Extended Warranty?

Should you buy an extended warranty together along together with your laptop computer? You may not need to give it some thought now, but finally, something is going to break down on your laptop computer. When it happens, the sizable query will be who gets stuck with the bill, you or the manufacturer.

The standard (standard in this case meaning free) warranty on a new laptop computer usually runs anywhere from 90 days to a year. That probably doesn't appear like much when you think about how long you expect to own your laptop computer. What happens when your laptop computer poops out on the 91st day?

To start with, even if your laptop computer only includes a 90-day warranty (& assuming you have bought a reputable brand- name process), the chances of your laptop computer dying on the 91st day are slim.

Manufacturers don't offer a 90-day warranty with the expectation that their product will malfunction soon thereafter. A shorter warranty is likely, at least in part, to be a promotion ploy to push you toward an extended warranty.

All major laptop computer manufacturers offer a long menu of extended warranty options, each menu item with its own cost tag. The largest parts that factor in to the cost of an extended warranty are period & location.

Through extended warranty, you usually have the choice to extend the period of the standard warranty from to years. The first additional year is always the costliest, with each later year costing significantly less. The longer the extended warranty, the better the deal.

As for location, the least expensive extended warranties need you to ship your laptop computer (at your expense) to a remote repair facility. With the most deluxe extended warranty packages, a service technician will meet you at your own front door to attempt the repairs. This type of coverage tends to be on the expensive side.

At this point, you might pick to research manufacturer sites to select their standard warranty policies. Don't bother, because most laptop computer manufacturers don't have standard warranty polices. Warranties vary from line to line & product to product. Even with a specific model in mind, it is still going to take some digging.

So how do you pick whether an extended warranty is best for you? Your best bet is to think about your anticipated usage:

In the event you are purchasing a laptop computer as a second computer for rare use when you need to travel, you can probably pass on the extended warranty & still feel comparatively safe.

At the other extreme, in the event you use your laptop computer day in & day out as your primary process, with half your life spent in airport terminals, you ought to think about adding as much extended warranty as you possibly can. Fortunately, unlike automobile warranties, laptop computer warranties don't put any restriction on mileage.