Extended Warranty?

To buy an extended warranty or not to buy and extended warranty? That is a good question! As much as people think a computer is obsolete within days after they purchase one, the fact is that Americans tend to keep their computers for 3-5 years! (if they don't break first). Most extended warranties add two years onto a typical one-year manufacturers warranty. (thought - why don't the manufactures make three years standard?)


Keep in mind that all computers fail at some point - it's simply a matter of when.


From a simple economics standpoint it is usually better to purchase an extended warranty rather than take the risk. A $700+ laptop that requires a new motherboard or LCD screen can easily cost upwards of $400. It's quite likely to have that type of failure within the first three years of purchase. Within three years it's also likely that a sound port, keyboard, hard drive, or DVD drive may fail too. These are also expensive repairs - most always more than the warranty would have cost you.


You need to know the terms of your extended warranty too (how exciting). They can be purchased from retailers (point of sale) and from the manufacturers themselves (online). The manufacturers warranties in general tend to be a better deal. The downside of most is the time it takes to get something fixed. If you have a back-up of your data and another machine to use this is not much of an issue, but IF this is your one and only primary PC/Laptop this is really bad news! Warranty repairs can take weeks or even months.


Leasing a computer solves this problem and often costs you less in the long run. At RedSeven our member's computers are always fixed within 24hrs or we provide a free loaner. Learn more here: http://www.neverbuyanothercomputer.com