I recently purchased a 19" LCD Sony Display Monitor (SDM-HS94P) at 'Best Buy' for $669 (after $100 rebate) and the salesman somehow convinced (conned?) me to shell out $149 for a '3 year' extended replacement warranty, telling me that Sony's factory warranty covers only 1 year parts & labor, and that LCD monitors (in general) have had a history(?!) of pixels suddenly going out (for no reason) in a year or two. I added the additional in store extended warranty only under the understanding that I could opt out of it within 30 days, and get a refund back, if I changed my mind.

I've now discovered, after reading my Sony LCD monitor's warranty card carefully, that my monitor is actually warranted by Sony for 3 years (including both parts & labor) so called 'Best Buy' to let them know that I planned to opt out of the $149 extended warranty offer. The 'Best Buy' customer service person told me that they will refund my $149 if I want, but warned me that if I run into a problem with my LCD monitor, that I would have to ship it back to Sony, and that it could take up to a month for Sony to fix/replace it. On the other hand, if I keep the $149 Best Buy extended warranty and ever have a problem with the display monitor, that I would recieve a BRAND NEW same (or current equivilent model) replacement unit from 'Best Buy' that very day.

Considering all this, do you guys think it's worth the $149 to keep this warranty, or am I just throwing my money away?

I'm also curious to find out if any of you are purchasing 'in store' extended warranties for your keyboards & music equipment.

Many thanks for input and advice.

Scott

Scott, it's just like car insurance Like a comedian once said...., they should call it (in case sh** happens).... That warranty on that monitor a very expensive "just in case". If in 3 years the monitor is still working great, that's $149 smackers paid out for nothing.

Squeak

Hi Scott,
Enjoy the TV....would not have purchased the extended. These products last forever without problems. My son worked at CC and he made all his commissions on extended warranties. You should get your money back.
Zuki

Extended warranties, in general, are a rip. Their highest profit sale. For the item you purchased, I wouldn't have, as it's no big deal if it goes out. As for something like a keyboard that you MUST have, if those are offered with good terms, it might be worth it.

I'm sure a guy of your smarts wouldn't be taken in by any 'salesman'. On the other hand if this type of arrangement were offered to working musicians for their gear it might work!

Do you think we'll see this kind of deal offered for keyboards?

Scott,

I can't believe you fell for that old con game. First and foremost, Best Buy, does not do their own repairs--they send them out to the nearest factory repair center. In fact, when my hard drive on my Compaq Presario crashed, the technician said it would take 6 to 8 weeks to get the computer repaired because during the first year, it was stil under Compaq's waranty, this despite the fact I had a Best Buy Warranty. The drive crashed during the first week of use. Consequently, at this point I cancelled the extended waranty, called Compaq, they overnighted a pre-formatted and loaded 80-gig hard drive and I was back in business the next afternoon. Now I have back-up computers, both laptop and desktop.

After examining most extended waranty programs, I believe you'll find most are not worth the paper they are written on. Additionally, most have limitations and nearly all require that you pay the freight charges to and from the repair centers. I'll take my chances with the factory waranty and hope for the best after it expires.

Cheers,

Gary

Scott -

Dump it immediately! It's like the old sales trick of rust-proofing the undercarriage of your new car.

A couple aquaintances work at electronics stores and they said they get 80% of what they sell for extended warranties. Almost always it is covered by the manufacturer's standard warranty.

That's why they are so PUSHY about these warranties! I always tell them that I can't afford it. Then they tell you that if it breaks to just OPEN THE CASE will run you $500. Blah blah blah....

Bought a $300 Sony Camcorder five years ago and it has been humming along just fine. Your monitor will last for years.

My advice is to dump the policy and run with it.

Tommy

no they are not worth it.
and the saleperson lied to you.
these people are under constant pressure
from thier supervisor to sell these because
it is the most profitable item in the store.
if fact, in some stores, if a salesperson
don't make their (PPP)=product protection
plan sales goal ,they are usually fired.

Definitely dump the extended warranty. The technology may change during a 3 year period, let alone it being very unlikely that anything will go wrong with the monitor.

------------------
Graham

Consumer reports calls extended warranties a ripoff.

I would only opt for such a warranty on a product that is made for home use and I'm using it professionally. For example, let's say I get a camcorder, and I am using it professionally every single day at my job, six hours a day. It is likely to break within three years.

I'm glad you cancelled it, Scott. Good call.

Beakybird