Question about new TVs and warranties (harvey normans extended one, a rippoff?)

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › Question about new TVs and warranties (harvey normans extended one, a rippoff?)

GMHLJ

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#38323 28-Jul-2009 10:12

Hi,

I am looking at getting a new panasonic plasma, went and had a look at the prices, was happy with the wall price and then went to price it up and harvey say that the panasonic only comes with a one year warrenty and to extend (to 3 years) its $400?

Had a look on panasonics NZ site and cant find any info on there warrentys.

I was just wondering if anyone had any opinions on these extended warrentys?

Do other brands have more than one year warrenty?

And any other thoughts.

Thankyou
GMHLJ

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#239579 28-Jul-2009 10:17

I would not bother with any extended warranty at any store. You are covered under the consumer guarantees act with the clause 'Good must last for a resonable amount of time'. 12 months is not a resonable amount of time :) So save your $400 and spend it on something else.

A resonable amount of time could be anywhere from 5 to 15 years for a new TV.

I haven't purchased extended warranties for years.

Lenovo

Shop now for Lenovo laptops and other devices (affiliate link).

CYaBro

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#239599 28-Jul-2009 10:43

The advantage with the extended warranty is that if something does go wrong you will get service/repair/replacement in pretty good time.
If you rely on the CGA then you may find that the retailer doesn't follow it and you have to go through other channels to get the issue resolved (disputes tribunal is one way) but this could take months before a decision is reached.

In saying that I have also never purchased an extended warranty.

Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

BlueToothKiwi

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#239602 28-Jul-2009 10:48

I have never ever bought extended warranty in my life. The extra protection you get as part of the extended warranty is a right you already have as part of the Consumer Guarantees Act.

However, it is wroth getting if the warranty covers more than standard wear and tead (e.g cracks in your LCD screen).

But then question you have to ask is which is more expensive - the excess you pay as part of your householed insurance - or the extra you pay over the purchase price.

Tim M, Auckland
Blog: http://paddler.co.nz

GMHLJ

30 posts

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#239626 28-Jul-2009 11:10

Cheers thanks for the replies guys, I am also of the opinion that if it doesn't die in the first year then it probably won't.

Thankyou for the advice about the consumer guarentees act, pays to know all the laws :) if it comes to that I'll be sure to post here an ask for some advice.

Thanks again.

vexxxboy

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#239638 28-Jul-2009 11:26

i have 5 year warranty's on all my electronic products all from harvey norman and never paid for any of them i make sure they throw them in free and i have been glad i have for most of them eg , microwave gave up the ghost after 4 years of hard use, to expensive to fix so was replaced with brand new model, A dryer has had over $ 400 of repairs under the warranty and my pc has had a new power unit , new graphic card (updated0 and new dvd unit , as people say you can rely on the consummer act but i hope you dont need to use your TV while you argue about trying to get it fixed

Common sense is not as common as you think.

bazzer

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#239656 28-Jul-2009 11:59

But couldn't you have gotten more of a discount without the extended warranty?

In the end, they are insurance. Are you willing to pay the premium for the peace of mind?

old3eyes

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#239666 28-Jul-2009 12:25

The only time I have bought extended warranties has been on laptop computers. So far I've got my money plus back within three years..

Regards,

Old3eyes

timestyles

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#239696 28-Jul-2009 13:13

Lots of people online say "you already have rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act" but has anyone actually tried to obtain these rights? I hardly hear of anyone taking companies to the disputes tribunal. It does occur, but I read about it maybe 1-2 times a year.

bazzer

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#239704 28-Jul-2009 13:23

If you deal with major retailers, it never gets that far because somewhere in the management hierarchy someone knows the rules. They do what's right and what's expected of them. Smaller reatilers certainly try and weasle out of things.

marmel

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#239728 28-Jul-2009 13:57

I used to sell extended warranties when I worked at Bond & Bond. Back then (2001) the 5 year warranty for a computer was $299, the cost price according to the store computer was around $50.

Don't waste your money on an extended warranty. The only reason salespeople push them so hard is the huge margin in them and most outfits will pay salespeople extra for each warranty sold. (We used to get $9).

The ony benefit I can see is that as mentoned above if you do have a problem and have to go through the disputes tribunal or similar to sort it out it can take a while whereas if you have a warranty it should be sorted out much sooner.

BlueToothKiwi

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#239731 28-Jul-2009 13:59

timestyles: Lots of people online say "you already have rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act" but has anyone actually tried to obtain these rights? I hardly hear of anyone taking companies to the disputes tribunal. It does occur, but I read about it maybe 1-2 times a year.

I personally dont like conflicts - but there was one occasion I got a free replacement from The Warehouse outside the standard warranty period. The Information Desk person at Warehouse called the manager to approve it - and it was painless. I liked what they did and their attitude and I been loyal to The Warehouse brand since then.

As for the law and your rights - I got better things to do with my life than taking a retailer to Small Claims Court - at a time they are struggling with dropped sales.

However, this link should sum up the law.

http://www.consumeraffairs.govt.nz/mediacentre/wordofadvice/2007/20071105.html

Tim

Tim M, Auckland
Blog: http://paddler.co.nz

RustyGonad

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#239743 28-Jul-2009 14:38

timestyles: Lots of people online say "you already have rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act" but has anyone actually tried to obtain these rights? I hardly hear of anyone taking companies to the disputes tribunal. It does occur, but I read about it maybe 1-2 times a year.

Yep - got a new TV from Harvey Norman/Samsung/Radiola. Bought a Samsung DLP once, and the colour wheel died, got pissed off with the service from Samsung, sent 1 email rejecting the TV after 2.5 years under the CGA, and got to pick a new one from the then current range. Took 21 days to resolve (would have been quicker, but it was over Christmas.

Also got a new replacement frigdge from Fisher and Paykel under the CGA, when a service tech replaced a faulty heater element with a US 110v part, which nuked the fridge (5.2 years old at the time). They initially wanted to offer a discount on a new one, I mentioned the CGA on the phone (parts being fit for the intended purpose), had a loan fridge within 5 hours, and a brand new one 3 days later. Excellent service by the way - best I have recieved from any NZ company.

The CGA works, it is hugely consumer weighted. Believe me this is one peice of legislation every NZer should learn to understand...

Very few companies will go near the disputes tribunal. If they do, it only costs $20 to lodge a claim, and they can't bring lawyers... It most cases is will cost them far more in pre DT legal fees and preparation than they are likely to save in any claim. There are many publised cases of companies such as Noel Leemings losing at the tribunal as well...

Ragnor

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#239905 28-Jul-2009 19:42

timestyles: Lots of people online say "you already have rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act" but has anyone actually tried to obtain these rights? I hardly hear of anyone taking companies to the disputes tribunal. It does occur, but I read about it maybe 1-2 times a year.

Recent Disputes Tribunal case vs Dell over a laptop
http://www.consumerblogs.org.nz/tech/2009/04/squaring-up-to-dell.html

hifinut

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#243787 7-Aug-2009 08:06

Hi
The manufacturers will stand by their products even out of the 12 month warranty especially Panasonic. They will pay for parts for a reasonable time. The extended warranty is not from Panasonic it is an insurance policy and can save a lot of heartaches later but they are expensive policies.

CYaBro

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#243833 7-Aug-2009 09:52

hifinut: Hi
The manufacturers will stand by their products even out of the 12 month warranty especially Panasonic. They will pay for parts for a reasonable time. The extended warranty is not from Panasonic it is an insurance policy and can save a lot of heartaches later but they are expensive policies.

And in most cases you may be covered by your existing contents insurance.
A mate had his stove blow up the other day.
His insurance is going to cover a replacement.

Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

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