rtse313

i purchased a toshiba labtop from bestbuy and the salesman was trying hard to sell me the 3 years extended warranty for $199. he claimed that toshiba labtops are not reliable, esp on the battery and screen, and there were 3 returns already !! i know the original warranty doesn't cover the battery and screen, but $199 seems a bit expensive consider the laptop only costs $799. would you guys get the extended warranty ?? i have 13 days to decide.... thanks for the help guys !!

djradam

don't you LOVE when sales people say how great a product is and when you say you want it, they talk about so many things that go wrong with them and the warranty is worth it??


when i got my sony laptop i told him i didn't want the warranty and he kept on bugging me about it, then my mom said "well, you should just get it" ... which pissed me off a lot, cause i don't think it's worth it. the sales person says that if anything happens, you can easily get something fixed, which i highly doubt. my laptop battery is losing charge, i'm wondering if that's covered (probably not, cause it's not totally dead)


how do those warranty things work anyway? anyone here work at bestbuy or know what's up with that warranty plan?

raimin

i agree, the accidental coverage is a good thing. Especially a goofy analyst at my work, decide to close his laptop hard, and he had a pen inside...Cracked the screen good

jermscentral

Funny you should ask -- I'm a former Best Buy and Dell employee, so I can answer just about any warranty questions related to those two corporations.

For Best Buy:
We were taught (read: "told") to tell you that the batteries lose their charge after about a year and a half of usage and that the screens are easily breakable, so you should definitely by the plan.

Why it's good:
The plan is a 3 year protection plan that covers normal wear and tear; damage from dust, heat, humidity, and moisture; power surge protection if it gets fried by lightning; and it does cover the battery if it loses its charge. If your battery just isn't holding the same charge it used to, don't expect to get it replaced on the spot. You'll have to have a significant loss of charge (about 50%) before they'll do much about it. Of course, it varies by store as well, because some managers are more lenient than others.

However, what makes the plan a drawback:
If you require service, don't expect to have it fixed immediately. Unless you're getting a maintenance check-up that only involves an air duster, it'll most likely be sent to the main maintenance facility for all repairs. Don't expect to see that bad boy for at least 2-3 weeks. Some people have had to wait longer. Then, the plan sometimes backfires on people when their repaired machine doesn't work, but the techs say it does. They won't send it back at that point without adding frustration to your already-non-working laptop, or they may send it back, causing you to wait up to anotherh month. If you saw pictures of the warehouse where they store the machines to be repaired, you'd see why I say it takes about a month.

In my opinion:
Don't get the service plan unless it's a replacement plan and is less than 10% of the cost of your item purchased. Employees are metered by the number of PSPs and PRPs they sell throughout the day, and I quit just as they were implementing the mandatory number requirements (we had to sell a minimum of 2 computers per hour, regardless of traffic, during our shift, even if we only worked 2 or 3 hour shifts). The company has gone downhill as far as customer service and is striving to make any little dollar it can.

My recommendation:
Go with Dell (though it's a little late since you've already purchased your system). I worked in Dell Home Sales, and while we have been technically brainwashed by our own sales tactics, I must say that I've had nothing but good luck with Dell. However, things may change, since they're moving a lot of their call center operations for customer support and technical support to India. The Indians read the scripts they are provided and make you follow step by step instructions for fixing a problem, and it's the same script for virtually any problem. They aren't as keen on customer service and solving the customer's problem -- they typically just go through their script line by line until something fixes the problem. However, their warranty is hard to beat. When I get a Dell system, I get anything beyond the standard 1 year warranty. Sure, it costs more, but for me, it's peace of mind. I also prefer on-site warranty coverage, because they will send someone to your site as early as the next business day to repair the system, and if you need a new part, they'll send it by Airborne Express to you overnight, resulting in extremely low downtime. You just put your non-working device in the box, slap the new shipping label on it, and send it back (no charge to you). To me, it's a hard deal to beat. I've heard success stories from some people about the mail-in laptop warranties, having them only take 2-3 days to get repaired and sent back instead of the minimum 2 week repair time listed on the website.

In conclusion:
People have had problems with both companies' warranties and service plans, but it's to be expected with companies of that size. Besides, not every product ever manufactured comes out perfect. They've gotten the number down to about 1 in 1000 systems that are defective in some way, but the number is shrinking. Also, look at getting the accidental damage coverage offered by Dell. Best Buy doesn't offer it, so if you spill coffee on the system, you're basically responsible for all charges incurred in repairing the system (same thing if you don't get Dell's CompleteCare and do the same thing). Repairs on laptops can be expensive, so any kind of repair plan is a good investment. If you have a defective part, and get it replaced free, then you've almost paid for it (with a laptop). Laptop screens do cost about $500-1000 to repair (because you can't "repair" it -- it has to be replaced). Laptop parts aren't necessarily cheap, so repair costs can run up to 3 or 4 times the cost of the warranty/PSP, depending on the company. If you have a problem, cut the guy some slack that's fixing it. He's doing you a favor by actually listening to you and not hanging up when you get angry. If you have any questions, let me know.

djradam

i t hink the best buy thing states that if it can't be fixed, they'll replace it ... but that is months of hassle

slaus

Laptop warranties are worth it because fixing them isnt an easy option like desktops. Like if a desktop has a motherboard blow out, you can get another one easily. A laptops motherboard is impossible to come by unless you work for a distributor or buy someone elses busted laptop and swap parts.

KrazyKidd

best buy service plan does cover batteries. i believe you just call the 888 number on the brochure and they ship it overnite. As far as using the service plan to get something fixed in a store, your treatment varies store by store. So if you feel you got shafted at one store, try another store or another service technician. I work at best buy...if you really dont feel like gettin the extended service plan, then dont get it. But understand that the manufacturers warranty only covers certain things and that its only 1 year. If you will not use the laptop often or not use it for 3 years, dont get it. if you didnt buy the service plan and the laptop falls out of the return policy, best buy wont even look at the laptop becuz they wont have to. its a hard decision to make... but try to make the one that you will regret the least.