Best Buy TV Warranty Worth It?

[gtmorgan23]

i bought them on my tvs
Rather be safe then sorry. I know how pissed off i would be if two years down the road the tv crapped out and i was stuck with a 90 pound paperweight.

[yourstupidgame]

I got a 4 yr warranty on my 46" Toshiba. It was $400. Expensive, but if anything does happen, I'm covered till March 2012. I did put the TV on credit, but already paid it off, so I'm not even thinking about the cost anymore.

I also used to sell TVs and these warranties. Like an earlier poster said, you will hear both sides. I used to let my customers make up their own minds after telling them this fact: we have our own service department and they ARE busy, so things do happen. It might take them several days to get to your home, but if the TV does breakdown after the manufacturer's warranty ends , you either
1) have a warranty that will get you a full repair or replacement or
2) have a broken TV that will probably cost double the warranty price to fix. Most of the time you'll decide to buy a new TV and that's not a good feeling.

I guess it's just peace of mind for me.

Alex

[Marquoz]

Yes it is worth it, with the Black Tie/Glove/Whatever service, you get re-imbursed the cost of the warranty if you don't use it within the lifespan of the warranty. You need to keep the paperwork and specifically ask for it, and it's in reward points not cash; but for the peace of mind knowing it is there if you need it, and if you don't need it, you get part of it back, it's worth it.

I got mine for a Rear Projection and it covers bulbs, so it's a win win for me, it's something I know I will need, I priced the bulbs on e-bay and checked the servicing of my TV before buying the warranty. I can't replace the bulb myself, and one bulb costs more then the warranty itself.

[HHX]

Ricshoe - the 2-3 percent is usually a DEFECT rate...wear and tear starts hitting your TV after a year or two - dust, internal heat and humidity, fans, lines of dead pixels also often happen after the manufacturers warranty. You just never know...I've seen just as many broken Sony's and Samsungs as Dynex and Westinghouse...if you haven't heard all major brands are assembled in Mexico now (except Pioneer which is still apparently put together in the States but that's about to change too)

[My_Two_Cents]

Originally Posted by HHX

Ricshoe - the 2-3 percent is usually a DEFECT rate...wear and tear starts hitting your TV after a year or two - dust, internal heat and humidity, fans, lines of dead pixels also often happen after the manufacturers warranty. You just never know...I've seen just as many broken Sony's and Samsungs as Dynex and Westinghouse...if you haven't heard all major brands are assembled in Mexico now (except Pioneer which is still apparently put together in the States but that's about to change too)

Read the articles. They surveyed 93K+ people who bought new sets between 2004 and 2007 (up to 4 years old), and those were the real-world repair rates. My oldest Pany plasma is >5 years old, and I've never experienced what you are suggesting. The only time a warranty will be worth it is if you need a bulb replacement (projector, DLP, etc.), are buying a low-quality brand or need the piece-of-mind. Folks are free to do what they want. I just want people to be informed before they make a financial decision based on emotion and supposition. Do you really think stores would push extended warranties on consumers if they were ultimately loosing money due to ALL of the repairs? No. ERs and service plans are cash-generators for the simple fact that they are rarely used.

[My_Two_Cents]

Originally Posted by HHX

if you haven't heard all major brands are assembled in Mexico now (except Pioneer which is still apparently put together in the States but that's about to change too)

Do you have a source for that statement? I ask only because I have not heard this.

Regardless, I don't believe this should have anything to do with anything. I service manufacturing facilities (not related to consumer electronics) in the states, but also several in Mexico and Guatemala. To be honest with you, after seeing first-hand how these plants are operated, I would never make a blanket statement questioning the quality/workmanship of products coming out of Central America (never thought I would hear myself say that ). Most of the plants I service in Central America put their US conterparts to shame. The workers are highly trained, hard-working, fast learners and appreciate the Hell out of having a good-paying job (relatively speaking). I expected a lazy attitude and a general lack of caring about what they were doing, but what I found was the complete opposite. If this same work ethic exists in electronics assembly plant, and I have no reason to suspect it does not, then I would have no worries about the quality/workmanship of these products.

My opinion based on first-hand experience.