Personally I detest extended warranties but even more so I detest the fact that I seem to be inclined to purchase them on certain items. My Dacor MOV227S double oven was installed 9/06. When the original Dacor warranty expired in 9/07 I purchased the extended warranty from the same company you mentioned and I paid $399.99 for a 3 year warranty which expires this fall. I'll probably buy another extension if available because there's a good chance we'll be selling our home in the next few years and it might be an enhancement that would appeal to a prospective buyer. It's not going to make or break the deal but it can't hurt. I did have reason to use Service Net last summer. I completely forgot about it until I read your post. The control board had an error notice. I called Service Net at dinner time to request service and someone called back the next morning. They scheduled repair and the company they used is the same service company that installed the replacement control board that corrected the heat probe/beeping issue. They're an authorized Dacor service company and they've serviced my old Sub Zeros previously. The tech came out, read the error code, called Dacor and confirmed the problem. He told me I needed a new fan and added that he would order new fans for both ovens because that's what Dacor instructed him to do. There was no problem with Service Net paying for both fans even though only one needed to be replaced. It only took a little over a week from the initial call to the completed repair. It's possible that the service company expedited repair since I'm one of their customers but they never mentioned it.

The point I was trying to make was not that my own personal computers have all needed a lot of repairs. Although this last laptop certainly has, but that in general, a computer compared to a microwave oven let's say, is more likely to need service over five years of it's lifetime than the microwave. In other words, an extended warranty on a computer may be more useful than on other appliances. Tech support can be a very individual thing. Some people are very computer savvy, or they have a friend or family member who is. I have never had any close friends to help me work out an issue. When I first started on computers, I was having to call all the time to ask questions about how to do everything. Now they no longer cover you for software issues anyway. But you can't always rely on people in forums to help you work out a problem that is over your head, so for me, at least, tech support gives me peace of mind that I am not going to get stuck. As for breakage, yes, I did think of the fact that I use my computer at home most of the time, but it really isn't that much more to add that to the coverage. I don't use it at a desk though and am always carrying it and picking it up and putting it down, and really, you never if over the life of a machine your needs will change and you will want to be taking it out a lot. No, I don't abuse my computer, if anything I am too vigilant about being careful with it. Have never spilled anything even once on the keyboard in thirteen years. Or dropped a computer, etc. What has had to be replaced on my laptop were unprovoked hardware issues. adam

Ok, sounds like you had a bad associate at sears helping you out, or you possibly didn't let him/her go over it fully. So I'll explain it in detail real quick. Normal warrenties cover for defects and that's it these days. The typical extended warrenty takes that coverage and extends it out to 3 or 5 years, then they normally add in power surge protection and a no lemon policy to where if the same problem occurs 4 times within 12 months then they replace it, however the plan then expires upon replacement. The main downside is that the service is almost always done through a 3rd party company that attempt to chickenscratch their way out of giving you a repair without charging you. The sears PA covers just about anything as long as you aren't using the machine for commercial purpouses and/or intentionally breaking it. With their no lemon it can be ANY 4 product failures within 12 months or if they just flat out cant fix it for any reason, and then when the product is replaced the plan still continues without you having to purchase it again. So even if you have to have your washer replaced 3 times you buy the plan just once. You still get powersurge protection, and it also covers cosmetics for the first 3 years which would be very nice if you got a color with your LG machine. Now the main advantage to the sears PA is the service checkups each year. They send out a tech at your request to do a full checkup/tune up on the machine. They run individual checks on the cycles, check water temps, spin/drain cycles, bearings, belt systems, suspension, hoses, pump, electrical connections and grounding, and level the machine as well. By doing so it's going to keep the machine running smooth and help prolong the life of it, because whenever you have moving parts, particularly at those speeds, it will wear down the machine through time. Then there's also the factor that there are many problems that can be caught and fixed before it becomes a serious problem...just like when you hear a rattling in the back of your car :p Also, another way I look at it is that throughout a year I spend around $1200 on car insurence....suddenly 250 for 3 or 5 years doesn't seem so bad. And you do get a LOT of use out of your washer. Personally I buy the PA on everying as long as they come out to my house to do the work, but if all you want is a standard extended warrenty then you can purchase that from another 3rd party company....I highly recommend giving sears a chance though. There's also the fact that when you get it you only deal with sears which is nice.

Some people look for the absolute lowest cost. A warranty whether extended labor or just base part warranty may never be used. An Extended Labor warranty costs money and some manufacturer's and or third party Warranty Providers require annual maintenance contracts to remain valid which further increase your cost of ownership. So if you spend up to $1200 (complete system extended warranty coverage) + more annual maintenance money. Maintenance is always a wild card, some AC's will require more maintenance than some. It varies widely. So people say 'look at all that money you threw away.' If who you are using for HVAC service & install know what not to do, often times the warranty is not needed. The risk, from my own experience is in the realm of 2% to 3% annually. (I can't prevent all failures, but I can cut your risk.) I can't tell you how many AC units that I've installed over the years that I haven't been to since the install. Not even for a maintenance check. I've repaired far more, including those not installed by me. But the ploy most companies find themselves in is to hire the unskilled or low skilled to do the service work and or installation work. Then dangle an extended warranty carrot in front of someone. It's nothing new. In my experience the money you spend on a extended warranty is often times best used on your terms, rather than a third party insurer. Read the fine print. These kinds of policies vary in what they require and what they will pay for.