Don’t buy an extended TV Warranty until you’ve done your homework
It’s important to know that the cheapest price for a TV may not necessarily be the best price if you just compare TV prices. Check the manufacturer’s warranty before you decide on buying extra cover plans and extended warranties.
It can be misleading when you find the cheapest price for an LCD TV and then have to add on an extended cover plan. All of a sudden it’s not cheaper anymore. Online stores like John Lewis and Marks and Spencer offer free guarantees with all their LCD TVs so it’s worth doing your homework first.
Since the 1st April 2009 Sony for example offer a unique 3 year guarantee on their new 26″ and above Bravia LCD TVs. A list of the current models is given below.
To buy a 3 year extended warranty can be around £100 and a 5 year extended warranty can be £130 plus on a popular mid sized 32 inch LCD. Larger more expensive models like a 55 inch LCD or the new LED TVs can easily exceed £300 for a 5 year cover plan.
For example a popular price comparison site has the best price for the Samsung LE-32B450 as £328 with an optional 3 year warranty adding a further £110 making the total price £438. At the same time John Lewis offer the same TV for £349 including a 5 year guarantee and free delivery. John Lewis promotes a free 5 year guarantee on all TVs.
Marks and Spencer also offer a FREE 5 Year M&S Guarantee with all LCD TVs above 26 inch. There are no forms to fill in you just need to keep your receipt
The unique offer available from Sony is buy any new Bravia LCD from 26 inch upwards and receive a FREE 3 year guarantee. Older Bravia models come with the standard 12 month guarantee. More info about this offer can be found here 3-Year Guarantee.
Sony 3 year Guarantee Offer
At the moment Sony list the following TVs on their website in the 3-year guarantee offer.
This offer applies from April 1st 2009 and is available in the UK and Ireland only
26 in BRAVIA LCD TV
KDL26E4000U, KDL26E4020U, KDL26E4030U, KDL26E4050U, KDL26L4000U, KDL26S4000U, KDL26S5500U, KDL26V4000U, KDL26V4500U
32 in BRAVIA LCD TV
KDL32E4000U, KDL32E4020U, KDL32E4030U, KDL32E4050U, KDL32E5500U, KDL32E5510U, KDL32E5520U, KDL32L4000U, KDL32S4000U, KDL32S5500U, KDL32U4000U, KDL32V4000U, KDL32V4200U, KDL32V4210U, KDL32V4500U, KDL32V5500U, KDL32W4000U, KDL32W5500U, KDL32W5710U
37 in BRAVIA LCD TV
KDL37U4000U, KDL37V4000U, KDL37V4500U, KDL37V5500, KDL37S5500U, KDL37W5500U, KDL37W5710U
40 in BRAVIA LCD TV
KDL40E4000U, KDL40E4020U, KDL40E4030U, KDL40E4050U, KDL40E5500U, KDL40E5510U KDL40E5520U, KDL40EX1BU, KDL40L4000U, KDL40S4000U, KDL40S5500U,KDL40V4000U, KDL40V5500U, KDL40WE5BU, KDL40WE5WU, KDL40W4000U, KDL40W4500U, KDL40W4710AEP, KDL40W5500U, KDL40W5710U, KDL40Z4500U, KDL40ZX1U, KDL40W4720AEP, KDL40W4730AEP, KDL40X3000U, KDL40X3500U
46 in BRAVIA LCD TV
KDL46EX1BU, KDL46V4000U, KDL46V5500U, KDL46WE5WU, KDL46WE5BU, KDL46W4000U, KDL46W4500U, KDL46W4710AEP, KDL46W5500U, KDL46W5710U, KDL46X4500U, KDL46Z4500U, KDL46X3000U, KDL46X3500U
52 in BRAVIA LCD TV
KDL52EX1BU, KDL52V4000U, KDL52V5500U, KDL52W4000U KDL52W4500U, KDL52W5500U, KDL52Z4500U, KDL52X3500U
55 in BRAVIA LCD TV
KDL55X4500U
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I agree that a warranty thrown in to sweeten a deal sounds good at first. But there is one thing you must not overlook. Mainly if the warranty is actually worth anything at all.
by this I mean simple things like…
does it just cover parts and labour, or does it cover accidental damage too?
what sort of time period do the repairs take?
is it in home or will you need to drop it off at the nearest depot?
is there an excess for repair/replace?
For me the most important thing people always over look is, if your product is beyond repair, is it like for like replacement? Will they give you the newer model if your one is obsolete, or will they fob you off with a fraction of the original price? By no means am I suggesting you should get the full value of the product back, as things move on. No sooner have you bought a product only for it to be replaced with a newer shinier one. But what the warranty should do is leave you at the end of the process with a product that is at least equal in specification to your previous product. So if your product is no longer available and cant be repaired within a reasonable time frame(or at all) then the next best thing. This is good service and worth the extra cost, and there are stores that do this. Next best thing is defiantly worth the extra cost.
I have seen it make a huge difference a very quick true story
customers 51″ rear projection 100Hz TV breaks down 4year after purchase and parts can no longer be sourced so TV beyond repair and now valued at £150 (about one figure short of what the customer paid). so with most warranties the story ends here with a very angry customer. But the customer had a like for like replacement so like for like…
rear projection(no longer available) – next best – Flat screen
51″ (no longer available) – next best 52″
100Hz – You pay a lot more for in these TV’s
…closest matching TV Samsung high definition 52″ plasma with 100Hz at £1560.
This is entirely true, as I was working in the store at the time. like I said it can make a world of difference. Defiantly worth paying a little extra for if things do go wrong.