why I HATE future shop!!!!!!

[Armymatters]

I would recommend a extended warranty on laptops. My Compaq laptop crapped out on me after a year, and immediately after the warranty ended. I am now stuck with a dead laptop sitting in the closet.... 

 

[winchable]

Laptops are tricky things like that,
Mine is over a year old and despite having been dragged around with me everywhere, plugged into improper voltages, subjected to all kinds of extreme temperatures and a number of sudden battery deaths; It's going strong.

However, my girlfriend's never left her dorm room during her first year and died a month into the school year, she thankfully had purchased a warranty type of thing.

I think Laptops, especially newer more ones, are fickle things and still relatively new technology when compared to TV's and Stereos, so it may well be worth buying something to cover it in case of a defect.

 

[R031button]

My problem with the product protection plans is this. I'm buying a new piece of merchandise, if it breaks because of manufacturer's defect, it should be fixed or replaced free. Why should I have to purchase insurance? To date, not one of these store "Associates" has been able to answer the question. I've also had opportunity to take back a TV and a CD burner. They've tried the scam about no insurance and I had the Manager paged to the Complaint/ Returns counter where, in front of a long line of customers, got him to acquiesce and exchange my products. Even got an upgrade on the burner. They don't like to be put on the spot in front of customers and they don't like the line being held up and increased. Play to those to facts and you'll usually win. Just keep cool, don't threaten and have your game plan before you go in, and don't take No for an answer.

I work at Future shop so here's what i have to say. You don't buy a service plan/warrenty to cover a defect, you buy one to extend coverage, most items will come with a one year warrenty, what you pay for is extending the time frame. Personal opinion though, don't buy it on anything other then, Cameras, LCD screens and items with them built in (reason being, LCD cells can turn out over prolonged use, if you want proof, go to the computers section, find an older monitor, set the desktop to white, and look for blank spots, thos are burnt out pixels), Computers (free tech support and free diagnostics in house, ie: you don't have to send the computer away). What I'm getting at is your not paying for defects being covered, your paying for extra protection.

Oh, and some of us are on commision, those a product experts, sales associates aren't on commision, aside from service plans.

 

[Pea]

So you would recommend purchasing the service plan on a computer then?

 

[Armymatters]

So you would recommend purchasing the service plan on a computer then?

On a laptop, yes, for sure but on anything else, look at the cost/benefits of it. If it is something that you are going to replace anyways in 3-4 years, don't bother, but if it is for keeps for longer, yep. For desktops, I would not bother with service plans, as fixing them can be a snap. Laptops are SOB's to fix by yourself.

 

[R031button]

that's true, however, if you don't know your way around acomputer, the service plan is a good idea. Case in point, your hard drive goes, that's a 100 dollar part, plus at least 80 an hour for a tech to put it in and install it... so probly around 300 bucks, do that once and your service plan has paid for itself.

 

[Collin.t]

I definitely recommend extended warranty on a laptop too. I did buy it and I'm glad I did.

after a year (still on original warranty, my lcd screen gets a bad connection where it meets with the actual computer part and I get a blue line from top to bottom of my screen: cost for repair 900$ (that was back in 2002)).

Two years later the audio card output jack doesn't work anymore and had to get it fixed for free too.

Been using the laptop every days since 01/2001 and it's still rock solid.

 

[Sf2]

That or get a MAC.

By the way, I still hate futureshop - I got sucked into buying an Apple Airport Express last week.  Now I can play my MP3's from my laptop wirelessly to my home theatre system that Future Shop sucked me into 1 month ago.