An Oral Guarantee is Worth....

'Oral contracts are not worth the paper they are written on.'

Caveat emptor!

I have a couple of warranty stories to share. First, when my wife and I finally broke down and bought a Sears riding mower (Craftsman lawn tractor), I asked the salesman about the extended warranty he offered to us. We both remember the salesman saying that once a year, a technician would come to the house, check the machine over, replace necessary parts, and be sure it was ready to go for the new season. We really are not stupid people, and we both remember what was said. I am no mechanic, so those words were beautiful music to my ears.

Following the first successful year (no problems or breakdowns, we endured the winter, and when spring came, we called for a maintenance appointment. Yes, you know what's coming. "Oh, no, you must have misunderstood. We don't do that." Arrrgh! Yes, I should have known better and read the warranty before the purchase, but I don't believe there was one available in the store. That was lesson one.

Lesson two came with the purchase of my daughter's Apple computer (Mac). We all headed south to Salem, the only official listed Apple store in New Hampshire. Yes, we bought the extended warranty as I was advised that Apple repairs can be expensive (that was a surprise - Apple? Expensive? Hah! Surely you jest.... [and don't call me Shirley]) I remember asking our personal consultant (salesperson) about the warranty; he told us everything (yes, everything) would be covered. If you know me, you would know I asked one more question: I said, "I mean, I wouldn't do it, of course, but suppose the day before the warranty expired I put the computer on the driveway and drive over it. Would that be covered?" Again, the reply was "Of course; everything is covered." (He knew he had a live one.)

Some months later, the screen broke when the machine was bumped or dropped. When I took the computer to the local "authorized reseller")he noted there was no sign of trauma on the outside of the machine and a replacement might be covered. He sent it off to Apple, and, yes, you know what's coming. "No, it's not covered." So for the price I could buy a brand new PC laptop with great numbers, we replaced the screen for $775 because my daughter loves her Apple Mac.

Since then, a key cover popped off. With times the way they are, she's using her Mac without it (I am not sure I qualify for a loan anymore).

(By the way, my daughter has run out of storage space in her computer [we had even bought her extra memory]. It's too bad Apple doesn't make an external hard drive. Now I have to get one at Wal-Mart. I doubt I'll need a loan for that.)

Before you buy anything, read the warranty for yourself. Don't believe what you are told! It's been an expensive lesson for me!