Ed Stoffel

There's just something wrong with having to buy an extended warranty. Shouldn't products be made to last in the first place? But the reality is, things aren't always made to last. Ever since watching the movie Tucker, A Man And His Dream, I've suspected that product life is a calculated decision by manufacturers. It could also be we have higher expectations than folks used to. We don't want to be inconvenienced in the least. When I buy appliances and electronics, I've tended to avoid buying service contracts. My policy has been that if it proves to be bad, I'll never buy that brand again. I'm running out of brands.

We're buying a number of appliances for our new home, and we've stumbled upon a decent offer. Spichers of Winchester VA offers reasonably priced service contracts for a period of 5-years. If, at the end of a service contract, you haven't made any service calls on that contract, the store will offer the cost of the contract back as a store credit. I've never heard of a store doing that. Considering that the store sells appliances and electronics, I can even think of some fun ways to spend the credits... if any of the appliances really last for 5 years without the need for service.