Broken camera, out of warranty and retailer not responding

frugal_mike

rainio wrote: »

Many people on these forums would say don't purchase an extended warranty, save your monty instead (or use a credit card), but in this case if the op had bought one, he could have used it to repair the problem, one would think.

Is this reason enough to purchase an extended warranty? I had a similar situation where a 3 year old camera failed and the CC wanted an independent opinion (cheaper/less hassle just to fix it in that case).

Well its not surprising they would want an independent report. Under the Sale of goods Act it is the consumer's responsibility to prove the fault is inherent once it is more than 6 months after tge purchase date. Had the report been in your favour then the credit card company would have had to cover the cost.

The reason I never get an extended warranty is that it is so much cheaper not to. The cost of the warranties for all the goods I have owned in the last 10 years would far exceed the money I have spent on repairs (£0).

rainio

Fair enough about the independent report, but you'd have to give it in before having it fixed, and if time is an issue that may be a problem (assuming the independent reporter will find the problem - what if they don't?).
I'm glad you haven't had any issues, but if you have a £1000 camera that you use often, there is a high(er) risk that you could accidentally drop it (sure you could use your home contents insurance, but pay extra for accidents out of the home), and these things do break down out of the blue out of warranty.
Maybe it would be cheaper to "upgrade" the home contents insurance, and as long as the potential repair bill for an internal repair is less than the extended warranty cost, it wouldn't be a problem.
But I get nervous with £1000+ cameras that your handling for much of the day on vacations/etc. What if the credit card company is being difficult (heaven forbid)?

frugal_mike

If you're running a business and can't afford to be without a particular piece of equipment then a special insurance policy may be worth it. For consumers though the chances are you will have lots of different items. An extended warranty for each item seems a waste of money to me. That's just my opinion though.

unholyangel

rainio wrote: »

Fair enough about the independent report, but you'd have to give it in before having it fixed, and if time is an issue that may be a problem (assuming the independent reporter will find the problem - what if they don't?).
I'm glad you haven't had any issues, but if you have a £1000 camera that you use often, there is a high(er) risk that you could accidentally drop it (sure you could use your home contents insurance, but pay extra for accidents out of the home), and these things do break down out of the blue out of warranty.
Maybe it would be cheaper to "upgrade" the home contents insurance, and as long as the potential repair bill for an internal repair is less than the extended warranty cost, it wouldn't be a problem.
But I get nervous with £1000+ cameras that your handling for much of the day on vacations/etc. What if the credit card company is being difficult (heaven forbid)?

Then you get the financial ombudsman involved.

I don't think people would say extended warranties are not without their uses. But you're effectively paying money so you won't have to get a report if the item does break.

Many extended warranties dont cover accidental or physical damage - so dropping the camera wouldnt necessarily be covered. They also dont usually kick in until the manufacturers warranty has expired. So when buying 3 years extended warranty, you're actually only getting 2).

Extended warranties are no different to anything else, their cost and their worth are not necessarily one and the same.