Dell Extended Warranty : Worth it?

[PoRco]

I bought my Dell Desktop last year..

Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 @ 2.33Ghz
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8600 GT
500 Gb hard drive
3gb memory
22 inch screen monitor

I have no clue what this is worth right now, but dell is offering me a "deal" for a 2 year extension on my 1 year service (that has expired) for 289$s

I don't know much about hardware, and I won't be able to fix my pc myself if anything DOES go wrong.

What do you guys think? Is it worth it?

They said they will replace any parts, including monitor etc.

Really appreciate any help at all, I quite new to this stuff :(

Thank you very much

[Phoenix88]

Very hawt deal... :confused: where is the deal?

Think you posted to wrong section.

[watungga]

yes. extended warranty is your only hope when things get rough.

Wrong Forum!!

[Pnyx]

I really like the Dell warranty. It covers everything. The CompleteCare warranty covers even accidents. Drops, spills, etc.

Having said that however, you are the only one who can really answer your question. Is the system going to be heavily used? (Home Office maybe?) Kids around the house that may be hard on electronics? Are you likely to upgrade before your warranty expires? What is a few days of downtime mean to you? (Dell is VERY fast in replacing components.) And so on.

Moving parts and Heat are the two enemies of computers. I have yet to see a Dell desktop that overheats. Drives are usually good for a few years, but if your HD gives up the ghost your troubles would be more serious than having it replaced. (Been backing up frequently?)

Last, consider that warranties are a goldmine for those who sell them. They are like your car insurance but unlike insurance, they rarely have claims. Of course, that means nothing to someone whose computer just blew up, but chances are that it's just money into someone else's pocket.

As a rule, I never buy extended warranties unless there is something that prompts me to reconsider. Like spending $4500 on a big screen. Even then I resisted it until my wife put her foot down. I have yet to regret not buying an extended warranty and I consider the money paid for the Sony big screen a waste of money.

Your mileage may vary.

[XxXSnake23XxX]

I really like the Dell warranty. It covers everything. The CompleteCare warranty covers even accidents. Drops, spills, etc.

Having said that however, you are the only one who can really answer your question. Is the system going to be heavily used? (Home Office maybe?) Kids around the house that may be hard on electronics? Are you likely to upgrade before your warranty expires? What is a few days of downtime mean to you? (Dell is VERY fast in replacing components.) And so on.

Moving parts and Heat are the two enemies of computers. I have yet to see a Dell desktop that overheats. Drives are usually good for a few years, but if your HD gives up the ghost your troubles would be more serious than having it replaced. (Been backing up frequently?)

Last, consider that warranties are a goldmine for those who sell them. They are like your car insurance but unlike insurance, they rarely have claims. Of course, that means nothing to someone whose computer just blew up, but chances are that it's just money into someone else's pocket.

As a rule, I never buy extended warranties unless there is something that prompts me to reconsider. Like spending $4500 on a big screen. Even then I resisted it until my wife put her foot down. I have yet to regret not buying an extended warranty and I consider the money paid for the Sony big screen a waste of money.

Your mileage may vary.

very true!
i think im going to get one before my original warrenty is up.
being a uni student, you just never know

[thesk8man]

I have also used dell warranty on laptop twice ...

one replaced the hardrive and 2nd one replaced the mousepad ....

back then when i was doing my research ... only dell covered keyboard damage and spills ....

also they provided tech support aswell on the phone

if your not very comfortable with computers than i highly suggest getting dell services ... other wise your looking at *friends* for help or paying fopr repair/service

[XxXSnake23XxX]

I have also used dell warranty on laptop twice ...

one replaced the hardrive and 2nd one replaced the mousepad ....

back then when i was doing my research ... only dell covered keyboard damage and spills ....

also they provided tech support aswell on the phone

if your not very comfortable with computers than i highly suggest getting dell services ... other wise your looking at *friends* for help or paying fopr repair/service

too bad i didn't buy it earlier,
4 year total complete (spills and everything) is going to haul $800

[zoolander]

It is actually quite easy to replace parts like the video card or hard drive which will carry 3+ years warranty on their own.
The monitor, well, you can get a pretty good 22" Samsung for definitely less than $289 if you had to replace.
Example, replacing a drive...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbK2DrPFwSY
Monitors...
http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=674940
http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=668464&highlight=desktop

In fact, at $300, you're not that far off from a new desktop deal same specs without a monitor.
According to PCworld, extended warranties are rarely a good deal.
Up to you, you're gambling with Dell and they will likely win your money, at least most of it, after the 2 years is up.

[tomtomtom]

OP, if you look at your credit card features, some offer doubled the warranty up to one extra year. It is reimbursment basis, so pay first, keep the bill and submit for reimbursment. It will take longer, but you can get it and it's free!


However, with a desktop, don't bother, most parts are replaceable, you just pop open the cover, you can pretty much do anything.

Dell offer spill protection because the keyboard is not spillproof like Thinkpad does;)

[PoRco]

OP, if you look at your credit card features, some offer doubled the warranty up to one extra year. It is reimbursment basis, so pay first, keep the bill and submit for reimbursment. It will take longer, but you can get it and it's free!


However, with a desktop, don't bother, most parts are replaceable, you just pop open the cover, you can pretty much do anything.

Dell offer spill protection because the keyboard is not spillproof like Thinkpad does;)

The real problem is, the monitor is worth 250$s alone.

I'm not much of a hardware whizz... i suppose it's time to learn though.

Although, being busy with university all the time... and living alone with no T.V set.. the desktop is what I rely on all the time.

I use it heavily. I use it as my source of tv-shows etc.

How long would it take to replace stuff/solve issues without the warranty?

I really couldn't go 3-4 days without my desktop when I come home from a long day at uni =/ . Also considering I use it for all my assignments etc.

[felixmo]

I really couldn't go 3-4 days without my desktop when I come home from a long day at uni =/ . Also considering I use it for all my assignments etc.

keep in mind that it will takes more than 3 - 4 days for you to ship out your computer, dell to service it, and for dell to ship it back to you. i you learn how to replace parts than you could fix the computer by yourself in less than a few hours

[PoRco]

keep in mind that it will takes more than 3 - 4 days for you to ship out your computer, dell to service it, and for dell to ship it back to you. i you learn how to replace parts than you could fix the computer by yourself in less than a few hours


Actually the warranty covers them coming over to your house with the parts and fixing everything needed and them replacing it if needed the very next day.

Which is what brought me to my dilemma..

I wouldnt even think twice if this was a laptop. I would buy it immediately.

[zoolander]

Seriously, if you can change a car battery, you can change computer parts.
I didn't start doing it until a few months ago and I'm never turning back.

Then again, only you know how comfortable you're going to be with it all, money saved or not.

[PoRco]

K, I decided to not get it since getting it on a desktop is not worth it. And it's high time i learned all this stuff myself

One question though, if I need to replace the hard drive, will installing drivers and such be a problem? Or is that easY?

Thanks for all your replies guys, you guys are great.