Justin Taylor

One part of a home theater equipment transaction that salesman will try to get you on is the extended warranty. I'm sure you've experienced this.

The bottom line is that they are almost always a waste of money. I have purchased several extended warranties and never used any of them. It's basically free money for the big box retailers. Most equipment is reliable these days.  And if you ever do try to use your extended warranty, they will use the cheapest means possible to fix your problem, and only replace the equipment as an absolute last resort. Most of the time you're better off taking the money you would have used for the warranty and setting it aside for repairs/upgrades on your own time.

The only warranty that I've ever seen that was worth the money was from a company in the UK called 'Richer Sounds'. Their warranties are great value and definitely worthwhile.

The other thing about warranties is that the manufacturers guarantee their equipment free from defects. If you can trust yourself to take good care of your equipment, chances are very good that you'll never need to use an extended warranty. Be very, very careful of extended warranty plans, they are rarely worth it.

Finally, the most important rule of all, the rule you should always remember: The Customer Is Always Right. Always. Sometimes you need to remind the salesman of this rule. You are in charge of the sale. You're the one with the money! You choose what you want. This is especially important when purchasing audio equipment. Don't let someone else tell you what sounds good! You decide what sounds good, and you decide what you want to buy.

One last thing: there's a certain big box store where all the salesmen will tell you that they don't work on commission. This is only half true. While they don't get commission on individual sales, their bonus is based on how well their department does. It's still a commission, just in a roundabout way, which means they are just as motivated to sell, and even more motivated to up-sell (those in-house warranties are worth big bucks).

Never forget that the retail world is out to get you.  They want your money. Never let your guard down, and do your research before going to the store. Everybody loves a sucker. Do everything you can to make sure you aren't that sucker.