Panasonic Plasmas / Extended Warranty

[The Merg]

Okay, not looking to get into a huge discussion about the true value of an extended warranty as I know the general arguments for and against.

What I'm wondering is if it is worth it to get a 4 year warranty for a Panasonic Plasma. The cost would be about $170 and would get coverage for an additional 3 years after the manufacturer. I realize that if I am betting my TV will fail in 4 years I probably shouldn't get the TV in first place, but I am also willing to take the chance on it.

For those that have Panasonic plasmas, have failures you have encountered occurred during that 4 year window or have the issues that have come up been after that.

Thanks,
Merg

[Nick]

Whatever they call it, it's only a 3 year warranty.

Don't have exp. w/plasma, but I'd pass on it and take a chance -- after all, it's a Panny.

[Carl Spock]

I had a 42" Panasonic plasma fail right at the end of the one year warranty. In a stellar move, Panasonic fixed it under warranty even though it made it into the service center after the year was up. I do not have an extended warranty on the 50" I own now.

Look at it as insurance. If it's worth $170 to have your TV insured against breaking for another three years, then it's worth it to you.

[TBlazer07]

Whatever they call it, it's only a 3 year warranty.

Don't have exp. w/plasma, but I'd pass on it and take a chance -- after all, it's a Panny.

Actually it's only 2 more years for the $170 because more than likely he paid with a credit card which 95% of the time gives you another year.

[TBlazer07]

For those that have Panasonic plasmas, have failures you have encountered occurred during that 4 year window or have the issues that have come up been after that.

Thanks,
Merg

My NEC 50" PDP came with a 3yr factory warranty + 1 more year from Amex. Right now it's on 4years and 3 months. I expect it to die any day now. :lol:

[The Merg]

Yeah... It's a 4-year warranty from SquareTrade, which turns out to be a 3 year extended warranty as the 1st year of the SquareTrade warranty overlaps with the manufacturer warranty.

The TV is dropping in price and if it gets under $1,000, the warranty drops from $190 to $165. Guess I'll have to think about it. $55/year is less than the Protection Plan with DirecTV and for a big ticket item that might not be that bad.

I did get the Best Buy warranty when I bought my current HDTV back in 2002. I used the warranty once for a circuit board that went bad (one set of inputs stopped working correctly). Other than that, the TV is still running fine today. So looking at that, I'm kinda leaning against the warranty.

- Merg

[dmspen]

I think that equipment with basically non-moving types of parts don't need a warranty. If electronics are going to fail, it's usually during the first few hundred hours of operation.

I spent $400 on a 5 year warranty for my Mitsu DLP. It's paid for itself as I'm on my 4th bulb - nominally ~$300 to replace.

I just bought a new Panny plasma to replace my 5 year old Mitsu DLP which is still under warranty (until 3/11). My stepson will inherit the TV and warranty. Hopefully the lamp will go out before then.

[BenJF3]

I almost strictly use Panny Plasma sets in my installs for customers who want Plasma. I have a 65" V10 myself and have no problem recommending them. I've had one fail of the installs I did and it was from a power/static surge. It was out of warranty (by a few months) and Panny still fixed it for free. Overall, I've had good luck with them.

[hdtvfan0001]

It comes down to "how warm and fuzzy will that $170 investment make me feel about the unit be trouble-free for at least those 4 years?"...

If it gives you peace of mind - money well spent.

If you see the inconsistent performance folks are reporting (AVS forum is littered with great and some problem reports on the Panny's)..then the extended warranty might be a good idea.

If you feel confident you won't have any problem, and can weather the storm with any problem....don't spend the money.

I'm a Panasonic product fan (several things here)...but given those choices...and having read what I've read...I'd seriously have to consider investing in the warranty --- if it includes full replacement coverage - or comparable device replacement - without any deductible.

[Rich]

I've got six Panny plasmas and bought them all with Amex or MC cards. Both extend the mfr's warranty to two years. I did have one Panny go. Made strange noises and it just got to the point where I couldn't take it anymore. I bought that one from Costco before they changed their policy about TVs and they gave me a full refund. I used the money to go to a 6th Avenue store and purchase another 50" Panny at a much lower price with more goodies built in.

So, I ended up with six Pannys and I want a new 60" or 65" unit. I've seen the 3D Panny plasmas and in 2D (I have no interest in 3D) they are awesome. The problem I have is that my six Pannys have no problems at all and look like they are going to last forever. Five of them are 720P models and I'd like to swap some of them for 1080p models. But they have nothing wrong with them and I'm pretty sure that I can't get close to what I paid for them.

My point is this: Buy a Panny plasma with an Amex card and you get a two year warranty. By that time new technology will be out there and you'll be lusting for something else. If the Pannys last two years they'll probably outlast you. I wouldn't pay for an extended warranty ever again on a TV set. I've got a 58" Panny that has a great 720p picture and I don't watch it. Paid almost $2000 and I'm sorry I did that.

I don't think paying for a warranty is worth it. On a big ticket item, such as a luxury car, if you plan to keep it for several years after the warranty runs out, I can see the extended warranties, those cars will cripple you financially if you have to pay for repairs. I made that mistake with a Caddie once. Never again.

The Pannys are rated by Panasonic for 42 years of use at 6 hours a day. I can just see my house collapsing 20 years from now and the only things standing would be the fireplaces and the Pannys. :lol:

Rich

[txtommy]

Not sure if its still the same, but when I bought my 50" Panny 4 years the warranty on the panel was two years, one year on everything else. Less than a week after the two years ended, the panel failed. Panny would not help out so I called AMEX. They had me take it in for a repair estimate. Since the repair estimate was more than the cost of a new TV they just had me spend the same amount on a new set. I upgraded from 50" to 58" and they covered the cost.

[Rich]

Not sure if its still the same, but when I bought my 50" Panny 4 years the warranty on the panel was two years, one year on everything else. Less than a week after the two years ended, the panel failed. Panny would not help out so I called AMEX. They had me take it in for a repair estimate. Since the repair estimate was more than the cost of a new TV they just had me spend the same amount on a new set. I upgraded from 50" to 58" and they covered the cost.

I don't know if the warranty has changed either, but I wouldn't complain if I bought a new one and it died after two years of good service. I'm sick of TVs lasting forever. I just got rid of my CRTs after buying the Pannys and all the CRTs still worked as well as the day they were bought and still weighed the same. One was over 20 years old and still had a great SD picture on it (a Sony).

Getting Panny support to help you seems like a futile act. I'd rather trust Amex.

Rich

[bungi43]

Okay, not looking to get into a huge discussion about the true value of an extended warranty as I know the general arguments for and against.

What I'm wondering is if it is worth it to get a 4 year warranty for a Panasonic Plasma. The cost would be about $170 and would get coverage for an additional 3 years after the manufacturer. I realize that if I am betting my TV will fail in 4 years I probably shouldn't get the TV in first place, but I am also willing to take the chance on it.

For those that have Panasonic plasmas, have failures you have encountered occurred during that 4 year window or have the issues that have come up been after that.

Thanks,
Merg

http://www.dtvexpress.com/

I used them on a TV I bought back in 2005. Got the 5 year warranty. TV started doing weird stuff about a year ago. After a few months trying to fix it they sent me a check for 1300 and let me keep the TV.