Wrap Works
New Member
I am coming up on the end of the original 2 yr Warranty. Is the Extended Warranty really worth the cost? Have any of you Roland owners had anything major happen with in the first 4-5 years to justify the upfront cost?
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Extended Warranty, Worth it??
- Thread starter Wrap Works
- Start date
rjssigns
Active Member
IMO extended warranties are not worth it in most instances. Whenever I buy something and they push the extra warranty I counter with: "By offering this extended warranty you feel the equipment I bought is failure prone".(always fun to make them squirm)
It is a huge money maker plain and simple.
Our Roland has been great for 6 years. If I wouldn't have been an idiot and tried aftermarket inks the maintenance cost would have been negligible and mainly tied to consumables. (cap tops, dampers, cutting strips etc...)
It is a huge money maker plain and simple.
Our Roland has been great for 6 years. If I wouldn't have been an idiot and tried aftermarket inks the maintenance cost would have been negligible and mainly tied to consumables. (cap tops, dampers, cutting strips etc...)
Gino
Premium Subscriber
I tend to think not, unless you've had many problems so far, thus creating a bad history for your particular unit.
In the 7 or so years we've owned ours, we've managed to take quite good care of it and fixed many of the little problems ourselves. Parts wasn't all that much in cost. Having a tech here, that' we had to pay for... might've come to $2,000 or $2,500 in that same time span.
edit : Welcome from PA....................................... totally missed that opportunity !!
In the 7 or so years we've owned ours, we've managed to take quite good care of it and fixed many of the little problems ourselves. Parts wasn't all that much in cost. Having a tech here, that' we had to pay for... might've come to $2,000 or $2,500 in that same time span.
edit : Welcome from PA....................................... totally missed that opportunity !!
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bob
It's better to have two hands than one glove.
Do the math. These people are not offering you an extended warranty because they're good human beings and want you to be protected. Rather they offer them because they make money on them. A lot of money.
Since they make money on these warranties, it follows as the night unto the day that it's a statistical certainty that you will pay more for the policy than you would for any necessary maintenance covered by the policy.
Those selling extended warranties are fond of relating horror stories of people having their machines burn to the ground or collapsing into a pile of small parts. While these stories may be true, for each one of these people snatched from the jaws of disaster by their trusty extended warranty, there's thousands upon thousands of people, diligently paying their premiums, that never have occasion to make a claim.
To sum up: Only an innumerate idiot would buy an extended warranty. Or a lottery ticket.
Since they make money on these warranties, it follows as the night unto the day that it's a statistical certainty that you will pay more for the policy than you would for any necessary maintenance covered by the policy.
Those selling extended warranties are fond of relating horror stories of people having their machines burn to the ground or collapsing into a pile of small parts. While these stories may be true, for each one of these people snatched from the jaws of disaster by their trusty extended warranty, there's thousands upon thousands of people, diligently paying their premiums, that never have occasion to make a claim.
To sum up: Only an innumerate idiot would buy an extended warranty. Or a lottery ticket.
Guess it's like you said.... some slip through the jaws of disaster 
.
Techman
New Member
creative warranty usage..
before your warranty runs out.. Get creative,, Use it for training. Whenever the next minor challenge arises you call for warranty fix. When the tech shows up you pump for information. The techs are very good at passing along good tips. Then in the future you will have the knowledge to repair your printer yourself.
before your warranty runs out.. Get creative,, Use it for training. Whenever the next minor challenge arises you call for warranty fix. When the tech shows up you pump for information. The techs are very good at passing along good tips. Then in the future you will have the knowledge to repair your printer yourself.
MikePro
New Member
never been a fan of the extended warranties. whole lotta money I'd rather save towards a new machine in a few yrs.
warranty is currently running-out for my hp26500, and will most likely pass, BUT I do still have a free tech-visit c/o Advatage that I intend to use and verify everything is up-to-snuff!
warranty is currently running-out for my hp26500, and will most likely pass, BUT I do still have a free tech-visit c/o Advatage that I intend to use and verify everything is up-to-snuff!
phototec
New Member
Back in the day, when I bought a NEW 1990 Ford Explorer, I was talked into purchasing the 7 year 70,000 mile EXP extended warranty plan for that vehicle for an additional $895 plus for convenience it was added into my 3 year loan (so I actually paid interest on top of the $895).
Well guess what, I never needed it until one day the AC quite working, so I drove it down to the Ford dealer to be fixed, and the tech said I had 72,000 miles on the vehicle so I was NOT covered. The AC repair was going to cost $1,000, so I had to shell out the money and the extended warranty was just a waste in my case.
Since then, I have followed Suzy Orman's advice, and that is NOT to purchase any extended warranty's, she says that average home owner spends about $2000 a year if they purchase extended warranty's on everything in the home, like the refrigerator, washer and dryer, etc. She says it's better to put that $2k into a special sayings account, then whenever one of the major appliances breaks, use the money from that fund and fix or replace it, and if nothing breaks you could have $20K in the account in 10 years.
In may case both my washer/dryer and refrigerator are over 16 years old and still going, just think of the money I saved on the Sears extended warranty they tried to sell me. Yea, I have taken care of all the small repairs, had to replace the electric water valve on the frig, cost about $20, and then I had to replace the belt on the dryer and a thermo fuse inside the dryer that senses the temp, again parts about $20 each a few years ago.
So, NO I don't do any extended warranty's, My Roland is over 5 years old and still going strong.
Well guess what, I never needed it until one day the AC quite working, so I drove it down to the Ford dealer to be fixed, and the tech said I had 72,000 miles on the vehicle so I was NOT covered. The AC repair was going to cost $1,000, so I had to shell out the money and the extended warranty was just a waste in my case.
Since then, I have followed Suzy Orman's advice, and that is NOT to purchase any extended warranty's, she says that average home owner spends about $2000 a year if they purchase extended warranty's on everything in the home, like the refrigerator, washer and dryer, etc. She says it's better to put that $2k into a special sayings account, then whenever one of the major appliances breaks, use the money from that fund and fix or replace it, and if nothing breaks you could have $20K in the account in 10 years.
In may case both my washer/dryer and refrigerator are over 16 years old and still going, just think of the money I saved on the Sears extended warranty they tried to sell me. Yea, I have taken care of all the small repairs, had to replace the electric water valve on the frig, cost about $20, and then I had to replace the belt on the dryer and a thermo fuse inside the dryer that senses the temp, again parts about $20 each a few years ago.
So, NO I don't do any extended warranty's, My Roland is over 5 years old and still going strong.
phototec
New Member
It's my understanding that being down and loosing money has no direct bearing on having a extended warranty, only how you choose to pay for your service tech and repair parts.
Having an extended warranty is not dumb, however paying for future service and repairs up front is not always a smart way to invest you money either, what if your extended warranty is for two years, and you don't need major service until the third year?
It's like all the people who use to brag to me that they get several thousands of dollars back each year from the IRS, well that is NOT smart either, you let Uncle Sam use YOUR money all year and you don't get any interest from YOUR money.
When I tell my friends I usually have to pay the IRS, they say "oh too bad", and I tell them, "No, I had my money invested, making me more money", so I don't mind paying the IRS at the end of the year.
So the bottom line on extended warranties it's just how you PAY for the service and repair of your equipment, paying as you need it, when you need it or up front before you need it, and if you pay for it and don't use it, well then you have wasted your money upfront.
What I find is most times, major repairs often happen AFTER your extended warranty runs out, so I don't mind paying as I go and investing my money so it will grow instead of paying up front for an extended warranty.
As others have said, these companies don't offer extended warranties for your benefit, they do it because it makes them more money overall.
bob
It's better to have two hands than one glove.
A warranty prevents your machinery from failing in what way? The laws of perversity notwithstanding. If the failure rate is the same with or without a warranty, how does a warranty restore your gear to full functionality faster than calling the same people to come fix it and simply paying them?
Regardless of your situation, an extended warranty remains statistical silliness.
Wrap Works
New Member
Printer model is VS-540
Actually, I bought this machine from the original owner and the original warranty is up in May 2014, but is not transferable..so basically This has to be checked out by the tech and thorough tests and stuff printed then sent off to Roland. This machine was bought and used for 6 months, then sat for the last year (dec-dec) but before I bought it I required that a tech come out and service it under the original warranty. The tech replaced the print heads due to them being dried up. The closest tech is All Square or Tubelite, both in N.C. and I am in Charleston, SC. I have hooked up the printer and it prints beautifully. I also had thoughts of not getting the warranty and saving the $$ that I would of used for the ":just in case of" service call or part. Also, do you think it is worth the cost of training by the tech?? All Square will do it for $650..I have been using Rolands for the past 6-8 years while employed by other sign shops and know the machine and rip software...would the training show me something worthwile or any hidden secrets ???
Revised thoughts?
Actually, I bought this machine from the original owner and the original warranty is up in May 2014, but is not transferable..so basically This has to be checked out by the tech and thorough tests and stuff printed then sent off to Roland. This machine was bought and used for 6 months, then sat for the last year (dec-dec) but before I bought it I required that a tech come out and service it under the original warranty. The tech replaced the print heads due to them being dried up. The closest tech is All Square or Tubelite, both in N.C. and I am in Charleston, SC. I have hooked up the printer and it prints beautifully. I also had thoughts of not getting the warranty and saving the $$ that I would of used for the ":just in case of" service call or part. Also, do you think it is worth the cost of training by the tech?? All Square will do it for $650..I have been using Rolands for the past 6-8 years while employed by other sign shops and know the machine and rip software...would the training show me something worthwile or any hidden secrets ???
Revised thoughts?