Marantz Looks to Its Past and Future with Dynamic Duo A retailer's protection plan generally covers everything the manufacturer covers for a longer period of time (usually up to five years). You’d basically be paying more than half the price of your laptop for an additional year of warranty — remember, the standard warranties would cover …

Within the window, you can choose the length of the Geek Squad plan … Good salespeople know their products, so use them as a resource. Dead pixel coverage varies by manufacturer. When buying a TV that cheap, you may decide that you'll just buy a new one if something goes wrong with it after a year.There are two other issues you may want to consider before buying that TV: First, if the model you want is available at Costco and you're a member there, you'll get Samsung's dead pixel policy, however, is not nearly as clear, suggesting that dead pixels may be covered or not, depending on factors including how many of them there are and where they are located on the display. Many extended warranties even offer in-home service and pickup for defective products, so you don't have to haul your large, heavy TV back to the store. Should You Get AppleCare+ With Your iPad?Camera Extended Warranty Options: Should You Buy One? Best Buy Geek Squad Protection Plan.

You've even selected the manufacturer and model that you want after reading a positive review of it (hopefully on this website). Potential hassles when trying to submit a claim.8 Tips for Putting Together a Great Home Theater on a Budget This is an unfortunate side effect of warranties that are based on price ranges (for example, $500–1,000). There may be a huge difference between what you think the extended warranty Maybe you're buying the TV at an ultra-low sale price but are waiting to give it to someone as a gift.

If you have bought such a plan, did you need to use it?

Lifewire uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. Ask questions when you are unclear; get clarification in writing if you don‘t see the protection listed in the warranty‘s terms and conditions. Or maybe you are waiting to put it in a room of yours that's being remodeled. Extended warranties generally provide benefits like preventative maintenance, free replacement, no- or low-cost repairs, and power-surge protection. "The one question you know you'll hear before you cough up that moolah is the one that has become, for many consumers, the most annoying question one can hear from a salesperson: "Do you want our [INSERT SPECIFIC RETAILER'S PREFIX] protection plan?" As a salesman in home theater right now the most frequent use of the protection plans have been for surge protection, most people don't have good enough protection …

Ask the warranty dealer to explain in detail what a typical claim process would look like. That's a fair question. Here are some points to consider before you buy an extended warranty: The best advice is to read the fine print and make an informed decision. That leaves a large percentage of consumers who are open to buying a retail protection plan for certain products under certain circumstances.HomeTheaterReview's 4K/Ultra HD TV Buyer's Guide (Fall 2020 Update)For instance, the manufacturer won't fix your TV to correct any dead pixels, and the cost to fix that issue is immense because it typically means the whole panel must be replaced. These change fast, so be sure to ask about the price for the extended warranty as it applies to a particular television. Keep in mind that extended warranties tend to pick up the slack for manufacturer's warranties, and they're a lot more customer-focused than a typical manufacturer's warranty. The first year may seem like you're paying for two services but only getting protection from one.

Forget what the salesperson tells you the warranty covers. It might make it worth your while to move up or down the price ladder depending on the added cost of the extended warranty. Once you get past that first month, issues like dead pixels and other AV problems tend not to happen on quality TVs from major TV makers, at least not until the TV's life cycle starts reaching its end a few years down the line--well after the time covered by the typical retailer protection plan.

Read the fine print before buying any extended warranty, no matter how trustworthy the person or company selling the warranty appears to be. Something else to consider about online warranty companies is their customer ratings and reliability.