Warranties

You can hardly purchase anything without a salesperson trying to sell you a warranty. Salespeople tell you it’s good to have in case of a problem with the merchandise. Isn’t it odd how they convince you to buy this wonderful product but then try to convince you to buy the warranty in case there is a problem?

What they won’t tell you is that it’s a nightmare if you ever need to redeem your warranty.

A warranty is similar to candy bars and The National Enquirer in a grocery store checkout line. No one goes to a store just to buy a candy bar or National Enquirer. It’s a last ditch attempt for the store to lift a few more bucks out of your wallet before you leave.

A good salesman will even try to sell you a warranty that costs as much as the product itself. Here’s my typical reply:

"No thanks, I don't need a warranty for my $20 television set; if it breaks, I will just buy a new one."

Last year, I purchased an MP3 player for my son's 16th birthday. I wouldn't have bought the warranty for myself but a teenager is a different story; it’s common knowledge that teens are hard on electronics.

My son recently had problems with the headphone jack on his MP3 player.

When he plugged in the headphones, you could barely hear the music. I called the manufacturer to inquire about the warranty.

I was connected to a customer service representative that spoke in broken English. I could barely understand her. She asked me several times if it was the headphones.

I had enough common sense to figure this out prior to calling.

After repeatedly telling her it was the jack, she asked me to remove the back cover of the MP3 player. I offered her the numbers on the box, the MP3 player screen numbers and the warranty number. With all of that information, she still insisted I remove the back of the player. I was fearful of this because I didn’t want to damage the product and ruin my claim.

The screws on the back were microscopic so I could barely get them off. She required a specific number inside the player.

Finally, I was able to get my return information from the company and ship my item back. Now I am down to the waiting game to see how long it takes for me to get my replacement.

Looking back, I don’t know if I would take another warranty for an MP3 player. It would have been easier to just buy another one and avoid the customer service hassle.

Customer service isn’t what it used to be. Before outsourcing and menu trees, I can remember when customer service employees were friendly and spoke English. 


The whole process is frustrating. It’s almost worth it to eat the cost of your purchase to avoid calling customer service or stuck in a menu tree without assistance from a firefighter.