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 Will they give you the newer model if your one is obsolete, or will they fob you off with a fraction of the original price?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.