Are e-reader extended warranties worth the cost?
Today I was watching the new
s and they were giving money-saving tips for the holiday shopping season. One of the tips was saying ‘No!” to extended warranty plans that many stores try to talk consumers into when buying electronics. This got me thinking about ebook reading devices and whether or not it’s worth the extra money for an extended warranty.
Personally, I’ve had a good experience in the past with an extended warranty. When I bought my first laptop in 1999 (a Compaq Presario) I purchased the extended warranty, not really knowing any better. Little did I know this would pay off big time. A few years later the screen on my laptop suddenly stopped working.
I took it into the store where I purchased it and they replaced the screen for free. My laptop also had other problems that required lengthy and expensive repairs – at no cost to me thanks to the extended warranty I purchased.
I calculated the cost of the repairs to be about as much as the laptop was worth when I bought it. I really lucked out. Since then I’ve had a pretty good feeling about these warranties because, let’s face it, electronics can be fragile and tend to break down at the worst possible times.
Fast forward to several months ago when I purchased my Sony Reader Pocket Edition. I bought the extended warranty which covered the device for two years instead of one. The extra cost also included accidental drops, spills and other user-related accidents. My thinking was that two years is a fairly long time and a lot can happen. Furthermore, e-readers tend to be a little more fragile than a lot of electronics (especially the e-ink screen).
Some will say I got ripped offer. Others will say I made the right decision. It all comes down to personal choice. But here are a few items to consider when wondering if you should fork over your hard-earned money for an extended warranty:
- How much did you pay for the device itself? Sometimes it’s just cheaper to replace the device than pay for an extra ‘protection plan.’ And as the technology improves, the price will come down and new models will come onto the market.
- Do you tend to be a little rough with your electronics? Do you travel a lot? These can increase the chance of an accident. If you answered ‘yes’ to either question, then an extended warranty might be worth considering.
- Does the warranty cover additional problems (like your plane making an emergency landing in the Hudson River)? Some warranties only extend the manufacturer’s guarantee against defects. Others, like Sony, add accident protection for us clumsy folk.
- Can you afford it? This might seem like a silly question but there’s no use buying a fancy new ebook reader and the extended warranty if you won’t be able to afford to load it up with any ebooks. Just food for thought.
- Read the fine print! All warranties come with strings attached and even something small like trying to change the battery yourself can void a warranty.
I won’t deny that a lot of retailers and electronics manufacturers make a tidy profit by pushing the extended warranties on tech-hungry consumers. They assume most of those protection plans won’t be used, so it’s just more money in their pocket. With most electronics I probably wouldn’t buy the extra warranty (I did not get the Apple Care plan when I purchased my Mac earlier this year). But for ebook readers, it’s a different story. The technology is still emerging and the devices are comparatively fragile.
Do you think extended warranties are rip offs, or a justifiable purchase? Leave a comment below and share your answer.
Photo Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahbaker/ / CC BY 2.0
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