Customer Reviews

2-Year Service Plan for Digital and Film Cameras

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Service plans are usually an impulse buy with high profit margins due to the very few claims they get. For most people, these plans are an often unnecessary expenditure.

First off, before you buy a service plan, make sure you look at the terms of your credit card. Many cards offer 1 or more years of additional warranty coverage just for using their card. Often, these go into affect after the manufacturer's warranty ends.

Taking a product with a standard 1 year warranty, you would have 2 years of total coverage if you purchased it using a credit card giving you an additional 1 year warranty, making a 2 year service plan completely unnecessary.

Even without cc coverage, be sure to read the terms of this service plan first and decide if you'd ever use it. Note that the service plan starts at the date of purchase, so it will overlap your manufacturer's warranty. Unless the manufacturer is shady or might go under soon, you don't need additional coverage during that time.

One other thing you should think about is that if you return this item, it will be very difficult if not impossible to get a refund on the service plan. You do have 30 days to purchase the service plan, so consider waiting until you're sure you want to keep the product before buying the plan.

If you do purchase this plan, make sure you store the information somewhere safe so that if you ever do have a problem, you will be able to find what you need to get it taken care of.

You must bear in mind that this two-year service plan takes effect on the day you purchase it, which must be done within 30 days of purchasing your camera. So you are really getting only one extra year of care, and as the first reviewer pointed out, most Mastercard and Visa credit cards offer an automatic double-your-warranty benefit that provides up to another year of warranty protection, usually up to an annual cap of around $2000.

This service plan is no good also because it doesn't cover accidental damages such as spills or drops. Many in-store extended contracts, while more expensive, offer "no question asked" protection, so even if you spill coffee on your camera and fry it, or drop it on the ground and break the LCD screen or the lens, you are covered, subject to some findprint limitations. If you are the clumsy type like my significant other, you'd do better getting the more comprehensive protection, which will probably pay for itself eventually.

In short, don't pay for warranty plan that does no better than the manufacturer's buit-in warranty. If you have extra cash and don't know where to spend it, send it to me via paypal and I'll mail you a personalized Hallmark thank-you card. :-D

I have found out from another reviewer this company is not reputable and refuses to disclose their terms and conditions in advance of purchase. don't waste your money buying from this third party, but instead get the camera from your local store and buy their warranty. Or, if you buy online, Ritz and Wolf will allow you to buy their warranty at the store level within 30 days of the camera purchase if you bought it from their website. A good extended warranty will cover, at a minimum, an annual cleaning which is very necessary for digital equipment. Just remember ... you usually get what you pay for!

PS: the screen won't let me change the star rating. It's stuck on 3, I'd give this particular vendor 1 or none for being untrustworthy.

I agree with the other two reviewers who said that this two-year service plan is unnecessary. The camera already comes with a warranty to begin with so you are overlapping things if you buy the two year plan because it begins on the day you buy it. The part about credit cards offering extended warranties is true, also. And, normally most problems and defects are going to make themselves known earlier on rather than later, so it would most likely happen during the camera warranty period anyway. Repairs that happen outside of the warranty period are often due to user error or damage so this wouldn't be covered anyway.

The prior reviewer who seened to think this was a good idea only gave the two year warranty 3 stars. If it is such a good idea, why only three stars?

I wish I would have read the reviews before purchasing. The combination of Amazon and the service plan company represent a beauracratic nightmare that (it would seem) seeks to obstruct the customer in every way. I have been lied to multiple times and have had to prove over and over again to the service company that yes I made the purchase yes I sent it back correctly, yes I bought a service plan, and more. Do not bother to buy this service plan.

If you do buy service plan anyway, make sure you; keep every scrap, invoice, original packaging, use usps delivery confirmation. Follow their rules. If you don't keep EVERYTHING that you can that refers to your purchase you will probably be screwed. I still haven't had my service plan honored and I have all the information they want. It seriously feels like they are trying rip off the costomer. I hope you read and believe this review.

I bought this plan along with my digital camera. When I dropped the camera and bent the lens, I sent it in for a repair. They fully repaired it, covering all shipping costs, and they sent it back to me. I wish I knew about the credit card coverages, but as a service plan it worked for me when I needed it.