Warranties Need Warnings!

I remember once when I bought a 1996 Grand Am and paid $2,500 for the extended warranty. (3 years) and in the second year the engine went bad. I fought with them (even had a lawyer write) and they finally coughed up my $2,500 and so I still was out $1,300 anyway.

Now I only buy cars that still have some life left, but fully understand that they are headed to the junkyard when I'm done with them.

what's just as bad is the warranties that expire and then, boom, within a week your product goes bad.  I think they know the timing of this stuff and plan it that way.  Most recently happened with the laptop battery.  called and they said, oh, so sorry, your warranty expired last week.  So now I'm hooked up to the plug all the time, which makes the portability factor pretty useless.

I quit buying warranties years ago.  For me, it was a waste of money.

I got nervous about it once... I bought my husband a very expensive decked out Suburban for his 40th birthday.  As the salesman started listing a mile long list of warranties, I said "None, thank you". Only took the standard they offered for new vehicles.

I when I buy a laptop for $349 and the salesperson asks, with a straight face, would you like the warranty for only $159.99?  Um... no, if it breaks, I'll risk it and buy a new one.

You know what can be another crock?  Rebates.

We bought 5 new cell phones for Christmas 2 years ago, each with a rebate of at least $50.  I had to cut the UPC code off each dam box, fill out a form for each, write down the address and make copies of everything.  Of course each had to be mailed in a seperate envelope.

I didn't get one back and guess what?  They tried to tell me it wouldn't be honored because they needed the ORGINAL UPC code cut from the box.  Uh, duh!  How could I mail it again?  The original was mailed.

I griped, moaned and complained until I got it.