Worth getting an extended warranty on a budget laptop?

[CerberusIV]

Think of all the things you have ever bought and been offered extended warranties on - computers, washing machines or whatever. How many have broken during the extended warranty period (not covered by the manufacturers warranty)? Very few, if any. How much would all of those extended warranties have cost you if you had taken them? Far more than the cost of replacing the one or two items that do break.

If you are worried about voiding a warranty to upgrade the RAM you will simply have to pay for an authorised service agent to install the extra memory. That should protect the warranty.

[Jon Miller]

the extended warraunty was worth it on my laptop

nothing else

JM

[Jaguar]

The warranty is way too much given the cost of the computer. It's nearly 1/3 of the price of the actual laptop. Buy a little extra RAM. You'll want it.

[Tattila the Hun]

Our last washing machine broke a day after the warranty expired...

Nothing major, a belt snapped, but timing was perfect.

[Apocalypse]

256 RAM is more than enough. I can run XP and Civ4 on my 3 year old laptop with just 256 RAM.

[SpencerH]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
Don't buy extended warranties on anything.

Damn straight!

I think of extended warranties this way. The company is betting that the device wont break and you're betting that it will (then why are you buying it?). They (usually) have research to support their position while you have an opinion.

Buying an extended warranty is a fools bet.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by SpencerH


Damn straight!

I think of extended warranties this way. The company is betting that the device wont break and you're betting that it will (then why are you buying it?). They (usually) have research to support their position while you have an opinion.

Buying an extended warranty is a fools bet.

Its not a zero sum proposition - I assume the cost of repairs builds in a profit margin. Given the fixed costs of maintaining a service desk, the incremental labor costs of an extra warranty may be low.

And then youre assuming im risk neutral. Or rather "we" are risk neutral.

But I checked the manufacturers warranty last night, and it is indeed for 12 months. So im inclined not to take the extended one. Now QOTM must be convinced.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by CerberusIV

If you are worried about voiding a warranty to upgrade the RAM you will simply have to pay for an authorised service agent to install the extra memory. That should protect the warranty.

well if i dont go with the extended warranty, i'll probably just wait the year and upgrade the RAM after the manus warranty expires.

[Jaguar]

Upgrade the RAM now! The people demand it!

[SpencerH]

Originally posted by lord of the mark


Its not a zero sum proposition - I assume the cost of repairs builds in a profit margin. Given the fixed costs of maintaining a service desk, the incremental labor costs of an extra warranty may be low.

Anyway you look at it, you're betting repair costs will be more than $140 (ie 1+ breakdown under the warranty period) and they're betting they will be less than that for them (ie 2+ breakdowns under the warranty period). I still take their numbers.

[SpencerH]

WTF is this red ****?

[MikeH]

That's what I was going to ask?!?!

[Agathon]

If you are only going to get a 30 day warranty, it is probably worth it.

I have no idea what Gateway does, but Apple's warranty goes for a year and then AppleCare for two years after that. For a laptop, it is definitely worth it.

[lord of the mark]

Toshiba provides a one year warranty.

So the question is whether its good to buy the retailer warranty beyond that.

Con - never buy an extended warranty on anything

Pro- but its a laptop, and they tend to break, and are costly to repair

Con - the warranty wouldnt cover accidents anyway

Pro - laptops still tend to break from normal wear and tear withing 3 years

Con - Theyre betting it wont

Pro - but POTM is likely to be using this machine everyday. More frequently than many.

Con - but its cheap, in 2 years will it even be worth $140?

Pro - dunno, but supposing it dies a day after the 12month warranty expires? And it covers the battery, which is also likely to go in less than 3 years from what I can gather.

[Ming]

Remember that many people make more money selling you an extended warranty than they do selling you the product... so what does that tell you

Also remember that many times, the extended warranty doesn't cover what's actually wrong. They try to nickle and dime you and deny coverage. (especially on autos)

A good financial advisor would tell you to take the money you would spend on these warranties for everything you buy, and put it in an interest generating account. Use that to fix anything that breaks. In the long run, you will probably end up with an account with a lot of money it, while still being protected