Warranties Aren't The Protection You Think They Are

Ever stop to think what a warranty is good for? Mostly, I'd say that it's peace of mind that the product is going to last for as long as they say or maybe even a couple of days past that.

How many time has something broken the day it goes out of warranty - or that same week?

I've had 2 experiences with warranty items this week and determined that even though I was protected that I likely could not get the satisfaction I was owed, so I passed on the whole thing. Warranties = 2, Steve = 0.

In the one instance, my UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) failed and it caused my computer to fail. They claim to warrant product failures as a result of their product not doing its job to the tune of several thousands of dollars. But I suppose there is fine print that somehow excludes what I experienced. Plus, I would have to prove that their product was faulty - I wouldn't even begin to know how to do that. So they won, I lost.

Then I have an extended warranty on my computer that I bought from a store that is out of business that sold its warranties to a third party service provider. They couldn't find any record of my policy, but I could furnish proof. They would gladly determine my eligibility and service my machine in 5 business days or so - assuming they could get parts. I wasn't convinced that they could actually get the parts or fix my machine, so I passed. They won, I lost.

Funny thing about warranties. They make you feel good when you buy them, but they often fail you when it counts.

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