in a previous discussion someone brought up the free additional coverage that American express gives. Obviously this might not help the OP, but it is my personal opinion that the extra warranties aren't worth it. Buy with AMEX and get free extended coverage. It seems to me that most extended warranties are about 10% of the original cost. Given the rapid depreciation of computers I think you're better off putting that money in a "new computer fund."
J
03 Ram 1500 Quad Cab with Hemi 5.7, HD tow package, K&N Cold Air, B&W Companion + Ball, Prodigy,
1987 Prowler 27.5',
Macbook Pro 17" (Fastest Vista Laptop, iPhone)
Me and the DW and our
2 Dogs: Jackson (golden), Pumba (min-pin)
I have a Dell lap top... They called and ask if I wnated extended warranty a few years back I said whats the matter dont you expect the thing to last!! hahahaha ...... Well grandson came over to visit and spilled a full glass of SWEET tea into the lap top. Notice i said into and not on! The system crashed and smoked. I called Dell told them the entire story. They said We will send out a tech... Tech came and said "yep you trashed it, It will need a new mother board,hard drive, keyboard, etc. " I thought here we go, They told me no problem everything covered in warranty. They order parts, Meanwhile the hard drive dried out (acutally they were able to save the data and transfer) installed in 1 hour at NO CHARGE!! So for me the 99 dollars was well spent!!
if once you dont suuuceedd
If once you deont succeed
If once you dont succeed try tryyyy
If once you dont' succedd
Ok if once you dont succeed just freaking DO IT!!!!!!!!!!
Serena wrote: Soooo, total up the premiums involved. (Plus estimate the dollar value of the hassle of getting claims paid.) When a brand new laptop comes in under $1000, a couple hundred in premiums makes no sense at all. You're better off to just stack your cash and do rolling upgrades every 2 or 3 years. The rate of technological obsolescence alone means you'd only end up paying premiums on an ever more useless box. Plus, the rate of economic depreciation on laptops is even worse than high-end vehicles (and I mean market value - not the theoretical numbers used for tax purposes). What you are paying to protect today will only be worth a small fraction of that purchase price by the time the premium runs out.
This is why market share is so important when you purchase laptops. You buy from the company with the biggest market share and the most wide-open AVAILABILITY of repairs and parts, so that you don't HAVE to ship it to the manufacturer or some designated site. You can buy whatever you may need from whomever you choose, when you want, no claims forms, no questions. Your max liability is the original cost, and your decision is based on what you need repaired vs. replacement cost. When you buy insurance, all you're doing is putting that decision in the hands of a third party who doesn't remotely care what makes the best sense for your present situation, and betting that your situation won't change for the life of that policy.
The battery alone that was replaced cost more than the premiums I paid for the laptop.
As I said in general I don't think extended warranties are a good idea so I have trouble defending them. The insurance companies wouldn't be selling these policies if they paid out more than they take in so there are going to be some (a lot) of people that don't ever make a claim.
However in my case they have been worthwhile (for our laptops)and when I get a new laptop I will roll the dice again.
Clay (WA5NMR), Lee,(Wife) Codi, Brandi (Shelties) and Damncat (damn cat)
Full Timing in a 2004 Winnebago Sightseer 35N, Workhorse chassis, Honda Accord toad
It's entirely a personal choice, of course. If the numbers work for your situation, then I wouldn't argue it. Example - I can just about afford the new machine, but can't hope to also pay for replacement parts or repairs during the life of the policy offered. In that case? Maybe not such an awful deal, depending.
I put the information out there just so those who aren't familiar with the market situation can choose for themselves. 'Insurance' is a thing that makes people feel more secure. Sometimes, just a little more information can make you feel just as secure and leave your bank account a little fuller, too.
To me, the investment isn't the machine itself, but the data it contains. Machines come and go. So if I'm gonna spend, I'll spend on protecting that data instead. Then, if the machine bites the dust I'm still in a recoverable situation. (Last time I switched machines, stuff from the early 90's and maybe 15 or so machines ago was still there, still testing good.) So DO check the fine print on that policy. Some places (Gateway is one such) will not agree to protect or restore your data. They'll just wipe your disks. Dell was clearly much cooler about that!
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