By: Tim Meenan, Service Contract Industry Council Executive Director and General Counsel Your recent article “Why you should avoid home warranties” does a great disservice to the countless satisfied consumers who have realized tremendous savings thanks to their home warranties,…
Deciding whether to buy an extended warranty for your vehicle can be difficult. It’s a gamble: Do you bite the bullet now and breathe a sigh of relief if and when your radiator blows? Or do you resist the salesman’s…
~ Service Contracts Protect Students Who Own Portable Electronics ~ TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Half of Americans now have a tablet computer or e-reader, with college students a significant part of this growing trend, according to a survey earlier this year…
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Houses covered by a protection plan sell faster and bring their owners a higher sales price than those without such a service contract, according to the findings of a recent industry study of home sale prices. The…
By Gregory Karp Do extended service contracts warrant your attention and your dollars? It's a question that comes up time and again. Seemingly whenever we buy anything of value, a salesperson suggests that we should buy an extended warranty, sometimes…
You're buying a new computer. As you pay, the salesperson asks if you want an extended warranty. The cashier may call it a protection plan, insurance or a service agreement. You're already making a large purchase. Should you pay even…
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – With much of the nation still digging out from extreme winter weather that brought battering snowstorms, treacherous ice and Arctic temperatures, cars have become more susceptible to the dangers of rusting undercarriages caused by snow, ice and…
It's the holiday shopping advice you hear every year at this time: Skip the extended warranties. Consumer advocates have repeated this mantra for decades. "They're basically a waste of money," said Anthony Giorgianni, an associate editor at Consumer Reports. "If you…
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Consumers are expected to spend $66.5 billion on electronics this holiday season and a record number will protect them with service contracts, given the high risk that portable electronics will be broken or damaged. “After spending a…
1. The dog ate my smart phone. In a recent survey of 1,000 parents, half said their kids had damaged a laptop, tablet or smart phone. Pets do their share of mischief, too. Plus, plenty of responsible adults drop a phone…