(...not if you're buying a digital camera... and it's from Sears!)
You hear it all the time. Whenever you buy something of value at the department store, they ask:
"Would you like to purchase an extended warranty on that?"
or...
"We've got an optional service protection plan that will fully cover the product beyond the standard manufacturer's warranty. Are you interested?"
As a rule, we never buy into such "protection plans", "insurance", or "extended warranties" -- believing that the odds of something going wrong that the standard manufacturer's warranty wouldn't already cover are quite slim. Not to mention the fact that such protection plans are quite expensive, relatively speaking.
A CBC Report on Extended Warranties
Smart Money: Extended Warranty Rip-Offs
When Service Contracts Make Sense
Consumer Reports: Extended Warranties Aren't Worth The Cost
However, there have been two occasions in my lifetime when I've purchased an extended warranty. Both were at Sears. One experience (on a bicycle) was good. The other (on a digital camera) was not so good.
Here's what you need to know...
