Customer Reviews

SquareTrade 3-Year Samsung/Panasonic TV Warranty ($2000-2500 LCD, Plasma, LED)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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'

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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 $[...] by not purchasing from SquareTrade. Avoid at all cost. Have a great day (except you, SquareTrade)

Christopher Arguello

This warranty is acturally a year shorter than advertized on a product with a 1 year mfg warranty. The warranty starts the date of purchase so it is a total waste for the first year since the Mfg covers the product.Plus the time it takes to ship and receive the product is waisted too.

I bought a refurbished Optoma hd72 digital projector over a year ago for [...] bucks. Bought the square trade warranty for one year and got the second year half price. What a deal! 2 months after the first year the projector started having problems. I bought a new bulb but that didn't fix the problem. I called Square Trade and they said they would pay to repair or replace up to the original purchase price. They weren't kidding! The repair at the factory was [...] bucks and they paid me through Pay Pal for the full amount. I recently bought a new tv during a promotion and got a 3 year warranty for [...] bucks. Way cheaper than the store warranty with 100% replacement. If you buy new or refurbished electronics on ebay, look for the Square Trade logo, it's a guarantee. They also cover new electronics from any store or web site. Check 'em out. You'll be glad you did.

I have purchased a number of SquareTrade warranties and for the first time I needed to make a claim on a media server that was acting up. I was honestly preparing for a bit of a battle, but it could not have been easier. I was required, understandibly, to send the item back - SquareTrade even provided a prepaid UPS shipping label for the return - and a couple days after they received it they looked the item over and approved the claim. The check took a week or so after that to arrive. Highly recommended.

First of all I am really happy with the warranty terms, and SquareTrade's website and paperless products are very easy to use. I have not made a claim yet but I suspect it will be easy to do. The question is how well they actually perform once the claim is made.

One thing I wanted to share as had I thought about it I would have changed some of my purchase decision. If you cheap out like I did (after a 2k+ TV I didn't want to spend anymore) and get super-saver shipping your item won't arrive for at least 2 weeks. The warranty starts from the date of purchase, not the data of arrival. This is really more of a critique of how this type of warranty works not against SquareTrade, but I felt it deserved to be noted (after 2k+ what is an extra 60-75 to get it here in a day or two).

I recently experienced a lightning strike at my home that damaged my new Toshiba TV. Fortunately I purchased a SquareTrade warranty at the same time. They covered all the damages (manufacturer doesn't cover for weather related issues) for the repair of the TV. Their customer service is exemplary. Every person I spoke to on their support desk was helpful and ensured that I understood all aspects of the claim process. Payment of the claim was easy and fast. Can definitely recommend SquareTrade warrantees to anyone looking to purchase a high ticket item.

my tv stopped working, after a little time spent with the square trade assistant we saw nothing could be done, she gave me instructions, also a prepaid mailing slip, sent the tv back and was fully refunded within 10 day? i think, what a pleasant experience, no hassle, no headaches. A1 service. i will use square trade for all my warranties!

I recently had a 18 Month Samsung LCD-HD TV and developed a bad circuit board and was going to cost about $980 to fix it.
I had taken out a Square Trade Warranty for 4 years on it and contacted Square Trade and they reimbursed me the full price of the Tv
no questions no hassel now that is what I call a good company that stand beside what they do.

Thanks Square Trade
NEY

I had problems with my television and Square Trade paid the full purchase price immediately. Couldn't be better.