Are Amazon extended warranties worth it, or a scam?
While warranties can last a few years, recalls can occur anytime. Some defects are harmless and only affect functionality, but others can be dangerous.
When you buy a TV, blender or smartphone on Amazon, you’ll see a message asking you to purchase an extended warranty. Sure, you can, but should you?
Do you know what’s in those warranties? While each is a little bit different, they follow a similar pattern. If you buy anything on Amazon and you’ve spent money on an extended warranty before, you can’t afford to miss this information.
Asurion warranties don’t cover much
Asurion protection plans cover items for everyday wear and tear, defects in quality and materials, and mechanical and electrical breakdowns. If you break it yourself, you’re out of luck. This is pretty standard.
The biggest issue with these inexpensive warranties is that they don’t cover much. Dig through the details and you’ll find that they’re simply extended durations of manufacturer defect warranties.
That doesn’t mean Asurion is bad or that the warranties are worthless. If you have a device that you plan to use for five years or more, it’s nice to know any defects that pop up will be covered.
The reality
You must know that most manufacturer defects become apparent shortly after using a device. If something detrimental could break your purchase, it’ll happen early on. The standard one-year warranty on most products should cover this.
Asurion warranties come in handy if the manufacturer issues a warning due to wiring or power issues for electronics since that comes down to a safety issue. These cases are few and far between, though.
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Are Asurion warranties the only ones I can get on Amazon?
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When a manufacturer releases a product to the public, they’re responsible for any defects or overlooked issues. These problems can range from a minor inconvenience to a deadly flaw and could affect thousands or even millions of units.
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When a manufacturer releases a product to the public, they’re responsible for any defects or overlooked issues. These could be minor, causing an inconvenience, or dangerous to consumer health and safety. The problem could affect a few thousand units or millions.
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Manufacturers are responsible for the products they release to the public. Defects can lead to recalls, which could be voluntary or mandated by governing bodies such as the Food and Drug Administration, Consumer Product Safety Commission and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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Mass-produced products will always have a few bad batches that get returned for defects or quality control issues. When enough of these defects pose a safety hazard, that’s where product recalls come in.
When a recall happens, consumers should stop using the item and await further instructions from the manufacturer. The Consumer Product Safety Commission puts out regular updates to make these recalls easier to find. Tap or click here to see which products were recalled in October 2020.