Archived Copies of Warranty Week

December 2002 to Today

ServiceBench Signs Cross Country: While the appliance service contract and home warranty businesses have remained separate and distinct, the products they protect are frequently the same. Now, the crossover between the two is increasing, with home warranty companies linking to the network used by many service contract administrators, and retailers selling home warranties in their stores.
February 8, 2018
Apple's Warranties & Service Contracts: Although it is one of the world's largest warranty providers and extended warranty administrators, both programs used to be even larger. Using figures from Apple's just-published annual report, we estimate the size of each.
November 9, 2017
The A-Team of Extended Warranties: Ten companies, whose names all begin with the letter A, control at least 57% of the $40 billion U.S.-based and consumer-facing service contract industry. Most are administrators and/or underwriters of the protection plans, but a few are electronics manufacturers and/or retailers.
September 21, 2017
Service Contract Pricing: Washer/Dryers: While it costs a little more to protect washers than dryers, on a proportional basis it also costs less to protect expensive washers and dryers than low-priced units. And while none of the top appliance vendors want to sell one-year service contracts, plenty of retailers and administrators are willing to protect washers and dryers for five or even 10 years.
January 12, 2017
Service Contract Pricing: Electronics: Though the overall average is 17%, there's a wide range of pricing variation based on the duration of coverage and the inclusion of accidental damage coverage. And then there are retailers and administrators that price high because they can. A simple shopping survey of product and protection plan prices reveals the difference.
December 8, 2016
Service Contract Pricing: Printers: Despite the well-known risks of printers breaking down through normal wear and tear, some administrators and retailers are willing to sell service contracts for them that last four or even five years. Prices vary widely, and some even cover accidental damage.
November 3, 2016
Harnessing Big Data: As more "big data" sources become available, extended warranty administrators can expand from break/fix into highly customized offerings, preventative maintenance and product monitoring services. But first they will have to decide what data is both meaningful and reliable.
February 12, 2015
PCMI's Extended Warranty Management System: Service contract administrators and underwriters need software that helps them manage both claims and revenue. And increasingly, they need multilingual and multiple-currency systems that can travel with them as they expand internationally.
September 5, 2013
Warranty Software Report: IDC Manufacturing Insights has documented the spectrum of claims processing tools available to warranty providers and extended warranty administrators. And like it did in March with its warranty analytics vendor assessment, the crew once again looked at each company's current capabilities, target customers, industries served, and future strategies.
July 26, 2012
WCM Conference, Part Three: The future of the consumer electronics industry was the subject of a panel discussion that brought together retailers, manufacturers, repair service providers, insurance underwriters and extended service contract administrators to talk about everything from OnStar to iPhone.
March 24, 2011
Vehicle Service Contract Administrators: As we conclude our VSC industry tour, we take a look at the financial strength ratings of the underwriters, the end user revenue of the administrators, and the myriad of links they have with each other, with auto dealers, and with the vehicle manufacturers.
September 9, 2010
Vehicle Service Contract Underwriters, Part 2: Numerous corrections need to be made, and multiple explanations need to be given, before we can move on to the final phase: Tracking the administrators. And it's becoming obvious that the reason there's so little market research on the VSC industry may be because there's so many moving parts to consider.
September 2, 2010
OEM Warranty & VSCs, Part 2: As we continue our tour of the vehicle service contract industry, we find that some of the cars the contracts cover are being made better than before. Still, it's increasingly the fortunes of third party administrators and underwriters that will be most directly affected by the reduced need for VSCs.
August 19, 2010
INDS Signs with Virginia Surety: One of the largest vehicle service contract administrators has selected one of the largest service contract underwriters to help it diversify and expand.
July 29, 2010
Warranty Service Providers: It's all mixed up. Retailers are selling products under their own brand names and manufacturers are selling their own service contracts. Bankruptcies have exposed how precarious product warranties can be, while insurance has demonstrated how extended warranties can survive even a liquidation. Perhaps it's time for OEMs to think about partnering with administrators and insurance companies?
June 4, 2009
Flat Rate Extended Warranties: For shoppers, the choice at the cash register is to say yes or no. The competition is between administrators vying for exclusive contracts with the retailers. But now there's a new choice, for consumers to go home and buy their extended warranties over the Internet.
August 7, 2008
Green Warranties, Part Three: To help the environment, extended warranty administrators are stepping up to offer customers gift cards in return for their waste computers and cameras and more energy-efficient replacements for their unrepairable home appliances.
May 30, 2008
Extended Warranty Association: A new trade group aimed at vehicle service contract administrators plans to focus on certifying inspectors and other business issues, leaving the lobbying and legal efforts to others. But is that enough to attract the big industry players?
February 22, 2006
Warranty Conference,
Part Seven: Warranty fraud is a big problem for both manufacturers and warranty administrators. What's surprising is how deliberate and organized their schemes have become.
April 19, 2005
Warranty Conference,
Part Six: Warranty fraud is a big problem for vehicle service contract administrators. But surprisingly, the biggest culprits are usually the mechanics and repair shops, not the consumers.
April 12, 2005
Extended Warranty Administrators: While auto and PC manufacturers have the top spots, insurance companies and third party administrators grab the bulk of the pie.
January 19, 2005