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| Peace of mind 3yr warranty for £27 - too good to be true? |
Simple QRP projects, 10m, 8m, 6m, 4m, FT8, 160m, WSPR, LF/MF, sub-9kHz, nanowaves and other random stuff, some not related to amateur radio.
18 Jan 2013
Square trade eBay Warranties - any good?
Just looked on eBay for various amateur radio items and noticed the Albrecht AE2990 10,11,12m handheld on sale from various UK suppliers from around £150. Now also shown was an optional 3 year warranty - see http://pages.ebay.co.uk/safetycentre/buyingwithconfidence/warranties/index.html which cover failures to the device outside the manufacturer's warranty period. So, for less than £200 you can have a multimode HF handheld complete with 3 yr warranty.
My question is this. Has anyone here bought an eBay item with one of these warranties - they seem to be widely offered - and had to make a claim? It sounds almost too good to be true. These warranties are also available on low cost VHF/UHF handhelds as well where the warranty cost is only around £8-9, which looks remarkable value if the product fails. This is as long as the warranty is a decent one that is honoured and the small print doesn't render it worthless. They also offer a 5 day repair or replacement service.
Would you ever need it, that is what I always ask, and whats hidden in the small print?? You can never tell with these things if they are going to pay out until the time you need them?
ReplyDeleteIts like Central Heating Boiler cover costing on average 15 Quid or so per month, my boiler has only gone wrong once in 17 yrs! So I would sooner put the money in a pot each month now adding up to a nice new boiler installation.
The only cover I go for is if it is thrown in for "free" at the time of purchase. Just like Panasonic were on some of their Televison range recently. 5 Yrs cover is not to be sniffed at, especially when the set was priced at 200 cheaper than any other deal.
73 Steve
G1KQH
Having taken a look at the insurance Roger linked to I would suggest that some of the exclusions listed such as rain damage make it a less than ideal purchase for a portable transceiver that is very likely to be used outside where it might get a bit wet, especially if last year is any indication.
ReplyDeleteAs Steve has pointed out there is always a choice to be made regarding these point of sale insurances and my own feeling is that unless the item is very expensive and/or has lots of expensive mechanical parts that are likely to wear out within the warranty period then it is probably more cost effective to forget the insurance and just buy a new one if the item wears out or repair it oneself.
Another possible option if insurance cover is essential might be to take a look at the specialist amateur radio insurance advertised in Radcom as this is likely to be more comprehensive albeit at increased cost as it would I imagine cover all of one’s equipment.
Regards
Kevin G6UCY
Plenty of reports around on the web
ReplyDeleteindicate the ssb tx quality aint too
good.
G0FTD