[frenat]

ll be in the market for a new laptop soon with my tax return and am wondering if those here think the extra extended warranties are worth it? Most laptops come with a 12 month warranty. The place I am looking at offer a 1 year extension beyond that for $169 and a two year extension for $179 (of course at those prices if I got one at all it would be the two year). They also offer a 2 year accidental damage policy as well but I won't be getting that as my renter's insurance covers that. But what do people here think? Is it worth it? I currently have a Toshiba laptop that has worked fine for 2 and a half years. If it were a desktop, I wouldn't even be considering it. I prefer to build my own of those anyway and also prefer to fix my own problems. For reference, i am looking for something with a dual core processor, 1 to 2 gigs of RAM, a DVD burner and a dedicated video card.

Also, what brands do you prefer for laptops and why. Thanks.

 

[Frank4d]

If it doesn't fail on it's own in the first month or two (covered by the basic warranty), it has been my experience that it isn't going to fail for a long time.

One of the most common causes of laptop failure that I have seen is broken power connector jacks. Someone shoves the laptop into a wall or other object or drops it on the floor with the AC adapter plugged in... the connector breaks off of the motherboard, and suddenly the battery won't charge anymore.

If that describes something that might happen to you, go for the extended warranty. Otherwise it probably isn't worth it.

 

[frenat]

Thanks for the advice. That was the way I was leaning. I've always been very careful but of course accidents can happen. The situation you described would be covered under my renter's insurance though.

 

[kiwiguy]

Well, in my last laptop it would have been worth it, the motherboard died after just over 2 years. Colleagues have had similar results. (My first one from 1989 is still going though!)

Normally I do not bother with the add-on warranties, they are more of a rip-off than a benefit, but for a laptop, it *might* just be worth it based on our recent experiences.

Your add-on cover seems expensive compared to ours though.

 

[DoubleHelix]

Your renter's insurance covers accidental damage to a laptop? You verified this with your agent? I have some serious doubts about that. That would mean you could spill soda on it, damage the circuit board, and the insurance company would just cut you a check for a new one? What's your deductible? What company do you have this insurance with?

 

[gurutech]

And would they cover damage to the laptop if you weren't at home?

 

[JohnWill]

FWIW, the only reason that extended warranties are offered at all is because the company is making money with them, think about it.

If you can afford to take the risk, extended warranties are almost never a good idea. It's just another method of removing money from your pocket.

 

[gurutech]

Just like car insurance. I pay over $1800 a year on 2 vehicles, but if I put that money aside for 5 years with no insurance (if this was legal...), I could save up $9000 which would pay for a good repair if I ever got into an accident...


**Disclaimer: GET CAR INSURANCE!!!!

 

[frenat]

Your renter's insurance covers accidental damage to a laptop? You verified this with your agent? I have some serious doubts about that. That would mean you could spill soda on it, damage the circuit board, and the insurance company would just cut you a check for a new one? What's your deductible? What company do you have this insurance with?

Yes it does. Its an addition that covers any damage including accidents to computers up to $3000. It costs us less than $4 a month. There is no deductible. We use USAA. And yes they would cover it if I wasn't at home.

 

[frenat]

I bought the laptop last weekend when we filed our taxes. It arrived this Wednesday. So far very happy with it. I'm a little annoyed that Acer does not provide any restore discs. They only have the restore info on a hidden partition on the drive. However, I am going to specifically ask them for a disc when I call them and I burned that partition to a DVD just in case.

Here is the laptop I got for reference
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...asp?EdpNo=2769180&Sku=A180-1386&CMP=ILC-FPM04

I did not get the extended warranty. I'm glad I didn't. While it was $179 on TigerDirect's site, I found out when I registered it that Acer offers a two year extension from them for $99. The only real difference then is the company providing it and that if you get it through Acer you have to get it within 15 days of purchase while on TigerDirect's site I can purchase it up until right before the warranty runs out.

 

[RootbeaR]

Too late now, but for future reference and for others, some credit cards match companies warranty.

 

[JohnWill]

Just like car insurance. I pay over $1800 a year on 2 vehicles, but if I put that money aside for 5 years with no insurance (if this was legal...), I could save up $9000 which would pay for a good repair if I ever got into an accident...

**Disclaimer: GET CAR INSURANCE!!!!

Ahh yes, but what if you were at fault and the accident injured several people. Would you have the $300,000 available for the liability lawsuit?

 

[frenat]

I haven't gotten the extended warranty yet. I'm still not sure if I want to. I still have about a week left to decide. Any more advice either way would be appreciated.

 

[gurutech]

Ahh yes, but what if you were at fault and the accident injured several people. Would you have the $300,000 available for the liability lawsuit?

No... that's why I have insurance.

My point was that if I saved $1800 per year for enough years to cover a $300,000 liability lawsuit (too lazy to run CALC...) it could be done.

 

[RootbeaR]

Sounds like you don't need it for technical support. Especially with this site.

If you are going to worry about it, then it may be worth it for peace of mind. If it isn't a real concern, save your money.

Read the fine print. Shipping can cost more than parts. Labour covered as well or just parts?

Companies don't want to have to do free repairs, therefore they use parts that will outlast the warranty unless it is defective in which case it will probably make you aware of this quite quickly.