Ever been conned by smallprint? Dixons/Currys Coverplan

by Brummie 16 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Brummie

  I brought a top of the range Lexmark 73 printer/scanner/copier about a year and half ago and got it covered by Coverplan mastercare. It cost me approx £230.

  The coverplan insurance told me that if it broke down I would get full cover for parts and labour OR a brad new top of the range printer.

  It broke down and without even looking at it Coverplan told me to "throw it away" and they will send me vouchers to replace the value.

  After 6 weeks of arguing my case with them I finally end up with a £58 Lexmark 75. The small print says Coverplan will provide a "same specification" printer. While there was a same specification printer in the store that cost £129 (that I could have brought home with me) they wouldnt allow me to have it, instead I have to wait for the delivery of a £58 printer to the store before I can go and collect it. Even if they allowed me to have the 129.00 one I was still losing £100 but I would have settled for it. But no, they made sure I had the least valuable one even though I didnt buy the least valuable one.

  £58 was roughly the same price I paid for the "coverplan insurance", I may as well have not had it in the first place.

  Thing is, last Christmas I brought a Laptop for £1400. Its covered by "mastercare/coverplan", I have now realised that if it broke, they could replace it with a £400 laptop as long as it had the same "specifications".

  I feel like they robbed me of almost £200 and am anticipating them robbing me of almost 1000.

  I have always been a suckler for reading the small print, but they got me me this time. Crooks.

  Coverplan is Dixons baby, so if you buy at Dixons, Currys or any attatched store, get ready to be robbed.

  Have you ever been a victim of a crook or the small print?

  Brummie
• 

  SixofNine

  Insurance on something like this is almost always a losing gamble. Which is exactly how those companies make their money. The better gamble is a quality product and the manufacturers' and store's warranty.
• 

  micheal

  noy tet
• 

  Gadget

  This coverplan is well known for the small print and for ripping off consumers. There is a website somewhere dedicated to persuing greivances like this, but I could only find the link below to similar complaints. Perhaps one of the people in the link could point you to the site and help you out.

  http://clik2complaints.co.uk/DPs/mastercare6.html

  Gadget
• 

  Francois

  "The better gamble is a quality product and the manufacturers' and store's warranty."

  Right on, as long as you don't have to pay for the warranties. The store and manufacturers' warranties bet that your stuff is not going to break, by purchasing the insurance, you bet it IS going to break.

  And watch for those warranties that run simultaneously with the original warranty. What good is a two-year warranty that runs at the same time as the manufacturer's one-year original warranty? NONE. If it's going to break, most likely it's going to break in the first year, so you never get into the second year anyway. I almost got into fisticuffs with a Sears guy over that question once.

  ANY insurance on major appliances and such is a rip off. Where it's not is on computer and computer-related hardware. Electronics can do strange things and they seem to do it on schedules of their own. Just make sure the policy replaces what you've got and not some vaguely worded "same specifications" bullshit.

  Good thread.
• 

  drwtsn32

  I would never buy an extended warranty on an item unless it would be a major financial burden to replace it if it broke.

  I do, however, sometimes purchase an extended warranty from the manufacturer if it makes sense. Laptop computers, for example, are basically impossible to repair yourself. My wife is on her second Dell laptop and each time we purchase the three year extended warranty. It costs maybe $100 more but on a $2500 laptop it's not a big deal.

  I'm wary of extended warranties from third parties because, as you found out Brummie, they usually aren't as good as they seem.

  Also, it's interesting to note that no one would sell extended warranties if it wasn't in their favor. Odds are you will not need it. I hate it when a store says "oh, we've had lots of these things come back! You should really buy the extended warranty! It's in your best interest!" Fact is extended warranties are a huge profit item. Sure, sometimes they pay off. But I don't think I'd ever buy it on an item that costs < $500 or maybe even < $1000. And I certainly wouldn't buy one if it costs more than 20% of the original item.
• 

  Teela

  I never had a cover plan, but I did purchase a camera from Dixons whick broke a year later. I took it back to one of the main stores in London to get it repaired to be told it was not repairable because no parts are available. In my LOUD NEW ZEALAND accent I acused them of ripping of tourists but they where out of luck because I was a resident and perhaps I should let all the tourists in the shop know that anything purchased here was unrepairable after a year. (people had started leaving the shop at this stage) The manager was called and I repeated my claim of them selling items to tourists because they had no come back, and surprising enough he was able to replace my faulty camera . Scrum I also had trouble with whiteware chain (Comet?)with a washing machine under guarantee, even with my invoice for the washing machine without a recipt they wouldn't repair it. Threatened to walk outside with a billboard and hand out flyers telling my version and not to shop here. After repeated phonecalls to the manager, in which my english friends would ring up and get through to the manager, reception recognised my accent and wouldn't put me through they finally sent a repairman to fixed the damm thing.
• 

  LDH

  Sorry that happened, that sucks.

  An interesting tidbit that few are aware of. Make all electronics purchase on your Gold or Platinum credit card and you automatically double and duplicate the manufacturer's warranty.

  This is true for about 90% of the gold / platinum cards. We use our AMEX to buy anything of this nature.

  Just call your credit card company and ask if the "double or duplicate" the manufacturer's warranty. Also ask them to send that to you in writing.

  Save yourself the money; don't buy those ripoff warranties.

  Lisa

  "CHARGE!!!!!" Class
• 

  Simon

  The 'problem' with life-for-like replacements on computer equipment is that people think thay have been 'done' because they expect like-for-like in value, not spec.

  The fact is, things (especially computer related) come down in price while the specs go up so what cost you £200+ a year or so ago could well be less than £100 today.

  Personally, I never buy the extended warranties on computer stuff and prefer to 'self insure' so to speak with all the money saved. If something does go wrong then the prices have usually come down anyway and I have saved more by not buying all the warranties.

  Extended warranties are the most profitable thing a shop sells.
• 

  Brummie

  Well have I learned a lot from this thread! Thanks a lot for all the suggestions, I think they will help me to have my head screwed on right next time.

  Gadget I have made use of that thread, very handy, I'm waiting for them to get back to me.

  The 'problem' with life-for-like replacements on computer equipment is that people think thay have been 'done' because they expect like-for-like in value, not spec.

  This is true, I was slightly aware of the spec thing but I also think the store and coverplan set the wrong impressions up when selling an item ( i guess they all do). I dont think I have been done soley on the same spec thing. I paid the cover for parts and repair and they never once looked at it but instead gave me £58 back. I was done. I didnt even get the oppurtunity of repair yet I had paid for it. Its almost as if they gave me back the price I paid for the cover in the first place. So, I give them £50 to cover if anything goes wrong, and they give it me back at the end with no cover.

  Another thing, the same specification was available right there and then but I wasnt allowed it, I had to wait for the delivery of the £58 machine. So "same spec" is also a con, it should read same spec on the basis of the lowest priced machine that can be traced. However, I am prepared to admit its my fault but not without first making people aware of the con.

  From now on I'll go with the stores warrenty or purchase on a gold card, lesson learned.

  Lol @ teela!

  Brummie