Manufacturer Warranties and Protection Plans

[jhe824]

I just bought a canon SD790 today for a little less than $200. Is it worth it to buy the extended 2-year warranty that covers accidental damage?  It's only $35...but I'm a broke college student and I could just put the money towards eventually buying a new camera in the future when/if this one breaks. 

Does anyone have experience w/ camera extended warranties? do they actually fix it in a reasonable amount of time? or do they still try to charge you / avoid fixing the problem?

[techy101]

I hesitate to give a direct answer to this. I personally have had a less than stellar experience, but things are still ongoing so I'm not really in a place to pass judgment yet. If you read the forums you will see many peoples first hand experiences with these service plans.

To be fair, it's worth mentioning that people don't usually come online to talk about their good experiences, but do when it comes to the bad. With that in mind, I would say read the forums, see how things have worked out for others and make your decision. 

[Nokia]

Consider your history with electronics. Do you break a lot of them or are you careful? That should pretty much make your decision. While freak accidents can occur, the previous is what I use to determine if I should buy something like that.

[Allan-BBY Community Connector]

Hi jhe824,

I would start by asking do you want to continue to be able use this camera beyond one year (which is how long the manufacturer’s warranty is), and if the answer is yes getting a Geek Squad Black Tie Protection (GSBTP) plan to provided coverage beyond the manufacturer’s warranty might be something you want to get.

Another thing to consider is how you use the camera. Do you foresee using the camera in situations where accidents could easily occur? The reason to ask this is that the manufacturer’s warranty only covers defects in your camera within the first year, but a GSBTP plan will cover Accidental Damage from Handling (ADH) that occurs during normal use of the camera.

How long it takes to repair your camera with a GSBTP plan depends on many factors, but average repair time is two weeks. If you want to read about what a GSBTP plan on a camera covers you could click here. In the end it is really your decision! I hope this helps!

Thanks for posting,
Allan
Community Connector
Best Buy® Corporate

Message Edited by Allan-BBY on 05-06-2009 10:30 AM

[mrpmpfan]

I would say go for it, because even though you paid a little under $200 for it I know you college kids will put it through its tests.  You don't want to have one long party where you end up spilling a beer on it and it costing you $200 to buy a new camera.  No beer is worth that......well maybe Red Stripe.