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First of all, even if your laptop only includes
a 90-day warranty (and assuming you’ve purchased a reputable brand- name
system), the chances of your laptop dying on the 91st day are very, very slim.
Manufacturers don’t offer a 90-day warranty
with the expectation that their product will malfunction shortly thereafter. A
shorter warranty is likely, at least in part, to be a marketing ploy to push you
toward an extended warranty.
All major laptop manufacturers offer a long
menu of extended warranty options, each menu item with its own price tag. The
two biggest components that factor into the cost of an extended warranty are
duration and location.
Through extended warranty, you typically have
the option to extend the duration of the standard warranty from one to three
years. The first extra year is always the most expensive, with each subsequent
year costing significantly less. The longer the extended warranty, the better
the deal.
As for location, the least expensive extended
warranties require you to ship your laptop (at your expense) to a remote repair
facility. With the most deluxe extended warranty packages, a service technician
will meet you at your own front door to attempt the repairs. This type of
coverage tends to be on the expensive side.
At this point, you might decide to research
manufacturer websites to determine their standard warranty policies. Don’t
bother, because most laptop manufacturers don’t have standard warranty polices.
Warranties vary from line to line and product to product. Even with a particular
model in mind, it’s still going to take some digging.
So how do you decide whether an extended
warranty is right for you? Your best bet is to consider your anticipated usage:
If you’re buying a laptop as a second computer
for occasional use when you need to travel, you can probably pass on the
extended warranty and still feel relatively safe.
At the other extreme, if you use your laptop
day in and day out as your primary system, with half your life spent in airport
terminals, you should consider adding as much extended warranty as you possibly
can. Fortunately, unlike automobile warranties, laptop warranties don’t put any
restriction on mileage.
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