Question:
extended warranty?
are warrenties really nessasary? do any brands have good enough quality to do without and save the $200-300 for a 3 year warrenty? what about acidental damage? Have you dropped yours a lot, or is it mostly hype?
Answer:
I'm wondering the same thing... if I want to keep the laptop working for about 2 years it seems like a good idea since if the CD or harddrive goes it can be replaced. The Gateway I'm looking at buying has no extra warranty so now I'm having second thoughts.
Answer:
Paying for an extended warranty is a waste of money. This is because with electronic devices they have what is called infant mortality. Which means if components are going to fail, they will do so very early on in there lifetime; usually within 1-2 months. If you get past this infant mortality stage of the component, there is a very high probability of the components lasting more than several years. This makes extended warranties a very good deal for those selling them since the odds of them having to payout are very small; and a very bad deal for the buyer because they are in effect placing a bet that has very low odds of paying out in their favor. The best thing to do is take any money you were thinking of using on an extended warranty and going to an insurance company and getting a personal articles policy on the notebook. Don't get a rider or some other kind of attachment to a renters or homeowners policy, make sure it is it's own policy. This is because you don't want your homeowners policy going up in cost or being cancelled because of a claim for a stolen notebook. Plus homeowner policies have very high ($500-$1000) deductibles. I get my policy through the same company as my car and home insurance (state farm) and the cost for ~$2500 coverage on my notebook is ~$37/year. There is no deductible and everything except an act of war is covered; if it is lost, stolen, dropped in a lake or on concrete or even if a beer is spilled into it it is fully covered and they just ask that you get an estimate for repair and they will send you a check...if it's stolen, lost or totaled they send a check for the replacement cost of a brand new one. What is cool about that is after you get a check, you can use the money to buy any make/model of notebook you want and can even add some of your own money and upgrade to a better one. Extended warranties don't cover damage, loss or theft; they only cover component failure.
Jack
"They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security" (Ben Franklin)
http://pbase.com/joneill
Answer:
I would put a lot of stock in what Jack says here, he works for a company that makes computer components and and I agree with him 100% on what he says here!
Answer:
Jack, that is the single best piece of advice i have EVER heard even slightly related to computers... even better than using antivirus software...
You just made most notebooks i was looking at drop into my pricerange again because I'm the paranoid type who likes coverage and was gonna spend about $300 on a e year warrenty.
Answer:
Does the personal item insurance cover things like the CD drive or just accidental**stuff? How do you get an estimate for the repairs?
Answer:
Hi nightblade788,
Insurance does not cover component failure, mechanicaal failure like if something just stops working; it covers physical damage, loss or theft. Like if you drop it in the bath tub by accident, slips out of your hand and fall to the ground and breaks into a dozen pieces, then it's covered. If one day the CD just stops working or the hard drive were to crash, they that is not covered by insurance, but is covered by the normal warranty if it's less than a year old. If it's stolen, lost or obviously destroyed beyond repair then no estimate is needed, they just give you a check to cover its replacement. Say if you somehow put pressure on the LCD and broke the screen, then the insurance company would want you to get a repair estimate; you just send it back to the manufacturer for repair and ask them to call with an estimate of charges for the repair and you then relay that info to the insurance company.
Jack
"They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security" (Ben Franklin)
http://pbase.com/joneill
Answer:
Jack is exactly right. Statistically, it is very profitable to sell a warranty that is limited in scope but still plays on a consumer's fear of loss. It is much smarter (and cheaper) to buy a separate policy from your insurer that has a larger blanket of coverage.
Remember, extended warranties would not be hyped so much if it wasn't statistically profitable. If the laptop you purchase today has a failure in 2 1/2 years, don't you think you would rather buy a whole new system rather than get the then outdated one repaired? While I don't promote fraud, I know what the smarter option to exercise would be.
Answer:
depends on the company I believe. Like if you buy a dell you better damn get the extended warantee. I've been through like 5 keyboards? 2 motherboards? an LCD, 2-3 Video cards, 2 batteries, a burning AC Adapter :O (should have sued :P) and the chasis that started breaking apart.
So if you buy a good quality computer you might not need it but if you buy a dell... watch out...
Answer:
Easy for you to say because you have a thinkpad [:D]
What about compaq or emachines tho?