Looking to pull the trigger on an LG OLED soon, my friend works there (JB Hi-Fi) and is able to get staff pricing on the TV and also half price on a 5 year warranty for me. Warranty is roughly 290$ regular price but he is able to purchase it for $145.
I'm looking for any thoughts/considerations I should have about purchasing the warranty.
Thanks
hahaha to be completely honest I'm not too sure about ACL or the warranty
Just adding to my other comments - definitely confirm with JB before buying the warranty that burn-in is covered, and keep a record of this in writing, somewhere with the warranty documents. You don't want to engage in a he-said, she-said argument 5 years down the line.
Yep will definitely be doing this! I appreciate your inputs dude
@Securityclearance: No worries. I get all the other comments too - usually extended warranties are just a cash grab. This being an OLED with known longetivity issues with the tech makes it a special case. Enjoy your TV!
I'm sounding like a broken record, but JB's Extended Warranty explicitly covers reasonable wear and tear, which is not covered under the ACL.
With regard to OLEDs, this means burn-in issues. Very much worth it imo.
Added benefit is that if burn-in issues only set in after say, 3 or 4 years? It'd be cheaper for JB to offer OP a replacement over trying to repair the display, and it would be of the then current (updated) model, because they likely won't have OP's model anymore.
Last time they send me a gift card because they can't fix the car radio.
Was that while the unit was still under warranty? Because that sounds like a goodwill gesture. Where as if you have a warranty, they have to replace it if they can't fix it.
@Richardc: Shouldn't have accepted the gift card then =/. Stores will kind of try to do these things to avoid more difficult/annoying resolutions.
On the other hand - how much was the gift card and how much was the radio they couldn't fix? Maybe you came out ahead anyway.
@HighAndDry: That car radio is discontinue, also the company discontinue the product line. Unless I fight with the ACL, which also be hard, as the radio discount from $1200 to $350.
as the radio discount from $1200 to $350.
Yeah…… that'd pretty much mean your ACL rights would be near-non-existent, because ACL rights take into account the price paid, including any discounts.
Still - considering they sold you the extended warranty, your rights under that would be fairly solid. How much was the gift card they gave you?
@Richardc: Oh. Yeah then that sounds about right - you basically got a refund, just in store credit. (Because usually extended warranties only provide for replacements, not refunds anyway.)
Have a look at the cover: https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http…
You could only get a repair extended warranty, and I can't see much benefit over the ACL apart from perhaps the lemon part of the policy might be useful if you do end up with a lemon and it's a battle to get it replaced (which a. LG have a generally good reputation in the TV space according to the Choice reliability survey, and b. You're entitled to get the replacement but sometimes might have to resort to getting fair trading involved, which it a bit of effort).
I personally wouldn't bother, especially with the LG results in the Choice reliability survey, but up to you.
I figured it would be beneficial to get the extra 2.5 year cover (2.5 year comes with product as minimum voluntary warranty period) just to be safe, also to maybe reduce the hassle of dealing with LG directly?
maybe reduce the hassle of dealing with LG directly?
This.
Whenever I buy an electronic gadget I work on a maximum cost per year - this includes the purchase price, any extended warranty, and if required any maintenance costs, over the warranty period. The real costs are fixed over that time and any extra mileage is then a bonus.
My own experience with JB's warranty providers has been great and for my tellys has worked out well. One telly has survived well without a claim, three others were covered by warranty - either repaired or given a store credit, always promptly. One telly started having trouble (lines on the screen) late in its first year but I persevered until it was out of LG warranty and into the extended plan just because I knew they were easy to work with - and they were. They pick up, bring it back, keep you well informed throughout, etc.
Just FYI, under ACL it's the sellers responsibility to pick up and return bulky items such as TV's for warranty repairs anyway.
I'd get it. OLED is still a new tech. Also I've heard of many stories of burn in issues some time down the track
I've heard burn in issues and I've been told burn in would be covered which is a +
I'm looking for any thoughts/considerations I should have about purchasing the warranty.
Check that it covers burn-in issues. That's basically the biggest worry when it comes to OLEDs other than actual defects. And, if it covers burn-in? Yes, definitely buy the extended warranty. Burn-in can happen with gaming HUDs, Smart TV overlays, any other kind of overlays (if you leave a DVD menu screen on for too long, for example), and I'd actually be surprised if you didn't have any burn-in issues at the 5 year mark.
The person who negged want to chime in with why? Burn-in, considering it's a known issue with OLEDs, and given that it's not a defect but rather a necessary side-effect of the technology, would not be covered under the ACL. Especially if it's caused by a combination of the customer's use of the TV via gaming or features with long-duration fixed overlays. (As an analogy, an OLED suffering burn-in would be akin to a car suffering from worn brake pads).
This would mean that any warranty that covers burn-in would be an immediate value-add on top of any existing ACL rights, and given that you can't "repair" burn-in other than replacing the unit, this would mean that you'd effectively at least double the life of the TV under the warranty, even further if you get the option to buy another extended warranty at the 5 year mark (effectively you'd be paying the price of the warranty for a new TV every warranty period).
JB Hi Fi has terms that if over 2.5 to 3.5 years they may or may not consider ACL and offer other remedies
https://www.jbhifi.com.au/Documents/Consumer%20Warranties%20…
So that $145 saves you 2.5 years of headaches and no small claims case which is probably going to cost you the same to take them to vcat or similar
Makes sense - this isn't the 50s - people do replace TVs at around the 3 year mark fairly commonly. Obviously not people on OzBargain, but the general population.
All consumers have a right under ACL which would, in theory, give you similar rights as purchasing extended warranty. The reason most consumers still opt for purchasing warranty is that it is less of a fight with retailers/manufacturers when something goes wrong. For example, I bought a Hisense TV and the remote stopped working in 13 months. Accessories are only covered for 12 months, but in theory under the ACL, I would be entitled to a replacement under the ACL. Of course, telling customers to go to the office of fair trading is easier for manufacturers when you quote the ACL - which is why most consumers just pay for that extra bit of assurance.
All consumers have a right under ACL which would, in theory, give you similar rights as purchasing extended warranty.
Not necessarily.
Warranties can give discrete benefits like offering refunds or replacements irrespective of whether it's a minor or major issue (purchaser can elect replacement only in case of major defects under ACL), not to mention additional benefits such as on-site repairs, free pickup/delivery, etc.
Warranty periods are also set, and provides more certainty than the ACL which has no set time period (only a reasonable time), and especially in the case of extended warranties, can be longer than what that reasonable time would be under the ACL. I know people here disagree, but a relatively cheap OLED (say sub-$2,000) where OLEDs usually average around $3k - $4k, might only be covered under the ACL for no more than 3 years, as a rough example.
I agree, HighandDry. I thought the use of the term "similar rights" would cover these minor differences, however thank you for going that extra step.
And yes - no doubt under the ACL, the amount paid will have a bearing on what period of cover applies. As I said, for some consumers its not worth the fight of trying to argue what is reasonable, and would rather pay for additional warranty.
The only extended warranty I would purchase is from the good guys. You can make your money back from it. They have the same terms as JB as well.
I purchased a extended warranty on a desktop PC. The salesman told me after 4 and a half years just start uninstalling all the drivers and come in and say things aren't working. We will just give you a new one. Doubt it will be that easy. But i think the extended warranty covers you for nearly anything.
If you are paying by credit card it may give you extended warranty, though probably only for an extra year. Worth checking your PDS anyway.
Would that be on top of the JB voluntary and extended?
Read your PDS
Extended warranties are a load. Don't bother with them. Implied warranties in Australia for TV's is around 5 years anyway.
What does the warranty give you that you don't already have as a statutory right under Australian Consumer Law? (hint: probably nothing)