[andrew6800]

Q2. In Canada, would Futureshop 2Y extended warranty covers the screen issue? Let's says, the screen breaks after 3 months and there is no physical abuse. Or would it be better to buy it from Chapters?

I wonder about this too. I figured the FS warranty ($40, i.e. $20/yr) must cover stuff not covered by the manufacturer, especially since the 2yr starts on purchase, right?

As far as I can tell, it only covers failure due to manufacture defects, or a power spike.

General Exclusions: The following are not covered in respect of the Services (Part 2) and Benefits (Part 3) provided by this Plan:

replacement necessitated by any causes other than normal usage and operation of the product in accordance with the manufacturer’s guidelines, including, but not limited to, theft, exposure to weather, moisture and other environmental conditions, negligence, accidental or intentional physical damage, misuse, abuse, unauthorized repairs, improper installation, transportation damage (except damage incurred by authorized shipment of product(s) to and from an authorized service), improper equipment modifications, vandalism, spilled liquids, burned phosphor (including image ghosting), pixel burnout not in accordance with the manufacturer’s guidelines, computer viruses, software generated problems or acts of nature or any other peril originating from outside of the product;

so for the first year, coverage is identical to manufacturer warranty (except power spike) and in fact at one point they say they'll direct you to the manufacturer [then later say you can use them instead], so really it's $40 for that 2nd year? I don't normally invest in "Protection Plans" but these seems particularly chintzy. Maybe I've just never read them before.

Is there anything in Canada analogous to SquareTrade extended warranties? For $50/2yr or $66/3yr, they claim to cover everything including drops, stepping on, spills, etc. I assume their coverage starts on day of purchase too, but at least they're giving you something extra. (Originally I typed $30/2yr or $45/3yr but that was for $100-$149.99 which wouldn't cover the Aura HD).

Costco has ExcellencePlus but only on goods purchased at Costco. Asurion (which does the Costco product) shows promise (office in NB) but everything is geared to covering mobile phones. If there's no decent vendor of extended warranties that include accidental damage (as EP does, for Costco-purchased notebooks and tablets), I'd almost be tempted to buy in the US, pay less tax, sign up for ST, and take the hit on inconvenience.

Thanks!
=aw