Yodel Anecdotal/Flickr
A bizarre story came from longtime reader Ellen:
On a completely unrelated note, I’m wondering your thoughts on a warranty on footwear! Yes, the other day while shopping for sneakers at (Dick’s Sporting Goods), I was actually offered a warranty on my sneakers “in case something went wrong with the product.”
My mouth agape, I simply uttered, “Um no.”
I know sales associates are trained to push certain promotions, i.e. Toys R Us, loves pushing their batteries and even the post office clerks now try and sell boxes and passport applications, when you simply just want one stamp…but…
A warranty on footwear?
I wish I had asked the price.
It might just cover my next cheap pair of sneakers!
Are extended warranties a good value – or another scam to rip us off? Opinions favor turning down extended warranties, with one exception.
The Consumerist blog poo-pooh shoe warranties at Sports Authority, but I’d want to talk to more shoppers who bought the warranty and made a claim with it. Did the retailer hold to its word? How easy or difficult was the process?
Consumer Reports says extended warranties for cars are almost always a “poor deal,” though the data is based on cars made in 2001 and 2001. The gist of their argument is that new cars are more reliable than ever.
PCWorld, which reviews electronic gadgets and computers, thinks “extended warranties are rarely a good deal…Whether you should buy one depends on the product you’re purchasing, who makes it, the store you’re buying it from, and a raft of other factors.” The site boiled down all the factors into this list of 10 Extended Warranty Pointers.
On the other hand, The Consumerist argues that AppleCare is one of the few warranties worth buying. The writer’s experience, however, was heavily influenced by the fact that he successfully used his warranty to get two new laptops in one month.
I bought an extended warranty on my Dell laptop within the first year because it would randomly reboot, sometimes seven times in a day. Dell eventually fixed the problem because of the warranty, prompting me to purchase a two-year add-on warranty for $268 for my computer, which has been acting perfectly ever since.
Do you buy extended warranties?
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price. 
I work at Dick’s Sporting Goods, and we are told to offer the warranty on all footwear sold. It’s serviced by an outside company. I have had several customers come in saying they were glad they bought it because they were pretty hard on their shoes. The way it works is you call a phone# to make a claim- the service company may or may not have you ship your shoes to them to determine if the wear is covered (they pay the shipping). If it’s covered, they mail you a gift card to use at Dick’s to buy anything you want. I don’t buy the warranty personally, but I sell a few a day.
My parents recently purchased a new fridge. This was my Mom’s dream fridge with the French doors. They got it home and within a month there was way too much frost forming in the freezer. She called up and (after 3 weeks of waiting) had a tech out to the house. This tech is contracted through the company but does not work for the store directly. He told my Mom that the biggest reason for having the extended warranties on appliances is that with the new EnergyStar options, the government is forcing more and more computers to be used in appliances. When those pieces go (which aren’t always built to last) in some cases it’s cheaper to purchase a new appliance vs just repairing it. I don’t know for sure but it sounded like this could be the case.
I doubt I would get a warranty on shoes. Maybe if I ran marathons!
We buy them on large appliances.
The ice maker in our Sears fridge kept blocking up. We had 3 service calls. Also something went wrong in our Sears dishwasher, another call. It just seems risky not to get these warranties. Either that or buy somewhere other than Sears!
Anything to lure more money out of the consumer.
I feel the same way about credit card companies who try and sell you identity theft protection, a monthly charge which is subject to interest! I always say, “so your card is otherwise not safe without charging me extra?”
Get this: if you use your American Express credit card for electronics / appliances purchases, they will automatically DOUBLE the manufacturer’s warranty.
The best part is, this service is absolutely free!
The “doubled” warranty came in extremely handy when the hard drive on my laptop got overheated and fried a few years ago. It was a few months shy of being 2 years old. My manufacturer’s warranty expired after one year, so I was hoping that meant American Express would cover it for a second year.
I called American Express customer service and they completely covered the repair costs (over $550!).
I could choose whether I wanted them to cover the costs upfront by using their repair service, or to get reimbursed and use whichever repair service I wanted. I chose to get reimbursed, so I submitted my receipts and got reimbursed without a hitch.
It was a completely awesome deal. From now on, we make absolute sure to use our A.E. card on all electronics and appliance purchases.
I’m guessing other credit card companies offer this service too. You may want to check!
I have actually purchased Warranties for my shoes at Dicks before. They are only a few dollars and essentially cover wear and tear, such as discoloration (white shoes get discolored!) It covers your next pair of shoes! Before you bad mouth or auto reject them at the register when your buying shoes, you should ask more about it. I will bet you get one next time
Extended warranties are a ripoff.
With TVs for instance, I prefer to spend less and take my chances.
A two-year add-on warranty for $268 for a computer??? No, no, no, no, no!
Rogerr:
Maybe I should have asked about the warrantees before badmouthing them.. but I still find that despite the economy, most corporations are still out to make a buck and prey on the consumer.
Even if the warrantees are just a few dollars, I still don’t think “insuring” my sneakers are worth it. Really.
I’m with Steven here.
Even if something comes with a warranty, you’re always harrassed to renew or extend it via mail.
we’ve had mixed results with warranties. I usually don’t opt for them, but when we finally broke down and got a flat panel big-ass TV a few years ago, the sales clerk suggested an extended warranty because she assured us it would “cover everything” (unless we dropped the TV ourselves). Well, the TV developed a problem, we called, and the warranty suddenly didn’t cover anything to do with the screen/pixel/image, which was our problem and the warranty papers the store gave us didn’t even match the warranty they’d sold us. So I will never again buy a warranty from BEST BUY for anything.
However, I have gotten warranties on other appliances from other stores and been very glad I did (and not ripped off or misled by the store clerk selling me the warranty).
I have acutually taken advantage of tennis shoe warranties more than once as those shoes take a beating with frequent use. Some tennis shoes come with a no-hassle manufacturer’s warranty (although they do not advertise it) that required mailing the shoes to them. In that case no need to get a warranty from Dick’s, or any other sporting goods store. Other manufacturers allow the retailer to replace the shoes if they wear out during the warranty period. Long story short – ask how the manufacturer’s warranty works before you purchase the store’s warranty.
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