If you buy equipment and are asked if you want to buy an extended warranty - my advice is to either say no or ask, how long will the equipment be away if it needs service, is the service done on site and will you provide a replacement if it is away for a long time? When I bought a colour laser printer two years ago, I paid for an extended service plan (4 years) for it. Well about 10 days ago, it started smudging the print. I took it back to the store thinking okay, they can repair it on site, after all they have a service department. No dice - they would have had to ship it out for service and it would have been gone anywhere from two weeks to 60 days. After a lot of aggravation we got them to refund the $170 we spent on the warranty/service plan and took it over to our usual computer store where they could run diagnostics on it.

Strangely enough when the computer guy ran the diagnostics, it was perfectly fine. We determined that maybe there was something that was on the rollers or whatever that eventually worked itself off. When I think that it could have taken 60 days to be told that when my computer guy was able to figure it out in a day is infuriating. I paid $50 for the diagnostics and had my printer home in about three days.

I made a vow then and there, never to buy one of these plans for any equipment in the future. After this experience, I wouldn't buy any equipment from a big box store either (as far as the store in question goes, I wouldn't even buy a compact disc there anymore). I'll go to my trusted small computer shop where we have bought about four or five computers over the past nine years and deal with someone I know by name and when I call in and say, "hi, it's Julia", he knows who I am. If it costs a few dollars more, it will be worth it for the peace of mind it provides.

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Julia

I agree, Julia. I do buy some things from the big box stores if the price is just too good to pass up, but I don't take the extra warranties. At the rate things change these days, I'm usually ready for an upgrade or something new anyway by the time things break down or a warranty wears off. Then I still have that money I would have spent on the extended warranty to spend. Well... sometimes I have it.

But then again, I know that it is like a safety net for some people, which I also understand. I'd just add that they should make sure that stuff is written in the warranty, not just take a store employee's word for it. They could be mistaken (happens often!) or they could change their policy the next week. I'd need it in writing.

I'm surprised you got your money back for that one. You must have done some fancy talking!

Deb

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Deb at Ivy Freelance
Metrics, Marketing and Macros

Originally Posted by Ivy Freelance

I'm surprised you got your money back for that one. You must have done some fancy talking! Deb

Didn't really do fancy talking, just some pretty aggressive talking. I put on what my husband calls "my New York attitude" and told them that being without my printer for up to 60 days was going to compromise my business and that I wasn't told this when I bought the printer (giving it to me in writing after I paid them didn't count). I also said that there was a local company I could call who would come to my home and fix my printer and that we had a guy around the corner we could take it to and get it fixed within a week.

I also agree that technology changes. I'm actually wondering if I should buy replace the toner when it runs out or buy a new printer. The toner for this beast costs about $600 if I buy HP and I don't like or remanufactured toner. I can buy the same printer complete with toner for under $400 now. Computer equipment should be able to be written off 100% in the year you buy it these days.

Our computer guy says that companies don't pass on the true cost of printers because they make their money on the toner (kind of like in the old days when razors were given away for free because people bought the blades) which we both feel is a bad practice because it just adds more junk to the landfill.

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Julia

Exactly! When the boxing day sales were on, the local news was reporting on the crowds at the stores. They showed one guy who was stocking up on printers. He had three in his cart (all the same). He said they were cheaper than buying the cartridges.

And it's really worse than we think, because I've heard that when you buy a printer, the cartridge in it is just kind of "sample" size - not as full as the cartridges you would buy. So that guy won't have those printers for long.

Deb

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Deb at Ivy Freelance
Metrics, Marketing and Macros

Originally Posted by Ivy Freelance

And it's really worse than we think, because I've heard that when you buy a printer, the cartridge in it is just kind of "sample" size - not as full as the cartridges you would buy. So that guy won't have those printers for long. Deb

That's what I've been told by toner salepeople, but the initial cartridges that came with my LJ 3600 lasted over a year, so I think they were full cartridges or at least close to full. It's been almost a year since I changed my cartridges and they are starting to run low and those were full new cartridges.

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Julia

Originally Posted by Prime Admin Solutions

Computer equipment should be able to be written off 100% in the year you buy it these days.

It can, you just have to elect to 179 deduct it, which basically means you are electing to depreciate the whole thing in one year instead of over 5.

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Rebecka Melson ~ Virtual Business Services

There are only two things I would (and have) ever bought warranties for - my sons cell phone, and yes it has been replaced once and his IPod, again replaced once. But this is only because he is a teenager who despite being careful can sometimes be all thumbs.

If you figure the cost of an extended warranty on most electronic items and the cost of replacement (with all the upgrades made to new models) it does not pay.

I am glad you got your money back Julia. Good luck with your printer.

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Lee Drozak
My Office Assistant

Originally Posted by Rebecka Melson

It can, you just have to elect to 179 deduct it, which basically means you are electing to depreciate the whole thing in one year instead of over 5.

What is 179? I'm in Canada - is 179 American

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Julia