Square Trade, Good Deal

Have you ever noticed that every family seems to have that one go-to person for dealing with electronic or technical purchases? I’m not talking only about computers, but also cameras, stereo equipment, phones, even electric shavers and coffee brewers! Oh sure, just about anyone can pick up a toaster or can opener but for the more costly items, everyone turns to the family expert.

In my family, that would be me.

When I look around my house, I can’t find one electronic item that I did not buy. No matter what we need, I do the research on brands and models, I do the online and brick and mortar price comparison, and I make the final decision and purchase. In fact, after standing by silently as my husband bought our first television more than two decades ago, I gladly accepted the position of Electronic Purchasing Agent. Why? Well, because when purchasing that TV, my husband agreed to a product warranty that cost almost 50% of the price of the TV!

I know a number of people who always buy the extended warranty on a product without even thinking. I’ve tried to explain to them that the sales person at the store where they bought that new car stereo or vacuum cleaner or digital camera is going to get a nice bonus for talking them into buying the warranty. It doesn’t matter. They feel so much more secure knowing that if anything goes wrong, they’ll be covered.

But there’s a better way to be covered. Rather than making a split decision, right there at the cash register, why not think about it a little and if you need the warranty, buy it later, when you get home. Did you know you could do that? Well, with Square Trade you can do just that, and at a much lower price than any warranty you’ll be offered in a store.

Square Trade warranties are typically 10% – 15% of the purchase price, which can be as much as a 50% savings over store warranties. Square Trade covers new items for 3 years and all other items for 1 year. It doesn’t matter where you buy the item, online or in a regular store, you can purchase a warranty for anything you purchase. Whether it’s Wal-Mart, Circuit City, NewEgg or Dell, Square Trade offers a warranty for your purchase.

Perhaps one of the best features of Square Trade is the time factor. You have time to think about your purchase and whether you want a warranty or not. You can also go home and do a little calculating to determine a reasonable price for a 3 year warranty on a product you purchased. Square Trade offers consumers a competitive product at an excellent price; they know it’s to their advantage that the consumer take the time to crunch the numbers. Salespeople in stores want you to make a decision on the spot; thinking about it is definitely not to their advantage.

Square Trade isn’t a new company. They’ve been around since 1999 and are the largest warranty service on ebay. In fact, they’re the only company that offers warranties no matter where you shop. By purchasing all of your warranties from Square Trade, you can keep all of the pertinent information in one location, managing everything online. No more searching through papers for receipts and warranty information; Square Trade keeps everything centralized for easy access.

I realize that not everyone is as skeptical as I am when it comes to salespeople trying to sell me more than I want. We all like to save money, though, so think of Square Trade as a great way to save money. Because that’s exactly what it is.

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