Adorama warranty- worth it??

[JustJazzie]

I'm about to place a big order on lights. Is the adorama warranty worth it?

 

[kathyt]

What do you mean by big? It just depends on how much money I am spending if I purchase the warranty or not. Camera....yes.

 

[480sparky40 39]

If you mean an extended warranty, I'd pass.

Not once in my life have I ever purchased an extended warranty. And never once would having an extended warranty have saved me money.

 

[JustJazzie]

What do you mean by big? It just depends on how much money I am spending if I purchase the warranty or not. Camera....yes.

2 lights and several modifiers.....total around $750

 

[vintagesnaps]

I've never bought an extended warranty on anything, I expect the warranty to last long enough to determine if there's anything wrong with the item purchased (if it doesn't break down in the first year I'd expect it's not a lemon and will hold out over the amount of time you could expect).

But I don't do studio work so haven't bought lighting. With that expense on a purchase would insuring your equipment be a better option? (I don't know, just asking).

 

[Warhorse]

If you mean an extended warranty, I'd pass.

Not once in my life have I ever purchased an extended warranty. And never once would having an extended warranty have saved me money.

I have not bought one for photographic equipment (yet).

But, I have bought several on brand new cars, that have saved me a lot of money in the long run..

 

[IByte]

I might consider it if I am buying a camera or a quality lens.

 

[Derrel]

If the lights are a "good brand", like Balcar or Bowens or whatnot, they will likely last twenty years without issue. I guess the price of the warranty would be my worry, as it relates to the price of the lights. If the warranty is "cheap", like say $50 or less, it might be worth the peace of mind. If it's $100, not worth in, IMHO.

What kinda' lights are you getting???

 

[KmH]

Few if any financial experts recommend buying an extended warranty - for anything.

6 Reasons Why You Should Never Purchase an Extended Warranty - Yahoo Finance

 

[Derrel]

Few if any financial experts recommend buying an extended warranty - for anything.

But sales associates OTOH, recommend them allllll the time; there's often a very healthy spiff on each extended warranty that you sell a customer...just speaking from actual experience working in a retail camera/video store...

 

[robbins.photo]

Well, I guess my thought on "extended" warranty is if it doesn't cover accidental damage, don't bother. If you run into some sort of defect or issue the standard warranty will cover it for a reasonable time frame, after the standard warranty expires odds are good whatever your buying will not develop any problems until after the extended expires, usually by a fairly good amount of time. They have bean counters who are well paid to determine what the average mean time to failure is and they offer the time period of the extended warranty to be well below whatever that average is, thus making it a very profitable thing for most companies.

The one exception I make on extended warranties are if they cover accidental damage, which of course most do not - however if they do they can be a good investment depending on the time period they cover vrs their cost. If they are a fairly low percentage of the retail price of the item and offer a fairly decent time period then it might be worth the extra money simply for the piece of mind and the off chance that something bad happens and your equipment is damaged. If they are too expensive or don't cover a decent time frame then even if they do offer accidental damage coverage they might not be worth it.

Just my 2 cents worth of course, YMMV

 

[kathyt]

What do you mean by big? It just depends on how much money I am spending if I purchase the warranty or not. Camera....yes.

2 lights and several modifiers.....total around $750

I wouldn't buy an extended warranty for lights. Not worth it.

 

[480sparky40 39]

I'd be willing to bet the EW for lights won't include what would normally wear out. Bulbs / flashtubes, obviously. And cords. And, of course, accidental damage. The internal capacitors might die prematurely, but that will be excluded by claiming over-voltage input. The finish won't be covered as that's normal wear-and-tear. Same for switches, knobs, buttons, etc.

What will be covered? If you're doing a photoshoot of Mohammed Ali wearing a pink tutu, in an abandoned ice-pick factory, between 2:15 and 2:18 AM, in the city limits of Windham, N.H., on Friday the 13th, during a stampede of giraffes...............

 

[HelenOster]

I'm about to place a big order on lights. Is the adorama warranty worth it?

Which lights and which warranty were you looking at? (there are several!) You can email me directly if you think I may be able to help: Helen@adorama.com

Few if any financial experts recommend buying an extended warranty - for anything.

But sales associates OTOH, recommend them allllll the time; there's often a very healthy spiff on each extended warranty that you sell a customer......

I don't actually know whether the sales reps get any kind of commision for sellling a warranty, but I don't, so hopefully, and advice or suggestions I give are completely objective.