Sweet spot for extended warranty?

What would be the best bang for the buck for warranty on a Thinkpad notebook? What length would you choose, how much more would you pay for that extra year of service?

 

Using an American Express card and getting an extra year free. To some degree it will depend on the value of the notebook. I personally would never go more than three. I can't see myself keeping a notebook longer.

 

I would keep it at least for 3 years. That is why I got 3-year protection and warranty service.

 

How convenient is the warranty service from American Express?

 

I'm under the impression that if there is something wrong with the machine, you have to pay upfront to get it fixed (granted it is out of the manufacturer's warranty date) and basically send the bill to the credit card company to get reimbursed.

 

I'm the only one who voted for 1 year. I bought mine 6 years ago and it didn't have any problems until just recently. I'm hoping the new T60 that I just bought can last at least 3 years.

 

What problem did it end up having recently?

 

Warranty makes it possible to re-sell your laptop later. Gives confidence.

Not many ppl want to buy a used laptop with no warranty, or if they do they only will pay dirt cheap.

I'd never go with only one year. Understand that in general i never buy warranties.

but my T4x models have had lots of problems... hard drive crashes, two lcd's needed replacing, the wifi card, and the mother board. Prior to the t40 series, i cant recall my older thinkpads having had any problems. In my experience, the quality has taken a plunge in the last couple of years.

I'd get 3-4 years.

 

With EPP, 3-year depot warranty is as cheap as $104. With Holiday Sale, 3-year on-site is $249--there used to be 3-year depot for $149.

I got the impression that lower-spec'ed models are cheaper with EPP, and higher-spec'ed ones are cheaper with HS. Just try upgrading the CPU from T5500 to T7200 and there is a big difference.

 

Momo26,

There is a crack on the front left corner, and ethernet connection won't work, but since I'm using wireless, so it doesn't matter. The computer still works fine but it comes with PIII, 128 MB RAM, so I figure it's time for a change even without problems mentioned. It's Thinkpad T22.

 

They were definately built to last. I just hope now that the quality does not deteriorate. I think buying as soon as possible is the best thing prospective ThinkPad owners can do.

 

If you place your order on your American Express card you get to extend the manufactures warranty by 1 year. So if you buy the 3 year plan you get a 4th year free.

 

I think all gold & platinum cards offer that.
But, the service will not be nearly as good as the IBM service, which also gets transferred with the machine to the new owner if you sell it, which enhances resale value.

 

from my understanding, different cards offer different terms in their agreement. For example, Mastercard offers an extension doubling the original covered warranty of the device, with a one year limit on the original warranty. That is, you do not get a total of 3 year warranty if you buy from the manufacturer a 2-year warranty.

 

With the Master Card, you do get double the warranty. If say you had a 30-day warranty, that would be 60 days. But there is a one year limit, as mensioned, so a 3 year Lenovo warranty will yield an additional year through Master Card = 4 years total, the last being covered by a different warranty scheme as far as I know. You'd get it repaired and send the bill to Master Card (during the extended year), is how it goes I believe.

 

For free warranty extension using credit cards, see:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=64951

 

Is Lenovo allowed us to extend the warranty by the end of the default/shipping warranty? I have 1 year warranty but planning to upgrade later at the time the current warranty expires. Am i allowed to do this?