What is everybody's thoughts on purchasing extended warranties on their HP's? The pricing structure is a little goofy...pay more now for 2 years then when that is up you pay less to extend it for another year, or pay less now for a year then when that is up you pay more to extend it for another year. Neither of the plans cover consumables like inks and printheads. When I got the L360 in February there was definitely a learning curve and ended up breaking something and that warranty was huge for the tech to come out and not to have to pay for the parts and labor. But, I'm curious how much an HP tech and parts cost in reality if/when you need them and you don't have the warranty? Do I leave that $3,799 for extending it for 2 years in the bank and gamble/cross my fingers nothing breaks then just pay for HP tech and parts if/when something (hopefully doesn't) break? I mentioned in a previous post I'm not much of a gambling man and always lose when I go to Vegas, so I'm leaning towards the extended warranty for the peace of mind. lol
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Warranty is almost up on L360. Should I purchase extended warranty?
- Thread starter JERHEMI
- Start date
Ditchmiester
New Member
On our L210 and L26500 we have a month to month warranty program from HP. I think we pay 250 per printer per month. But when we decide to upgrade to L360's some time next year then we will just cancel this monthly fee and not be out any money. We have probably used it 7-8 times in the last 2 years we've been doing the warranties (2 years on the L26500 and 1 year on the L210) it has been nice to know you are guaranteed next business day service from a tech should anything go wrong and with all of the plastic on these printers. It tends to go wrong. Just my .02.
After my L26500 warranty was over, I took an insurance for breakdowns, 500euros/year and 500e/breakdown.
The next day i took that, my embroidery machines motherboard burned. I saved 2800 instantly (costed 3300euros)
Few months later, L26500 scan motor ****ed up.
At least here in Finland, insurance is WAY cheaper than HPs extended warranty or service programs.
In that first years warranty period, hp broke down 4 times, so I knew i needed some kind of insurance.
edit: and that insurance is for ALL of my machines, not just for one (2x summa cutters, hp, CWT , 2 x heat presses, embroidery machines...)
The next day i took that, my embroidery machines motherboard burned. I saved 2800 instantly (costed 3300euros)
Few months later, L26500 scan motor ****ed up.
At least here in Finland, insurance is WAY cheaper than HPs extended warranty or service programs.
In that first years warranty period, hp broke down 4 times, so I knew i needed some kind of insurance.
edit: and that insurance is for ALL of my machines, not just for one (2x summa cutters, hp, CWT , 2 x heat presses, embroidery machines...)
bob
It's better to have two hands than one glove.
Horror stories telling of how an extended warranty save someone's butt and perhaps kept the planet from spiraling off into the sun notwithstanding, an extended warranty is never, as in ever, a good deal. These sorts of warranties are simply bets that the tackle being warranted will not experience as much violence as the cost of the warranty. They are offered for one and only one reason; they make an incredible amount of money for the agency that issues them.
That being the case and ignoring the odd miracle tale, the inexorable laws of probability dictate that you are better off paying out of pocket for any maintenance than you are buying an extended warranty.
Much like a lottery [which is simply a tax on the stupid and the innumerate], for every winner there exists a legion of losers. This holds just as true for extended warranties.
That being the case and ignoring the odd miracle tale, the inexorable laws of probability dictate that you are better off paying out of pocket for any maintenance than you are buying an extended warranty.
Much like a lottery [which is simply a tax on the stupid and the innumerate], for every winner there exists a legion of losers. This holds just as true for extended warranties.
Johnny Best
Active Member
Ok, so for those who opt out of extending your warranties...when you have a question about something who do you contact? Yes, the help on Signs101 is wonderful, but the people on here don't have all the answers and/or have the answers at exact time you need them. When something breaks in the middle of the job and your customers are expecting their items asap what do you do? Do you know how to disassemble your printer, remove the broken part, install the new part, reassemble the printer? Better yet, what phone number are you calling to get replacement parts? How do you find the time to do all this when you're busy running the rest of the business and trying to figure out the best excuse/apology to tell your customer(s) why they aren't getting their order and have no clue what to tell them when they ask when they will get it because you don't know who is going to fix your printer and where you're going to get parts from?
I was running a Mimaki JV-3 prior to getting the L360 and I never went with the extended warranty. However, the original Tech that came out and installed I ended up becoming buddies with and he gave me his personal contact info. Anything that I needed I would call him and he would come out and fix it at a hefty hourly charge plus parts. Did that for 8 years or so I think. This guy though hasn't been a Tech though for like 5 years or so and went to work for a sign company, so he knows nothing about these new HP latex printers.
I was running a Mimaki JV-3 prior to getting the L360 and I never went with the extended warranty. However, the original Tech that came out and installed I ended up becoming buddies with and he gave me his personal contact info. Anything that I needed I would call him and he would come out and fix it at a hefty hourly charge plus parts. Did that for 8 years or so I think. This guy though hasn't been a Tech though for like 5 years or so and went to work for a sign company, so he knows nothing about these new HP latex printers.
rjssigns
Active Member
Interesting thread.
What I learned from it:
I won't be buying anything HP if I have to spend 2 grand plus a year just to keep it running. Or to have piece of mind on the off chance something goes awry.
Cost of business? Sounds more like a poorly designed/built piece of equipment.
For that kind of coin I'd lease and get new every two years.
What I learned from it:
I won't be buying anything HP if I have to spend 2 grand plus a year just to keep it running. Or to have piece of mind on the off chance something goes awry.
Cost of business? Sounds more like a poorly designed/built piece of equipment.
For that kind of coin I'd lease and get new every two years.
bob
It's better to have two hands than one glove.
What number would you call for service if you had an extended warranty? Try that one. You pay out of pocket the same people that come scurrying to you for service under a warranty. If someone is selling you a warranty for $X then the odds are way in your favor that you're not going to be out of pocket $X over the same period as that warranty.
P Wagner
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In the plotter/ large-format printer world, industry norms across most every brand are as follows:
Take the list price of the printer, and divide it by 10. That is the price of the annual warranty extension +/- 10 percent. This rule of thumb has been the case for decades, and works on Roland, Epson, Mimaki, Mutoh, and HP among many others. Actually, HP Carepack warranty extensions are priced is at the low end, as the list price on the Latex 360 is $24,995. Also, note that resellers are free to price their extended warranties differently than the manufacturer.