are laptop extended warranties really worth it?

custard82

hi guys lot of useful info on laptops, but have a question on whether extended warranties are really worth it?

i am about to become self-employed & will of course follow the backup advice on the forum. however, i want to minimise risk of 'downtime' and potential negative impact on turning around paid work. extended warranty is the obvious choice..

So my question is - are extended warranties/ next day service really worth it? Sony & Dell do one for around£170/180 & PC World do something similar for around same price (added bonus for annual health check & loan pc if needed). However neither of those to brands or PC World are that cheap so for a budgetish laptop & 3yr warranty will set me back £500's or so. Any other extended warranties worth looking @? :rolleyes:

OR would i be better off buying a v cheap laptop & desktop, as its v unlikley both would fail @ the same time.

thanks for thoughts

RobTang

If you need zero downtime, just buy 2 computers and keep then in sync, dont use the other till you need it. end of.

consumer warrenties are pretty naff really, accident damage policies are ok if your carrying the thing about and have butter fingers. but it will incur a few weeks downtime usually =(.

andrewrimmer

If you can afford to pay for the extra cover, put it to one side for your next computer.
If your computer breaks it's unlucky but the probability is small. 3-5 years is the life span of a laptop, in the sense that it's too old(crap) to use the new operating system.

poppy10_2

are laptop extended warranties really worth it?

no no no no no

£$&*"($£&(

I agree that if your self employed you shouldn't rely on just one laptop or PC. I have my six year old Toshiba laptop as a reserve if my other breaks (I'm only slightly self employed these days). You can get warranties with companies like Acer and Toshiba which are far cheaper, although they won't be onsite which is where things get expensive.

custard82

cheers all... that does help - kindof what i thought devoted money savers would say, but the right advice i reckon

i will surf around the techie board for reccommendations on equipment. I might get a recon desktop as my backup

epz_2

i would also advise an off site storage system for your data, you can run out and buy a new pc at the drop of a hat but it would take a lot longer to recover your data, google even offer a gig free i belive.

custard82

cheers epz good point! have googlemail @ havent really used their storage facility but looks pretty good

superscaper

Make sure it's encrypted first though. I know at my company we have policy not to have any communication or data go through or stored on Google's systems because of their adsense scanning technology etc.

Marty_J

Apple's AppleCare extended warranty is excellent.

Warranties from the likes of PC World are not.

lr1277

Depends how you use the laptop?
Will it be essential to do your work on the laptop at the client's site? I.e. does it have software on it that only you will have and the client won't have the software?

Or do you use it for admin purposes like billing, documentation etc?

If your laptop is a crucial part of the service you offer, then I suggest you get the extended warranty.
If not, then have a 2nd machine to do the work, whether it is another laptop or a desktop.

HTH