Warranties

[photo courtesy of Toshiba.com This is NOT the television brand that I'll be talking about in this post. I just like the picture on their screen and thought it would be a lovely image for this post.]

You just gotta LOVE warranties! And no, I'm not being sarcastic right now. I'm am so loving having a warranty on our television set! We were given a nice television for Christmas a few years ago (thanks Mom & Dad!) and they were extra generous by adding an additional warranty to the set. I never imagined we would need to use the warranty once let alone twice. Here's the story...

We enjoyed our new television for a few months and then the it just quit working. There was no picture, just lines running down the screen. We called Sears and had someone come out within a few days. In the meantime, we pulled our older set down from our bedroom and went back to life without hi-def. Sears came and took a look and said, "Well, it looks like you're going to get a new television!" We were pleasantly surprised to find out that our television wasn't being made anymore and so we got an UPGRADE. Oh, you gotta love upgrades!

Now, fast forward nearly two years later ~ Our television has been working great and we've had no complaints at all about it. That is, until last November. Gregg and I noticed we were getting shadows on the screen that ran right down the center during certain scenes of shows (usually overcast scenes). At first it was barely noticeable but it gradually got worse. I pulled out our fabulous warranty and called Sears. We had someone show up and look at our set. At first he had trouble seeing the shadows but once he noticed it he realized how bothersome it would be.

The Sears guy ordered a part and it took nearly two months for it to come in. Then a few days later, Sears guy shows up with another Sears guy ~ first Sears guy wanted his manager/boss (second Sears guy) to see what was happening with our television since it was the first time he had ever seen this happen. After showing Sears guy #2 the shadows (which was much easier to see by this time) they opened up the television to put the new part in only to discover that the part was the wrong size (oh brother). The Sears guys called their office and discovered that our television's company doesn't make a replacement part for what is going on with our set. So, guess what that means folks. Yup, that's right. We're getting a new television!!! Another one. As in, this will be our third television in three years!!!

We're going to Sears tomorrow to look at what they have in the store. But, after looking online, we've determined that we'll be going with a different brand for our new television. And, we'll be getting another warranty (if I can't get our current one renewed since we still have a year left on it). I love having warranties! They cost money, of course, but they save you money when things like this happen. It would have cost us over $200 alone just to have the Sears guys come look at our television! We didn't have to pay for the repair guys to come and we're not having to pay for a new television. Warranties are a lovely, lovely thing and I've learned through all of this that they are a necessity when buying expensive things.