Dell Display Warranties...

I have a great story for you all, and one with a happy ending to boot. A little over two years ago I was working on a contract, and while on that contract a great deal came up on a Dell 2405FP display. I made a commitment and dropped the cash to get one. I also purchased the Dell extended replacement warranty. Buying extended warranties for expensive goods is something I generally tend to do, if I can afford it (not that the Dell 2405FP was overpriced or anything). Anyways, back to the story. I have used the monitor for just over two years and had no problems. Suddenly on the evening of the 29th December, the damn thing blew on me. Literally something in the back of the display went "Bang!" followed by a puff of blue smoke.

Talk about annoyed. I looked at the display and tried to troubleshoot the problem. I then got more annoyed and popped out to have a couple of drinks with some mates, while resolving to deal with the issue the next day. In the morning I got through easily to Dell customer support and had several trouble shooting conversations at the end of which (after giving them all my purchase details), I was told I was covered by the extended warranty, which, by the way, I'd forgotten all about.

Dell subsequently arranged for a service technician to pop by my location and exchange the display with another unit. Little did I know at the time that the warranty replacement was going to be the newer model. Sure enough the tech opened the box and out came a brand new Dell 2407FP. After hooking it up I was more than impressed. It's even better than the 2405FP in looks and vibrancy and a lot more besides.

Here lies the lesson. If you are going to spend money on any tech you value or intend to get good long-term use out of, do the smart thing and buy the extended warranty. It may well prove to be the best money you've spent. I certainly didn't want to spend another bunch of money on a display and my practice of spending money on extended warranties certainly paid off.