<p>I just bought a new washer and dryer today. I did not buy the extended warranty but of course the pressure was immense! </p>
<p>I never buy extended warranties. Ok I did once, on my minivan which had tons of electronic stuff on it. I made out even on that one but I usually say no but feel guilty because the salesman is sure that I need it and sure that I’m going to use it.</p>
<p>My H is very handy but we are pretty low tech and most stuff is easy to fix. The only appliance I remember having a repairman come for is an over the stove microwave. I just bought a new one at a discounted price.</p>
<p>Do you buy the extended warranties? Do you think you make out on them?</p>
<p>Depends on the appliance. On nearly everything except front loading washers, no. But our warranty on the front loader has allowed them to replace every part - the main board, the drum itself, basically all but the cabinet. It has been well worth it. </p>
<p>I have fixed my dishwasher myself. That involved finding the methods through a long series of searches on the net. </p>
<p>I never buy them. By definition they’re biased in favor of the extended warranty company profiting more than you will on them. In addition there have been some issues with the extended warranty company going out of business and leaving the purchaser with nothing. For every person who says it was worthwhile for them to get the insurance on an item there are many more who’ll never use it.</p>
<p>The reason the salesperson pushed it so hard is because it’s one of the most profitable things they have and they usually make a good commission on it.</p>
<p>I certainly would not purchase one for a washer/dryer (or anything else). </p>
<p>Note - my 15 y/o washer just broke the other day but I fixed it myself with a $25 part and it’s good to go for awhile longer now.</p>
<p>I will never buy an extended warranty from a retailer. They are NOT from the manufacturer and they seem to always find a reason to deny a claim. For some major appliances, e.g., stove. fridge, dishwasher I have purchased an extended warranty ONLY FROM THE MANUFACTURER. You usually get these offers from the manufacturer a few weeks after registering the product. </p>
<p>I have had two claims in 20 years and both times I thought I was treated fairly, but only because it was the manufacturer who issued the extended warranty.</p>
<p>deb, i never buy the extended warranties however my credit card extends the warranties on my purchases. It paid a 240 dollar washer repair bill the other year with no questions asked. maybe you should see if your car does that.</p>
<p>I never used to buy them. I also found the most difficult part of buying anything from an appliance store was resisting the salesperson’s pressure to sell the extended warranty. </p>
<p>Now I have changed my policy completely. I have extended warranties on my refrigerator, washer, dryer, and dishwasher. The problem is the new appliances are expensive, complicated (they are all circuit boards) and made like CRAP!! We have used our extended warranties extendedly.</p>
<p>I bought the 5-year extended warranty on my laptop. It cost me $240 ($750 computer) for the warranty through Dell. 2.5 years into the warranty my laptop began overheating and eventually caught fire as I was working on it. When it cooled back down enough to turn back on, I went straight to Dell’s online support. They sent me a brand new laptop which was upgraded from what I had…</p>
<p>We got one for our treadmill, and we’ve used it more than once. The thing works fine if it’s worked on occasionally. We’ve run more than 1,000 miles on it as a family, so it has been a good investment.</p>
I take it back - the only one I’ve ever purchased was the optional extended warranty and accidental damage coverage for a Dell laptop for my kid to get through 4 years of college on. I know the hinges had to be replaced but can’t remember if anything else broke on it. They cleverly didn’t include the battery in the warranty.</p>
<p>With apple the battery is included, so is the charger.</p>
<p>Dump fluid in the keyboard. At least every laptop gets one. No it isn’t usually covered, but they always do.
DVD player quit.
Video monitor messed up-
Over the years both I and my daughter have had almost everything replaced at least once- and gotten an upgrade to the next system software for free because the replacement module would only run on new OS.
but we don’t get extended warranties for anything else.</p>
<p>I’d get them for laptops if they only come with one year warranties by default and the end user isn’t comfortable being their own tech support/doing their own laptop part replacements/repairs. </p>
<p>I also make sure to make all laptop/extended warranty purchases are done through a credit card which adds more time to the warranties.</p>
<p>One month after kitchen remodel, new fridge electronics went on the fritz. Service man said he would do on all new items with electronics…interestingly because of our new “smart meters” from utility company seems to be zapping a lot of appliances…</p>
<p>Wish I could have my old fridge. Seriously, I do not need to have a slideshow above the icemaker!</p>
<p>Washing machine. More electronics in a machine that shakes, whirls and vibrates. Used my warranty twice on the machine. Also used it on a dehumidifier. I find myself buying them more often on machines that are using touchpads instead of dials. </p>
<p>Give me a darn machine without the fancy electronics. Please</p>
<p>Have gotten a free one for the 1st new car I ever bought, an Oldsmobile. It was very useful as the transmission went out AGAIN just before the extended warrant expired. Got one as well on our Toyota van & used it also, as that transmission went out just before the warranty expired.</p>
<p>Have NEVER purchased one on electronics BUT get up to an extra year FREE by purchasing with my AmEx Costco card. Have used it several times for 2 unrepairable laptops. Also used the loss/broken protection from CC for Rx glasses that were lost in the ocean & retainer that broke in washer & dryer.</p>
<p>Have always resisted purchasing extended warranties and they would never have helped us, as IF we have problems, they are generally way past the warranty period (or fail during the original warranty)–we often replace them at that point. Also, purchasing things from Costco, if they break, often Costco takes them back for full refund.</p>
<p>The only time I purchased it was for a flat screen TV, four years. Lo and Behold 3.5 years in, it dies. After two attempts to repair, Best Buy replaced it with a new one with no hassles. Well worth it considering that flat screens are notorious for having short shelf lives…</p>
<p>Up until a few hours ago, I would have stated that we simply never buy extended warranties. But, our 12 year old CRT TV finally gave out so off to Costco we went. They already give a 2 year warranty on all their TV’s. An extended warranty for an additional 3 years (thus bumper to bumper for a total of 5 years) can be purchased and is based on the cost of the unit. Since ours was under $500, the extended warranty was $30.00. Also, based on the size of the TV (in this case 42") any needed diagnostics and repair would be done in the home! This was the first time I felt like the extended warrant was actually worth the price of admission. A big part of the decision was based on that fact that the merchant was Costco. I’ve found them to always stand behind their products and run interference between the consumer and product manufacture if the need arises.</p>
<p>I never buy the extended warranty – but recently had a really big repair needed for [the computer I am currently using]. According to my precise calculations, the machine was less than 1 year old with very light use at the time of the issue – but the manufacturer insisted that the in-service date was the day I ordered it online from their site. There is a time lag of 10-14 days between the time the machine is ordered and the time it’s actually put into use – build, ship, delivery, sit in my receiving department, wait for my day off to take it to the secondary location where it will be used etc. </p>
<p>And it was more than one year since I’d ordered the machine, but less than one year since I’d put it into use. </p>
<p>The final resolution was that I’d buy the extended warranty offered by the computer company. Even though they claimed I was too late, they would allow me to purchase it. Then, they would cover the repair which cost 75% of a new machine. </p>
<p>So … now I have a fixed computer <em>and</em> the extended warranty through 2014.</p>