Extended warrany on laptop - yes or no?

[UTUSN]

I've kept away from extended warranties on anything for a couple of decades or more, after having been burned having to replace junk that somehow fell between the cracks.

This laptop was a bit pricey for whatever my situation and already the year is up in a couple of weeks. I peeked into the pop-ups pushing the extended warranties, and the prices were eye popping all right: $150 for a year and up incrementally by hundreds of $ for the 2, 3, etc., years deals.

Seems to me that my tactic of these years past, taking a chance that the life span will be acceptable without big fix-up costs, then just call it disposable and getting a new thing.

Any direction for me? Thanks.

[steve2470]

1. Do the warranties include dropping it or cracking the screen ?

If so, it might actually be worth it, because dropping laptops is pretty common from what I've heard and cracked screens are pretty common too.

If not, meh.... your current strategy might be the right choice.

[UTUSN]

2. Thanks - don't know about the dropping/cracked coverage, but

my inner screwed self doubts that those would be covered.

As for "meh" I spent 2 hours or more at the midnight hours with Tech Support all my fault. This was with HP. The printer was working as it has for the one year old it is, with the warranty also running out in a week or so. But the "HP Solution Center" said that the laptop could not detect the printer and could not communicate. Still, the printer printed, did whatever. But silly me thought everything should be connected and communicating so I made the mistake of calling them.

The first tech went through a prolonged process and got to a point that things appeared to be working. He had remote control. So he decided that my anti-virus had probably led to the problem and started digging into the registry. That's when Hades broke out. Whereas the printer had actually been working before he got into it, now the wireless was totally screwed and the Touchscreen went dark. Then conveniently the call disconnected and he didn't call back.

This led to a second Marathon session with a different tech, with the remote thing, with multiple re-doings of the same diagnostics failing. Several times the hesitancy of the cursor's movements gave me the panic that the person didn't know what they were doing. I said so and was told not to worry that it wasn't the tech doing the stuff, it was "an engineer" who knew exactly what he was doing.

They moved on into opening up my router's website and poking around in there, besides the anti-virus website. So they poked all over, uninstalling bits here and there. I was literally developing a stomach problem. They asked for passwords I hadn't used since the original set-up, the works.

Finally, things worked. Or actually got back to where things were before I ever called them. Well, really a bit better since the HP Solution Center now showed communication with the printer. I guess that's an improvement.

All this a week or so before the warranty expires. So I'm set for a year or two? I'd be thrilled with a year, ecstatic with anything more than that, hoping for 3 or 4.

[JBoy]

3. I consider laptops disposable

My philosophy is that it needs to last me about 3 years, and whenever it dies or no longer meets my needs I'll replace it with something newer, and hopefully cheaper. My needs are pretty basic - email, internet, office applications, decent video, and no games. A low-end laptop is plenty for me, and if the industry didn't keep bloating the OS and applications I should be using a $100 laptop by now.

If my laptop breaks before the 3 yr point, I just replace it sooner (assuming it's not a simple repair). If it's still working and meeting my needs, I keep going. Right now I'm on my 2nd year with an HP laptop, and I've had to replace the power cable (cost me about $35). It's got Vista, so I'm secretly hoping it breaks sometime soon.

One advantage of replacing a laptop more frequently is that it's more likely you'll be able to salvage usable parts from the old one and that whatever software you have will run on the new one.

The value of a laptop declines over time. If you think of the extended warranty as "insurance", it doesn't make sense to me to pay 1/4 or 1/3 of the value of something in premiums. At that point, it's worth self-insuring. Like not getting collision insurance when you drive a clunker.

[Old and In the Way]

4. Depends how much you paid, how lucky you are, and your aversion to risk.

I declined an extended warranty on my last laptop purchase. I did add an extended warranty to my car when I converted from a lease. My risk on the laptop was low compared to outlays for major problems with my vehicle. I think I bought my laptop 2 years ago for $389.00 (Compaq CQ61). No problems at all and I've saved almost the cost of a new laptop by declining the extended warranty. Most computers are burned in and infant mortality usually shows up while under the original factory warranty. I low risk bet if you're buying a relatively inexpensive laptop I think.

[UTUSN]

5. Thanks, JBoy and OaitW, you'be both confirmed me in

riding the risk and in thinking of laptops as disposable. If it lasts another year, I'll be happy, and 3 or more years ecstatic.

Plus it makes sense that the things get cheaper and the new ones carry the latest stuff.

[Occulus]

6. Check the details.

Make sure you know what is and is not covered. Most plans cover the laptop being dropped, mobo parts getting fried, etc. Many do not cover water damage.

Once you're satisfied, I'd go with a two-year plan if it's a brand-new, recent model. Two years is about the length of time most people keep their new laptops before selling it or trading it in for a newer one.

By the way, keep the old one and turn it into a homemade projection display. Bigscreen on the cheap!