One question we regularly get from consumers is whether or not to spring for extended warranties when making a medium to high-value purchase. Check out this blog post for some tips on what you might want to consider before making that decision.
While warranties aren’t covered under BC’s consumer protection laws, here are some tips to help you make an informed decision:
- Do your homework. Before deciding to go for an extended warranty, do your research and find out what exactly is covered (does it include labour, shipping or home service calls?) and if it is valid in another country. Calculate the true value to see if the cost of purchasing the warranty is higher than replacing the product.
- Don’t feel pressured to buy on the spot. Ask the retailer how much time you have to purchase an extended warranty. Oftentimes, there will be an opt-in period after you make a purchase (such as 30 days) where you can still buy the extended warranty.
- Keep all your documentation. In the event you need to take advantage of your warranty or extended warranty, it’s a good idea to keep all your paperwork, including receipts, product manuals and more.
ADDITIONAL READING:
Buying a new appliance? Consider these things before you decide on a warranty
Dear Consumer Protection BC: referrals
What would you do? A guide to being a savvy consumer: home-repair
It seems like everytime I decline a warranty the product fails prematurely and when I buy one nothing ever happens. But sometimes I have to laugh when I am being asked to buy an extended warranty that is almost the price of the item.
Lots of debate on whether or not purchasing extended warranty is a good idea… I’ll be darned if I can find any information about whether or not a dealership is required to disclose any existing extended warranty on a vehicle.
An extended warranty, sometimes called a service agreement, a service contract, or a maintenance agreement, is a prolonged warranty offered to consumers in addition to the standard warranty on a new items.
Regarding used car extended warranty. I have signed a Extened Warranty ..but Have changed my mind about rust and undercoating. Can cancel this as I only signed and paid yesterday. Is there a time limit that I can change my coverage like 24 hours or 48 to make changes or is this written in Stone now.
Thank you in Advance
Hi Barry, if you purchased your vehicle from a BC licensed used car dealership, you may want to contact the Vehicle Sales Authority – http://mvsabc.com/ I hope they can give you the information you are looking for or point you to the right direction.
What recourse do consumers have in Canada if questionable warranty companies such as cornerstone united do not honour extended warranties? I usually never buy extended warranties but the one time I did, I actually needed it. Unfortunately, the warranty company tried everything they could to get out of it. Additionally, the retailer trail appliance wiped their hands of it.
They try so hard to sell you the warranty and then they try even harder not to honour them!
I also purchased an expensive appliance at Trail and the cornerstone United extended warranty, not only will they not honour the contract for a repair but they will not give me their address. If a company won’t even give out their address then they are definitely hiding for a reason. If anyone can give me the address for cornerstone United on Vancouver island I would appreciate it. If they are not covered for whatever reason to be held accountable by consumer protection, then I will file in court.
Hi Lisa, thank you for contacting us. Warranties are not something that our organization oversees but I did find CornerStone United’s website and contact information. They seem to have a toll free number for Canada, as well as a messaging system through their online form. Here’s their website – https://www.cornerstoneunited.com/english/contact.html If you do need to take them to court, you can use Civil Resolution Tribunal for claims up to $5000 and their website is here – https://civilresolutionbc.ca/. I hope you will be able to solve this issue quickly!
Hi J, thank you for posting your question. Unfortunately warranties are not regulated in BC by any governmental body and Consumer Protection BC does not oversee this area either. So the only way to negotiate is to go back to the store and the manufacturer who issued the warranty originally. I’m sorry that we aren’t able to provide support on this issue.
good to know about Trail………… I am in the process of buying a new fridge……….. been looking at The Brick & Trail so far……….. brick has a lousy sales staff and Trail is overpriced……..not sure if this is ok, but can anyone out there recommend an HONEST appliance store in Surrey BC??????
anybody home?? was really trying to get an answer about my question above
before the sales end on Jan 3rd……………Am getting the run-a-round
Thanks
Hi Sandy, thanks for your message. It was my understanding that you were asking the public for a recommendation, that’s why I didn’t respond – my apologies for misunderstanding. Consumer Protection BC is not in a position to recommend one business over another, we also do not regulate or oversee this area so we try our best to offer tips for consumers on our blog. While I can’t make a business recommendation, I am happy to point you to one of our newer blog posts with some information on warranties if you’re interested: https://www.consumerprotectionbc.ca/2017/11/buying-new-appliance-consider-things-decide-warranty/. The blog post goes over some things to consider before deciding on a warranty for an appliance. I might suggest contacting several businesses and see what they are able to offer you with some of these tips in mind. I hope this helps and best of luck.
Good afternoon. I had purchased a Samsung Microwave less than 1 year ago and attempted to buy the extended warranty today (it is available within the first year normally).
Samsung advised that everywhere outside of BC it can be purchased within 12 months, but that there are BC Laws that limit this to within 30 days only here in BC.
Is this true ? I could not find any information to confirm this online.
Hi Jim, thank you for your question. Warranty is not something that BC’s consumer protection law covers, but the Sale of Goods Act mentions a little about it. As we do not oversee the Sale of Goods Act at our office, we wouldn’t be able to interpret the law for you but we may suggest looking through the ClickLaw website. They may have some information on warranties in BC. Here’s their website – https://www.clicklaw.bc.ca/. I hope you find the answer you are looking for!