Warranty –“In Home Service” – New Translation

The BerfErD home desktop PC decided to take the silicon nap. Since most computers are considered outdated dinosaurs by the time they hit the marketplace my 9 year old Gateway did well to faithfully serve that long. The poor thing would not wake up from sleep mode and after a new power up the hard disk sounded like a small outboard motor putt putting while trying to access the data.

I did a little online shopping and found the cheapest available desktop that would provide all the functions we need. It was surprisingly about 25% the cost of what I paid for my previous desktop almost a decade ago.

The zinger was applied when paying for the computer. I expected the mandatory sales pitch for all the peripherals but I thought I had the warranty option under control. I was told the warranty that came with the purchase was not what it seemed. The product info stated: “Warranty and Support – 1 Yr In-Home Service, Parts and Labour- Next business Day”. The translation I was given after a further investigation is that when you are in your home at your computer you can call some guy named Peggy and he will get back to you within one business day. Peggy can then have you run diagnostic rituals right there in home.

I misunderstood the original meaning and though it was like a washer dryer in-Home service warranty. Needless to say I stepped up for the extended carry-in warranty so I could hand deliver my problem PC to some guy named Bill rather than box and ship my components to wherever Peggy might be located.

Come to think of it I’m not sure I would really hanker after In-Home service from Peggy electronically or not.

bERFERd

Extended computer warranties are fun. You'll bring your computer/laptop in and they'll say that the problem is software related and not covered under the warranty. Karen's laptop kept getting the blue screen of death whenever we tried to install a video game. They blamed it on a Windows update that mis-installed.

I'm so glad computers are what my son does for a living! If we have a problem I call him Much cheaper and more personal service - but not usually with a smile! LOL!!!!

This isn't limited to computers. You'll likely get the same song and dance for any extended warranty you purchase for any electronic device. I quit shopping at Best Buy because you have to beat the salespeople back with a stick to stop them from pushing those worthless warrnaties on you. Judging by the decline in revenues at Best Buy I think other people have caught on as well.

Well, about a couple years ago a reporter on TV
did a story on computer repair people.

A summation of the story was most of these guys can't fix
computers. LOL

However, they all charged for their time nonetheless.

I suppose the first thing you need to do is find someone
who can actually really fix a problem with a computer.

As far as warranties... I bought a water heater 21 plus years
ago. It was called a Nautilus Immersion Chamber gas
water heater. It had a 10-year warranty but only lasted
5 years. I called them up and they gave me a new one.
They did not have a 5-year one available, which would
have satisfied the 10 year warranty.

Instead, they gave me another 10-year one but only guaranteed it for the 5 remaining years on my warranty.

That was 16 plus years ago and it's still going strong. LOL

Hey, the salesman who sold me the original one said , "These never break down. They last forever."

Well, he turned out to be correct (so far) on this second one. LOL

PJ, you simply don't understand that a retailler makes a boatload of money on these warranties. We keep asking because depending upon the cost, size, and your outlook on products you'll buy the extra warranty putting those dollars right into the bottom line.

Typically about 30% of folks that buy large electronics/white goods (appliances) will purchase an extended warranty. For some stuff they are great, new technologies, white goods, and some tv's. For most stuff they are not. Basically, if the technology is less than 3 years old, get the warranty (unless the product is super cheap, then don't worry about it). For in home service warranties, most of the cost covers the trip charge (the charge for someone to come out and just look at your broken item).

Depending upon the product, an extended warranty is a great buy. However buying one is up to you.

If the store makes serious dollars off the extended warranty, it means it can sell the units for less.

Nope, the warranty stuff is extra.

Remember, the store doesn't make the product. They buy it from someone else and then re sell it.

Can you show me where the Sears Kenmore factory is located? How about the HH Gregg factory?

Typically, you can count on about 25% markup for stuff in an electronics store. If you want to make some money, sell those put together stands, those bad boys have some serious markups.

I bought a Sony Vaio laptop years ago from Best Buy when you still had to spend at least a thousand for a halfway decent laptop. Sony had a design flaw where the power adapter connected to the motherboard which would break away so that you couldn't recharge the battery or use the power cord. I had to continually put the laptop in for repair. The third time that it went in, Sony forgot to re-connect the internal fan and the processor overheated. This was about 3 and half years after I purchased the product. I'm glad that I had the extended warranty as Best Buy gave me my original purchase price towards a new laptop. I got a much more powerful Toshiba Satellite about 6 and half years ago that I am still using without paying anything.

I have always felt that, if the product you are buying's warranty ins't suffice for you and whomever is selling it " new car warranty " etc. these people have little trust in there own products if they really feel you need added warranty to thee best product on the market!! They themself think it's a crap product, making you only feeling confortable with the sale with an extended warranty.