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ELECTRONICS & APPLIANCES -
Rebates, Price Guarantees, Warranties & Gift Cards (continued)
b. However, if you do feel your purchase might qualify for a 110% price match or a refund due to a price guarantee, read the fine print to see if that really is the case. If so, make sure you ask for the 110% price match or apply for the price guarantee. There are also services that will help you take advantage of price guarantees. PriceProtectr.com is one such service that will allow you to register a purchase from many different major retailers and will notify you by email if the price declines. Once notified, you can proceed to place a price guarantee claim with the retailer.
3. Keep the following in mind with respect to manufacturers’ warranties and extended warranties.
a. Do not fill out the manufacturer’s warranty card and send it in until you are sure you are not going to return the product. If you do, returns will probably not be allowed.
b. Generally, do not buy an extended warranty. They are really only very expensive forms of insurance, and the store’s or manufacturer’s profit margin is very high. Stores will push these very hard, but do not buy. It’s possible if you have a big repair bill in the future, you will wish you had purchased the extended warranty, but most of the time you will be spending hundreds of dollars for nothing, especially given the fine print about what is really covered and for how much.
c. If you use a credit card to make your purchase, many credit cards will extend the manufacturer’s normal warranty period. Check to see if your credit card offers this benefit; many do. Look into how you can apply for or receive this benefit.
4. One exception to this rule of not buying extended warranties is with computers.
a. Often, extended warranties on computers will also provide very helpful product and user technical support during the period of the warranty. For instance, if you become confused on a technical question, or even if your computer just starts acting funny, you can call up the technical support staff to get help. The support technician will walk you through any problems or confusion you are having and get things straightened out.
b. If it is determined that your computer needs to be serviced, the technician will
arrange for your computer to be shipped to a manufacturer’s service center for repair.
Usually, the computer will be returned to you within 5-
c. If you do buy an extended warranty on a computer, do not buy it from the retail store. They will tell you service is faster, etc., etc. The store’s warranty will be overpriced and will almost surely not provide the breadth of service and customer technical support that a manufacturer’s warranty will. So, do not get talked into a store extended warranty.
d. To buy a manufacturer’s warranty, just go to their web site and buy it directly, or get the phone number from the web site or your computer manual and call them up. It is very easy and they will probably offer extended warranties for up to four years. In most cases, the decision to buy an extended warranty from the manufacturer does not have to be made right away after the purchase. Often, as long as the computer is still under manufacturer’s warranty, you can buy the extended warranty at any time. Check with the manufacturer.
5. Gift cards have become a real favorite with retailers. Retailers enjoy getting
your money up front, and being able to earn interest on the funds until the card
is redeemed. And, an added attraction for retailers is that a fairly high percentage
of the money spent on gift cards is never redeemed. Either the recipient loses the
card or just never gets around to using it (or only partially uses it), or the card
expires or automatically reduces in value. In any case, gift cards are a great deal
for the retailer and a not-
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