Are Warranties for Laptops worth it?
Yes, they are, but only if you are always putting your laptop in risky situations. If you are careful, the odds are that you may not need an extended warranty. Generally, manufacturer warranties have been designed and developed to cover any defects on your device. However, there are times when extended warranties do not cover any physical damages, liquid spill malfunctions, hardware degradation, or keyboard malfunctions. They only cover soft errors. If this is the case, you may want to completely avoid purchasing an extended warranty for your laptop.
Purchasing a new or used laptop that is efficient and rightfully priced, and has been through thorough inspections and background checks sounds like a great thing to do. But having the perfect laptop for school or work could quickly become the worst nightmare if something went wrong. After all, no matter how good any laptop you own is, there is no guarantee that it will remain faultless for the longest period of time. That said, you may want to get yourself an extended warranty for your laptop. To add to that, the best type of warranties for your laptop will cover both hardware damages and software errors.
How can we justify whether warranties for laptops are worth it?
The table below summarizes the reasons why you should either buy or avoid extended warranties for your laptop.
Extended Warranties |
Laptop Costs |
Usage Pattern |
Reasons why you should purchase extended warranties for your laptop |
If you are using laptops within a high price range, the best thing would be to purchase an extended warranty, simply because it would cost you so much more to maintain laptops within this category |
If you move around a lot and are ‘careless’ when it comes to the maintenance, your laptop is likely to wear out faster than expected. For this reason, you may want to purchase an extended warranty |
Reasons why you shouldn’t purchase extended warranties for your laptop |
Most warranties tend to exceed a lot more than the original costs of the laptop |
Free/ Limited warranties can last you up to a year and this may be enough time to cater for minor damages |
Advantages of purchasing extended warranties
- They protect your laptop against the high costs of frequent repairs
In case your laptop screen breaks, you may need to pay around $80 to $100, and that’s on the minimum side. If you go to a reputable store or a tech store, you may end up paying even up to $300 to $500, which is almost the same amount of money that would get you another decent laptop. In as much as the laptop may not be of the best quality, it may be ideal for short term usage. Unfortunately, free warranties do not necessarily cater for physical damages and other defects on your device. This is where extended warranties come in. They cater for such damages.
With an extended warranty that probably costs around $100 or $200 for damages on your laptop within 2 years, you can comfortably save yourself the expense. Instead of paying a crazy amount of money for a single repair job, you can always use your extended warranty for any repairs or replacements that your laptop may need.
- Coverage offered by extended warranties
One thing you should always consider when looking for the right extended warranty for your laptop is what the warranty actually covers. More often than not, extended warranties offer more options that are excluded in free warranties, which in fact is an advantage.
When we try to compare free warranties and extended warranties, we can deduce that free warranties only cover normal wear and tear which may arise from storing your laptop in damaging conditions and nothing more. Extended warranties, on the other hand, cover most damages as a result of your actions. That said, an extended warranty can cover a broken screen and it gives you full-time access to technical support if need be. For this reason, they are a great investment.
Disadvantages of purchasing extended warranties for your laptop
- Third-party warranty programs may cost you a fortune
When purchasing extended warranties for your laptop, you may want to confirm who is responsible for the terms mentioned in the warranty and how the entire process works. This is mostly because third party warranties tend to limit the tech stores that can perform any repairs on your laptop and the approval process can take up to 6 months. Other times, your warranty provider may expect you to pay for the overall costs for repair and then offer to reimburse you after. Unfortunately, this process may take forever and end up costing you a fortune.
- Sometimes, the overall cost of the warranty may outweigh the benefits that come with it
Generally, the ratio of warranty cost to the benefits that come along is an important factor to consider when purchasing an extended warranty for your laptop. Some extended warranties tend to cost about 10% to 20% more than the overall cost of your laptop. If you purchase a laptop for about $600 and are subjected to pay about $200 for added protection, it may not be a worthy investment. To add to that, a walk-in repair may cost you a lot less especially if you have purchased a high-end laptop with a decent free warranty.
Conclusion
It is important to weigh the pros and cons of an extended warranty before purchasing it so that you can make the right decision. Also, you may want to understand the process of reimbursement and repair before settling for any warranties for your laptop.
FAQs
- How long does a regular warranty last on a laptop?
Most laptop warranties on new laptops will last you for about a year from your purchase date.
- How can I know whether my laptop has a valid warranty?
You will need to launch your manufacturer’s website, key in the serial number on your device then check your warranty status.
