Should I get extended warranties for 20D/24-70L?

[jay_nathanson1]

I just purchased a 20D and 24-70L. Is it worth it to pay ~$100

for the 3-year extended warranites?

Has anyone had any experience with Mack vs. RepairTech?

RepairTech is less well known, but has the advantage of letting me

get my camera serviced at my local repair shop and having free

annual check-ups and cleanings.

[miles_feigenbaum___dallas_]

In my opinion- a big waste of money.

 

That 20D won't be worth squat in 3 or 4 years anyway. The 24 to 70 is a fantastic piece of equipment. The damn thing ought to last for awhile.

[KenPapai]

I bet you bought this from Adorama. How lucky are you -- how well do you treat, pack, clean, and carry your equipment?

[daniel_taylor]

If you go to switch your 20D on and it refuses to work just a few months outside the standard warranty, will you feel like paying the repair bill and/or buying the $1300 replacement model available at that time?

 

The 20D will still be worth a lot more than the cost of the extended warranty on the day the warranty wears out, not to mention the cost of a new replacement if the repair bill is excessive. For an expensive, complex item that's going to see a lot of use and travel, I would say go for it.

 

Of course I have to admit to some bias. I'm facing a repair bill now for an item because I *didn't* go for the extended warranty. Not pleasant, and I'm kicking myself.

[mark u]

Extended warranty on the 20D is probably only worthwhile if you intend to make extremely heavy use of it, such that you could reasonably expect the shutter mechanism to fail before the warranty expires or before you trade up to the latest greatest DSLR (which could be sooner - and remember warranties are often not transferable). Otherwise, failures are most likely to show up when the camera is still fairly new. With the 24-70, if you get a poor or faulty copy that will be evident early on, so you can exchange it or have it repaired/adjusted within the normal warranty. Provided you don't habitually mistreat your equipment, the lens is unlikely to need warranty service. I might take a different view if the lens was a 70-200 f/2.8 L IS, which has a history of problems. Instead, you may want to consider insurance against theft and accidental damage (which typically falls outside warranty cover) - again depending on your anticipated use pattern.

[jon_austin]

I never buy extended warranties on anything I purchase, from the simplest electronics to automobiles.

 

Instead, I use the products "vigorously" during their return/warranty periods (if you're not going to use it, why buy it?), and return/send them in for repair if they fail during that time. This practice usually shakes out most of the problems while fixing those problems is still the vendor's or manufacturer's responsibility.

 

Sure, stuff can still break down after the warranty period has expired, but my rationale is that I can easily pay for any repairs on my dime from the considerable reserve I have accumulated by not buying any extended warranties!

 

Besides:

 

- if extended warranties weren't (significant) profit opportunities for the vendors, they wouldn't offer them.

 

- from my reading, getting (satisfactory) repair/replacement service under one of these extended warranties is often much more difficult than it needs to be. (Kind of like actually getting a check when you submit a rebate claim.)

 

Final thought: if the terms and conditions of the warranty for a product I'm considering buying doesn't compare well with those of competing products (i.e., from other manufacturers), I give serious consideration to the possibility that it won't provide acceptable service to me in the long run. (I take pretty good care of my stuff, and tend to keep it and use it for years.)

[andrew_carlson]

I don't buy extended warranties either. I find them a profit making opportunity for the vendor rather than a protection for me the consumer. For my 20D and lenses I have an insurance rider for drops, theft, damage, etc on top of my existing homeowners policy. In case it does break or I do drop it I'm covered and I'd rather deal with someone other than the vendor. Plus its more likely that my 20D or 70-200 will break when I fall rather than when the warranty expires.

[peter_white2]

I did a brief stint as a commission salesman in a large department store selling audio equipment. When I started out the store didn't offer extended warrantees. Back then (mid 1980s) nobody had ever heard of such a thing. Selling a $500 stereo receiver, I'd make a commission $10 to $12. But two years after taking the job, they started selling these extended warrantees. Suddenly the commission on the receiver dropped to $3 to $5. But by selling the 3 year extended warrantee for $50, I was paid a $15 commission. And if my percentage of warrantee sales reached a certain level, I got a large bonus. The receiver sale simply became a way to get the warrantee sale. Now you tell me, if they could pay the salesman $15 to sell the extended warrantee, how much of the remaining $35 was profit?

 

Hmmm?

 

I quit after a few months and started my own business. And I've never bought an extended warrantee on anything.

[stacy_dallman]

Definately don't buy it!

[k._patrick]

I'm not familiar with the terms on the warranties you mention.

 

I bought my 10D at Best Buy and got the warranty (strange since I normally agree with the conventional wisdom here). With 35k cycles on the shutter and well out of warranty, the camera started erroring out on me and locking up. It did this to me while hiking in Colorado and North Carolina which earned it a trip back to Best Buy with the warranty paperwork.

 

They sent it in for repairs and when Canon didn't get it back quickly enough, they gave me a brand new 20D.

 

Best $149.00 I've spent in awhile. But... normally you do wind up lining the pockets of the seller.

 

I use the hell out of my cameras, from hanging off the sides of mountains to hanging out on the bench of professional hockey games. It was worth trying the plan for me. I wound up buying it on my second 20D as well. If I don't use it, all well and good.

 

It's what you're comfortable with and what you think your risks are.

 

K