[smallhagrid]

Time to post about something I learned 1st hand while the Cooler Reader firmware is percolating into the Mentor...

Handhelds of any sort take a beating - portables in general all do.
New tech products tend to be iffy in lots of ways too and one nightmare is when a person gets a wonderful new widget, and finds after most of a year when it fails that the MFG. warranty is rubbish because either the company has folded or been snarfed up by Big Corp, Inc. who no longer honours it.

Enter the extended warranty...and here is what I have learned - personally:

Kmart (the one I've used the most).
Having bought stuff at Kmart and gotten theirs, as long as it is registered online soon after purchase, if/when the thing fails it is a joy to use.
All it takes is one phone call and soon after a check appears as if by magic in the mail. Simple, easy, quick.
A great answer to 'iffy' tech purchases.

NewEgg (via their mysterious child company)...
Sucks.
Newegg itself is mostly great - but their extended warranty is pure h*ll to use and or collect on - and they seem to be 'replacement ONLY'.
1 - No contract EVER arrived - they take the funds, but to use the thing you MUST have the contract number, which they will NOT provide via phone.
2 - Contacting the warranty co. (with long hold times...) is a great way to spend some time finding out that you need to speak with Newegg 1st.
3 - Newegg says they'll email the contract. Then they don't.
4 - Calling back exposes how they 'suddenly' can provide the contract number via phone...it's a miracle !!!
5 - Trying to do the warranty online is a wash - the contract number is not recognized and you must call them...
6 - The next call seems to work - and they ask ALOT of questions trying to trip you up, then finally email you a UPS shipping label with the following instructions provided verbally ONLY:
-You must box up ALL cables/adapters/cords which belong to the unit.
-If any are attached you must cut them off.
-This is the proof they require - you dispose of the unit however you like.
7 - The UPS label arrives unprintable as a misnamed GIF file attachment and after fiddling around with it a while it can be more or less printed at the right size and readable enough to use.
8 - It then takes a week for it to reach their place.
9 - At some unspecified time after that it will be processed and they will arrange for a replacement to be sent - new or used, and with no further warranty coverage remaining as this ends your contract coverage.
WAY more work and time than I want to put into such a thing !
Also. the firm impression I get is that they really do anything/everything possible to prevent the buyer from having and/or using their warranty.
I will NOT use Newegg's add-on warranty again. Ever.

Square Trade.
Easy. Pleasant. Fast.
Buy a thing (REALLY EASY if it is bought via Ebay !) - go to their site - fill in a few details - get a warranty and a confirming email. That's all.
Claiming it is so easy as to be a pleasure.
Call, answer a few questions, specify either a Paypal or check disbursement - and you get it, pronto either momentarily via Paypal, or a check by mail.
No resistance, wasted time, or complications.

The ONE detail which is important is that the item MUST either come from Ebay and be in a category they cover, OR have a US-based warranty to begin with, no matter how short in duration.

The above is what stopped me COLD from getting my next e-reader via DealExtreme - no warranty - no deal !!!

However, here is what I did get...the Mentor from Newegg with an added Square Trade warranty - a $99 unit with a $20.99 warranty for 3 YEARS.
That is a real no-brainer if ever there was one and I highly recommend it.

There. Hope that all helps someone.

Now to see how the Mentor is doing...

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