Extended Warranty: Harvey Norman Vs The Good Guys

Mugsy on 18/06/2024 - 08:44

Wife and I are looking at getting a Haier french door fridge (it's pretty much the only french door fridge that meets our needs in stock).

Comes with 2yrs overall warranty and 10yrs on the compressor. I'm considering extended warranty. I can either buy from HN or TGGs… for roughly the same price.

Which one would you recommend as far as extended warranty goes?

(FWIW, I've had a past fridge and dishwasher fail outside of warranty and the extended warranty covered the repairs… can't remember who I bought those appliances from but extended warranty is definitely something I wouldn't be going without for white goods).

Many thanks in advance.

Electrical & Electronics

Related Stores

Harvey Norman
Harvey Norman
The Good Guys
The Good Guys

Comments

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 18/06/2024 - 08:51
    +10

    in b4 someone says just enact acl rights

    if you're asking for votes for either one - i usually go with good guys because f gerry.

    • Mugsy on 18/06/2024 - 09:12

      Silly question… if the fridge leaked 4-5yrs after purchase, how does ACL rights work?

      I'm assuming I'd have to pay the manufacturer's repair service for the repair since it's no longer under warranty.

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 18/06/2024 - 09:53
        +2

        the answer is, it depends - the line is not black and white and depends on things like the value of the product - and even then there are a whole bunch of gotcha's they could use to get out of it.

        you also get companies who will just outright deny you even if its a few months out of warranty… like what are you gonna do about it right?

        but there are many here who will fight tooth and nail to get it over the line with acl rights.

        • Chandler on 18/06/2024 - 10:21
          +6

          That's how I view extended warranty - you're paying for the convenience of not having to argue for your ACL rights.

          It's wrong, but it is what it is…

          • Jimothy Wongingtons on 18/06/2024 - 10:22
            +1

            @Chandler: Nah it is exactly that.
            I’m getting too old to stuff around with it. All my decently expensive white goods has the extended warranty but it’s been some years since I’ve had to buy any… touch wood

            Used to have a contact with tgg who would give me the extended warranty at steep discount. Similar with Harvey Norman too. At least tgg use to give out concierge credits of $20 a pop. Used to sell them on classifieds here at $10, which pretty much totally offset all my cost of warranty.

        • Mugsy on 18/06/2024 - 10:32

          I see.

          I'm thinking I'll just pay for the extended warranty and make my life easier by letting someone else fight for me (or find another solution for me).

          I've spent the past 8yrs dealing with defects and the QLD building legislation across two townhouse complexes and am quite exhausted (I already walked away from the first complex with a chronic illness). And depending on what defects the new house might have, I could have to do it all over again.

          The last thing I want is to fight tooth and nail to get a $1700 fridge fixed when I may not have that time, and if I did, it would be better spent doing something better for my health.

          • tonester on 18/06/2024 - 13:15
            -1

            @Mugsy: can you pay with a credit card that gives extended warranty?

            • Mugsy on 18/06/2024 - 13:38

              @tonester: Not an option unfortunately. The current credit card I have is one I'm churning and won't be holding due to the annual fee.

              In a few months, I'll be getting a Bendigo Ready credit card to keep as my ongoing CC to use and with that, I'll be able to get a complimentary extended warranty that will double the manufacturer's warranty up to a maximum of 2yrs extended warranty. So hopefully the matter of buying extended warranty will be a thing of the past.

          • Edeena on 18/06/2024 - 13:57
            +1

            @Mugsy: My Samsung fridge had extended warranty from TGG but it was hard to actually use it. I used it once due to my ice maker issue, the claim went to TGG then TGG passed it onto the third party insurance provider. From there, I had to call the third party myself, explained the issue again and emailed them the tax invoice. After that, the only thing the third party did was passing my claim to Samsung. Samsung then called me saying they received a warranty claim under ACL for my fridge and I had to explain my issue again… Honestly, it was such a hassle. I went through hoops with the extended warranty, could have shorten the process claiming myself.

            Last year I had the same ice maker issue, decided to not use the extended warranty and contacted Samsung directly claiming under ACL. This time it was quick, I didn't need to keep explaining my issue. Once Samsung lodged my claim, the appliance repair people called to confirm appointment. They replaced the ice maker in that appointment as well. Didn't cost me anything and it was a much better experience.

            Your life might not be easier going through extended warranty. Many third party providers are making use of ACL now so they will direct your claim to manufacturer as an ACL claim. I don't buy extended warranty anymore, if it's going to be fixed under ACL anyway, I'd rather save the money and claim myself.

            Also TGG did not always send out the $20 credit as promised, I got sent just a few throughout the 5 years. Most credits expired very soon, just a few days after receiving.

            • Mugsy on 18/06/2024 - 15:03

              @Edeena: Thank you for sharing that Edeena. That's a very detailed account of your experience. That's a shame that the experience was so frustrating.

              The one extended warranty claim I made by myself was no where near this frustrating (though it was many years ago… was the fridge I had before my current one of 15yrs). And the dishwasher claim on my old rental property was done by my property manager so I don't know how frustrating that was.

              Unfortunately, I've made the purchase already (through Hardly Normal) so I'll live with having spent extra money.

              If you don't mind me asking, did you just have to contact Samsung and advise them that you're making a claim under ACL and they walk you through the process? This is definitely something I need to get my head around if I'm to stop using extended warranty.

              I'd be interested to know how many years of warranty different appliances are covered by under ACL. Another thing to do research into in the future… right now I'm just wanting to be prepared for handover of my house. All the checks that needs to be done will be a headache in itself.

              • Edeena on 18/06/2024 - 16:35
                +1

                @Mugsy: My sister had claimed HN extended warranty before for her fridge. HN extended warranty was more straight forward, less hoops than TGG.

                Claiming ACL was pretty easy, I contacted Samsung via online chat. They lodged the claim and told me to wait for the repairer to call to confirm appointment time. Just tell them you have an expensive fridge worth $$$ and it should last for a reasonable amount of time (at least 5 years+) under ACL. Need to have your fridge serial number picture and tax invoice.

                I also had another ACL claim with my LG fridge last year (I have 2 fridges at home). LG process was similar, contacted LG online chat, asked to claim ACL, gave them serial number and tax invoice. You can refer to the consumer guarantees in ACL if the rep is trying to tell you it's out of manufacturer's warranty blah blah. At this point they know you know about the ACL and will proceed to lodge warranty claim. Repairer called the next day to confirm appointment. Fridge was assessed, needed to replace motherboard. The technician ordered the part and came back in second appointment a few days later to replace the board. No cost involved, all free.

                About the length, you can usually buy extended warranty to cover your appliances up to 5 years (including 2 years manufacturer's warranty), so ACL would cover at least 5 years. It depends on the cost of your appliances too, a $3000 appliance would definitely go beyond 5 years under ACL.

  • geekcohen on 18/06/2024 - 09:01
    +1

    I've used TGG on my Dryer and ended up getting a new dryer. Whilst it took 6 weeks for assessment etc, I got a new dryer (got credit and then had to put in a little bit more), but was well worth it. I got the warranty again on the new one.

  • boomramada on 18/06/2024 - 09:11
    +1

    Since Ozb doesn't like HN, my comment on them is that I had an extended warranty for the microwave, and had a minor issue with the display, HN gave credit towards a new one and then reduced the new item to match with the credit.

  • seanfoite on 18/06/2024 - 09:33
    +1

    Extended warranties are generally covered by a third party and not the retailer themselves. So probably doesn't really matter.

    Extended warranty is a pretty simple calculation. if the fridge is $2k and the warranty is $200, do you really think there is a 1 in 10 chance that it is going to fail outside of manufacturer warranty and the store/manufacturer would refuse to fix under the ACL?

  • Sterio on 18/06/2024 - 10:35
    +4

    Absolute waste of money.

  • Drakesy on 18/06/2024 - 10:39
    +5

    Both a very efficient way of transferring your money into the salesperson's kid's college fund.

    Both are worth absolutely zero.

    • Jimothy Wongingtons on 18/06/2024 - 12:10

      salesperson's kid's college fund.

      salesperson on like 45k: bro im lucky if i can even pay off my own hecs

  • JIMB0 on 18/06/2024 - 12:09
    +2

    Spend the extra money on a better brand rather than an extended warranty. Mitsubishi is good. Check different stores if you can't find stock.

    • Mugsy on 18/06/2024 - 12:52

      I looked at the Mitsubishi as they are some of the few who do the odd full length vegetable draw for a french door fridge. But their dimensions either didn't fit the fridge space or left too big a gap (which the wife wants to avoid), or the design of the shelving and draws wasn't to our requirements.

      Panasonic's design met our needs better but there's none in stock atm.

      In the meantime, the Mrs wants a new fridge to replace my 15yo LG fridge.

      So my thoughts atm is to get the Haier but I will keep an eye on fridge designs over the years… hopefully get a Panasonic or Mitsubishi with the right dimensions and shelving design when the models refresh.

      HN offered $1600 so will probably get the sale.

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