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Topic: Extended Warranties??? |
Niels Andrews
From:
Salinas, California, USA
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Posted 4 Jan 2014 4:49 pm |
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I don't ever buy these, but just paid $168.00 for a studio monitor repair. What do other people do ?
_________________
Die with Memories. Not Dreams.
Good Stuff like Zum S-12, Wolfe Resoport
MSA SS-12, Telonics Combo. |
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Clete Ritta
From:
San Antonio, Texas
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Posted 5 Jan 2014 3:26 pm
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Warranties are generally structured to expire right before the item fails and a repair or replacement is required it seems. I rarely buy extended warranties though, and just hope for the best. Insurance is another matter, and I purchased some for my laptop in case of damage or theft. "Best" didn't happen with my fairly expensive Sony Bravia flatscreen TV recently though. Its only 5 years old and is unrepairable. 
Speaker technology hasn't advanced a whole lot in terms of design but more in materials used. Maybe the real issue is quality control these days. Theres also the issue of planned obsolescence (especially with electronics and computers), where a product becomes twice as efficient and half the price every few years.
Unfortunately today, repairing is often times as expensive as replacing.  |
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Gordon Hartin
From:
Durham, NC
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Posted 5 Jan 2014 4:40 pm
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If you make a purchase with an American Express Card, then american express will add a year on to the existing warranty of the product. Just remember to keep all the receipts and paperwork.
Gordon |
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Niels Andrews
From:
Salinas, California, USA
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Posted 5 Jan 2014 4:59 pm
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This speaker can be bought for. $250.00 on sale. So I guess it was better to fix it , the speaker and cabinet are fine. But with the cost of repair I might go the Amex route next trip.
_________________
Die with Memories. Not Dreams.
Good Stuff like Zum S-12, Wolfe Resoport
MSA SS-12, Telonics Combo. |
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Glenn Uhler
From:
Trenton, New Jersey, USA
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Posted 5 Jan 2014 6:02 pm Short and Long Answer
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Short answer: Extended warranties aren't worth it for common electronics products. Electromechanical products, like speeakers, it's a 50/50 toss-up.
Long answer: A common term in the electronics industry used to be "infant mortality". This meant if an electronic part was going to fail, it would do so the first few times the device was powered up, or used at full power. Because of this, electronics companies began to "burn in" high end products for extended time periods before shipping. The products that failed in the first few hours were usually worth repairing.
Today, however, with robotic assembly of circuit boards using surface mounted devices, the individual boards aren't worth repairing. Any circuit board that doesn't work when tested will be scrapped and a device that doesn't work the first time will probably get a new circuit board. Almost no one takes the time to "burn in" products anymore!
_________________
1974 Marlen S-12 1968 Tele 1969 Martin D-35H |
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Niels Andrews
From:
Salinas, California, USA
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Posted 5 Jan 2014 6:09 pm
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It seems to warranties are getting shorter in electronics? Is that true ?
_________________
Die with Memories. Not Dreams.
Good Stuff like Zum S-12, Wolfe Resoport
MSA SS-12, Telonics Combo. |
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Glenn Uhler
From:
Trenton, New Jersey, USA
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Posted 5 Jan 2014 6:27 pm Warranties
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Warranties are definitely getting shorter for a couple of reasons, Niels. 1. Because of how cheaply electronics are manufactured, there is almost no profit margin to apply to replacements. No one wants to pay $10 (essentially the cost of the paperwork if something dies) for a warranty on a $20 device. 2. Electronics technology is changing so fast that your device might be obsolete before the warranty runs out.
_________________
1974 Marlen S-12 1968 Tele 1969 Martin D-35H |
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Per Berner
From:
Skovde, Sweden
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Posted 6 Jan 2014 1:42 am
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Extended warranties and financing, that's where the retailer makes 99 % of his profit. Margins on most electronics stuff range from very slim to nonexistant or even negative, that's why they are pushing extended warranty schemes.
In my experience, if a product is faulty (which it sadly often is these days thanks to constant cost cutting) it usually is either not working right out of the box, or going wrong very soon after the purchase. Even analog (and non-electric) stuff is sort of digital: It works perfectly, or not at all.
In short, extended warranties are expensive rip-offs. |
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Walter Killam
From:
Nebraska, USA
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Posted 6 Jan 2014 10:36 am Extended Warranties = Product insurance
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As a former computer sales rep, I sold thousands of "Extended Warranties", and have only seen ONE customer benefit from it.
The thing to keep in mind is that it isn't a Warranty in the normal sense, extended warranties are insurance policies and are underwritten by the issuer as such.
The EW doesn't kick in until the manufacturer’s warranty expires, and then if you experience a failure you get a ONE TIME "fix" for your issue. Once you use the EW, it's over, forget about whether you any time left on the contract.
I've had multiple complaints from customers that had a failure in the EW time period, they got the item "fixed", except that it still didn't work when they got it back & the insurance premium had been used therefore, they were stuck with broken electronics.
Some EW companies are better than others, so if you are considering one, investigate the issuing company first.
I do not buy, or recommend Extended Warranties (now that I'm out of the sales biz)
_________________
Mostly junque with a few knick-knacks that I really can't do without! |
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