More Consumers Say No to Retailer Warranties

From PC Magazine…

“According to retail analysts The NPD Group, more and more American consumers are opting to buy their warranties directly from the manufacturer, or from a third party.

However, the choices did vary. PC owners chose to do it themselves, as 52 percent of consumers surveyed said they bought their PC warranty either from the manufacturer or a third party, with 27 percent buying from a big-box retailer.

However, the big-box retailers also convinced a growing number of PC consumers to buy an extended warranty, covering additional years or levels of support. In general, PC OEMs either did not offer an extended warranty or were simply outsold by the big-box retailers, as manufacturers only captured between 7 and 8 percent of the PC extended-warranty market.

Independent installers convinced more consumers to buy a warranty for home theater installations, or 26 percent. But when it came to flat-panel TVs, the big-box retailers owned the secondary warranty business, NPD found.

Fifty-two percent of consumers who said they purchased installation services for their desktop computer in the past year did so from either an independent installer or directly from the manufacturer. Only 27 percent purchased installation services from big box retailers.”