Extended Warranties - instead of manufacturers warranty period or additional to?

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steve98

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#115851 9-Apr-2013 12:10

If I buy an item that comes with a one year warranty from the manufacturer and I decide to buy a 5 year extended warranty, have I bought 5 years on top of the manufacturers 1 year (so 6 years of cover) or just 5 years of cover?

And please no discussions about whether buying extended warranties is worth it or not.

Cheers

Steve

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#795514 9-Apr-2013 12:12

In most cases I've seen you have 5 years from day of purchase, with the argument in the first year they go over and above the manufacturers waranty......

LennonNZ

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#795521 9-Apr-2013 12:14

Nope.. you get 5 years from when you got it.

I found this out when I got a TV with an extended warranty. Samsung extended the warranty to 5 years due to a known fault on the TV (It used to be 3 Years) so the 5 year extended warranty meant nothing!!!!

Batman

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#795526 9-Apr-2013 12:16

if you buy a 5 year extended warranty you are buying an extra 4 years if the manufacturer warranty is 1 year, an additional 3 years if manufacturer warranty is 2 and so on

the terms of warranty changes when the date rolls over

manufacturer warranty uses manufacturer warranty terms

extended warranty is underwritten by a third party and comes with their own terms

make sure you know what you are buying

Involuntary autocorrect in operation on mobile device. Apologies in advance.

PaulBrislen

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#795530 9-Apr-2013 12:18

Never ever EVER buy an extended warranty.

As a consumer your purchase is governed by two acts:

Fair Trading Act
Consumer Guarantees Act

You have various rights in them over and above manufacturers' warranties.

One of them is that the product must be fit for purpose and that it be fit for purpose for a reasonable time.

So while I wouldn't expect my loaf of bread to be "fit for purpose" a year after purchase, I would expect my expensive TV to continue working for ten years, even if the warranty ran out after only one.

All the extended warranty does is lighten your wallet.

I am not a lawyer but I'm also not alone in my view. Have a look at Fair Go's piece on it:

http://tvnz.co.nz/fair-go/extended-warranties-3577669

steve98

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#795536 9-Apr-2013 12:24

PaulBrislen: Never ever EVER buy an extended warranty.

As a consumer your purchase is governed by two acts:

Fair Trading Act
Consumer Guarantees Act

You have various rights in them over and above manufacturers' warranties.

One of them is that the product must be fit for purpose and that it be fit for purpose for a reasonable time.

So while I wouldn't expect my loaf of bread to be "fit for purpose" a year after purchase, I would expect my expensive TV to continue working for ten years, even if the warranty ran out after only one.

All the extended warranty does is lighten your wallet.

I am not a lawyer but I'm also not alone in my view. Have a look at Fair Go's piece on it:

http://tvnz.co.nz/fair-go/extended-warranties-3577669

I totally get you Paul. All of those rights have to be fought for though and sometimes it's just easier and less stressful to buy a piece of paper that says "Thanks for your money, we will now honour your rights without you having to spend hours or days of your time writing to us and phoning and us and taking us to a disputes tribunal." I know I'm going to get pounced on for this, but that's how I see it and life's just too busy for the alternative sometimes.

steve98

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#795537 9-Apr-2013 12:25

BTW thanks everyone for the info.

PaulBrislen

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#795549 9-Apr-2013 12:32

I'll give you such a piece of paper... for whatever they're offering you, I"ll match it and fight on your behalf should anything go wrong.

Go on, I dare you. ;-)

eXDee

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#795551 9-Apr-2013 12:36

Since you're going to buy one...
Negotiate with the salesperson. They are being paid commission on the extended warranty you are buying, and also measured on their performance to sell them too.
Compare prices of extended warranties and the deals which each retailer will offer it to you, you should be able to play the retailers off against eachother especially when an extended warranty is involved - they can and will deeply discount it for you.

Almost every warranty is in addition to the manufacturers, so just keep in mind how extra benefits such as surge protection, on site servicing etc generally don't start until the extended period kicks in - get it clarified exactly when these begin.

ajobbins

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#795553 9-Apr-2013 12:37

PaulBrislen: Never ever EVER buy an extended warranty.

As a consumer your purchase is governed by two acts:

Fair Trading Act
Consumer Guarantees Act

You have various rights in them over and above manufacturers' warranties.

One of them is that the product must be fit for purpose and that it be fit for purpose for a reasonable time.

So while I wouldn't expect my loaf of bread to be "fit for purpose" a year after purchase, I would expect my expensive TV to continue working for ten years, even if the warranty ran out after only one.

All the extended warranty does is lighten your wallet.

I am not a lawyer but I'm also not alone in my view. Have a look at Fair Go's piece on it:

http://tvnz.co.nz/fair-go/extended-warranties-3577669

Absolutely correct, BUT trying to get a retailer to honour their CGA obligations is painful to say the least.

I had a faulty TV and DSE outright refused to honour their CGA obligations right up until they got the Disputes Tribunal hearing paperwork in the mail. They would stall for a long time, then come back with a refusal. When challenged they would stall again, then again come back with a another refusal.

It took me about 4 months and probably a weeks effort (and probably the same in lost sleep) before I could get them to honour their obligations.

The day they got the Disputed Tribunal paperwork they rang and told me that it was actually a known fault for my TV anyway!

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steve98

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#795580 9-Apr-2013 12:45

eXDee: Since you're going to buy one...

Actually no this is with regards to one I already bought. Bought a Playstation 3 back in Feb 2008 with a 5 year warranty -- now, here I am one and a half months over it and I have the dreaded 'Yellow Light of Death'. I was hoping I was actually covered for 6 years but alas I am not. I doubt the CGA would give me much backup after 5 years either.

Oh well, Murphy's Law.

surfisup1000

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#795581 9-Apr-2013 12:46

All of those rights have to be fought for though and sometimes it's just easier and less stressful to buy a piece of paper that says "Thanks for your money, we will now honour your rights without you having to spend hours or days of your time writing to us and phoning and us and taking us to a disputes tribunal." I know I'm going to get pounced on for this, but that's how I see it and life's just too busy for the alternative sometimes.

I don't think you can get pounced on, some people have better things to do than argue with retailers :)

The CGA is not working very well and most retailers make life very difficult by trying to avoid their legal responsibilities.

I've probably made around 10 post warranty claims using the CGA. While I ended up needing to file 3 disputes tribunal claims none reached an actual hearing. In a couple of other cases I agreed to pay partial repairs just to get the thing fixed.

But it is a hassle when suppliers and retailers reject valid CGA claims.

Batman

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#795601 9-Apr-2013 13:09

PaulBrislen: Never ever EVER buy an extended warranty.

As a consumer your purchase is governed by two acts:

Fair Trading Act
Consumer Guarantees Act

You have various rights in them over and above manufacturers' warranties.

One of them is that the product must be fit for purpose and that it be fit for purpose for a reasonable time.

So while I wouldn't expect my loaf of bread to be "fit for purpose" a year after purchase, I would expect my expensive TV to continue working for ten years, even if the warranty ran out after only one.

All the extended warranty does is lighten your wallet.

I am not a lawyer but I'm also not alone in my view. Have a look at Fair Go's piece on it:

http://tvnz.co.nz/fair-go/extended-warranties-3577669

tv is easy to say.

if your sanity , kids , going to work , surviving a busy life depends on your washing machine fridge which are used 24 hrs you would jump at the best extended warranty

Involuntary autocorrect in operation on mobile device. Apologies in advance.

old3eyes

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#795604 9-Apr-2013 13:15

The only time I have ever bought an extended warranty was for laptops for my wife and her last fone. In all but one case we have had to claim within the extended warranty period.

Regards,

Old3eyes

ajobbins

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#795610 9-Apr-2013 13:24

Basically all an "extended warranty" is, is an "Express Path" to having your CGA rights honoured.

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mattwnz

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#795621 9-Apr-2013 13:47

Sometimes the extended warranty provides less protection than the CGA too. eg. one I purchased said they would only payout the price the device would be worth now, and it was at their discretion whether they replaced or refunded(but not a full refund) .
From my experience it is just as much of a hassle making a claim under an extended warranty, as it is under th CGA. However under the CGA, however if the retailer provides you with incorrect information regarding the CGA (eg something wouldn't be covered when it would be), they could be breaching your consumer rights, and I believe they can potentially be fined, but not heard of that ever happening.

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