Extended warranty on appliances?

[Brandon]

I've seen a few burners burn out after years of use. Extended warranty would of done no good on those. I'd say no, unless you are buying scratch and dent then it would depend no the damage.

 

[bobbittle]

Who's we?

Sorry, I work at Lowes.

 

[lovemachine]

Well, I ordered a white GE electric smooth surface range. Didn't get the extended warranty.

 

[VUPDblue]

I bought a set of LG high efficiency washer/dryer. Didn't get the warranty either....

 

[bobbittle]

We shop at Lowe's but I'm not sure I would buy an appliance there. A neighbor lady (older lady that I help) has a very expensive "top of the line" stove that was bought at Lowe's just over two years ago. It had a one-year warranty and if she had bought the extended warranty, it would have extended it to two years. 26 months after she bought it, a fan went out that cooled the glass cooktop. It cost her $130 or so to have it repaired. If that had been my stove, I would have been pretty mad that a two year old stove was having issues, but what made me even angrier was the way the Lowe's staff handled the situation when we asked them if they did repairs or who they recommended. They referred her to a company that was supposedly in the same town where she bought it. They did not have the phone number for this place. I had to go online to find it for her and there was no such business in town. I finally found a listing under that name in another town an hour from her home. We found someone else local and called them.

My husband and I do not buy extended warranties on anything, but my husband has been able to fix just about anything we've needed repaired on our

When I do have to replace something, I won't be going to Lowe's just based on my experiences with them in trying to help the neighbor. She bought several appliances from them and none of them were cheap. It might cost more, but I'd prefer to support the local appliance shop over the big box store.

At 26 months it's no longer Lowe's problem. Could they have been more helpful and gotten her hooked up with info? Sure. Was there any obligation for them to do so? No. Is it good customer service? Yes.

With no EPP and after 30 days, any beef is solely with the manufacturer.

 

[mom45]

At 26 months it's no longer Lowe's problem. Could they have been more helpful and gotten her hooked up with info? Sure. Was there any obligation for them to do so? No. Is it good customer service? Yes.

With no EPP and after 30 days, any beef is solely with the manufacturer.

We fully understood that they had no obligation to fix the stove. I never would have expected the stove she bought to have relatively expensive repairs needed after 26 months since it hasn't been used on a daily basis and was a "top of the line" model. One of the reasons I go to her house and help is that she was doing so poorly with her health that she needed in-home care or for the past year and a half. Her stove has seen what I would call very light use during the time she has owned it. Given that scenario, I have to wonder if the merchandise carried at Lowe's is a cheaper quality than stoves made by the same company that are sold at appliance dealers? Kind of like the Goodyear tires that are sold at Wal-Mart...they are definitely not the same quality tire that is sold at a Goodyear dealer. I know this from first hand experience.

At any rate, I did expect them to at least provide us a name and a phone number of someone they could recommend to service the product they sell. First they gave us an 800 number and when asked who that would connect us with, they told us that was their warranty department. When I pointed out that it was no longer under warranty, they gave us Bob's Service with no phone number. Do you know how many hits you get if you google Bob's Service? There were none in that town that repaired appliances so it took me a while to figure out where this recommended service person was located. This lady does not use the computer so if I had not been there to help her, Lowe's would have left her sitting with a broken stove. I finally contacted some other appliance stores to see who they could recommend to service the stove they had not sold and got the name of a local person to do the work. Poor customer service....very poor.

 

[4sarge]

Warranty ? IMO, Sears & Best Buy warranties are overpriced. I've had excellent luck with Lowe's and their warranties are very reasonable. Electrolux refrigerator died after 4+ years but we had purchased the 5 year warranty. Lowe's refunded the total purchase price (1900) plus 250 in food loss. Lowe's overnighted the money so we could buy new. Sam's, 55" TV died, at almost the end of a 3 year warranty and they refunded the entire cost of the TV (998).

 

[dprimm]

we just got a new stove (flat glass top), microwave, and dishwasher. I required an extended on the dishwasher. My sister has had a terrible time with her last 2. I asked others on my race team and those with new ones have have different issues. We went with a Bosch to limit risk, but for the price, I was definitely getting the warranty. 5 years -- 3 calls and they will replace it. For another $60, we could add the stove. You bet! One burner goes out in that flattop and we are ahead. We looked at it just like insurance. The other reason on the dishwasher was water damage coverage. 2 years ago the AC drain backed up and water went under the laminate on the slab and was one heck of an insurance claim. Then hail damage. If this dishwasher leaks, the warranty is supposed to cover that damage. Leakage like this is how my sister got a whole new kitchen (some paid via homeowners insurance, rest of out pocket) when her old one leaked. the new one did 6 months later, but not to the same extent.

What is your stress worth?

 

[88GT]

I don't normally, but it depends on the item. I pay for the applecare for the phone. Already used it once. Got it for the chest freezer I bought summer of 2012 but only because it came with "insurance" to replace the cost of the items. I've got a third of a cow in that freezer. For the most part, I think warranties are a waste of money.

For sure, an electric smooth surface range.

What is the love affair with these things? I am so not impressed with mine and am anxiously awaiting the day it craps out so I can replace it with a gas range/oven.

we just got a new stove (flat glass top), microwave, and dishwasher. I required an extended on the dishwasher. My sister has had a terrible time with her last 2. I asked others on my race team and those with new ones have have different issues. We went with a Bosch to limit risk, but for the price, I was definitely getting the warranty. 5 years -- 3 calls and they will replace it. For another $60, we could add the stove. You bet! One burner goes out in that flattop and we are ahead. We looked at it just like insurance. The other reason on the dishwasher was water damage coverage. 2 years ago the AC drain backed up and water went under the laminate on the slab and was one heck of an insurance claim. Then hail damage. If this dishwasher leaks, the warranty is supposed to cover that damage. Leakage like this is how my sister got a whole new kitchen (some paid via homeowners insurance, rest of out pocket) when her old one leaked. the new one did 6 months later, but not to the same extent.

How often does this happen? Serious question. I have had mine for nearly 6 years now, and it came with the house so who knows how long it was here before that. The only thing that has failed on it is the "hot surface" indicator light no longer indicates hot surface. It comes on and goes off independent of cooktop usage. No big deal since I've cooked without someone telling me the stove was hot for 20 years before that. I either have an indestructible one or they're making crap ones now. Flat-tops aren't recommended for canning because of the supposed tendency to cracked the cooktop surface. I can only hope. But after 4 seasons of canning it hasn't happened yet.



What is your stress worth?

 

[PeaShooter]

Clark Howard says "No!" Also, when I pay with my credit card it either doubles the warranty, or adds a year, I can't remember which, to the manufacturers warranty.

 

[lovemachine]

I don't normally, but it depends on the item. I pay for the applecare for the phone. Already used it once. Got it for the chest freezer I bought summer of 2012 but only because it came with "insurance" to replace the cost of the items. I've got a third of a cow in that freezer. For the most part, I think warranties are a waste of money.


What is the love affair with these things? I am so not impressed with mine and am anxiously awaiting the day it craps out so I can replace it with a gas range/oven.

All my appliances are electric. No gas here.

 

[IndyBeerman]

Anything over 650.00 and it's a low cost plan, I buy the warranty.

14 years ago we bought a $900.00 Amana refrigerator from HH Gregg with a 5yr extended warranty from HH Gregg that stated if it had to be repaired more than 3 times in that period it would be replaced with the same model, or one similar to it.

it was 3 years old when the freezer defrost cycle crapped out and went in for the firs t repair, they replaced all the food and we had a loaner till it was repaired.

2 weeks later, refrig was back and 3 days later it went belly up again, brought a loaner back out and replaced the food again.

4 weeks later it was brought back and lasted 10 days.

Called HH Gregg, they told me I could get the same model, or come in and pick out another one.

Told them I was coming in, was not going to stay with the same model that had crapped out on me like that. Told me to come on in and pick one out in the same price range. We decided to get a Kitchenaid model that was slightly bigger and $150.00 more. Ended up not having to pay the $150.00, and they cut a check right there for the food we lost again.

Our Frigidaire stove (slide in model), is 9.5 years old and did not buy one on it, wife cracked the top and it's going to cost $450.00 to replace it, heck we bought it for $697.00

Our Whirlpool Duet washer and dryer is 15 years old and they both run like a champ, only thing I had to do was replace the knob on the control switch for the dryer, a while 9.78.

Since I get a Whirlpool discount through the company I now work for, we are thinking of using the discount and buying a Whirlpool double range at a healthy discount.

 

[88GT]

All my appliances are electric. No gas here.

I don't have a gas range/oven either, but when this hideous flat top dies (or I find the sledge hammer and kill it), I will be running a gas line to the kitchen.

But that issue aside, everybody seems to be getting/wanting one of those. I hate mine. I'm just trying to figure out why they are so popular. Ironically, I've never known anybody to replace one with one.

 

[bobbittle]

I don't have a gas range/oven either, but when this hideous flat top dies (or I find the sledge hammer and kill it), I will be running a gas line to the kitchen.

But that issue aside, everybody seems to be getting/wanting one of those. I hate mine. I'm just trying to figure out why they are so popular. Ironically, I've never known anybody to replace one with one.

The new ones, especially the offerings from Samsung, are pretty dang nice. They heat up super quick, although obviously not as quick as gas.

I love my gas range. Glad I don't have electric.

 

[WebSnyper]

Our Frigidaire stove (slide in model), is 9.5 years old and did not buy one on it, wife cracked the top and it's going to cost $450.00 to replace it, heck we bought it for $697.00

My wife cracked ours a few years ago like 2 days before Thanksgiving. She leaned her knee on it (yeah, I know, I would not have done it either) to clean a cabinet above, and put her knee right through the glass top. I didn't have time to figure out a fix before Thanksgiving and just ordered a whole new stove at the time.

 

[remauto1187]

I worked for sears as appliance repairman when i got out of the service so I dont get a extended warranty on any appliances. I fix it myself if its economical and it usually is. Most appliance problems are not rocket science and can be troubleshooted using info from the net or even here on INGO.

 

[drobi]

Companies determine warranty plan pricing based upon the possibility of returns. So, they are definitely going to make money, but generally not as much margin as the product itself. I always suggest that if you can't afford to make that purchase again in a year if/when that item breaks, then buy the warranty.
I bought it on all my appliances and have definitely gotten my money's worth on the washer and refrigerator.

 

[Cemetery-man]

I never have taken the extended warranties. I always depended on the belief that if anything is going to go wrong, especially with electronics, it will happen in the first year. So far and many $$ saved this strategy has served me very well over the years. Maybe I'm just lucky but I have never had many issues and when I did it was always while under the manuf. warranty period or when the appliance, etc. was at the point that I needed to replace it anyway.

 

[jkaetz]

We fully understood that they had no obligation to fix the stove. I never would have expected the stove she bought to have relatively expensive repairs needed after 26 months since it hasn't been used on a daily basis and was a "top of the line" model. One of the reasons I go to her house and help is that she was doing so poorly with her health that she needed in-home care or for the past year and a half. Her stove has seen what I would call very light use during the time she has owned it. Given that scenario, I have to wonder if the merchandise carried at Lowe's is a cheaper quality than stoves made by the same company that are sold at appliance dealers? Kind of like the Goodyear tires that are sold at Wal-Mart...they are definitely not the same quality tire that is sold at a Goodyear dealer. I know this from first hand experience.

At any rate, I did expect them to at least provide us a name and a phone number of someone they could recommend to service the product they sell. First they gave us an 800 number and when asked who that would connect us with, they told us that was their warranty department. When I pointed out that it was no longer under warranty, they gave us Bob's Service with no phone number. Do you know how many hits you get if you google Bob's Service? There were none in that town that repaired appliances so it took me a while to figure out where this recommended service person was located. This lady does not use the computer so if I had not been there to help her, Lowe's would have left her sitting with a broken stove. I finally contacted some other appliance stores to see who they could recommend to service the stove they had not sold and got the name of a local person to do the work. Poor customer service....very poor.

Lowes, Home Depot, Menards, Fry's, Best Buy, etc... are all retailers. They don't service any equipment. Their employees are there to sell stuff. They have no interest in what happens to it after that. If you do happen to have a warranty that they sold you, they can connect you with the warranty department but it will still be a third party contracted by the warranty company that actually does any work on your equipment. The in store personnel have no idea who repairs the equipment nor would they be able to tell you who to contact. In the old days you would have to call the manufacturer or open a phone book to find a repair option. Things are a bit easier now if you have access to a computer but you still should be going to the manufacturer first if you're outside the 30 - 90 day store return policy. In short, if you need something repaired, don't bother going to a big box store to ask for help.

As to store selling different quality items, no way. A manufacturer is not going to spend extra $$ to produce two identical items with different qualities. If the model numbers are different, then yes, there will be differences, but if model numbers match, you're getting the same things. With some items it is possible that they would separate out the items that are closer to their target spec from the items that are on the edge of their spec but that would be the only difference.

For the most part, extended warranties are a loosing bet. Every so often they pay off, but you're probably still loosing in the long run if you add the cost of all the extended warranties you purchased and didn't use.

 

[eldirector]

Ever since my sister married an appliance repair guy, I haven't bothered with the warranties!

On high-dollar stuff, if the warranty isn't more than about 5% of the cost, I may spring for it. Especially if I got a decent deal on the item already. I've had too many appliances take a dump a month after the original warranty. Adding a year or 2 for a hundred bucks or so has saved me at least once.

And the flat-top ranges? LOVE how they look, HATE how they cook. When this one finally dies, we are switching to gas. We've killed 2 elements in 6 years (out of warranty, of course), and another is on the way out. They take FOREVER to heat up, and then cool back down.