonystyle?

post #1 of 9
2/21/05 at 3:25pm
Thread Starter 
Your comments are appreciated...
I'm probably going to get the Sony Vaio soon; possibly the A690 if I can come up with the money, but may have to get a cheaper Vaio. However, I've been reading the (mostly) negative posts regarding warranty/service problems (no surprise). I was seriously considering the dell 9200 for price and arguably better service, but would prefer the better Xbright screen on the Vaio.

Irrespective of the actual purchase price for the Sony, what are your thoughts regarding how I should buy the warranty? BB has their 3 yr, Compusa has one as well, and of course, sonystyle offers theirs...I've been considering the 5 year onsite warranty that sonystyle offers, but I'm hestitant about dealing directly with Sony and possibly having to keep mailing the computer back and forth. My goal is to ultimately minimize any headaches if I ever have to return/fix it. From what I've been reading, it may be better to get it at BB and buy their warranty...?
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post #2 of 9
2/21/05 at 6:55pm

here is what I have to say

I have a vaio k-17 and it has been great. Every time I call customer service I get someone who is well informed and speaks perfect english(american or canadian i think). I also have a warranty with best buy(hp laptop) and they have always treated me nice. They have a good lemon policy, and have always came through. I say it's your choice, both are good. The only thing I like about sony is there tech support(I'm not computer savvy) . If you have an issue with your computer, you can call up sony. If you have a tech support issue and a warranty with best buy, you have to bring it in. BB does not have tech support on the phone (I'm pretty sure.) So for a person like me, I like to call in for help. I think both are good to be honest with you. ( I have not dealt with compusa)
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post #3 of 9
2/21/05 at 7:06pm
I would buy the warranty from Sony, most of the time it’s cheaper to buy from the manufacturer. I think Sony may even offer accidental damage protection; you may want to check on that. Also a Best Buy rep. told me that if they can not fix the computer they will send it to the manufacturer for repair. So it’s probably a better idea just to go to them in the first place.
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post #4 of 9
2/22/05 at 11:05am
I went with BestBuy... you can take it to any BestBuy.. and if they can't fix it they will send it in to be fixed as mentioned above... for me it was just a matter of convience I guess..
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post #5 of 9
2/22/05 at 11:52am
Thread Starter 

Warranty Prices

Thanks for the replys...

The BestBuy 3 yr warranty is $350 (cheaper if the cost of the notebook is cheaper)

The Sony warrantys are:
5 yr onsite: $479
4 yr onsite + accidental coverage: $439

I guess it's somewhat of a toss up, but considering I would mostly be using the notebook as a desktop replacement (not using it to travel), I generally don't need the accidental coverage. Sony's 5 yr onsite warranty seem like it might not be too bad of a deal since I like 5 yrs of coverage more than 3 yrs.

Any other thoughts or recommendations appreciated.
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post #6 of 9
2/22/05 at 1:27pm
A few suggestions:

1) Think about how long you're realistically going to use the computer before upgrading it. 5 years sounds like an awfully long time.

2) Keep in mind that computers, if they're going to have a problem, usually have the problem early. So good coverage earlier is better than good coverage later.

3) Factor in what extended coverage you're already getting from your credit card company. Frequently they double the manufacturer's 1 year warranty to 2 years.

4) Check with the insurance company you're using for auto & home. They may have their own extended plan that is comparable to and less expensive than what the others offer.

5) Lastly, if you go with a store plan, try to haggle. All of these companies push the service plans REALLY hard for one single reason -- they're almost pure profit. So if you go to buy the laptop and they start pitching you, explain how you're own insurance company offers a comparable plan for a lot less. They may quickly offer you a substantial discount.

Good luck.
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post #7 of 9
2/22/05 at 2:58pm
I probably would go for the 4 yr onsite + accidental coverage for $439. It just a little more than Best Buy and you get another year of coverage plus accidental and on site service. Does Sony offer a 3 year onsite plan w/accidental? If the price is right, I would consider that instead of the 4 year plan.
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post #8 of 9
2/23/05 at 1:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flow
I probably would go for the 4 yr onsite + accidental coverage for $439. It just a little more than Best Buy and you get another year of coverage plus accidental and on site service. Does Sony offer a 3 year onsite plan w/accidental? If the price is right, I would consider that instead of the 4 year plan.
$439?? Holy crap, I would never pay that much for a warranty! You must have money to burn.
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post #9 of 9
3/4/05 at 1:58pm
Sometimes, sonystyle offer 50% off discount on their extended warranty. I don't know how often (last one was in 11/04).
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