End of my tether... - by Selkie
Rug Burn Junky on 28/11/2006 at 21:34
Oh christ, just shut the fuck up, you retard.
Cruster on 28/11/2006 at 21:48
Are Fujitsu-Siemens laptops "crap" too? It sounds like Selkie would be more than getting back the money he invested in his warranty, if the company wasn't being shifty about it. Thats not a refutation of the concept of extended warranties for laptops, just of this particular company. Consumer Reports consistently advises that while they're a scam for most electronic goods, extended warranties for laptops are generally worth buying. Most people I know who have bought them have had to use them at some point.
Selkie, if you are friends with any lawyers, you might ask them to send a polite letter to the company in question, on their letterhead. In my experience, most companies trying to screw you will just give up if you do this; they don't want the hassle or the expense. Hope it doesn't come to that, though. Good luck.
Rug Burn Junky on 28/11/2006 at 21:55
Quote Posted by Cruster
Consumer Reports consistently advises that while they're a scam for most electronic goods, extended warranties for laptops are generally worth buying.
Actually, uhhhh, (
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/personal-finance/news/november-2006/why-you-dont-need-an-extended-warranty-11-06/overview/extended-warranty-11-06.htm) NO THEY DON'T[INDENT]
Quote:
Laptops. Laptops have among the higher repair rates of the products we track. Forty-three percent of three- to four-year-old laptops have needed to be fixed, our subscribers indicate; typical repairs cost between $100 and $400.
But many of these problems occurred outside the coverage period of a typical computer extended warranty. Also be aware that extended warranties usually don't cover problems if you drop the laptop or spill something on it. If you're worried about that, you should get accident-damage protection. Typically, though, you must buy an extended warranty first.
[/INDENT](emphasis added)
Cruster on 28/11/2006 at 22:13
I had read this:
Quote:
"You might consider an extended warranty on a laptop computer. Laptops are expensive, fragile, and hard to repair. And the parts are made to fit within the manufacturer's unique case design. For that reason, you should buy the warranty from the computer manufacturer, not from the retailer."
when I bought my last laptop in 2004, it seems they've changed their tune to "only buy applecare because Apples original warranty is shit" since then. Obviously they don't help if you drop your laptop in the swimming pool, but I'd say a 43% repair rate within the first 4 years is enough to warrant buying a
good 3-year extended warranty, from the manufacturer or a reputable seller. It doesn't sound like I'm going to change your mind on this RBJ, so I'll leave it at that. :p
fett on 28/11/2006 at 22:17
Quote Posted by Cruster
Nope, IBMs and Toshibas.
Change your definition of shitty!
Also:
Quote Posted by Renegen
And insurance is more than numbers, a lot of people would agree to pay $30 a month to have peace of mind and protect their family.
WAHT?
Rug Burn Junky on 28/11/2006 at 22:31
Quote Posted by Cruster
It doesn't sound like I'm going to change your mind on this RBJ, so I'll leave it at that. :p
You're not going to "change my mind" because this isn't a matter of opinion, it's a question of fact. The math doesn't change just because you don't understand it.
A 43% repair rate (a smaller percentage of which is even coverable by the warranties) for repairs which usually cost roughly the same as the price of the extended warranties themselves, means that AT BEST you're breaking even on the covered repairs, you're coming out ahead on an even smaller percentage of the repairs which are covered, and
at least 57% of the time, you're just plain getting fucked.
God dammit, if you understand odds this poorly, I want to play cards with you sometime. I'll fucking rake in cash.
Hell, you don't even understand the little blurb you posted, which isn't saying "Buy an extended warranty" it's saying "
If you're going to buy an extended warranty, buy it from the manufacturer, not the seller." Two markedly different things. They're talking about FROM WHOM to buy it, not whether to buy it at all.
And to top it off, to show another little bit you misinterpreted, they're not recommending Apple because the original warranty is shit - they're recommending it because it comes with the addition of over the phone tech support, a fundamentally different thing.
Ockhams Razor on 28/11/2006 at 22:34
Dunno about anyone else, but I’m convinced Compaq/HP and Toshiba intentionally mold the AC adapter port on the back of their laptops with some kind of super-malleable material, so that after a year or so of moderate use, it completely dislodges from the mobo. And I treat my shit with the utmost care. Planned obsolescence anyone?
Time to move on to a MacBook. That magnetic thing they got going is the greatest invention of the century.
Cruster on 29/11/2006 at 02:07
Quote Posted by Rug Burn Junky
God dammit, if you understand odds this poorly, I want to play cards with you sometime. I'll fucking rake in cash.
I think you underestimate the average cost of laptop repairs. Just to have someone crack open a laptop and diagnose a problem will often cost about the same as an extended warranty; major repairs and/or replacement of parts takes it to "may as well just buy a new one" territory. Do insurance companies make a profit? Of course they do. If I buy dental insurance and never get a cavity, am I "just plain getting fucked"? Of course I'm not. Insurance is always a gamble, but I maintain that, in the case of laptops, it's not as bad a gamble as you make it out to be. By all means, continue to work yourself into a froth of internet-rage if you disagree. :D
Quote:
Time to move on to a MacBook.
Take this as you will; it is, again, from Consumer Reports and doesn't give their methodology or state time lines, sample types or sizes. They are generally trustworthy, in my experience. Given Apple's recent history of quality control with mp3 players, I wouldn't look to them as a bastion of amazing product quality in a sea of inferior junk.
Inline Image:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h48/cruster_2006/laptop-fofr.gif
Rug Burn Junky on 29/11/2006 at 02:23
Quote Posted by Cruster
Insurance is always a gamble, but I maintain that, in the case of laptops, it's not as bad a gamble as you make it out to be.
AND THE PEOPLE WHO'VE ACTUALLY DONE THE MATH* DISAGREE WITH YOU.
And please, don't confuse my sneering contempt of your naivety for internet rage. Feel free to be a sucker all you like, but if you're going to proclaim that you aren't, rest assured that those of us who know better are going to correct you.
* ie. Consumer Reports, who you are so fond of misquoting.
Renegen on 29/11/2006 at 14:05
Quote Posted by Rug Burn Junky
God dammit, if you understand odds this poorly, I want to play cards with you sometime. I'll fucking rake in cash.
Well I don't have that much money but if you want to know I am a profitable poker player, I know no such thing about you. I quit poker because I wanted to concentrate on finance who I find has a better opportunity cost. Careful what you boast about. Sit down. I'll get back to you later, pretty busy right now, although looking at the thread it does seem that the idea was understood.
But you have to remember when buying a laptop, an important part of the price goes into advertising and fixed expenses not associated with the making of the laptop. Repair costs/replace costs can easily be only half of the price you pay. Provided they don't overcharge you through the nose for insurance(and they shouldn't, warranty is a selling point) the odds are easily in your favor with such rates as 20% defects.
If you want to get more sophisticated and mention consumer reports, how about 'the gamble' that Cruster talked about. Why do you have home insurance, surely the odds say otherwise? Because you can't run the risk. Sometimes the math spills over into the human emotions. Insurance is that, insurance, they sell you a service.