Hi, If I buy a TV online then it's usually £200-£300 cheaper than in a shop, but only has 1 year warranty. In the shops I can get a 5 year warranty. Is it worth the difference in price for this warranty?
Is a 5 year warranty worth it?
- Thread starter Peter Bleakley
- Start date
this is one of the main reasons i have been looking for my tv at johnlewis (all tvs come with a free 5 year warranty) comparing prices of a tv + 5yr warranty they seem to be the cheapest. richer sounds seems to work out at good prices but they dont have the model i want at the moment! having had a bad experience with my car engine blowing up within 2 weeks of the warranty ending (it would have cost me £2k for a new engine otherwise) i prefer to have an extended warranty. i would be curious to see what everyone else thinks aswell.
It is worth looking into any terms and conditions of any extended warranty before making your choice of who to buy from as some only cover certain problems and some even work on a slideing scale so if say you were in the 4th year and your set went BANG you may find they only pay out a percentage of the new price and not replacement value.
As Krimmy said read the small print and ask questions, the devil is always in the detail, for me personally buying reputable make, I have never felt the need for them.
Extended warranties can be expensive. The alternative is to put a certain amount each month into a savings account, then if your TV does conk out, you've got some money spare to get it fixed. Reckon the John Lewis 5yr free warranty is a pretty good deal, though, and one we often recommend.
An theoretical question (and probably unanswerable) - how many years should a reputable LCD or plasma set last for? I don't own one, but would expect a TV costing £500 - £1000 to last for 10 years at least.
Jonathan
Jonathan
[quote user="jon_jh"]
An theoretical question (and probably unanswerable) - how many years should a reputable LCD or plasma set last for? I don't own one, but would expect a TV costing £500 - £1000 to last for 10 years at least.
Jonathan
[/quote]
I am not a lawyer but I have read somewhere that a TV would be expected to last more than just a year - therefore despite there only being a 1 year warranty you would still have a strong case. Also your contract is with the retail outlet and not with the manufacturer therefore they cant fob you off by saying is nothing to do with them. It is reasonable to expect a TV to last longer than 12 months.
An theoretical question (and probably unanswerable) - how many years should a reputable LCD or plasma set last for? I don't own one, but would expect a TV costing £500 - £1000 to last for 10 years at least.
Jonathan
[/quote]
I am not a lawyer but I have read somewhere that a TV would be expected to last more than just a year - therefore despite there only being a 1 year warranty you would still have a strong case. Also your contract is with the retail outlet and not with the manufacturer therefore they cant fob you off by saying is nothing to do with them. It is reasonable to expect a TV to last longer than 12 months.
If you can't decide about a 5 year guarantee, turn it round and look at it from the retailers point of view. They are betting that enough TV'S will NOT go wrong in the first 5 years. All the extra money they get on the sale price will be profit. In addition, the first year is covered by the manufacturer, so any 'Friday afternoon ' sets will be fixed at the manufacturers expense.. In my experience most electrical products either go wrong in the first couple of months or last a long time.
Of course , there will be some sets that go wrong after 3-4 years, but to quote the immortal line of some old film..... "Do you feel lucky?"
Of course , there will be some sets that go wrong after 3-4 years, but to quote the immortal line of some old film..... "Do you feel lucky?"
People paying for a warranty on anything is free money for the retailer. if 1% of electricals go wrong, and 50% of people buy a warranty, then 49% is profit. I've been in trading meetings with retailers and this is completely the situation. I personally would never buy an extended warranty and have been completely justified so far, te money I have saved will more than pay for an 'unlucky' repair.
Of course if you can get a 'free' 5 year warranty for just a few quid more then it is probably worth it if you don't have savings simply for peace of mind.
Of course if you can get a 'free' 5 year warranty for just a few quid more then it is probably worth it if you don't have savings simply for peace of mind.
It's worth remembering that John Lewis will price match with a local Empire Direct. I got my 46" F86 from JL at the same price as my local ED, with the 5 year warranty and free delivery! Saved £400 on the JL in-store/web price.
If anybody happens to be in Manchester I can recommend JL Trafford Centre and Cheadle who price match against ED Manchester.
You can phone them and about a week later you get a letter stating whether the match has been successful or not. The item MUST be in stock at ED.
If anybody happens to be in Manchester I can recommend JL Trafford Centre and Cheadle who price match against ED Manchester.
You can phone them and about a week later you get a letter stating whether the match has been successful or not. The item MUST be in stock at ED.
Never knowingly undersold.
JL is a very good company, trustworthy, customer and staff focused. A leader.
JL is a very good company, trustworthy, customer and staff focused. A leader.
John Duncan
Well-known member
[quote user="JoelSim"]Never knowingly undersold.
JL is a very good company, trustworthy, customer and staff focused. A leader.[/quote]
Agreed, I think the five year warranty is worth it - their prices are actually very close to internet retailers anyway (usually), or will price match damn close. Their staff also know their products better than pretty much anybody, I've found.
JL is a very good company, trustworthy, customer and staff focused. A leader.[/quote]
Agreed, I think the five year warranty is worth it - their prices are actually very close to internet retailers anyway (usually), or will price match damn close. Their staff also know their products better than pretty much anybody, I've found.
Bit of an off-topic ramble, but it highlights an important point.
I never shopped at JL before buying a Humax PVR from them. It developed a fault after 11 months (two year warranty).
I telephoned Humax to get it swapped (they simply swap faulty ones for a refrub). Humax said they needed the receipt, so after kicking myself for losing the receipt, I called JL to request a copy and spoke to a very helpful person who said somebody would call me back tomorrow (yeah right!).
The next day I received a call (yes they called ME!) from after sales service saying that till receipts are only kept for six months, but why did I need it anyway? I explained and he said, no problem, my names Fred Bloggs, bring in proof of purchase and I'll swap it for a new one. I thought, yes of course you will...
However I did just that, walked into the store, showed Fred Bloggs my bank statement, he took a box off the shelf and handed it to me complete with a NEW receipt showing two years warranty on the new box. I was left speechless! In all my years of battling with incompetent retail outlets to get faulty goods replaced, I was in shock!
So anyway, the moral of the story?
Well since then I have gone on to buy another Humax PVR and my LCD from JL.
I never shopped at JL before buying a Humax PVR from them. It developed a fault after 11 months (two year warranty).
I telephoned Humax to get it swapped (they simply swap faulty ones for a refrub). Humax said they needed the receipt, so after kicking myself for losing the receipt, I called JL to request a copy and spoke to a very helpful person who said somebody would call me back tomorrow (yeah right!).
The next day I received a call (yes they called ME!) from after sales service saying that till receipts are only kept for six months, but why did I need it anyway? I explained and he said, no problem, my names Fred Bloggs, bring in proof of purchase and I'll swap it for a new one. I thought, yes of course you will...
However I did just that, walked into the store, showed Fred Bloggs my bank statement, he took a box off the shelf and handed it to me complete with a NEW receipt showing two years warranty on the new box. I was left speechless! In all my years of battling with incompetent retail outlets to get faulty goods replaced, I was in shock!
So anyway, the moral of the story?
Well since then I have gone on to buy another Humax PVR and my LCD from JL.
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