Tags: money, personal budgets, personal finance, consumers, shopping. They are just interested in taking your money and if it take forever for them to fix the TV, you keep waiting. For appliances between $1,000 and $1,499.99: 3-year: $130; 5-year: $195, For appliances between $1,500 and $1,999.99: 3-year: $155; 5-year: $235. You'll pay a $99 deductible for a repair and you won't be covered if your phone is lost or stolen and you'll be covered for up to three years from the date of purchasing your phone. As you can see in the cost comparison above, you can often benefit from additional savings just by doing a little comparative shopping. ConsumerAffairs is not a government agency. Here's how to plan a vacation that includes many of the bells and whistles you've been craving but without the excessive cost. If you do your research beforehand (i.e., read this article because we did the research for you), you can go to the store armed with an answer. Pay for your own repairs or replacements: MulberryCare plan already includes accidental damage coverage for your electronics, how MulberryCare and AppleCare+ stack up here, buy protection for your electronics from Apple, SquareTrade, or Mulberry directly, How to Calculate the Cost of an Extended Warranty, How to Find the Best Furniture Protection Plan, Understanding the fine print of Amazon warranties, Different deductible costs and service fees (or no deductibles if you. Best Buy Protection & Extended Warranty | Best Buy Canada For specific Plan benefits and a complete description of the scope and limitations of coverage, please refer to the actual Plan terms and conditions. Home warranties cover partial service costs for normal wear and tear on appliances things like repair of mechanical components that might break down over time. On the other hand, if you first come to Best Buy for a problem covered by the manufacturer's warranty, we may be able to help you, depending on the product and our current arrangement with the manufacturer. It offers three levels of warranty protection. One of the reasons retailers push extended warranties is that if enough of them are sold, they can push down the retail prices of the products themselvesand sell even more of them. There is no waiting period. Geek Squads protection plans and extended warranties vary in coverage and duration. (Getty Images). That means youll be covered for issues like malfunctioning screens, batteries no longer holding a charge, and normal wear and tear. Unsubscribe easily. Generally speaking, Asurion has a . You can cancel your Geek Squad Protection Plan online by. They take money from brands to skew results. Where can I find details about my existing Plans? To decide which warranty provider is the best choice for your major appliances, ask yourself a few questions. Geek Squad Protection entitles you to as many repairs as needed on your appliance. | Cookies Settings, Some of the links in this post are from our sponsors. Customer Reviews: 5-Year Standard Geek Squad Protection - Best Buy Can I still buy a Plan after purchasing my product? For one, the manufacturer's warranty may already last up to a year. But some of that savings trickles down to youassuming you don't then purchase the extended warranty and start the cycle anew. A Totaltech membership costs $199.99/year and includes Geek Squad tech support on all of your tech devices (even if you didnt buy them at Best Buy), free delivery and standard installation for new items like TVs and dishwashers, and up to 24 months of product protection on select products. You can only see the exact cost of your desired plan after you add to the cart the product. Our Current Stance on Warranties Are Appliance Extended Warranties Worth the Cost? "Some credit cards will cover an auto insurance deductible, enabling you to have your purchase replaced or repaired without purchasing a protection plan, for free. On one hand, if you're shelling out a lot of money for a product or service, it's reassuring to know that you'll be protected for a longer period of time with the right warranty or protection plan if something goes wrong. Geek Squad plans range in price and coverage, but are generally pretty comprehensive if you're willing to pay for it. You may be required to sign additional service terms and conditions to obtain repairs or a replacement device in some cases. Signing up for a Geek Squad plan could be worth it, depending on the consumer and the piece of electronics they are looking to have covered. 3-year: $159.99; 5-year: $349.99 Benefits: 24/7 phone and online support: No Is a Best Buy Warranty Worth It? - Koopy The caveat being, you have to use that card to purchase the product, of course. Best Buy Geek Squad protection: What does it cover and is it worth the cost? Most manufacturers warranties only cover defects in materials and workmanship. Get a Best Buy Totaltech membership: If you have a lot of electronics and foresee yourself needing ongoing tech support for various devices, this expensive but comprehensive subscription might make sense for you. We are always transparent about where our information comes from so that you dont have to waste time and money buying the wrong thing. Intentional damage, loss and theft are not covered. If it cannot be fixed that date, the who have to replace the TV as my kids will not be able to wait again. Read more about Costcos extended warranties. 7 Habits You Can Learn From Highly Successful Savers. Geek Squad Warranty worth it? Learn how to protect yourself from audit red flags and strengthen your case if you do hear from the IRS. Prices depend on how much the purchase is; for laptops, you'll be covered for mechanical and electrical failures from normal use as well as accidental damage, such as your toddler spilling grape juice on the keyboard. Whether you want to purchase a protection plan generally comes down to whether it makes sound financial sense, and depends on a variety of factors, including the cost of the plan and the price of the purchase, as well as what is and isn't excluded in the fine print. It behooves you to check out the terms of service or give the card provider a call and ask; the number is on the back of the card. If you do invest in this subscription, be sure to maximize the value you receive and rely heavily on the Geek Squad instead of trying to figure out the issue yourself! Pros mentioned Coverage (810) Staff (723) Service (486) Cons mentioned Defective (4) Accessibility (3) Fees (3) 93% would recommend to a friend Show only Verified Purchases The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. | Do Not Sell My Personal Information Prices vary depending on the phone model, but you can expect to pay $129 to $299 upfront, depending on the model and whether you pay for theft and loss. Our reviews and buyers guides are always either based on reviews weve done ourselves, or aggregated from trusted sources. Yes it is!! By Eric Griffith Updated July 21, 2021 (Photo: Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock) When you purchase a big-ticket. For this example, we looked at protection plans for this Dell laptop at Best Buy costing around $430. Any replacement device that we provide you may, at our discretion, be either a new or refurbished product that will be of like kind and quality and of comparable performance to your original device. After I explained the situation they hung up on me in the chat. Sometimes, at a cash register, you may have to make a split-second decision, but if at all possible, there are a few steps you should take, according to Steve Sexton, a financial consultant and president of Sexton Advisory Group, a financial and insurance services firm with three offices in Southern California. If my product is replaced, will I get a new or refurbished product? We understand why they are only given 2 stars. If your product cant be repaired, Home Depot will provide you with a replacement or reimburse you for the product purchase price, plus tax. I told the tech I could not wait and I would prefer a replacement. Sometimes it's called a "guarantee" because it's supposed to guarantee that it works. was rude and disrespectful. entities, such as banks, credit card issuers or travel companies. There is also what is called the "no lemon policy." At a high level, there are three types of Geek Squad protection plans: product replacement / standard protection, accidental protection, and TotalTech subscription plans. Geek Squad Protection Extended Warranty | Is It Worth Buying? Be firm and tell them you need someone out. The answer is: because they're profitable. This kind of plan can be perfect for a consumer who has just purchased a brand new computer monitor, as these plans offer coverage for pixel burnout, burn-in repair, power surge repair, full parts and labor coverage, and a one-time bulb replacement for projectors. It doesn't even have to be writtena TV huckster saying "it'll last 20 years!" The microwave was shipped out the next week, not the week in which I returned it. In addition to the Geek Squad program, Best Buy also offers a Totaltech membership, which is beneficial for those with multiple products that need to be covered. Experts recommend leveraging that extra money to bulk up your emergency savings or pay down your debt. Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology. Tip: Depending on the device, these plans will last anywhere from two to three years, Warning: The cost also varies depending on the device, though will cost at least 20 percent of the item itself. As a first-time homeowner I want to make sure I take steps to ensure my purchases but at the same time if I dont have to shell out $200 for the stove and $200 for the refrigerator every couple of years Id prefer not to do that. It was sent out for repair, which I was told that most of the time they were replaced. 8 years ago Hi all: I have tried to find a local appliance dealer to buy from but they ALL get terrible ratings. If you have, I'd sure love to know which you like the best for major appliances. If you do end up having an issue, the cost of the protection plan will be less than paying for a repair or fully replacing a damaged item. They will send someone out to your house at no cost to work on the device an unlimited number of times. Most laptops have a five-year lifespan of usefulness at best. Customer Reviews: 3-Year Standard Geek Squad Protection - Best Buy The price of these plans varies depending on the initial cost of the item covered, but they can be on the expensive side. I was really glad to make the investment into it as there were two separate times I utilized it. They gave analysis and cost for wiping our Mac clean and when we made the drive to the Best Buy store, prices were nowhere near what we were quoted and the analysis was completely wrong. Our posts contain affiliate links. It really helped out at a time where money was scarce to get that back! : r/homeowners by Wadoowadoo Geek squad protection for appliances - worth it? Geek Squad Protection Plans are not renewable. Weird New Job Alert: What Is an AI Prompt Engineer? The content Your local lawsdepending on your statemay also offer protection in the form of an "implied warranty" or "statutory warranty," meaning if you buy something, it is supposed to work, defect-free, for a certain amount of time. I run several special projects including the Readers' Choice and Business Choice surveys, and yearly coverage of the Fastest ISPs and Best Gaming ISPs. The main differences between a manufacturers warranty and a retailers extended warranty are who provides the coverage and what the warranties cover. Copyright 2023 Consumers Unified, LLC DBA ConsumerAffairs. Desperate for cash? BEST BUY, the BEST BUY logo, the tag design, and MY BEST BUY are trademarks of Best Buy and its affiliated companies. I was told to call the customer service and I did that. That time frame can vary but is typically four years. Contributor Veronica Leone Matthews is a North Carolina-based freelance writer with 11 years of experience writing for nonprofits and higher education. For many shoppers, it can be challenging to answer the dreaded question: Do you want an extended warranty or protection plan? Chances of the warranty allowing a local establishment of your choice to do the fix are very unlikely, so you can't even reclaim the device if a repair takes too long. Read the fine printan extended warrant might only cover certain things and not otherslike "accidental damage," which means a spilled milkshake on a gaming laptop ends that relationship. Lowes Appliance Extended Warranty 2023: Is it worth or not? Please refer to program Terms and Conditions for detailed terms, conditions, limitations, and exclusions. They'll help you with setting up and troubleshooting issues with devices like computers, tablets, gaming consoles, printers and smart home products.