Extended Warranties..worth it or not

Dangermouse

Dangermouse

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We bought a fridge 3 years ago and it was quite expensive for a home undercounter fridge by Hotpoint about £400, 3 days exactly after the 12 month warranty ran out it broke down and wouldnt work but luckily we took the extra 3 year warranty and in the four year period it breaks down same time every year.
It has had 3 new thermostats which cost £150 + vat and fitting and also been re-gassed once.........we have 7 days remaining on our warranty and it has just stopped working again.
Where do we stand as the engineer is due out on Weds to try to repair it again but this time it looks terminal as the whole of the rear of the fridge seems to have melted (rippled the plastics inside the fridge).
The last time he came the engineer said it was just a faulty one not up to the usual standard,this is why its causing so much trouble and he would call his boss and just have it replaced....this didnt happen his boss made him fit another thermostat which this time has lasted 6 month.

Is it me or are the manufacturers just hoping we scrap it and buy another and them just spending countless £££££ trying to fix it.......my beer is now in the freezer for half an hr to chill :thumbs:
 
i never bother, but recently i did think about it on a washing machine, but then i worked out that the new one had a 5 years parts guarantee and if i needed to get it fixed i would atleast only be paying for the labour rather than the parts.

the only things ive ever taken out extra waranty on are items from richersounds for the simple reason the 5 year cover is reasonably priced (10% of the product price) rather than (an example being) £12 a month for the next 2 years which would pretty much cover the cost of a new machine, i may as well save the money.


the constant pestering from comet and currys really annoys me though,
 
treeman said:
At a guess, Id say the new parts fitted should be under 12 month warranty. So if the Thermo failed after six months, should be covered.
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It is still under warranty and please excuse me, what I wanted to say was would you let them repair it again or demand another seeing as this one has never worked correctly since it was delivered, it ices up in winter and you cant keep anything coolin the summer:shrug:
 
Dangermouse1964 said:
We bought a fridge 3 years ago and it was quite expensive for a home undercounter fridge by Hotpoint about £400, 3 days exactly after the 12 month warranty ran out it broke down and wouldnt work but luckily we took the extra 3 year warranty and in the four year period it breaks down same time every year.
It has had 3 new thermostats which cost £150 + vat and fitting and also been re-gassed once.........we have 7 days remaining on our warranty and it has just stopped working again.
Where do we stand as the engineer is due out on Weds to try to repair it again but this time it looks terminal as the whole of the rear of the fridge seems to have melted (rippled the plastics inside the fridge).
The last time he came the engineer said it was just a faulty one not up to the usual standard,this is why its causing so much trouble and he would call his boss and just have it replaced....this didnt happen his boss made him fit another thermostat which this time has lasted 6 month.

Is it me or are the manufacturers just hoping we scrap it and buy another and them just spending countless £££££ trying to fix it.......my beer is now in the freezer for half an hr to chill :thumbs:
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Read the t & c's. If fault reported within warranty period then they should fix it, as that's the whole point of 'extended warranties', however they will no doubt have the 'beyond economical repair or parts no longer available' get out of jail cards up their sleeve.
You will have the SOG on your side as this would appear to be an inherent fault - same parts on each repair - as recorded and admitted by their engineer but will be denied.
By their actions they have endangered your family, luckerly it only melted the plastic.
They may offer a fair discount on a new one but it might be cheaper at Currys.
Again check the t n c's.
 
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Slipper-one said:
Read the t & c's. If fault reported within warranty period then they should fix it, as that's the whole point of 'extended warranties', however they will no doubt have the 'beyond economical repair or parts no longer available' get out of jail cards up their sleeve.
You will have the SOG on your side as this would appear to be an inherent fault - same parts on each repair - as recorded and admitted by their engineer but will be denied.
By their actions they have endangered your family, luckerly it only melted the plastic.
They may offer a fair discount on a new one but it might be cheaper at Currys.
Again check the t n c's.
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I understand the SOG but am lost at the rest do I have a valid claim, yes or no will do:shrug:
 
Never taken extended warranty on anything, as you may be aware, thats one of the first questions the shop asks you, "do you want our extended warranty" and thats where they make a considerable amount of money.....but thats my opinion
 
Read the t+c's of your warranty and see what it covers. I doubt SOG would cover this as it was a long time ago when the sale occured, but am no expert. Push for a new one, or the cost of replacment parts in cash to go towards a new one. You may find that they will give you the chance to extend the warranty again....

When offered an extended warranty it is always worth considering it. However, it is also worth seeng how the company administer it. Scottish power used to offer one, and if you were able to haggle a deal from the saleman on it, as they have to sell these things at a set price,would discount the item purchased to ensure you go the warranty.

The T+C's for the warranty meant you could cancel within 2 weeks, so it was worth getting the warranty for the discount on the product and then cancelling the cover.
 
easylife said:
Never taken extended warranty on anything, as you may be aware, thats one of the first questions the shop asks you, "do you want our extended warranty" and thats where they make a considerable amount of money.....but thats my opinion
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CORRECTION, I purchased a lap top from PC World, I always haggle for a discount on things like that, I could not get a discount at any of my local PC World stores, but one, this store would give me a norton 360 and a lap top bag at half price if I took out the extended warranty, he then advised me to cancel the warranty agreement within 14 days, I did, so the Norton 360 and the bag cost me about £20.00, £8.00 odd for the first ex warranty payment, the rest for half cost of the bag.
 
one of the lads i work with dropped his netbook, he hadnt taken any extended warranty or accidental damage cover on it but went back to the store to see if they could send it back to repair the broken screen. instead the woman (wrongly) advised him and sold him an extended warranty with accidental damage at this later date, when the details came through he sent the laptop away, using the warranty and had it exchanged for a shiney new one. i think that currys (or comet) made a mistake or rather the staff member made a mistake but it was good enough to actually honour it!
 
Dangermouse1964 said:
do I have a valid claim, yes or no will do:shrug:
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Can't quite do a "yes" or "no", but hope this helps :

Do you have a claim for a replacement fridge against the manufacturer under your extended warranty?

Possibly. The extended warranty is an optional contract with the manufacturer that you pay extra for. Check your paperwork before the engineer comes. Extended warranties are not governed by legislation, so the manufacturer can incorporate whatever T&Cs that they choose and they are often very specific about what you're NOT covered for.
Therefore if they decide that it's more economical to repair than replace and that's backed up by their T&Cs, you don't have much of a comeback.

Given the nature of the latest meltdown though, I'd be surprised if they didn't offer you a replacement in this case.
If they don't - contact their head office and kick up a fuss about the possible danger it put you and your family in, then threaten to complain to the press. That might get you a result.

Do you have a claim against the retailer under the SOG Act?

I would say yes.
You are covered for 6 years or for a reasonable lifetime for the equipment. I would say that it's reasonable to expect a fridge to last more than 3 years.

You are entitled to insist on a replacement rather than a repair as a private individual under the SOG Act.
However, the downside to this is that the onus is on you to prove that the fridge was inherently faulty at the time of purchase . . . after 3 years it could be tricky.

Extended Warranties - worth it or not?

In my personal opinion, no.

Generally by the time that you've paid them off, you could have purchased a new piece of equipment for the amount you've spent.

Because they're not governed by legislation the manufacturer often incorporates very specific T&Cs that limit what you can or can't claim for.

You already have a form of statutory free protection under the SOG Act.
 
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Dangermouse1964 said:
We bought a fridge 3 years ago and it was quite expensive for a home undercounter fridge by Hotpoint about £400, 3 days exactly after the 12 month warranty ran out it broke down and wouldnt work but luckily we took the extra 3 year warranty and in the four year period it breaks down same time every year.
It has had 3 new thermostats which cost £150 + vat and fitting and also been re-gassed once.........we have 7 days remaining on our warranty and it has just stopped working again.
Where do we stand as the engineer is due out on Weds to try to repair it again but this time it looks terminal as the whole of the rear of the fridge seems to have melted (rippled the plastics inside the fridge).
The last time he came the engineer said it was just a faulty one not up to the usual standard,this is why its causing so much trouble and he would call his boss and just have it replaced....this didnt happen his boss made him fit another thermostat which this time has lasted 6 month.

Is it me or are the manufacturers just hoping we scrap it and buy another and them just spending countless £££££ trying to fix it.......my beer is now in the freezer for half an hr to chill :thumbs:
Click to expand...

Me thinks they'd have a hard time arguing this one didn't have an inherent fault.
 
looks like I will wait and see what the engineer says on Weds as he said last time that its obviously a badly manufactured one to keep breaking down like this, hopefully we have heard that hotpoint do actually supply new for old in cases like this
 
I tell a lie Eileen has just told me the fridge was 2 years old in july not 3 ....not good for hotpoint
 
easylife said:
Never taken extended warranty on anything, as you may be aware, thats one of the first questions the shop asks you, "do you want our extended warranty" and thats where they make a considerable amount of money.....but thats my opinion
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I agree and they'll likely send out a letter before the original warranty expires because the warranties are so lucrative.

I find that electronic/electric goods tend to either fail straight away or last a long time
 
Extended warranties are largely a con these days. You're protected by SOG Act for around 5 years where if you're prepared to go to court, the company will usually roll over and replace or repair the item. On top of that now, the EU legislation gives you a 3 year warranty on all electrical goods anyway.
 
neo2810 said:
Extended warranties are largely a con these days. You're protected by SOG Act for around 5 years where if you're prepared to go to court, the company will usually roll over and replace or repair the item. On top of that now, the EU legislation gives you a 3 year warranty on all electrical goods anyway.
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Yes, you are right. Courts view 1 year warranties are wholly unreasonable.
Companies persist with them because the know the vast majority of people will not go to the trouble of raising an action in court.

I used to work with a guy who was a serial complainer and would go to any length to get a refund. He once caused Clark Shoes such hassle that they replaced a 5 year old pair of shoes.
 
last time we got an extended warranty it was on a microwave. It broke, we replaced it, we only found the extended warranty gubbins about 3 months later, having totally forgotten we'd had it, obviously

L
 
I bought a tumble dryer and the extra 3 years warranty cost more than a new dryer! So not bothered with that one.

If cheaper than replacing the item it can be worth it, I had a cooker that was repaired under warranty, would have cost a lot more to repair than the few quid the warranty cost.
 
TBH you have to weigh it up. I work for Currys and sell these things all the time. For certain items i will take them out, like laptops for example, if you damage the screen or spill anythign on the laptop you are looking at a very expensive bill.

Yes some woudl argue you have house insurance cover, but i live at home with my parents and the house insurance will not cover this laptop as its over £500. Instant replacements are a god send on items like digital cameras as the ammount we see comming back where they have been dropped on a night out is just staggering, or when the screen has broken on them. They are there to help you acheve a quicker remedy not take over the SOG.
 
HOLD THE RESULT BIT..........just had telephone call from the insurers, we have to pay £90 for the privelidge of them sending out a replacement wtf .........
 
I would never get a warranty on a fridge. It onle has three moving parts!

Ladybird said:
I bought a tumble dryer and the extra 3 years warranty cost more than a new dryer!
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Most companies selling cheap white goods make their money on the warranties rather than the products.


Steve.
 
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If we actually do pay the money they want and add the 3 yr warranty cost it will mean we have actually paid more than double for one fridge.........Eileen is on the phone as I type this trying to find out what the extra costs are so far its another policy and delivery

what a bloody con
 
whos the warranty with?
 
Domestic and general so far shes got the delivery down to £44 still a bit steep if you ask me
 
Well thats strange, with Currys there is no excess to pay. Where did you buy the warranty? Comet genearlly use D & G but i dont know if you shuld pay an excess
 
It was bought at currys and as for excess.....we didnt know either thats something that isnt told to the customers
 
Dangermouse1964 said:
It was bought at currys and as for excess.....we didnt know either thats something that isnt told to the customers
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No 100% you cant have taken the warranty out with Currys as they use their own service called Whatever happens. For older warranties they use Coverplan and there is 100% no excess to pay.
 
Hummm ok, well im not sure then. :-( How much does the excess workout as a total of what you paid, as i know with house insurance some want a 10% deposit to make a claim
 
Theres no excess mentioned the new fee we have agreed is £44 delivery and they couldnt find out what the remainder was for but they have told us we cant have an extended warranty on the replacement which sounds a bit odd

edit........this has been arranged direct through Hotpoint and not the insurance co or comet
 
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thats a bit poo then :(
 
Yeah but at least thenew fridge is on its way and for £44 instead of £90
 
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