Archived Copies of Warranty Week

December 2002 to Today

B2B Service Contract Conference: Last year, a commercial service contract trade association was launched at the Nashville conference. This year, two half-day programs have been added to the main conference to delve into topics related to how commercial service contracts are priced, configured, and sold to businesses.
September 27, 2018
Service Contract Pricing: Microwaves: Built like electronics but sold like an appliance, the microwave oven is a hybrid of two different product categories. And with service contracts costing almost 19% of the product's price on average, it also has one of the highest average costs of protection. And there's a big difference in the cost of protection plans for units priced at the high or the low end of the market.
February 2, 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: Game Consoles: Though not all electronics retailers sell them, video game consoles are a major part of the service contract industry. And because the top three systems now on the market are similarly priced, the differences in the pricing of the service contracts offered alongside them become all the more obvious.
November 10, 2016
Service Contract Pricing: Blu-ray Disc Players: The price of the product varies tremendously among top retailers. And so does the price of the protection plans they pair with these units. Some plans are priced low because they don't start coverage until the manufacturer's warranty ends, and they don't cover accidental damage. But others vary for more mysterious reasons.
October 13, 2016
New Home Warranty Accruals: While the average homebuilder sets aside about one percent of revenue to cover warranty costs, the average new home is expected to cost around $2,500 over the life of its warranty. Luxury homes will cost more, but even some average-priced units have high warranty costs. It all depends on the builder.
December 18, 2014
Warranty Software: SigmaQuest debuts a new root cause analysis module that helps manufacturers reduce the scope of product recalls and cut warranty costs. It's also priced by the month and uses a Web interface to reduce the cost, time and effort needed to begin using it.
November 6, 2008
Camcorder Shopping: All the major brands except Canon give only 90-day warranties on labor, making extended warranties an attractive add-on. But there are numerous small brands that give the full year on both labor and parts. Meanwhile, extended warranties are priced low by some retailers, while a few try to get more for the protection plan than they do for the product it covers.
December 5, 2007