Not every warranty is created equal. We looked at a variety of different brands to see which is looking after their customers best.
Recently, there’s been a little heat regarding the subject of extended warranties and their perceived value in the marketplace.
Extended warranties are big business for retailers. They can either cost you or save you big bucks, depending on the product and how lucky you are.
A warranty is one of the first areas we neglect to check in favour of brands or price. Do you look at your warranty details when you decide on price?
The difference: extended vs. standard warranty
Extended warranty – Usually offered by a retailer or third party reseller on behalf of the manufacturer and typically includes parts and labour. Some are also offered by the manufacturer directly, though not as simple as purchasing them through the retailer at point of sale.
Customers may need to process their warranty claims through the appropriate extended warranty reseller/retailer. These warranties are hugely profitable with small cost margins.
Standard warranty - Parts and Labour covered by law for all products sold in Australia as under statutory requirements. Usually 12 months. Some manufacturers offer longer terms as their standard.
International warranty – The manufacturer guarantees repairs of the product in pre-selected zones/countries. Very useful if you will be travelling overseas on a regular basis.
Is your warranty the right one for you?
We’re lucky in Australia – our standard warranties are some of the best in the OECD, but that doesn’t make them equal.
Some vendors are notorious for their lengthy repair process, while others are known to get the job done in half the time. There are many ways to serve a standard warranty in this country and no matter how we try to sugar-coat it, some are simply better than others.
But can a brilliant standard warranty make all the difference between a premium priced product and a cheaper one?
Different notebook warranties
Return to Base (RTB) - This type of warranty is arguably the least desirable. It remains the customer’s responsibility to return the notebook to an authorised repair centre. The availability of repair centres can be notoriously spotty in regional areas and even big cities such as Sydney or Melbourne.
We suggest you check where your closest RTB repair dealer is when you decide to buy particular notebook brands. If you happen to live near a centre, then you’re in luck.
But, if you have to drive 100km (or pay expensive courier costs for your laptop to get there), then you may wish to rethink the purchase of that particular brand. Paying a little more for a better warranty from a different brand might be the way to go to avoid this trip.
On Site – Very few vendors offer this as a warranty option and for good reason – it requires reasonable resources. Not all notebook problems are created equal. Some are fiercely complex, while some can be as simple as an OS reinstall or a replacement hard drive.
The best part is that they come to you and fix it on your premises. But if they can’t fix it, well – you’re back to the waiting game again, while the product is taken to a repair centre for parts. Dell call this warranty “In-home” service.
Carriage and Return (C&R ) – Commonly known as ‘Pick-up service’. This type of notebook warranty is more common than on-site and has greater convenience over an RTB. The manufacturer is solely responsible for all transportation costs of the notebook during the repair process which usually involves a courier delivery.
This is great for those living in regional areas, in areas of poor public transport, or for people who do not have the means or time to drive around town looking for a repair centre.
Some vendors may provide customers with a choice of On-site or C&R.
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