Best Buy Service Plan for 7D?

The advised cost of an extended service plan is 15%. $350 seems more.
BB did replace my 4-yr old 46" Toshiba RPHD-TV 1 month shy of the 4-yr old plan I got (for 20% of the cost...yes I know I said 15% but the service contract covered bulbs...)...I got a 50" Samsung DLP FREE...

....and so I got another 4-year plan, again because they'll replace a DLP bulb once for free during the plan's 4 years....and because the store made good on its plan...I've owned this TV for 2 years now so that's a total of 6 years for $1200 with 2 years to go...btw, I love the TV.

RLJSlick wrote in post #10885962
That's nuts! I use to work for Best Buy many years ago, and that is how they make their money, is by pushing those service plans. Most of it is junk but every once in a while the do pay off, but but very rarely.

Well, thats the point isn't it. They make their money based on the fact that the number of returned items is less then the number never returned.

Sounds suspiciously like insurance, huh?

Considering that BB (online) lists the price $150+ above what you get from other online stores, and you pay the tax, you may be better off buying from some other stores, and use the savings ($550+) to buy another camera in the unlikely event of you breaking it.

nemesis47 wrote in post #10886779
Considering that BB (online) lists the price $150+ above what you get from other online stores, and you pay the tax, you may be better off buying from some other stores, and use the savings ($550+) to buy another camera in the unlikely event of you breaking it.

If only I could get another 7D for the amount saved, according to you $550+

I got my 7D from BB, and I stole it at the price I paid. I had a coupon they mailed to me and used that. No sales tax because I purchased it in Delaware. I took the money I saved and paid for the plan. If it suffers accidental damage, they'll replace it on the spot if they have inventory. Total cost to me was less than the retail price of the package.

Yeah it's a huge money maker for them, now if everyone who bought something began having accidents, they're probably stop selling the plans.

If you are talking about "breaking" it, yes, it is a problem. You will end up paying the rest. If you are talking about genuine problems, you have a Canon warranty anyway for 1 year. What would be the price of a Canon 7D from Canon's Loyalty Program at that time (it is $1119 right now, and 50D is $719)?? That is IF you BREAK it after 1 year and it requires replacement. A repair will likely cost less. And how many people really BREAK their camera?

But then, you got a good deal, and you think the risk is worth the $350 you paid. That's what matters most

eagle359 wrote in post #10886555
If you were to see my F1n or my A2 you would know why I am even considering buying the service plan. I have NO experience with DSLR and have NO idea how fragile they may be. I figured a "get out of jail free" card (not free-but $350) may not be a all bad idea. I am open to other's ideas.


John

If it will give you peace of mind go for it. With regards to my personal exp. With bb accident ins. I sent my laptop a few months bef. It expire they said it was the bat. So they replaced the bat. After 3 months the motherboard died it was already out of warranty! Now I took my xti bec it accidentally fell.! I'm still waiting for an update.

guitarfish wrote in post #10886328
For years and years I've never purchased extended service plans/warranties on things like appliances & electronics. I have saved thousands and thousands of dollars. Every now and then something does break, and I pay to have it fixed, or buy something new. Even sill, I'm way ahead of the game, monetarily speaking.

Same here. Save your money and skip the plan. Better yet, save even more money by purchasing the 7D online from someplace like B&H Photo instead of at Worst Buy. Between the $349 you save by not purchasing the extended warranty and the $200 you will save on the camera, you already have a repair bill paid for if something does break after warranty.

nemesis47 wrote in post #10886779
Considering that BB (online) lists the price $150+ above what you get from other online stores, and you pay the tax, you may be better off buying from some other stores, and use the savings ($550+) to buy another camera in the unlikely event of you breaking it.

Must be different in the USA. I bought my 5D classic from Future Shop (=BestBuy canada) for $1100USD over the web. Can't say I lost on that deal. Last one I could find in Canada before they went out of stock.

nemesis47 wrote in post #10887476
If you are talking about "breaking" it, yes, it is a problem. You will end up paying the rest. If you are talking about genuine problems, you have a Canon warranty anyway for 1 year. What would be the price of a Canon 7D from Canon's Loyalty Program at that time (it is $1119 right now, and 50D is $719)?? That is IF you BREAK it after 1 year and it requires replacement. A repair will likely cost less. And how many people really BREAK their camera?

But then, you got a good deal, and you think the risk is worth the $350 you paid. That's what matters most

Most electronics last at least a year. A 1 year warranty is a laugh.

add it all up...fridge, washer, dryer, stove, furnace, laptop, camera, plasma TV, cell phone and all your other electronic goodies and insure them all or buy the 7D with the money you saved from not buying insurance.

I never buy extended policies because if something dies I buy another with the money I didn't use for insurance. I do have a policy for all my gear for fire and theft.

Just my 2cents.

I wouldn't buy an aftermarket insurance plan from a retailer for a Canon camera. For other appliances it might make sense, however a camera is a precision instrument and I wouldn't ever let anyone other than Canon service my equipment. If you need warranty work on your camera and you have one of these retailer type extended warranties, your camera will not go back to Canon. It will be sent to whomever the warranty company uses. The guy who fixes your camera won't have access to Canon training or resources. He might fix a computer one day, then a blu-ray player then next, and then your camera at some point. It just scares me to think that someone without canon specific training would work on my camera.

It is a personal decision no doubt! I am generally not "an extended warranty person" either. I did purchase one through Circuit City on my 20D (5 years with acidental damage for $200 and yes it is coverd after they went out of business) which has proven to be a reliable model. 9 days out of factory warranty the shutter went out and a couple of months later my flash mount was knocked lose by a man tripping in a stadium at a theme park and when he reached over to brace himself ( I was sitting ) he hit my flash.

Both times I had the camera out and back in 7 days. My 40D went back after I only had it for about a month with an AF problem (covered under factory warranty) and needed some parts.
It just depends on the person and the circumstances. For me it depends on the length of coverage and the cost.

Best Buy is another subject! In my experience their customer service is "hot and cold". I had a friend visiting from California and her Olympus DSLR went out while she was traveling and they replcaed it for her while she was here. A few years later while at home she had a very difficult time with them replacing or repairing a worn out camera that the sensor went on.

Frankly, I would shop Adorama.

Happy Shopping!

Trique Daddi

PUREBRAD wrote in post #10888557
I wouldn't buy an aftermarket insurance plan from a retailer for a Canon camera. For other appliances it might make sense, however a camera is a precision instrument and I wouldn't ever let anyone other than Canon service my equipment. If you need warranty work on your camera and you have one of these retailer type extended warranties, your camera will not go back to Canon. It will be sent to whomever the warranty company uses. The guy who fixes your camera won't have access to Canon training or resources. He might fix a computer one day, then a blu-ray player then next, and then your camera at some point. It just scares me to think that someone without canon specific training would work on my camera.

I don't think anyone is talking about having someone other than Canon work on your camera. The Future Shop (and I think Best Buy) policies are for replacement - not repair.

In some cases they have to replace with a newer model - which is what happened to me with a Garmin GPS.

When I bought my EOS 50D from Henry's, something went wrong withing the first 2 months. I had the service policy with them and they just handed me a new body rather than sending mine to Canon for repairs. Gotta like that. Worth every penny.

This may be off topic a bit but one of the reasons I like the store service plan in some cases is if the manufacturer want's you to return the product to them before they will replace it. So rather than shipping my blown up monitor to China I walked up to the Customer service desk and they gave me a new one.