Thinking about a Sony VAIO Extended Warranty? What you should know.

I was confused about whether or not to add my Accidental Damage warranty to my laptop. Well I am glad I did because according to Sonysyle's info, any extended plan with ADH coverage plans cannot be added after purchase and must be purchased at the same time you purchased the laptop. Here is the information Sony provides and I posted it here for your convenience.

Just a Note: Sonystyle uses Service Net for their extended warranties.

Sony Manufacturer's Limited Warranty

Sony Electronics warrants every product against defects in material or workmanship for a limited time. Duration of warranty coverage varies by product type.

If your product requires warranty service, you must contact Sony for instructions. For most products, you are responsible for delivering the product, freight prepaid, to Sony or a Sony Authorized Servicer. During the Limited Warranty period, Sony will, at its option repair or replace your product with new or refurbished parts or products.

For more information about specific model warranties and terms, see the Limited Warranty link on any product page.

What is the benefit of purchasing an Extended Service Plan?

-Added benefits to your Limited Warranty coverage and providing that coverage for the amount of years that you choose from the date you purchased your product.
-The use of Sony parts, Sony service centers or Sony-authorized repair centers and parts.
-Hassle-free repair or replacement, including parts and labor.
-No out-of-pocket shipping costs.
-No estimates or deductibles.
-Lightning/Power surge protection.
-"No Lemon" policy.
- Full refund of your Extended Service Plan within 60 days of purchase.
-Easy transfer of ownership.
-Cracked LCD screen? No problem.
The most common repair under our Notebook Service Plans is a cracked LCD screen, which can cost $700 to repair if you're not covered. Relax your mind with a plan that includes accidental damage from handling.

What are Accidental Damage from Handling service plans?

Accidental Damage from Handling Protection (ADH) plans offer the same benefits as the Regular Extended Service Plans but gives the added benefit of repairing or replacing your Sony product when it malfunctions due to breakdowns that occur from handling the product under normal operating conditions.

This Service Plan includes all parts, labor and shipping costs in its coverage to make sure your Sony product is repaired and delivered back to you without any out-of-pocket costs. Coverage begins on the date you purchased the product and runs concurrently with the Limited Warranty.

Why add your Extended Service Plan today?

Extended Service Plans run concurrently with the Limited Warranty so the later you purchase the Service Plan, the less coverage you will receive. Adding your Service Plan today ensures confidence in full product protection and entitles you to value pricing. Also, select Extended Service Plans are only offered at the time of product purchase. Plans that must be added on at the time of model purchase include any accidental damage from handling plans. These Service Plans are not offered for stand-alone purchase and cannot be purchased after you have bought your product.

Also, purchasing Extended Service Plans at a later date requires a valid proof of purchase and are only available within the first 6 months of your product purchase.

All Sony Extended Service Plans are offered, administered and fulfilled by Service Net Solutions, LLC and Service Net Solutions of Florida, LLC. See Terms and Conditions for complete details.

For Detailed Terms and Conditions, as well as Pricing Visit:

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...551&categoryId=27203&storeId=10151&langId=-1#

 

Thanks I got the 3year with ADH = ouch

 

Hmmm...

I purchased my VAIO via Newegg and picked up the 3yr extended + ADH from Costcentral, granted I did purchase them at the same time, they were from completely different places. I activated the warranty over the phone with Sony, retroactive to the day I received my laptop, and there were no problems. Not sure if that qualifies as 'same-time purchase', but it worked for me.

 

This means I can still buy one right? I might get enough to buy an extended... as I might need it sometime... You never know when something will break because it wasn't from use and wear.

Too bad about the accidental warranty.... but there are other places where you can buy warranties isn't there?

 

Yea I am confused about how buying retail warranties work. They sell extended ADH warranties on newegg, for example. So i don't know...I was just posting what sonystyle.com states. But who knows...

 

Yeah.... I know that my Aunt has bought laptops from like.... Circuit City and bought extended warranties from them.... but I dunno. I know that my friend bought some kind of warranty for his HP laptop that's refurbed.... But I don't remember what he did.

I don't think that going through another place for warranty wouldn't be bad though.... They can be just as good as any Sony technician. @_@

 

Many of the retailers have agreements with Sony regarding repairs. For example, Best Buy will honor the *manufacturer's* warranty (not any sony extended) regardless of place of purchase. If you have a Best Buy Extended Warranty, the Geek Squad will almost always repair it at their service center. In the rare event the unit is so old they don't stock parts, or its so rarely sold the service center doesn't support it, it often can be sent directly to Sony's repair facilities who will take care of it on behalf of Best Buy. Although, most of time, if Best Buy cannot repair it, and the same goes for other warranties, they will replace it with the same, equal or greater value laptop and thus fulfill your Warranty, requiring purchasing a new one for the replacement.

 

ADH plan must be registered within 30 days of buying the laptop. from other posts, i believe extended warranty (no ADH) can be added at any time while the laptop is under its original warranty.

i bought my 3yr extended+ADH plan from provantage (actual sony SKU, not 3rd party) and registered with sony with no issues. saved about $100.

 

Thinking about a Sony Vaio? Thinking of buying the extended warranty? DON'T. You will REGRET it.

Service Net is an absolute SHAM that I may report to the BBB in short order. Below you can read about my attempts to get a Sony Vaio computer serviced. Bought this computer for one of my users at my company along with two others. Came with a 1 year warranty and purchased 2 year extended ONSITE warranty. The machine's hard drive failed within the extended warranty period and the below is a log of my efforts to get it fixed.

~~~

It has been a horrid experience trying to get your machine serviced. I estimate that I have spent 3 to 4 hours of time over the past week trying to get this issue resolved. The crux of the issue is apparently that Sony starts the warranty expiration ticker the moment the machine rolls off the assembly line. The warranty on your computer started expiring nearly a year earlier than when we actually purchased the computer. As a result, when I attempted to get warranty repair, their computers showed your Vaio as being out of warranty. But, they kindly explained that if I could fax them a copy of the original purchase invoice, that they would gladly update the information in their system and provide service – in 3 business days.

This was my first time going ballistic on these guys. We had purchased an ONSITE extended warranty plan – meaning, I felt you were important enough that I wanted immediate, onsite assurance in the case of a problem like this occurring. 2-3 days was unacceptable and I told the guy that. It was like talking to the old Ma-Bell. “We don’t care because we don’t have to”.

So, I faxed the form in. Later that day I called to find out if the fax had been received. No, it had not. Imagine that.

So, I faxed it again. This time I got confirmation that they had received it and was told again it would be days before the data was updated.

I called the next day. Nope, the data hasn’t been entered because I hadn’t waited long enough.

I wait another day and call in the morning -- Friday. They tell me the data hasn’t been updated yet, but it will by 5PM for sure, so call back then. I was really angry at this point and went ballistic for the 2nd time, demanding to talk to a supervisor. The supervisor basically told me to go pound salt. I was so mad I was ready to drive down to their offices in Indiana to get some medieval justice. Fortunately, I cooled off and put it out of my mind.

Later that day, I call back at 5PM. To no surprise the data hasn’t been entered. And, conveniently the department that does that data entry is now closed. And, all the supervisors have gone home so there is no one to escalate anything to. Call back tomorrow because two guys from that data entry department will be in and can input the data. And, in the meantime, go pound some more salt.

I call back on Saturday while driving in my car from Hyde Park to Home Depot in Pleasant Ridge. I’m on the phone, mostly on hold for nearly the entire drive over and 15 minutes of shopping for what I need. Finally, she comes back on and tells me the data hasn’t been updated. What a shocker. I lose my temper for the 3rd time and demand to talk to a supervisor. This guy – for the first time – actually says he is sorry for what has happened and that he will make sure my data gets updated…by Tuesday…because he isn’t in on Monday. But, he offers to have someone else there take care of it in the interest that it might get done on Monday. Since this is the first person – out of 6 or 7 – that I have talked to who has demonstrated any level of customer service and competence, I decline and ask that he please personally handle it. It has already been a week, so what is another day of waiting.

Finally today, I call and good to his word, the data has been updated by the idiots in their data entry group. I spend 25 minutes on the phone having a claim opened. And then another 10 minutes on hold waiting for a Level 2 technician. At least she was polite. She even said she was really sorry after reading the shocking litany of notes in my service record. When I finally talk to the Level 2 tech, he takes 5 minutes to agree that the hard drive has crashed, type up his notes, and order someone dispatched. And, as usual, I’m told this will take 2 to 3 business days. I learned my lesson about getting upset and demanding better than 2-3 days the first go-around. So, I told him that 2-3 days sounded just wonderful.

End Result:

This will be the last batch of Sony machines we purchase.* Definitely going to be heading back to the safe haven of Dell and their top-notch support once these machines are out of warranty and break.

The best joke of all:

Check out their web site (servicenet.com) where they boldly brag “Innovative Service Solutions and Best-in-Class Customer Service that builds Brand Loyalty”

Service Net has definitely helped build my brand loyalty.* Just not to the company (Sony) they are representing.* And, I have found their customer service innovative in that it is not actually customer service.* That is pretty innovative to call what you do something it is not don’t you think?* And, best-in-class?* Definitely these guys are in a class of their own.

 

Here's my question. Do you think that people with Vaios that have the "faulty" Nvidia 8400/8600 GPUs will be better off without buying extended warranties?

Another thing, even though you have on-site service, you can always choose to send your Vaio to Sony's Service Depot for service...