Where to Buy Accidental Damage Insurance

I normally don't purchase extended warranties, but I like to buy it for my laptop computers as I take them on the road often. Therefore I'm looking for an extended warranty with accidental damage coverage. Sony will not sell me one since I didn't buy from them directly.

I bought my TZ online recently. Before buying, I called Sony and asked if the online store was an authorized dealer and if I could still buy the warranty from Sony. Sony customer service told me that the online dealer is authorized and I can purchase the extended warranty from Sony anytime within the first 11 months of ownership. They did say that I may have to take the computer to an authorized repair center first so they can make sure it's not damaged first.

So I bought the computer and called Sony sales dept. They said they will not sell me a warranty since I didn't buy directly from them. They apologized about the wrong advice I received from customer service. I was upset and called customer service. Once again, they said that I should be eligible for buying the extended warranty. He went to look into it and (accidentally?) hung up on me. I called back and spoke to someone higher up who was very rude and said it was my own fault for not reading their contract thoroughly and I should learn my lesson and not buy from authorized dealers next time!!! The guy was sitting on a real high horse. And he said he's the guy at the top and I can't go any higher with my complaint. Kinda leaves a bad taste in your mouth after spending $2000 on a computer (It's the SSD version).

Oh well. I still love the TZ. I'm just afraid of it getting damaged. Can anyone recommend a reputable place to buy an extended warranty with accidental damage protection?

By the way, I live in the U.S.

 

If you are a homeowner or renter, you can usually add your notebook to your insurance policy. I have a rider covering all my PCs (notebooks and desktops) as well as TVs, PSP, Blackberry, etc. It's not very expensive and covers lost/stolen, and sometimes accidental...depending on the company. Yes, these items are usually covered under the standard policy, but a rider will automatically reimburse me if there is a problem. I submitted a list of items with SKU and Serial numbers as well as purchase price.

 

I don't know when you bought your TZ and when you actually tried to buy the accidental warranty from Sony. You do though have 30 days after buying your computer to get accidental warranty from Sony. If you are outside the 30 days you just have to go for standard Sony warranty.

On these forums i have seen Safeware and Geico accidental policy covers mentioned. You might want to check those out.

I don't know if you have any Sony warranty at all if not you may want to check these posts out to see other people experiences of buying Sony warranty from other resellers.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=337659
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=320283
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=320191

 

I purchased my sr290 cto from sonystyle, then after having just about 30 days, I purchased my 3 yr warranty and achd from provantage online, cost 208.30 (not 349.00 from sony). Provantaged sent me a card and instruction to register it, you actually call sony they take all the info and give you a contract number if you ever need serivce.

 

Rachuk, thanks for the links. I bought my TZ on 12/27/08 and received it on 1/6/2009. One can only buy a Sony extended service plan if they bought their product from Sony direct. What amazed me is that Sony customer service and tech support say yes, while sales department says the right answer is no! Go figure.....

The reason for my purchase of an extended warranty is that I take my computer everywhere and am afraid of dropping it and cracking the screen! So I'm really concerned with the accidental damage protection.

Thanks!

PS - The person who suggested adding to my home insurance: My home deductible is too high! Thanks though.

 

Thanks Racein. I saw the extended warranty you mentioned on Provantage and called them today. I asked them if I could purchase this warranty if I bought my Sony from an authorized dealer, but not Sony direct. She said that I need to call Sony as it's their warranty! I told her sony said they won't sell any warranties if the item was not purchased from them. She had never heard of such a thing and will call their Sony rep to find out. I also gave her my Sony event number just incase she needed to reference it with the rep.

I'm waiting for Provantage to call me back sometime today. I'll keep you posted. It's a great deal if it materializes!

 

The answer is YES, YOU CAN.

I personally experienced that with both my SZ381 & SZ791. I bought the laptops from a Sony authorized reseller & bought my extended warranty somewhere else. Then I go online to register for the warranty service. It worked both times & I'm very sure that a few other people in this forum did the same thing successfully.

 

Update: Provantage never returned my call. I saw the same deal on Egghead software. It said limitations apply and I should call Sony for more info. Ok, so once again, I called Sony. They didn't know if this warranty applied to items bought from authorized dealers (remember, before higher ups at Sony said NO!). This guy referred me to call "Polaris Warranty Group" who are the company backing this warranty. I called Polaris and they told me I have to call Sony!!!!

So I'm taking the advice of this board, it can't possibly any worse than Sony's customer service I went ahead and ordered it from Provantage. When I get it in the mail, I'll register it and see what happens.

How can a company like Sony, who make wonderful products, have such lousy customer service? Just can't figure this one out. This is the first time I've had to beg to buy an extended warranty. Isn't this the most profitable section of a business? Why are they giving me such a hard time when sales are down and the economy is going downhill? You'd think they would WANT to sell me stuff!

Thanks to everyone on this board who helped me with this frustrating warranty issue.

 

Most likely they just want you to buy the warranty from them which is much more expensive.

 

If you read my initial post on this thread, you'll see that I tried to buy it from Sony and they didn't want to sell it to me. But I guess it ended better for me since I got it from elsewhere at a much lower cost (thanks to this group).

 

Can someone post a link for the 3 year Sony accidental damage warranty on the Provantage site? I can't find it anywhere. Thanks.

 

Here you go:

Sony Warranty

 

Thank you very much. My next question is, will this work for international purchases, or just for people in the U.S.?

 

No, it's only for the United States. If you go to the link I provided above (on the Provantage website) and look under "Summary", you will see a link for further details. That link leads to the following PDF file:

Sony Warranty Terms

Note item #14 states this warranty does not cover equipment outside of the U.S. It does not address the issue of if you bought it abroad and brought it to the U.S.

 

Just thought I'd join this excellent discussion. I am also looking into the warranty on the provantage site.
I am in the military stationed overseas. I bought my Vaio through Newegg and had it shipped to a relative in the states, who then sent it to me (USPS, military APO).
I chatted online with Sony customer service to ask them about my situation. He said if something happens I should send it back to my relative to process the claim and that as long as the laptop was bought in the US and claimed for repair in the US, it would be valid. He, of course covered himself by telling me to verify this with the warranty tech support first. I will post the results of that conversation here later.

 

Hi TraderJoe:

I bought my extended warranty from Provantage. It is a valid Sony warranty. I am glad that I bought it, because it covers accidental damage. For example, I was walking on the sidewalk last month, and it was icy. I slipped on a surface of black ice. I had my TZ in my backpack. I feel on my back, and the corner LCD of my TZ got cracked about one inch.

I called Sony, gave my warranty info, and it sent me a shipping box, fixed the laptop, and shipped it back to me without cost in 12 days.

 

OK, here's the results from my phone conversation. This was with the warranty sales/support. They told me that since I did not buy it through Sony directly, I am not able to purchase the warranty from their website (same Sony part# as the one on Provantage) because they cannot put a warranty on an item that they cannot confirm the condition of. I told them that Newegg is an authorized reseller which basically means Sony agreed that the NEW VAIOs sold there are in manufacturer's "new" condition. He actually agreed with me but said he was still not authorized to sell me the warranty. (I was planning on buying the one from provantage anyway). I also asked him what would happen if I had already bought the warranty, what should I do when I receive the package. He told me I could register it and then call customer service and have them tell you what your account includes. If the warranty is on there, you should be good to go. A friend told me that he thinks Sony has an international/overseas warranty so before I decide I'm going to look into that; avoiding the need to send it a relative first.
This seems like a lot of bla, bla, bla about a warranty but it will affect the next 4 years

 

i think you should just call the number on http://www.registrationhost.com. This is where I called when I received my extended warranty from Provantage for a sony bought through sonystyle. They can answer all questions and she registered my warranty in less than 5 minutes.

 

MetalMike, the logic behind Sony's policy baffles me. They can't sell their warranty if you didn't buy directly from them, but you can buy the same warranty from a 3rd party.

To update, I bought the warranty from Provantage and received it in the mail the other day. I went online and registered my pc per their instructions. All went well. But the ultimate test will be when and if something happens!

 

Good news...I spoke with a Sony warranty support tech about 3rd party warranties and he warned me about a scam that he heard of with a different company. I reluctantly told him about the one for sale on Provantage (I didn't want to let him in on it, at first, but If it's a lagitimate warranty then there should not be a problem right?). He told me that he wouldn't recommend it but he would ask his management about it and email me. (yeah right) BUT, he did email me saying that he was sorry for the misdirection, that he spoke to his product manager and the warranty for sale on Provantage is perfectly lagit and valid.