Which Laptop warranty to choose

[Nickelodeon]

I'm going to work overseas and it is more expensive to buy a computer off-shore than here in Canada (or the U.S.). I want a worry-free 3 year warranty.

Should I buy the manufacturer extended warranty ie. from Toshiba, HP or Dell?

Or should I buy a Best Buy or Future Shop warranty which seem to provide pretty good domestic and international coverage?

Any experiences you've had would be helpful.

 

[zedzed77]

Based on my experience, the warranties provided by Best Buy/Futureshop do not provide warranty coverage beyond the country of purchase. A friend of mine had his laptop fried by a power surge in Chicago, but was unable to get extended warranty support because it was purchased in Canada, not in the states. This was 2 years ago so I don't know if this has changed.

One thing to also remember is that if you buy their store extended warranty, work can only be done in their stores. I don't think there is a Best Buy or Futureshop overseas.

The manufacturer warranty appears to be a little more useful due to their wide support network. You can certainly call up their support line and ask where the nearest repair centre is. Even some Best Buy and Futureshop stores do provide manufacturer warranty work, although I only know it is for HP and Toshiba. It does cost more compared to Best Buy/Futureshop's extended warranty.

 

[WoodPeckr]

Get a well reviewed name and forget the extended Warr because laptops are cheap now. I paid $600 for a Toshiba and skipped getting any extended warr. That was a year and a half ago and so far, knock of wood, it has operated flawlessly. But I did use a Master Card that doubled the OEM warr from 1 to 2 years....

FWIW, Can't see paying for an ext warr on a $500 laptop now, that has better specs than the one I got a year and a half ago.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

But I did use a Master Card that doubled the OEM warr from 1 to 2 years....

Does paying for a new notebook with a Mastercard always double the manufacturer's warranty from 1 year to 2 years?
Seems like a weird conversation with their phone rep 20 months down the road. "I paid with it using Mastercard so my warranty is doubled to 24 months."

 

[WoodPeckr]

Does paying for a new notebook with a Mastercard always double the manufacturer's warranty from 1 year to 2 years?

No.
It depends if that benefit is part of your particular Mastercard.
Some cards have it, some don't. You have to call your Mastercard and ask.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Okay, thanks.

 

[Mia.Colpa]

Depends on how bells and whistles you get on the laptop. I need one with large RAM, fast processor and large video card with it's own memory as I usually have up to 10 screens open at one time. I got the Del extended onsite warranty and it's already paid for itself. I fried the motherboard for some reason after 3 years and they showed up to my home and replaced it within 20 minutes. As you know the motherboard is the most expensive component.

 

[canucklehead]

I know for a fact that some warranties do apply outside the country you purchased the laptop in. I bought a Sony in Beijing ... yes it was real... and the hard drive died 6 monthes later when i was in Toronto and i was told i would have to send it to Sony Asia for repairs... On the other hand i took my Apple laptop with a bad drive into a Apple store in Beijing and they swapped my hard drive on the spot ...... took 45 minutes or so.
So check your international warranty when u purchase.

 

[Nickelodeon]

Good feedback.

I will check my credit card benefits and read the fine print on the manufacturer international warranties.

 

[zedzed77]

Get a well reviewed name and forget the extended Warr because laptops are cheap now. I paid $600 for a Toshiba and skipped getting any extended warr. That was a year and a half ago and so far, knock of wood, it has operated flawlessly. But I did use a Master Card that doubled the OEM warr from 1 to 2 years....

FWIW, Can't see paying for an ext warr on a $500 laptop now, that has better specs than the one I got a year and a half ago.

Yes, on a cheaper laptop, you can skip the Warranty. Some people do require a more expensive laptop for their needs. Toshiba and Dell both have a "professional" line which costs more and has more goodies. But both automatically come with a 3 year warranty.

Check out the Toshiba Tecra or Dell Lattitude.

 

[WoodPeckr]

Check out the Toshiba Tecra or Dell Lattitude.

Another reason I chose Toshiba was they included OS Instal Discs with the laptop.....they stopped doing this a few months ago Plus there were several repair shops within 5 miles of my home. I bought it at Best Buy, who pushed all the extras, ext warr, optimization service, AV instal, etc, etc. Turned it all down. BB told me if I didn't get an ext warr any OEM 1 year warr work would have to be done by mailing the laptop to Toshiba! BB would only do warr work if you get their ext warr! I called a few nearby local PC repair shops and they told me to just bring it in if there is any repair work needed and there is no need to mail it in the Toshiba.