Hello survivors,

I'm a little curious about additional warranties or guarantees. Whenever, I've bought electrical goods they come with a 12 months guarantee, for services, repairs and manufacturing faults. I don't have to pay any extra for that, as this period is within the cost of the article or articles. However, over the last few years I have noticed an increasing number of stores who advise taking out additional warranties, at the point of sale; to cover for a further number of years.

When these additional warranties run out they offer you renewal.

I have a price marker in my mind when viewing the subject of renewal and I consider also what use the product has had and whether or not it is showing the signs of wear and tear. The more expensive the original item, I do renew the warranties, but as yet I have never had to claim against any.

Do you think these warranties are a waste of money?

If anyone has claimed against one, was your experience of that positively in your favour or not?

Maureen
Northern angel.

IMO I think they are a waste of money. Electrical items are so much cheaper than they were 10 years ago and advancing all the time. They don`t build things to last these days and once things start to go wrong they are never the same. We used to always go for the top make of things and now usually go for just what we need rather than want. The last washing machine we bought was very cheap and it`s lasted 6 years so far. The one before was top of the range and lasted about 3. The more things it does the more to go wrong.

They are a complete waste of time NA. My dad used to work for a large bank as the corporate director, and one of his clients was the largest warrenty seller in the UK (at the time). He took dad to lunch and basically told him (after a few bevvies) never to extend any warranties as its a complete waste of money.

My dad told me this, and i never have.

Also it bugs me when you buy something for about £12, like an electric toothbrush and then they try and flog you an extended warranty for £7 !!! Why ?? I mean, it comes with a years guarantee and if it breaks after that i would rather get a new one.

Normally I never buy them - but we got a massive discount when we bought a washer drier. The appliance went faulty after about eighteen months - and we got a brand new replacement - eventually!

I still think that they are not worth it though.

A long time ago I worked for Dixons and we had targets for the number of extended guarantees that we sold - the profit on them was massive!!

I bought a German Bauchnect washing machine five years ago, I stupidly got "talked into" taking out an additional 3 year warranty on top of the usual 1 year that comes with new goods. Apparently the sales person gets commission on these. I have called the engineer out twice, once when I dozily put liqui tabs in the tray rather than the drum and it made water "back up" which was totally my fault and another when the clip on the back tap became loose which anyone could have tightened and I think he thought me a bit of a twit - so no I would not take out extended warranty on anything again.

I worked for Powerhouse for a short time, but not actaully on the sales floor, as their adminstrator. Very occasionally I got shoved onto the floor to sell and hated it..the warranties are where the sales people make their comission and that is why they are so keen to promote them, but I couldn't stand watching some old couple get talked into a huge warrany that cost more than the bloody washing machine they were buying, and so I lasted only a short while.

I have never and would never take one out at point of sale.

You have to work on the basis that they wouldn't do extended warranties if it would make them out of pocket, so it follows that they make a profit, and you the consumer will make a loss.

I disagree with this:


They don`t build things to last these days

it implies that modern equipment is less reliable than old equipment whereas I believe the reverse to be true. Cars are more reliable and last longer, the same goes for electrical goods.

I would never dream of taking out an extended warranty, yet I have done. And in my eyes it was for good reason.

We bought a whole kitchen load of white goods when I furnished my holiday home in Scotland, and whilst I didn't expect any of them to go wrong, I could just not rely on the 'user' to treat them properly - so we took extended warranties out on the lot. We did it for a period of four years. Now the annoying/but good thing - is that we have not had to call upon the warranties - but it did give me peace of mind, and that is something you can't put a price on.

I, however, would not do it with stuff at home - funny how I view these things?

I am contemplating taking out an extended warranty renewal on my home computer.

But I only have two experiences of them, one in relation to a fridge freezer and the other my cooker. Before the NEEB or North Eastern Electricity Board was bought out and privatised I bought brand new An Indesit Fridge Freezer and a Baby Belling cooker. I also paid for the additional warranties at the time.
I had never spent that much in the past and thought well good quality items should come with some cover.

Both items came with a two year waranty, I paid for the additional 4 years, all at one go. My dad thought I was crazy and liked wasting money, but I thought different and went ahead. I had our entire kitchen updated;- new floor, new units the lot. My dad wouldn't allow the old fridge to be thrown out, so it went into the shed. I still have the cooker today, it has both ovens and grill in working order and 3 rings out of 4 still in working order. The fridge freezer however packed up two months out of warranty, I was livid. So I arranged for bulky refuse to take it away and asked for assistance to get the old fridge back out of the shed. The old fridge is in excellent working order and is 36 year old. I have extended electricity wiring into the shed where I now have a chest freezer.

But I must make my mind up soon about the computer. According to PC world the keyboard is the first thing likely to go wrong, as dust or wear and tear takes place on the microchips below the key surface. So I have a quandry.To renew or not to renew.

Maureen
Northern angel.

Maureen -

First of all can I say something that I know others have said before - your posts are too wordy and bulked out with irrelevancies - I know you like to spin a yarn, but it is nigh on impossible to see if there is a particular point you are trying to make, to see the wood for the trees as it were.

Now, in your last post I've sifted out all the stuff about your shed, getting it wired up, your dad, your cooker and your fridge, the NEEB being privatised, the new floor in your kitchen, and bulky refuse, and come to the conclusion that the point of the post is should you take out a warranty on a new PC. Am I right?

If that's the case, my feeling is 'no'.

Despite what PC world told you about the keyboard packing up, my experience is that keyboards don't pack up unless you spill treacle over them. And if yours did, you can buy a new one for twenty quid.

As everyone has said, they try to sell you a warranty to get commission, and will probably try every trick in the book to persuade you.

Despite what PC world told you about the keyboard packing up, my experience is that keyboards don't pack up unless you spill treacle over them. And if yours did, you can buy a new one for twenty quid.

As everyone has said, they try to sell you a warranty to get commission, and will probably try every trick in the book to persuade you.

I agree here with SF Maureen .... keyboards are cheap to buy. If yours broke im sure you could pop along to the shop and pick up a new one for relatively little money. The extra warranty must be costing you a hundred pounds or more - whereas a keyboard would be a fraction of that.

I've never bust a keyboard yet - if that's all you are worried about then don't bother with the warranty - I've seen them for under a tenner!

I've never bust a keyboard yet!

Goodness I have lost count the number I have broken!! But like everyone says they are cheap enough just to replace.

I know this is an aside - but I remember when bread machines were over 1000 quid - you can get one that cooks a 1250kg loaf in Lidl for 19.99 - so keyboards will soon be 20p!!! that is my logic and I am sticking to it.:kid:

[note this broken keyboard that won't type a pound sign!! - but mingy Flip will make do with quid, pounds, GBP and when I am drunk $]:pimp:

Thanks everyone. I am now convinced not to take out the renewal cover on my present home computer.

With reference to not having the pound sign available, that has I'm sure something to do with its configuration since the point of setting it up. I couldn't get that organised the same with the time and date. My fault entirely not being IT clever. So the clock on the wall is almost right 10.05 pm but the computer clock says 1:25 pm. I am going to have another go at rectifying this soon.

Thank you.

Maureen
Northern angel. :wub: :wub: Love to you all.

the clock on the wall is almost right 10.05 pm but the computer clock says 1:25 pm. I am going to have another go at rectifying this soon.

Do you know how todo it? If not right click on the clock and select 'adjust date and time'. It really is as easy as that and only takes a few seconds.

Did you know that the way you interact with a computer these days is you go find something (in this case the clock) then right click, which gives you a list of everything you can do with that thing.

Hello survivorfan,

You are fantastic. :wub: The first time it let me change the date fine, but not the time. In a matter of the last few seconds though I went back into the settings and have managed to alter the time. Just Fandabbidossi.

Although originally I had checked on the configuration settings in set up and couldn't make head nor tale of it.

Just goes to show how 'IT' really isn't my forte. But still the lessons I have been having, have provided a great deal of humour for those around me. I forgive them, when I remind them that the tortoise will win the race. "Yeah, yeah", they say, "elephants build nests in rhubarb trees".

Thank you for the advice on warranties aswell.

Maureen
Northern angel.

Hello survivorfan,

You are fantastic. :wub:.

Dont say things like that .... it'll go to his head :unsure:

Hello Bonsai,

The truth is he really is. No airs no graces, no arrogance a wee bit sarky but still a very helpful and a great guy.

Maureen
Northern angel.

Hello Bonsai,

The truth is he really is. No airs no graces, no arrogance a wee bit sarky but still a very helpful and a great guy.

Maureen
Northern angel.
You're trying to get in his Y-fronts arent you :wink_kiss

You're trying to get in his Y-fronts arent you :wink_kiss

Hello Bonsai,

You are a funny suggestive so and so, but still you have made me laugh.

Although curiously on the subject of Warranties/Guarantees, a pair of Boxer shorts came hurtling through the air at me in the theatre practice room for a laugh with the comment, "that top C is a bit to tight there's no space for it to grow, someone had better replace her G string to guarantee a more relaxed sound". Grief. "What no briefs today?"

So when I can have boxers (Shorts that is) why should I add Y fronts to my collection?

Maureen
Northern angel. :laugh: :wink2: