Extended warranties on washer & dryer?

[sherry7]

I just bought a new LG steam front loader washer & dryer. I found the best deal at Sears, but the price of their extended warranties is beyond ridiculous. (Almost $700 to cover the 2 appliances for 5 years. Lowe's offered a similar warranty for only $180.)

Anyway, I skipped buying the warranty at Sears since Square Trade offers warranties for large appliances. It would be $199 per appliance, for a total of 5 years coverage. I paid around $850 each for the washer & dryer.

I definitely plan on buying the Square Trade extended warranty for the washer, since it seems like so many things can go wrong with front loaders. (My last one died shortly after its 6th birthday.) But, I'm debating on buying the warranty on the dryer, because dryers seem so much simpler than the washer. It just doesn't seem like a dryer would be as prone to a repair problem.

Opinions? Should I buy a warranty for the dryer too?

 

[Mom2Ben02]

I just bought a new LG steam front loader washer & dryer. I found the best deal at Sears, but the price of their extended warranties is beyond ridiculous. (Almost $700 to cover the 2 appliances for 5 years. Lowe's offered a similar warranty for only $180.)

Anyway, I skipped buying the warranty at Sears since Square Trade offers warranties for large appliances. It would be $199 per appliance, for a total of 5 years coverage. I paid around $850 each for the washer & dryer.

I definitely plan on buying the Square Trade extended warranty for the washer, since it seems like so many things can go wrong with front loaders. (My last one died shortly after its 6th birthday.) But, I'm debating on buying the warranty on the dryer, because dryers seem so much simpler than the washer. It just doesn't seem like a dryer would be as prone to a repair problem.

Opinions? Should I buy a warranty for the dryer too?

How much was each appliance? Did you search around for a square trade coupon? I get 30% off emailed to me a lot.

 

[QueenElinor]

Consumer Reports and just about every other consumer advocate will tell you that extended warranties are a rip off, and are a total money-making scheme. If you can afford to replace the machine if it breaks, skip the extended warranty. I never buy them.

 

[seasheller]

Our experience with Sears extended warranty which should have been five years for a front loading washer.

The first year - I forgot to call, my bad.
Second year - They came out after setting up an appointment.
Third year - I called them to come out. They set up an appointment, we waited all day, they didn't show. We called and they said we were a week too early for the appointment that year ??? After setting up another appointment they came out.
Fourth year - I called them to come out . Even though I called two weeks prior to the day I wanted, they said I could not have that day because it would be one day too early before the year was up. We delayed our vacation one day so they would do the checkup. Vacation plans didn't matter to them.
Fifth year - they said our year expired in July - our fourth year checkup had been done in November.
So we got three checkups in the five years.

 

[sherry7]

How much was each appliance? Did you search around for a square trade coupon? I get 30% off emailed to me a lot.

Each appliance was around $850 after a sale discount. I'm "patiently" awaiting a 30% coupon, since I know they come out occasionally.

Consumer Reports and just about every other consumer advocate will tell you that extended warranties are a rip off, and are a total money-making scheme. If you can afford to replace the machine if it breaks, skip the extended warranty. I never buy them.

I've heard that before, and I don't buy extended warranties for most things. However, I had the use the extended warranty for my last front loader washer, which basically paid for the price of the plan. I never used it on the dryer though.

Our experience with Sears extended warranty which should have been five years for a front loading washer.

The first year - I forgot to call, my bad.
Second year - They came out after setting up an appointment.
Third year - I called them to come out. They set up an appointment, we waited all day, they didn't show. We called and they said we were a week too early for the appointment that year ??? After setting up another appointment they came out.
Fourth year - I called them to come out . Even though I called two weeks prior to the day I wanted, they said I could not have that day because it would be one day too early before the year was up. We delayed our vacation one day so they would do the checkup. Vacation plans didn't matter to them.
Fifth year - they said our year expired in July - our fourth year checkup had been done in November.
So we got three checkups in the five years.

Oh, I'm definitely NOT buying the Sears warranty. They wanted around $800 to cover both appliances. That's absurd. If I buy anything, it will be the Square Trade warranty which is $199 per appliance for 5 years. (Less, if I can get a 20% oe 30% code before I buy it.)

 

[sookie]

I just bought a new LG steam front loader washer & dryer. I found the best deal at Sears, but the price of their extended warranties is beyond ridiculous. (Almost $700 to cover the 2 appliances for 5 years. Lowe's offered a similar warranty for only $180.)

Anyway, I skipped buying the warranty at Sears since Square Trade offers warranties for large appliances. It would be $199 per appliance, for a total of 5 years coverage. I paid around $850 each for the washer & dryer.

I definitely plan on buying the Square Trade extended warranty for the washer, since it seems like so many things can go wrong with front loaders. (My last one died shortly after its 6th birthday.) But, I'm debating on buying the warranty on the dryer, because dryers seem so much simpler than the washer. It just doesn't seem like a dryer would be as prone to a repair problem.

Opinions? Should I buy a warranty for the dryer too?

I would at least get it for the washer. I had to get my front loader fixed several times out of warranty - that extended warranty saved my booty and my wallet several times. Maybe the squaretrade if it is cheaper. A lot of people say there are some discount codes around.

 

[Snappy in OK]

I would at least get it for the washer. I had to get my front loader fixed several times out of warranty - that extended warranty saved my booty and my wallet several times. Maybe the squaretrade if it is cheaper. A lot of people say there are some discount codes around.

If you have a front load washer (or matching dryer), I would recommend the warranty - or make sure you unplug the units when they are not in use. We purchased the front load washer (not the matching dryer), and the warranty. After about a year or 2 we begin had problems with the washer not running the full cycle and called them out for a repair. Turns out the electrical panel had a "surge", most likely caused by lightning during a storm.

It was a hassle getting the repairs done. They were out several times trying various other "repairs" before deciding the panel had to be replaced. We have not had any problems since, but we do unplug the washer when it is not being used - at least when storms are in the area. Total repairs (based on the paperwork we were given for each visit) was close to $2k - a lot more than we paid, but we were not ready to re-purchase a new washer.

 

[ssawka]

Consumer Reports and just about every other consumer advocate will tell you that extended warranties are a rip off, and are a total money-making scheme. If you can afford to replace the machine if it breaks, skip the extended warranty. I never buy them.

It depends on the product. I would get one for the washer. All major appliances, especially washing machines, are so computerized now. As the appliances get more sophisticated, the likelihood of them failing increases. Trust me, I should know! I program computers for a living. Anything computerized is only as good as the programmers that wrote the code.

 

[LoriNSC]

I got the warranty on my washer and dryer 3 years ago. So worth it. They came right out and fixing my washer that kept having an error code pop up and my dryer was making a horrendous noise. We don't buy warranties on smaller things but major appliances are worth it in my opinion and experience. We only paid about $280 for our 5 yr warranty with HH Gregg when we got them.

 

[North of Mouse]

I just bought a new LG steam front loader washer & dryer. I found the best deal at Sears, but the price of their extended warranties is beyond ridiculous. (Almost $700 to cover the 2 appliances for 5 years. Lowe's offered a similar warranty for only $180.)

Anyway, I skipped buying the warranty at Sears since Square Trade offers warranties for large appliances. It would be $199 per appliance, for a total of 5 years coverage. I paid around $850 each for the washer & dryer.

I definitely plan on buying the Square Trade extended warranty for the washer, since it seems like so many things can go wrong with front loaders. (My last one died shortly after its 6th birthday.) But, I'm debating on buying the warranty on the dryer, because dryers seem so much simpler than the washer. It just doesn't seem like a dryer would be as prone to a repair problem.

Opinions? Should I buy a warranty for the dryer too?

I feel like appliance warranties are a big rip-off (hence the reason they push them so much - a big money maker for them)

We have 45 yrs experience with all appliances and have never purchased, or needed, extended warranties. Don't forget that you do get warranty already that would cover a *lemon*. These things usually show up fairly quickly.

We're on our 2nd FL washer (Samsung) love it, never had any problems, odor, or otherwise.

When salesmen try to push warranties on me, I just tell them I've done my research, and if I didn't think their product wouldn't last beyond a year, I wouldn't have purchased it in the first place. That usually gets their attention, and they agree and shut up.

 

[zaztooe]

I bought my new washer and dryer and got a 10 year warranty on both. I figured they are not made to last forever anymore so not only will they fix them but after a few fixes they will replace them.

A sensor on our last washer went and I spent 3 years having to rig it before I could convince my husband that we really did need a new one. He just couldn't see why the work around was an issue!! Men lol

I love having the piece of mind that I can just call and have them come out.

 

[EMAW_KSU]

There is more profit in the extended warranty than the washer or dryer for the retailer. I have never purchased an extended warranty. I have only had two items go bad that an extended warranty would have fixed. I had a couple of capacitors pop on the power supply in my tv. I fixed that myself for $18. I replaced a board on our GE fridge myself for $120.

If you play the averages you would be better off not getting the extended warranty and putting a portion of what the warranty would have cost you into a appliance repair fund.

 

[runwad]

I think it "used" to be true that the extended warranties were a rip off, but today, not so much. Everything that is made is JUNK and I don't care what brand it is or how much you pay for it. They do not make things to last more than 5 years!! OP I'd get the warranty on both.

 

[Tiger926]

I would disagree as well that extended appliance warranties are not worth it.

We take beyond good care of our stuff and buy more expensive items, and they still have problems. Why? Because most appliances are made to be replaceable after a few years. Gone are the days where a fridge or stove will last 25 years.

Always buy our appliances at Sears Home and always buy the extended warranties. Although the prices quoted by OP are utterly ridiculous! Have had to use them for repairs, replaced broken fridge drawer that toddler broke, and maintenance checks each year.

We don't want to constantly replace appliances, as that is not good financially, nor is it good for the environment, so we buy the warranties and have had to use them on all of our appliances, despite the outsides looking brand spanking new, as the insides just aren't that great these days.

By the way, front loaders are notorious for issues with the bellows - seal within the door of washer. Ours was brand new, and it needed to be replaced. That would have cost at least $300-$400 to replace that one item, yet the warranty only costs like $85.00 year and includes a maintenance check (washer was $1200 on sale for $950).

Good luck OP, Tiger

 

[North of Mouse]

I think it "used" to be true that the extended warranties were a rip off, but today, not so much. Everything that is made is JUNK and I don't care what brand it is or how much you pay for it. They do not make things to last more than 5 years!! OP I'd get the warranty on both.

Sorry, but I will disagree ( to say ALL BRANDS, ALL APPLIANCES ARE JUNK, no way). You sound bitter, must have had some seriously bad luck. We bought a new Samsung Steam FL, Samsung 2Dr. 2 Drawer refrigerator, and have had them a couple years, plus had a FL before, and have had no problems whatsoever. Our dishwasher and freezer are several years older, still no problems. True, there are lemons in every type appliance, but to say that across the board is not the case. We have never bought extended warranties, and have been told by more than one honest salesman that it was usually a waste of money (but a BIG moneymaker for the company). If a person was nervous, it would be better to put the money spent for the warranty aside in case of needed repair, and remember you do have some warranty anyway.

 

[Tiger926]

Sorry, but I will disagree ( to say ALL BRANDS, ALL APPLIANCES ARE JUNK, no way). You sound bitter, must have had some seriously bad luck. We bought a new Samsung Steam FL, Samsung 2Dr. 2 Drawer refrigerator, and have had them a couple years, plus had a FL before, and have had no problems whatsoever. Our dishwasher and freezer are several years older, still no problems. True, there are lemons in every type appliance, but to say that across the board is not the case. We have never bought extended warranties, and have been told by more than one honest salesman that it was usually a waste of money (but a BIG moneymaker for the company). If a person was nervous, it would be better to put the money spent for the warranty aside in case of needed repair, and remember you do have some warranty anyway.

Just like the person you quoted made a generalization, so are you about extended warranties.

Not all extended warranties are bad at all, and especially today when even yes your $2,000 Bosch dishwasher is not as well made as it used to be, extended warranties can be well worth the money, dependent upon a host of factors.

Hubby is a numbers man as he's a banker, and he used to be the accounting manager at a furniture superstore, so he paid all of the bills to the vendors for the appliances, as well as can tell you how much extended warranties actually cost, as well as tell you what brands are the most reliable. We have extended warranties on all of our appliances as we did our homework. Will it save money over the cost of buying a new appliance? Depends upon how long we keep them the warranties - our appliances are new, and so a short time of extended warranties will be worth it for us. We have an $1100.00 dishwasher that is highly rated, yet there is an intermittent leak that no one can figure out. Doesn't cost us a cent for service calls, and the extended warranty is not that much per year, so we are good.

Repairs even on minor items are ridiculously priced, as that is where the company makes their money. A service call to check the seal on our washer costs $75.00 just for them to walk in the door, not to mention the actual repair parts and labour.

Today's appliances, even the more expensive and higher end brands do not last anywhere near as long as they used to. Nevermind the salespeople who actually make commission from selling the warranties, but speak to the repair people or the actual appliance vendors to get accurate info about the life of your appliances.

The prices the OP was quoted are ridiculously high, so I wouldn't purchase those plans, but other less costly plans that also include maintenance may be well worth the money.

Tiger

 

[North of Mouse]

Just like the person you quoted made a generalization, so are you about extended warranties.

Not all extended warranties are bad at all, and especially today when even yes your $2,000 Bosch dishwasher is not as well made as it used to be, extended warranties can be well worth the money, dependent upon a host of factors.

Hubby is a numbers man as he's a banker, and he used to be the accounting manager at a furniture superstore, so he paid all of the bills to the vendors for the appliances, as well as can tell you how much extended warranties actually cost, as well as tell you what brands are the most reliable. We have extended warranties on all of our appliances as we did our homework. Will it save money over the cost of buying a new appliance? Depends upon how long we keep them the warranties - our appliances are new, and so a short time of extended warranties will be worth it for us. We have an $1100.00 dishwasher that is highly rated, yet there is an intermittent leak that no one can figure out. Doesn't cost us a cent for service calls, and the extended warranty is not that much per year, so we are good.

Repairs even on minor items are ridiculously priced, as that is where the company makes their money. A service call to check the seal on our washer costs $75.00 just for them to walk in the door, not to mention the actual repair parts and labour.

Today's appliances, even the more expensive and higher end brands do not last anywhere near as long as they used to. Nevermind the salespeople who actually make commission from selling the warranties, but speak to the repair people or the actual appliance vendors to get accurate info about the life of your appliances.

The prices the OP was quoted are ridiculously high, so I wouldn't purchase those plans, but other less costly plans that also include maintenance may be well worth the money.

Tiger

Actually, you are making a generalization by saying, and I quote, "Today's appliances, even the more expensive and higher end brands do not last anywhere near as long as they used to". I have 45 years experience with all types of appliances, and I can't speak for people I do not know, but I can speak for ourselves, friends, families, that I do know. I can't think of any that have had big problems, a few bought lemons (which I said before does happen) but that is resolved in the initial warranty period.

The appliances that we have had, and now have are just as good as when we first bought, actually they are better (ours) because of great features and energy savings.

Again, as I said, because you *do* get an initial warranty period (with purchase) that under most conditions it is better to set aside the money paid for warranties and not buy it. We have saved $$'s that way, but everyone has an opinion, and lots of people will choose to buy the warranties regardless.

I will agree that just buying *top of the line* will not guarantee you have bought the best product - again, all can have lemons.

 

[Tiger926]

Actually, you are making a generalization by saying, and I quote, "Today's appliances, even the more expensive and higher end brands do not last anywhere near as long as they used to". I have 45 years experience with all types of appliances, and I can't speak for people I do not know, but I can speak for ourselves, friends, families, that I do know. I can't think of any that have had big problems, a few bought lemons (which I said before does happen) but that is resolved in the initial warranty period.

The appliances that we have had, and now have are just as good as when we first bought, actually they are better (ours) because of great features and energy savings.

Again, as I said, because you *do* get an initial warranty period (with purchase) that under most conditions it is better to set aside the money paid for warranties and not buy it. We have saved $$'s that way, but everyone has an opinion, and lots of people will choose to buy the warranties regardless.

I will agree that just buying *top of the line* will not guarantee you have bought the best product - again, all can have lemons.

No generalization at all - that is from vendors (hubby heard this from Whirlpool, Samsung, etc), repair and salespeople.

Today's appliances have computer chips and circuit boards, that your 45 year old appliances didn't have. We have an 8 month old over the range microwave that has had a defective circuit board since a few months out of the box. My parents had an over the range microwave that was older than me that did not have any computerized circuit board in it (rotary dial controls), and it lasted forever. Repair man told us that today's circuit boards even in very expensive, highly rated appliances are mass produced and so they can't guarantee reliability, and that is very problematic.

This is why extended appliance warranties are so prevalent these days. Sure appliances are more energy efficient, but there are also more computer parts such as circuit boards and digital displays.

So many appliances used to be made in USA, and that has been way cut down as well (I think one Whirlpool/Maytag plant left in USA), so with mass production outside of the USA, you have the prevalence for more issues.

Hubby was told that if a higher end fridge purchased today lasts over 10 years, then that is out of the ordinary. Yet your fridge from 45 years ago was built to last 25+ years as the parts that went into those appliances were of better quality and workmanship.

It is great that you have not had many issues with your appliances. We come from a restaurant family and even with high end brands like Sub Zero and Jenn Air, there have been issues with things like circuit boards and fans, as these are areas where the companies cheapen out. So the outer appearance of the appliance is rock solid, but the inner workings may be problematic.

OP is doing well to research her options with extended warranties on her appliances.

Tiger

 

[North of Mouse]

No generalization at all - that is from vendors (hubby heard this from Whirlpool, Samsung, etc), repair and salespeople.

Today's appliances have computer chips and circuit boards, that your 45 year old appliances didn't have. We have an 8 month old over the range microwave that has had a defective circuit board since a few months out of the box. My parents had an over the range microwave that was older than me that did not have any computerized circuit board in it (rotary dial controls), and it lasted forever. Repair man told us that today's circuit boards even in very expensive, highly rated appliances are mass produced and so they can't guarantee reliability, and that is very problematic.

This is why extended appliance warranties are so prevalent these days. Sure appliances are more energy efficient, but there are also more computer parts such as circuit boards and digital displays.

So many appliances used to be made in USA, and that has been way cut down as well (I think one Whirlpool/Maytag plant left in USA), so with mass production outside of the USA, you have the prevalence for more issues.

Hubby was told that if a higher end fridge purchased today lasts over 10 years, then that is out of the ordinary. Yet your fridge from 45 years ago was built to last 25+ years as the parts that went into those appliances were of better quality and workmanship.

It is great that you have not had many issues with your appliances. We come from a restaurant family and even with high end brands like Sub Zero and Jenn Air, there have been issues with things like circuit boards and fans, as these are areas where the companies cheapen out. So the outer appearance of the appliance is rock solid, but the inner workings may be problematic.

OP is doing well to research her options with extended warranties on her appliances.

Tiger

Guess you aren't really reading my posts - actually I'm not stuck back 45 years ago, we update our appliances usually about every 10 yrs. or so no matter how good they're performing for the energy savings and updated lines. Our new appliances are performing as good as any. We, too, do our research and just like your hubby hears, and is told, things by repair/salesmen, etc. so do we. Your mind is made up because of what your hubby is told, and so is ours made up by what we are told, also experience. I'll not post anymore to your posts on this thread, it's going nowhere fast. This is beyond what the OP asked for anyway and has been side tracked. Enjoy all your *insider* knowledge, and we'll continue with what has been proven to work for us.

OP, I wish you the best decision on the warranty issue based on your own feelings/needs.

 

[QueenElinor]

There is more profit in the extended warranty than the washer or dryer for the retailer. I have never purchased an extended warranty. I have only had two items go bad that an extended warranty would have fixed. I had a couple of capacitors pop on the power supply in my tv. I fixed that myself for $18. I replaced a board on our GE fridge myself for $120.

If you play the averages you would be better off not getting the extended warranty and putting a portion of what the warranty would have cost you into a appliance repair fund.

That's a good idea.

Basically, when a person buys an extended warranty, they are betting that the item will break. The company is betting that it won't. But these companies know their products. They also employ people to analyze whether they're making money on their extended warranties, and of course they are or they wouldn't offer them. That's the way all insurance works.

Which doesn't mean that people won't occasionally "beat the house" (haha, I'm watching Vegas right now ) but the average consumer just doesn't. The fact that people on this thread have used their warranties doesn't change that. In the long run, the house always wins.

So I won't play their game, if I can afford not to- meaning I can afford to replace/fix the appliance. I do realize that not everyone can.