Panasonic plasma tv died June 1 (or so). Called Panasonic and was told that it was a month past warranty date and I was SOL. Then remembered I purchased using AMEX card (whew, saved).

Called AMEX on June 4 and gave all information. They said to fax original invoice, proof paid with AMEX card, repair estimate and Panasonic warranty page. They show receipt of same on June 8. Website says all claims processed within two weeks.

Last week, got an email from them that they hadn’t received my documentation. I called and they said it was a computer error and that they had my papers. Then they dropped the bombshell: it would be 30-45 days to process!

I am a TV junkie. My wife and I are straining to watch Wimbleton on a 12″ crt. Even after I get the ok from AMEX, I still have to wait for the repair shop to order the part: add another week!

99% of legit extended warranty policies resolve claims in a week or less.

I will never depend on AMEX for my extended warranty again. The other programs they have, I love, but this one is awful and they should either get it right or drop it completely.

AH: Visa does not offer their Warranty Manager service on all cards. You need to check with your bank. Some banks also limit Visa Warranty Manager, prohibiting refurbs and/or computers. Again, check with your specific bank and card offering.

From my experience, AmEx Extended Warranty is superior to Visa Warranty Manager, but a good Visa card with full terms does close the gap. To be safe, I tend to buy all tech and refurb items on my AmEx where I know it’s safe.

In both cases, the extended warranty protection available is administered by the same organizations that do it for other BofA and Citi cards (i.e. their Visa and MasterCard-branded cards). So, while the Fidelity AmEx card is a great deal, understand that you’ll be dealing with the BofA’s warranty group, not American Express’s.

Now, the good part was I could choose my repair shop, the bad news was I still had to pay out of my pocket for the repair and then wait for the check.

Anyway, I had an accident, no one was hurt, not my fault, and Avis gave me another car immediately and after my trip I filled out a report with AMEX and that was that. Later I saw the bill for the repairs, but I never paid a cent.

This was about 5 years ago, I hope the coverage is just as good now.

thanks for the info on the postage.

Yep, I know about the Schwab, and, a few years ago, I wouldn’t have hesitated about opening a new account and getting another credit card. Now, however, I’m paring back all my accounts: closing lots of unnecessary ones I opened just for a slightly better rate, canceling credit cards I never use, etc. I’m sticking with Fidelity because I already have the majority of my investments there and I’m very happy with the service and the (recently reduced) trading fees.

The difference between the Fidelity and Schwab Visa cards is really only $75/yr, because after $15,000 in purchases, the Visa kicks up to 2%. $75 isn’t enough to make me change my main account (again).

The hard drive on my Dell laptop died after about 14 months. I had the 1 year warranty. I called AmEx, told them what was wrong. They transferred me to their computer expert. I told him what the computer did and everything that I had done. He said,”Ok, you clearly know what you are doing and know what is wrong. Buy the replacement hard drive on your Amex, send this paperwork to here, we’ll credit your Amex for the purchase. The upgrade from a 60 GB (what i had) to an 80 GB hard drive was like 5 dollars. I asked about upgrading it, they said just buy it and they took care of the upgrade, too. Much easier I think than it would have been if I would have had to go through Dell under warranty.

Matt: You might look into the Schwab Visa. It gets 2% back on everything, and you’ll avoid that hated line, “We don’t take American Express.”

If the original company won’t honor the warranty, neither will American Express.

What do I mean? Well, I purchased a Hoover SteamVac and the rear casing broke after a few months of normal usage. It was still under the 1 year warranty from Hoover so I called them.

After a lot of back and forth, they absolutely refused to fix the rear casing (there was a crack in the plastic).

I called the AMEX warranty department and they were nice, but they told me they couldn’t do anything because the product was still under the manufacturer’s warranty.

However, I did explain my situation: “I know the steamvac is still under the original warranty but Hoover refuses to fix it. If the steamvac were no longer under warranty but under the AMEX extended warranty, would you be able to help me get it fixed?”

The representative told me “No, since the manufacturer is refusing to fix it now for you then they will likely refuse to fix it during the time the product is covered under the extended warranty and there is nothing we can do.”

I understand AMEX’s stance on this… in the end you should still be careful about what companies you buy products from… I will never buy from Hoover again.