Customer Reviews

SquareTrade 4-Year TV Warranty ($250-300 LCD, Plasma, LED)

5 star:		(134)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I have several Squaretrade warranties I purchased 1-2 years ago. They do what they say they will do, but the devil's in the details with Squaretrade warranties. The way they sell these for a lot lower cost is because they limit their exposure, and recoup costs on the back end. They limit their exposure by only providing total coverage up to the purchase price of your item. That no lemon policy they have is a joke, because you will likely hit your coverage limit far before the 3 repair limit. For example, if you pay $1500 for a plasma tv, and the repair the first time was $500, you only have $1000 in remaining coverage for the life of the warranty. NOW comes the part where they really screw you. The warranty repair estimate comes from them. Let's go back to my example of having a repair for $500 done, leaving you with remaining coverage of $1000 on the tv. Now, your 2nd repair estimate comes in over $1000. What do they do? They don't repair it. They TAKE your item, and cut you a check for $1000. What does this leave you? With 2/3 of the cost of a new tv and no remaining warranty, and you are still out the cost of the warranty. They take your tv, repair it for much less than the estimate (using an internal repair dept), and SELL it, keeping the money. This may or may not be acceptable to you. I bought them, because the warranties were dirt cheap, and I wanted SOME coverage. I would not buy this warranty in many cases.

If it's too good to be true...it probably is a scam.

I purchased SquareTrade on October 9, 2009 for a Samsung LCD TV 40'. My TV had a power failure a week after a year (around Oct 15, 2010). The TV simply won't turn on. What a shame from Samsung, I thought I would never have a problem from a top manufacture. But I did, so I contacted SquareTrade since Samsung only services within 1 year (just missed it!).
Remember the Samsung TV is 40 inches because I'm saving the "best part" for last...

Filing the Claim....

I filed a claim on a Monday and everything went great... at first. I was told I would receive a phone call WITHIN 3 days to schedule an appointment for in-home repair. A full week past without a phone call (I understand claims are only Monday--Friday though). On Friday that week, I sent an e-mail to SquareTrade asking them "what's going on?" They simply replied that post-claims are another department, so I had to wait to Monday to call them back.

The Problem....

SquareTrade never intended to give me an in-home repair. I called them the following Monday. Apparently, they shipped a box via UPS to my house. Why? They wanted me to ship my TV to their warehouse, instead of scheduling an in-home repair. The guy told me that no tracking number was found for the box. He had no clue where my box was. He had me on hold as he "contacted" UPS to figure out what's going on. It took about 10 minutes until he came back and said "UPS has ME on hold. I'll call you back." This whole time I'm thinking, where is my in-home repair service? If I ship my TV to this unorganized company, will I ever see my TV again?

Obviously at this point I'm thinking this is a scam. They got me.

The Best Part....

My e-mail receipt states that in-home repair is for TVs greater than 37'. My TV is 40'. Why are they even sending me a shipping box? Don't worry my fellow reviewers/readers, I did ask them why they aren't honoring the terms & conditions of their receipt.

The guy told me that in-home repair service is only for TVs greater than 42 inches. This is obviously ridiculous. His exact words, "Sorry Mr. Arguello, in-home service repair are only for TVs greater than 42 inches, I assure you."

Now what?....

I still haven't received my phone call back and I'm not sure why I should bother calling them a third time. If SquareTrade does not want to honor their `TVs larger than 37in get in-home repair service' then I predict a future law suit. You might be wondering IF I do actually get my shipping box, am I going to ship it to SquareTrade? Do I really want to send an $1100 TV to a company that can't even get the facts straight? Probably not, for fear of never seeing my TV again. I'm going to hire geeksquad from best buy and just pay the $150.
The Evidence
What is a review without proof, huh? Here is it. First a summary because I know my review is long:
1. My 40in Samsung LCD TV won't turn on.
2. Filing the claim has been a disaster
3. SquareTrade does not want to honor its in home service repair for a 40in TV-I'm suppose to ship it to them.
4. Terms clearly state TVs larger than 37' get in-home service repair

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present their website...Click on the `Warranty Service' at the bottom of the page. Read the bold bullet point `Free Shipping to our depot'

[...]


Conclusion....

I strongly recommend you not purchase any SquareTrade warranty. This applies to any electronic device, whether it be a laptop or a cell phone. Your damaged product is still worth more than the trust you bestow upon SquareTrade for shipping them your product. A fellow reviewer stated that SquareTrade claimed to have received the product, but shipping damaged occurred and they would not give the customer any service (it was for a phone). A company such as this should be punished by the law. Refusing to honor your own terms is absurd.

For those of you who chose to ignore my advice, I only ask you one favor. Do not post a positive review until you receive service. Many positive ratings come from customers who never even filed a claim. They simply review the `wonderful' prices, not the horrible service. Your positive reviews are sheltering a scam.

You can save over $150 by not purchasing from SquareTrade. Avoid at all cost. Have a great day (except you, SquareTrade)

Christopher Arguello

I purchased a Square Trade Warranty for a flat panel TV that I purchased online when the unit failed after 4 months I contacted Square Trade, they asked for a receipt of purchase which I provided.

They then instructed me to have the unit repaired by a certified technician of my choosing and email them a copy of the bill which I did. Two days later they transferred the funds to my paypal account just like they had advertised.

Overall I rate their performance as excellent.

I haven't purchased this yet: it is in my shopping cart and I will likely buy it.

However, I just got off the phone with SquareTrade [1-877-WARRANTY] and thought I'd pass on info I got from them as well as reading the reviews of the company on the San Francisco BBB site [...] and on epinions.com [...]

1. Make sure you have the right warranty for your product. There are glitches in their system for syncing the proper warranty with the proper product, both on Amazon and on eBay.

When I purchased my LG HD TV [...] here on Amazon, the price was $539.00. HOWEVER, the section on that page for "Available Warranties or Services for This TV" listed the 3-year and 4-year warranties for a price point of $450.00 to $500.00: [...] and [...]

I had noticed some complaints on epinion.com about the wrong warranty not being honored, although in those cases, the full price of the warranty was refunded, even though the product wasn't repaired/replaced.

Once I described my TV to the SquareTrade phone representative, he gave me the correct Amazon code to look up this warranty [...] and add it to my cart.

2. You have 90 Days FROM THE DATE OF ORDERING YOUR COVERED PURCHASE (not delivery date) to purchase the extended warranty. So, I suggest you add this warranty to your cart or wish list and then wait to receive your covered product from Amazon and review the MANUFACTURER'S Warranty.

Also, you can get an additional discount code from SquareTrade, just by asking for it over the phone, so it will be worth it to wait and do your warranty purchase here AFTER delivery of your covered product and AFTER you call SquareTrade and ask for a discount and a the code.

3. This is a repair/cash value warranty, which means that they will not provide any service beyond the price you paid for your covered product.

For example, during the time period covered by your manufacturer's warranty, IF the manufacturer refuses to cover something normally covered by SquareTrade, SquareTrade WILL honor their coverage and pay for the difference. HOWEVER, whatever they pay out comes off the total value of your purchase price.

FOR INSTANCE: SquareTrade provides in-home repairs for TV's larger than 34 inches. IF your manufacturer doesn't, and requires you to pay for shipping for repairs under the manufacturer's warranty, then SquareTrade says it will usually refund those charges when the invoice is submitted to them. HOWEVER, whatever they pay out will now come off of the total coverage. So, if the covered product breaks down again after the manufacturer's warranty expires, you will receive your purchase price from SquareTrade, LESS the amount they already covered on your first claim.

I had to file 2 claims with Squaretrade over the past few years & they tried every conceivable way to argue out of paying - even wanted to send out parts for ME to repair my computer and, on another claim, TWICE denied receiving my emailed receipt. They eventually paid, but it was NOT an easy or pleasant process. And BE SURE to read the full contract before you buy.

Squaretrade is NOT required to pay you the "purchase" price. Their contract has many qualifiers such as "in most cases" and "up to the purchase price." If they don't repair it or replace with a refurbished unit (that's right, and not necessarily manufacturer refurbished), they are only required to pay you the replacement value AT THE TIME OF THE CLAIM. Four years down the road the "replacement" value of your now nearly obsolete TV will be a LOT less. They can also "replace the Product with a new, rebuilt or refurbished product of equal or similar features and functionality." That's a direct quote from one of my Squaretrade contracts.

If it fails 3-4 years from now, it is doubtful you will get your purchase price to buy a new one with all the latest features. Squaretrade can replace it with the then-current LOW-END product, even a refurbished one, or just pay you to buy such a product. Of course it would have features equal to or better than your 3-4 year old TV, but certainly not what you could have gotten if they had refunded your original purchase price. Squaretrade gains from technological advances and you lose.

So beware. Read the contract and know what you're getting for the money (maybe worth it for you, maybe not). It's NOT your standard extended warranty contract, and in my experience Squaretrade has been very deceptive about that fact.

I decided to purchase this warranty shortly after we ordered a Mitsubishi WD-73737 73-Inch 1080p 120Hz Home Theater DLP HDTV from Amazon, because Amazon recommended this service.



THE PURCHASE EXPERIENCE

Getting the warranty was relatively easy. I had a few questions because our TV is a DLP, not an LCD, Plasma or LED but, to my surprise the off-shore persons answering the phone - and it was easy to get to talk to a human - were able to intelligently search their knowledge base, find the definition of DLP, determine that my TV could be covered, correctly answer my question regarding the DLP's replacement lamp (no, it's not covered) and made a note in their system that my TV was a DLP.

Shortly after I actually completed the purchase at Amazon, I received an email from SquareTrade that had a printable copy of the service agreement/contract.

I was told over the phone that I had to get a userID/password at their site in order to be able to manage my coverage information. Once that completed, I was able to log in and retrieve my contract number and instructions on how to send SquareTrade my proof of purchase - simply paste Amazon's invoice into an email that has the contract number in the subject line.

SquareTrade then sent me an email that acknowledged me sending them my proof of purchase and advising me to keep the original because they were not going to actually verify my purchase until I made my first claim.



COVERAGE

It may be interesting to understand how coverage works without spending time on the phone with the company reps so, here it is.

- There is a 60-day full refund upon cancellation provision so, if you don't like the service agreement, it's easy to cancel.
- This coverage is concurrent with the manufacturer's warranty. In other words, this 4-year coverage begins on the day you sign for it but SquareTrade won't be taking claims from you while the manufacturer's warranty is still in effect. If your manufacturer has a one-year warranty on your TV, SquareTrade will cover it for years 2, 3 and 4.
- The value of coverage is limited to whatever you paid for your TV. This is important so, let me provide the full quote from the agreement:

[The total amount that We will pay for repairs or replacement made in connection with all claims that You make pursuant to this Service Agreement shall not exceed the purchase price of the Product, less taxes. In the event that We make payments for repairs, which in the aggregate, are equal to the purchase price or replace the Product with a new, rebuilt or refurbished product of equal or similar features and functionality, We will have no further obligations under this Service Agreement.]

- There is a 'no lemon' provision in the agreement which states that if the same item is repaired 3 times for the same defect within a year they will replace your TV with an equivalent product, at which time the warranty coverage ends - will not cover the replacement.
- If your TV is damaged by a power surge and you had a power surge protector they may ask you to send it over to them for examination (probably to see if they can get some money from the power surge protector manufacturer).
- Any time we are talking about replacements, they reserve the right to ask for the defective item to be sent to them and they will provide the box and the shipping label.
- They will help arrange for in-house repairs and pay the repair company directly.
- They do not cover scratches or cracks.
- They do not cover any damage caused by you doing terrible things to your TV - like leaving it out in the rain.
- There is no deductible.
- They will allow for the agreement to be transferred if you sell your TV - can do it at their Web site.



MY RATING

I haven't made any claim yet but, since Amazon stands behind this company and based on the service agreement and on my experience in dealing with the people at the call center, I am confident that this is a company worth doing business with so they get a 5-star.

I purchased a 3 year warranty when I bought my Samsung Plasma two years ago for $999 and did not read the fine print in SquareTrade's contract. It is not a 3 year warranty as they represent rather it simply reimburses you for the purchase price of the TV. I discovered this the hard way when I went back and read the "fine print". I had a problem with the power supply which cost $450 to fix and then I had a problem with the screen and was told they would only reimburse me for up to $549 which was the balance of my contract.

IF YOU WANT A TRUE 3 YEAR WARRANTY DO NOT BUY FROM SQUARETRADE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Be careful to read the fine prints before you buy... I bought this warranty for my new Mitsubishi 73" rear projection TV, thinking it'll cover the bulb if it burns out after a few years. After purchasing, I got a copy of the contract and read the fine prints, and sure enough, it states that the bulb is not covered. And for plasma tv's, burn-in is not covered. Lots of items in the "what's not covered" section. The problem is you don't get to see it when you purchase the warranty, so it's a big surprise after you buy it. Doesn't seem right, does it?

I just got off the phone with SquareTrade [1-877-WARRANTY] and thought I'd pass on info I got from them as well as reading the reviews of the company on the San Francisco BBB site[...] and on epinions [...]

1. Make sure you have the right warranty for your product. There are glitches in their system for syncing the proper warranty with the proper product, both on Amazon and on eBay.

When I purchased my LG HD TV [...] here on Amazon, the price was $539.00. HOWEVER, the section on that page for "Available Warranties or Services for This TV" listed the 3-year and 4-year warranties for a price point of $450.00 to $500.00: [...]

I had noticed some complaints on epinion.com about the wrong warranty not being honored, although in those cases, the full price of the warranty was refunded, even though the product wasn't repaired/replaced.

Once I described my TV to the SquareTrade phone representative, he gave me the correct Amazon code to look up this warranty [...] and add it to my cart.

2. You have 90 Days FROM THE DATE OF ORDERING YOUR COVERED PURCHASE (not delivery date) to purchase the extended warranty. So, I suggest you add this warranty to your cart or wish list and then wait to receive your covered product from Amazon and review the MANUFACTURER'S Warranty.

Also, you can get an additional discount code from SquareTrade, just by asking for it over the phone, so it will be worth it to wait and do your warranty purchase here AFTER delivery of your covered product and AFTER you call SquareTrade and ask for a discount and the code.

3. This is a repair/cash value warranty, which means that they will not provide any service beyond the price you paid for your covered product.

For example, during the time period covered by your manufacturer's warranty, IF the manufacturer refuses to cover something normally covered by SquareTrade, SquareTrade WILL honor their coverage and pay for the difference. HOWEVER, whatever they pay out comes off the total value of your purchase price.

FOR INSTANCE: SquareTrade provides in-home repairs for TV's larger than 34 inches. IF your manufacturer doesn't, and requires you to pay for shipping for repairs under the manufacturer's warranty, then SquareTrade says it will usually refund those charges when the invoice is submitted to them. HOWEVER, whatever they pay out will now come off of the total coverage. So, if the covered product breaks down again after the manufacturer's warranty expires, you will receive your purchase price from SquareTrade, LESS the amount they already covered on your first claim.

This seems like a good deal, fare price, but, then it turns out that they start your coverage from the date of purchase, when the product comes with a full 1 year from the manufacture, they have sold a 4 year plan only giving you a 3 year plan. Is there any honest company left for us to do business with?