[coolmac]

I purchased the 20" Apple Cinema Display yesterday at CompUSA.
It comes with a stadard 1 year warranty, CompUSA sells an extended warranty for $109, it's for 2 years in total but it also covers any accidental damage, not only manufacturer defects.

If for any reason at all the display becomes damaged, even if it was dropped, CompUSA will replace it with a new display (for one time only).

Is this extended warranty worth it?

[OldManMac]

Originally posted by coolmac:
I purchased the 20" Apple Cinema Display yesterday at CompUSA.
It comes with a stadard 1 year warranty, CompUSA sells an extended warranty for $109, it's for 2 years in total but it also covers any accidental damage, not only manufacturer defects.

If for any reason at all the display becomes damaged, even if it was dropped, CompUSA will replace it with a new display (for one time only).

Is this extended warranty worth it?

I'd buy it. The price isn't unreasonable, when you consider what it would cost to replace if you poke a hole in it or drop it.

[Boochie]

Extended warranties are generally a cash cow for the retailer. Look at it this way: would CompUSA sell them if they were losing money on them? The house never loses.

Bear in mind that many credit cards these days offer extended warranty protection as well. If you bought your monitor with a credit card, did you check to see if they double mfg warranties? Typically there's some legwork involved in making a claim, but better that than $100 if you ask me.

[OldManMac]

Originally posted by Boochie:
Extended warranties are generally a cash cow for the retailer. Look at it this way: would CompUSA sell them if they were losing money on them? The house never loses.

Bear in mind that many credit cards these days offer extended warranty protection as well. If you bought your monitor with a credit card, did you check to see if they double mfg warranties? Typically there's some legwork involved in making a claim, but better that than $100 if you ask me.

You're correct, but CompUSA's coverage also covers accidental damage, which your credit card company won't cover.

[Boochie]

Fair enough, but when was the last time you dropped a piece of computing equipment?

I must admit that I'm biased against extended warranties in general, I just see them as another way for retailers to soak the consumer.

On the other hand, if one is prone to handling computer equipment after eating buttery popcorn, perhaps it's a worthwhile insurance policy.

Originally posted by KarlG:
You're correct, but CompUSA's coverage also covers accidental damage, which your credit card company won't cover.

[Eriamjh]

I would buy the warranty from CompUSA for LCD displays and notebooks. It's worth it.

Yes, they are usually cash cows, but not on very expensive items that are likely to fail (see above).

For example: a rear projection widescreen TV (55" or bigger) is a good thing to get an extended warranty on, but not a tube tv. Notebooks and things you can drop are also good.