MORONS!!! (Language)

[LambChop]

Really short but I just have to vent.

Okay. I understand that with the way the national economy is that most people are short on money these. Gas prices, food taxes, sexual stimulation devices, etc. are just getting more and more expensive. I also understand that in the world of technology, not everyone wants/can afford to spend the extra money on a 'protection plan' for their product. Personally, I'm the type of guy who when getting ready to make a big purchase, will make sure to save the extra money for the protection, because I don't want to piss my money away on a product I could've had replaced just because God thought it would be funny to use my house as a lightning rod.

But why...please god, tell me why, when just after getting approved for a store credit card with a $9000 credit limit would you NOT get the plan?! It's extra money, yes, I understand. But at the same time, you just spent two grand on a TV.

TWO. GRAND.

And with over $6000 left to spend, you're telling me you don't want to spend the extra $200 for 3 full years of protection? WHAT THE FUCK, MAN? I'll bet with the limited understanding of the magical fairy power called 'electricity', you don't even have it hooked up to a surge protector. Hell, I have half a mind to come over there and short circuit your house myself, just so I could have the satisfaction of being the lucky representative who's on the other end of the line when you call use to "FIX MY GORRAM TV!" Oh? What's that? Power surge fried your TV? I'm sorry sir, we can't fix that sort of issue. The manufacturer? Oopsie, looks like they don't cover that issue either. Sounds like you bought yourself an oversized, overpriced, paper weight! Sucks to be you, huh?

Seriously, it may sound petty, but I like helping customers. So when I offer the plan, I'm only trying to prevent you from having to spend another two grand for a brand new TV, when we could've just as easily replaced for only two hundred.

Fucking idiots. I can't take this shit anymore.

[jerkface11]

The extended protection plan is nothing but a scam. I used to buy it in the past but on the 2 occasions where I needed to use it I got screwed. The first time I was told that since I had purchased online there was no record of me getting the plan. The second time instead of repairing my computer (it just needed a new modem) they sent it off to the manufacturer because it was still under a factory warranty. It took 2 months to get my computer back!

[ladyklack]

Some are, some aren't. It's important to read the fine print.

I'm sorry that you got screwed a couple of times. That really sucks.

[Record Store Tough Guy]

Most people think those plans are rip offs. The way some companies service them, they are. Not all of them are; buying one for an early generation 360 was probably a good idea. They do have a reputation, though, so even if the one you're offering is great, most people will decline them due to it.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

On a $2000 TV that probably is going to be used every day, the EPP may be a good deal because it's prohibitively expensive to repair or replace if it breaks just after the manufacturer's warranty expires.

But then again the company servicing the plan can always try to find a reason to weasel out of making good on their end of the deal.

But on smaller, less expensive items, it's a rip off and just free money for the retailer; thus they get shoved down the customer's throat. My company offers an EPP on pretty much anything electrical we sell, including cheap appliances like can openers, blenders, hand mixers and fans.

[BlaqueKatt]

The extended protection plan is nothing but a scam.

Is car insurance a scam then-I mean you hardly ever use it, it's $100 or more a month, and if your car gets damaged it can take weeks to get it back


My husband's $2000 laptop has been replaced twice and repaired twice under an extended protection plan-it takes him a week from when he calls to get the box to ship it postage paid-and get it back from the warranty center. His warranty actually covers replacement of two screens per year if they break-even if the damage is his fault.

So no they're not a scam, on high-end electronics-especially because that $200 saved us $8000 in replacement costs.


For us anything over $250 gets a protection plan.

[elysia]

For us anything over $250 gets a protection plan.

As how it should be.
If someeone spends TWO. GRAND. on a tv imo that plan should be included, thats why it sounds like a scam. And in my experience, buying protection plans on my hardware has been a nightmare when teh company is called upon to uphold their end. I wouldnt buy it either, and I do not think I am a moron (most people don't, heh.) Also a lot of people that decline are probably just weighing their chances that their stuff WILL go down the tubes (aka god using your house as a lightening bolt) versus the chances that it won't.
I do, however, use surge protectors... lol I take it you've gotten that call.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Is car insurance a scam then-I mean you hardly ever use it, it's $100 or more a month, and if your car gets damaged it can take weeks to get it back

That's what my co-worker's son thinks. He just got his driver's license and told his dad he didn't want to pay for car insurance because "it's a rip-off"

He's in for a rude awakening.

[elysia]

Wow yeah, car insurance is different.

[wagegoth]

I have a coworker who signed up for the EPP on a flat screen TV. Within two weeks, her home was broken into and the TV and everything else of value was stolen.

Then she found out that this is a common occurence according to one of those nighttime news programs. Bad employees pull the customer's personal information from the EPP forms and sell it to thieves.

[SteeleDragon78]

The extended protection plan is nothing but a scam. I used to buy it in the past but on the 2 occasions where I needed to use it I got screwed. The first time I was told that since I had purchased online there was no record of me getting the plan. The second time instead of repairing my computer (it just needed a new modem) they sent it off to the manufacturer because it was still under a factory warranty. It took 2 months to get my computer back!

sorry, after working on an extended warranty desk i have to call ya on this one. in the fine print on the back of most warranties it states quite clearly that the extended warranty starts after the manufacturers warranty. now i appologise for what ever pc maker bent ya over, but the extended warranty people cant help the wording of their plans.

[SteeleDragon78]

Is car insurance a scam then-I mean you hardly ever use it, it's $100 or more a month, and if your car gets damaged it can take weeks to get it back


My husband's $2000 laptop has been replaced twice and repaired twice under an extended protection plan-it takes him a week from when he calls to get the box to ship it postage paid-and get it back from the warranty center. His warranty actually covers replacement of two screens per year if they break-even if the damage is his fault.

So no they're not a scam, on high-end electronics-especially because that $200 saved us $8000 in replacement costs.


For us anything over $250 gets a protection plan.

where did he buy from, cause i like that plan

[Captain Trips]

Anyone here know anything about Reliability Engineering? There's this thing called the "bathtub curve." Basically put, it states that most failures either happen at the beginning of a product's life, or near the end of its expected life. Therefore, if a product lasts through it's first year, odds are very good that it won't fail during the extended warranty period -- in fact, by using the mathematics of "mean time between failures" (MTBF as it's called in the field) Reliability Engineers can determine the most profitable duration of said warranties!

Put simply, the odds are very good that you will never have to exercise the extended warranty. It's like gambling when the odds are (however slightly) in the house's favor! Which is why, if the basic warranty is at least a year, I don't get the extended warranties. If the basic is less than a year, though, I will consider it -- the odds of being at the front end of the "bathtub curve" when the warranty expires are just too high.

[uthdentroll]

I never bought protection plan, but then I never had any problems with any of my electronic things.

Car insurance on the other hand is different..... the law requires us to buy insurance for cars. and believe it or not, i would say a lot of people would not buy car insurance if there is no laws to require it. But then a lot of people didn't buy car insurance either, and they are still driving their cars on the road. After all, it is about personal responsibility. If the couple bought a $2000 TV, and they didn't believe they needed the protection plan, and if they believe the manufacture standard warranty is enough, then they are resposible for their own after a year or 2. thats their problem if the TV goes nuts.

extended protection plan, extended warranty.... whatever they call it.... its not a scam ... from certain point of view, its a scam... from another certain point of view... depends on who you really ask.
To me... it is just extra revenue for the store.... if the TV goes out a few times within the extended warranty period, then... its good for the consumer. but the store never lose any money either... because the store simply return the TV back to the manufacture as defective product, and get a replacement from the manufacture. nothing more nothing less.

[mattm04]

For small items, say a DVD player, we will not get the plan. But the $2,000 TV it is attached to, has the plan.