How to Choose a Protection Plan

Buying an electronic item for personal use, be it a smartphone or television is always a high-

involvement purchase. We spend enough time researching about where to buy from, it’s current

market value, all about its features and also compare it with other devices in the same price

range before we finally buy it. Gadgets and appliances are designed to run smoothly for the

longest time possible, however, you never know when it might just break down, or worse, get

damaged. If that happens, you have no choice but to run around looking for service centers and

if the manufacturer’s warranty has expired, you need to be prepared to spend enough on

repairs.

What is a Protection Plan?

When you buy an electronic device or appliance, the manufacturer usually provides a warranty

for a stipulated time period, which in most cases is a year. The warranty usually covers common

malfunctions and defects for the period of the coverage. For e.g. if your phone develops a

display issue, this could be a manufacturing defect and the brand will service it. However, you’ll

have to pay for repairs if anything goes wrong after the manufacturer’s warranty expires. Also, if

you accidentally break your device, it will not be covered and you’ll have to pay for the damage.

There are different types of protection plans and these cover different types of problems beyond

the scope of the manufacturer’s warranty. The most common types of plans are extended

warranties and damage protection plans. These services provide assistance in the event of an

electronic malfunction and any physical damage.

Not sure about which plan is best suitable for you? Choose a plan depending on your usage

habits. For e.g. if you are not too careful with your smartphone or have an infant at home, a

damage protection plan is the best for you. The plan not only makes your life easy but also

translates to greater savings in the long run and is a sure-fire way to ensure longer life for your

appliances and gadgets. Let’s say your TV costs between Rs. 18,000 to Rs. 26,000. You also

get a one year manufacturer’s warranty with it. But what if after that one year warranty period,

your TV starts showing signs of malfunctions like, blue dots on the display or no display at all,

etc? To fix the display, you will need to shell out over Rs. 20,000 or may be more. But that is

only if you do not have a protection plan for your TV. With an extended warranty, you would

have spent around Rs. 1,600 at most for one year, but this would have taken care of the display

problem without any hassle.

Service Benefits of Plans

Buying a device or appliance protection plan can help you save money when it comes to repairs

or maintenance of your devices and appliances. But besides the financial security, there are

other benefits a protection plan offers.

Check for these before you invest in one - Please note that protection plans don’t usually cover

malfunctions due to regular wear and tear, accessories like battery, charger, cables,

headphones, etc. problems due to software issues, data loss, or any modifications not

authorized by the manufacturer. You should read your plan’s terms and conditions carefully to

know what is included and excluded from your device protection plan so that you can make a

claim when you need to. Also, do check if the protection plan is available for the brand you’re

purchasing and if the services are available in your city.

How to Buy on Amazon

When you buy an electronic device or appliance on Amazon, you can buy a protection plan

along with it. On the product page, you will see an offer on the right-hand side for a protection

plan. All you need to do is, check the box to add it to your cart -

Go through the product description. Click ‘Add’ to add the protection plan to the cart and

proceed to checkout -

Protection plans are also available on Amazon as separate listings, and can be purchased

within a stipulated time period of purchase of the device or appliance. The time period differs

from provider to provider.