SOTONS EAST SIDE Posted 5 November, 2008 Share Posted 5 November, 2008 That over the counter policies sold do not cover Consumerbles Like Bulbs! These bulbs include the bulbs fitted to DLP r/projection tv's and front projectors. And with prices varying from £100-£400 for this very essential part. It makes most of these policies a total waste of time, as the Bulb is the one item that fails regular (about 13months). Very underhand by the supplyers of these policies. But i think we can expect nothing less from them anyway! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St Landrew Posted 6 November, 2008 Share Posted 6 November, 2008 (edited) Ho-hum. Never, ever buy an extended warranty from a manufacturer. You can always insure the item more cheaply on your houshold insurance. However, years ago, when I exited University, I went to work for Comet while I decided what I wanted to do with my degree [actually I could do very little because employers now wanted a Masters for the position I was interested in, but I digress] and ended up staying for 4 years, ending up as a Troubleshooter for the South-East region. When I finally left, I was newly setting up home on my own again after a divorce, and so I bought a load of brown and white goods. One of these was a 28" Widescreen, Dolby Pro-Logic, Phillips TV. Because I'd given myself massive discounts [yes, I offered myself 40% off every item, which I duly accepted], I decided to extend the warranty on the TV to 5 years, which included tube replacement. The nice thing was if I didn't use the warranty within the 5 year period, it would be refunded in full. Comet sold a host of these warranties, and got a got of money because they held people's money and pocketed the interest. But in my case, nearly 5 years later, my TV was months away from seeing out its warranty. Tbh, I wanted it to fail, because TVs were going through a change period and the new technology ones were expensive. The tube duly failed and Comet replaced it. The TV is now going into to its 9th year and showing no sign of folding up. But I still wouldn't buy an extended warranty. Remember, goods sold in Europe come with a standard 3 year guarantee. Even British goods sold there. Edited 6 November, 2008 by St Landrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridge too far Posted 6 November, 2008 Share Posted 6 November, 2008 Interesting post StL. Like you I don't usually buy extended warranties but when we moved house 5 years ago we bought a load of new stuff from Comet. At the time, one of my daughters was a Store Manager, although not at the store we got our stuff from, and we had a Comet 'family' discount card. We bought those extended warranties that repay in full if there's no claim. I set diary reminders on my PC and, since none of the items had failed, I called in my premium for every one of them - quite a tidy sum. But, as my daughter pointed out, most people forget and Comet sold loads of extra warranties at this time because of this deal, but made loads because of people's memory lapses! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scummer Posted 6 November, 2008 Share Posted 6 November, 2008 One reason to buy the extended warranties, is that you are likely to then be able to obtain a bigger discount on the goods that you are buying. Having haggled the price down, you can then cancel the extended warranty a few days later and you're quids in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pancake Posted 6 November, 2008 Share Posted 6 November, 2008 That over the counter policies sold do not cover Consumerbles Like Bulbs! These bulbs include the bulbs fitted to DLP r/projection tv's and front projectors. And with prices varying from £100-£400 for this very essential part. It makes most of these policies a total waste of time, as the Bulb is the one item that fails regular (about 13months). Very underhand by the supplyers of these policies. But i think we can expect nothing less from them anyway! Makes sense, Im pretty sure my Vauxhall extended warranty doesnt cover petrol, tyres or wiper blades... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOTONS EAST SIDE Posted 6 November, 2008 Author Share Posted 6 November, 2008 My point on these warrantys are, they have not moved totaly with the technology (lcd,plasma & dlp) as most circuit board tech is very reliable compared to older tech. So they write out covering the only part thats gauranteed to fail "THE BULB" thus netting them a fortune from unsuspecting consumers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pancake Posted 6 November, 2008 Share Posted 6 November, 2008 My point on these warrantys are, they have not moved totaly with the technology (lcd,plasma & dlp) as most circuit board tech is very reliable compared to older tech. So they write out covering the only part thats gauranteed to fail "THE BULB" thus netting them a fortune from unsuspecting consumers! The thing is, the bulb (or most other consumables) are not usually produced by the main product manufacturer, and therefore they cannot guarantee they are made to the same tolerances as the main product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roman Posted 6 November, 2008 Share Posted 6 November, 2008 The thing is, the bulb (or most other consumables) are not usually produced by the main product manufacturer, and therefore they cannot guarantee they are made to the same tolerances as the main product. Makes no difference. The consumer's contract is with the retailer, not the manufacturer. In any case, warranties, product insurance, and refund policies (eg only allowing store credit rather than cash refunds) are often written as though shops can simply 'tweak' British and european consumer legislation to suit them better. They can't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOTONS EAST SIDE Posted 6 November, 2008 Author Share Posted 6 November, 2008 Makes sense, Im pretty sure my Vauxhall extended warranty doesnt cover petrol, tyres or wiper blades...Yeah but Pancake "no bulb, no tv" you phone up thinking you're covered, only to find your not. You ask them were to get a replacement, you get their price which makes your wallet cry due to the price of the goods and their over the top call out and fitting charge, which in some case's (DLP) takes 2mins and you get charged £60. You then realise you could of done it yourself if you could get the part, but you still only save £60, compared with to up £400 for the part. You then discover the only time your equipment ever fails to work after a few years is when the Bulb goes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOTONS EAST SIDE Posted 6 November, 2008 Author Share Posted 6 November, 2008 The thing is, the bulb (or most other consumables) are not usually produced by the main product manufacturer, and therefore they cannot guarantee they are made to the same tolerances as the main product.The manufacturer design the bulb, get in a bulb maker like OSRAM to make, test & produce the said bulb at a reduced price for the patent rights, give an average life span 6-10,000 hrs which the manufacturer uses in their product info, so they do in a way have a hand in the producing of the bulb! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesaint sfc Posted 6 November, 2008 Share Posted 6 November, 2008 My manager was going on about how if you pay for something on your credit card like a TV, you get a 2 or 3 year warranty for free depending on your credit cards policy. News to me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridge too far Posted 6 November, 2008 Share Posted 6 November, 2008 Also I think that, even if the original warranty has expired, you're now covered for a 'reasonable length of time' although what that is is not laid down in law. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesaint sfc Posted 6 November, 2008 Share Posted 6 November, 2008 I also found out that it is a legal requirement to provide a 3 year warranty on electrical equipment. You get 12 months usually for if a fault develops, but then you get 24 months after that where you can claim on the warranty if you can prove that the fault was there in the first 12 months but had not caused the product to defect. Complicated stuff! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOTONS EAST SIDE Posted 6 November, 2008 Author Share Posted 6 November, 2008 I also found out that it is a legal requirement to provide a 3 year warranty on electrical equipment. You get 12 months usually for if a fault develops, but then you get 24 months after that where you can claim on the warranty if you can prove that the fault was there in the first 12 months but had not caused the product to defect. Complicated stuff!Maybe so, but when they class a Bulb as a consumerable item (that you can replace) then thats not covered, even though your equipment is useless without it!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesaint sfc Posted 6 November, 2008 Share Posted 6 November, 2008 Maybe so, but when they class a Bulb as a consumerable item (that you can replace) then thats not covered, even though your equipment is useless without it!!! Not very bright of them is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOTONS EAST SIDE Posted 6 November, 2008 Author Share Posted 6 November, 2008 Not very bright of them is it?I've picked up some DLP's and LCD TV's with bulb failure for peanuts because people cant afford the price of the bulb. So i fix'em and sell them on at an good profit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Window Cleaner Posted 6 November, 2008 Share Posted 6 November, 2008 Ho-hum. Never, ever buy an extended warranty from a manufacturer. You can always insure the item more cheaply on your houshold insurance. However, years ago, when I exited University, I went to work for Comet while I decided what I wanted to do with my degree [actually I could do very little because employers now wanted a Masters for the position I was interested in, but I digress] and ended up staying for 4 years, ending up as a Troubleshooter for the South-East region. When I finally left, I was newly setting up home on my own again after a divorce, and so I bought a load of brown and white goods. One of these was a 28" Widescreen, Dolby Pro-Logic, Phillips TV. Because I'd given myself massive discounts [yes, I offered myself 40% off every item, which I duly accepted], I decided to extend the warranty on the TV to 5 years, which included tube replacement. The nice thing was if I didn't use the warranty within the 5 year period, it would be refunded in full. Comet sold a host of these warranties, and got a got of money because they held people's money and pocketed the interest. But in my case, nearly 5 years later, my TV was months away from seeing out its warranty. Tbh, I wanted it to fail, because TVs were going through a change period and the new technology ones were expensive. The tube duly failed and Comet replaced it. The TV is now going into to its 9th year and showing no sign of folding up. But I still wouldn't buy an extended warranty. Remember, goods sold in Europe come with a standard 3 year guarantee. Even British goods sold there. Our TV is 18 years old; works as well as it did on the first day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesaint sfc Posted 6 November, 2008 Share Posted 6 November, 2008 I've picked up some DLP's and LCD TV's with bulb failure for peanuts because people cant afford the price of the bulb. So i fix'em and sell them on at an good profit! Goes to show there's a light at the end of every tunnel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dark Sotonic Mills Posted 6 November, 2008 Share Posted 6 November, 2008 Our TV is 18 years old; works as well as it did on the first day. And it's still showing the same programmes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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