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How long do DVD players last?

post #1 of 35
9/10/07 at 12:28am
Thread Starter 
I'm thinking of replacing my DVD player and was checking them out today. The shop I went to offers extended warranties up to 4 years. What is your experience with the durability of DVD players? Do they last 4 years (or more)? I've had mine for just 2 years and it's still OK. Is the extended warranty worth buying? (The store is charging about 1/3 of the listed price for the 4 yr extension.)
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post #2 of 35
9/10/07 at 12:54am
More than likely, your dvd player will become outdated before it stops working. Unless the player is quite expensive, this is not the kind of item I buy an extended warranty for.
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post #3 of 35
9/10/07 at 1:20am
Really don't see the need to buy an ext warranty on a DVD player. Depending on the brand, they're usually good for 2+ years worth of playing and by that point they'll be obsolete or cheaper than hell. I picked up a Phillips DVD player that has a Divx decoder for $30. Don't know why I'd get anything different or pay any more.
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post #4 of 35
9/10/07 at 12:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by whodini View Post
Really don't see the need to buy an ext warranty on a DVD player. Depending on the brand, they're usually good for 2+ years worth of playing and by that point they'll be obsolete or cheaper than hell.

I picked up a Phillips DVD player that has a Divx decoder for $30. Don't know why I'd get anything different or pay any more.

+1.

Extended warranties are scams, especially on 50 dollar gadgets.
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post #5 of 35
9/10/07 at 8:31pm
Thread Starter 
I realize the shop wouldn't offer them if they weren't making money doing it, but I didn't mention that if they decide the problem can't be fixed, you get credit for the full purchase price. So if your DVD player (or other gadget) goes kapput in within 4 years, you get to use your $$ to buy a new one. In effect, you've paid the price of the extended warranty to "rent" the gadget for 4 years. Think of it as leasing the gadget and not owning it. The risk, of course, is that the gadget doesn't quit working within the coverage period. Then you've bought the insurance for nothing. Hence the question about the expected longevity of these machines.
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post #6 of 35
9/10/07 at 8:57pm
With most retailers, by the time you've gotten them to acknowledge that it can't be fixed, you'll have more than eaten up the cost of the "credit" in time, aggravation, and shoe leather. (Plus you'll be without a dvd player for however long they dick around.)
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post #7 of 35
9/10/07 at 9:06pm
I've had one DVD player for 6.5 years and never had any problems. I don't think I'd ever consider an extended warranty on what is usually such a (relatively) cheap A/V item.
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post #8 of 35
9/10/07 at 9:59pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by lawyerdad View Post
With most retailers, by the time you've gotten them to acknowledge that it can't be fixed, you'll have more than eaten up the cost of the "credit" in time, aggravation, and shoe leather. (Plus you'll be without a dvd player for however long they dick around.)

That's where you're wrong. The cost of labor is so high here that unless it's an expensive gadget (several hundreds of dollars), they're not going to bother trying to fix it. It's not cost-effective for them. So they'll just give you the credit right on the spot. So in effect, all you've paid is the cost of the warranty to rent the gadget. And you get to use your dough to upgrade to a new machine.
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post #9 of 35
9/11/07 at 3:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hchamp View Post
That's where you're wrong. The cost of labor is so high here that unless it's an expensive gadget (several hundreds of dollars), they're not going to bother trying to fix it. It's not cost-effective for them. So they'll just give you the credit right on the spot. So in effect, all you've paid is the cost of the warranty to rent the gadget. And you get to use your dough to upgrade to a new machine.

There are two types of people in life, those who buy extended warranties, and those who don't. It's clear which type you are. Just follow your destiny, man.
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post #10 of 35
9/11/07 at 4:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hchamp View Post
I've had mine for just 2 years and it's still OK. Is the extended warranty worth buying? (The store is charging about 1/3 of the listed price for the 4 yr extension.)
No, don't even buy a warranty its a waste of money. Most units come with a one year manufacture warranty (or 90 days). I've never had one break ,but i've had VHS machines go bad. In a year or so that $600 Blueray player you just bought will be $50 at Walmart, and all the current machines will have 1000x the features of your last machine and be just as cheap. But thats just my opinion.
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post #11 of 35
9/11/07 at 4:53am
An extended warranty is a tip to your salesman, much like you would tip a waiter/waitress, nothing more. You get no actual service from purchasing it, all you are doing in reality is throwing money away. It is not insurance. The only benefit anyone ever gets from the purchase of an extended warranty is the salesman who might get anywhere from 5%-50% of whatever the cost of the warranty is on his next paycheck. If he/she was knowledgeable, didn't piss you off with his/her selling style, and actually did their job - there is nothing wrong with buying an extended warranty to thank them for their service.

Buying one because your item might break, is however, the height of idiocy. Anyone who has ever been in the sales industry can tell you the statistics of how often extended warrantys are honored. 99% of them are never even used. Out of the one percent of people who try and use their extended warranty services, about 99% of them are denied because of any of the various loopholes built into any of these contracts. If you didn't have the machine regularly cleaned and serviced for instance, and keep the records, your warranty is void, etc.

I've had mine for nearly 6 years, run a lens cleaning cd through it a couple times, and its still going strong. At an average of 8 movies a week, thats nearly 3000 cycles.
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post #12 of 35
9/11/07 at 6:13pm
There's gotta be a reason the stores push the extended warranty so hard hmm, pure profit? But the only time I ever bought an extended warranty, my first laptop which was 2k (back in the day), it sure worked out. I got it fixed twice during the 3 years I had it (total lemon), and the 3rd time they just gave me $1100 to spend in the store on any laptop. Of course 3 years later, prices had come waay down and $1100 bought a nicer laptop than the one I started with. I think this case is pretty rare and it's a waste of money most of the time but not always.
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post #13 of 35
9/11/07 at 6:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hchamp View Post
That's where you're wrong. The cost of labor is so high here that unless it's an expensive gadget (several hundreds of dollars), they're not going to bother trying to fix it. It's not cost-effective for them. So they'll just give you the credit right on the spot. So in effect, all you've paid is the cost of the warranty to rent the gadget. And you get to use your dough to upgrade to a new machine.

Look, if you think it's a good deal, go for it. I wouldn't, for all the reasons set forth in this post. But they aren't pushing these warranties because they're your friends.

You're assuming they'd put a lot of effort into trying to fix it. The more likely scenario is they dick around, have it sitting on a shelf, tell you they have a backlog and won't get to it for 5 weeks, etc.
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post #14 of 35
9/11/07 at 6:54pm
I have never needed to replace one. Warranties are not a good buy.
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post #15 of 35
9/11/07 at 7:28pm
I just had a 4 yr old dvd player die on me (well, its on life support and making a funny noise w/ a jacked up screen image) - for $50 or less, it can be replaced.
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