# Squaretrade or Amazon Warranty? Fine Print



## Miranda7 (Jun 8, 2009)

After reading the fine print in both offered policies, I discovered significant differences, some of which I hadn't seen mentioned here, so I thought I'd share what I learned. Please correct me if I am wrong.

*Links:*

> *SquareTrade*

> *Amazon's Kindle 2 Warranty*

> *Amazon's Kindle DX Warranty*

*Cost:*

The price of the two warranties including Accidental Damage Protection is close, $65 give or take a few bucks depending on Squaretrade special offers.

*Term/Length:*

Squaretrade has a term of 3 years total including 1 year manufacturers warranty period

Amazon Service Net has a term of 2 years including 1 year manufacturers warranty period

Both warranties become "exhausted" after a claim requiring replacement, requiring you purchase a new warranty for the replacement kindle.

*Deductible/Warranty:*

Squaretrade's requires a $50 deductible and a 30 day waiting period after warranty purchase before filing a claim for accidental damage. There is no deductible or waiting period for regular extended warranty claims.

Amazon Service Net has no deductible or waiting period for either accidental damage or regular extended warranty claims.

*Claims Process:*

It is my understanding that at this time there is no Kindle repair process per se, broken Kindles are replaced with new or refurbished units.

Squaretrade is a separate company. You are required to send the Kindle to the for evaluation, after processing the claim they generally send you reimbursement via check or voucher, allowing you to purchase a new kindle. You pay all shipping costs.

The Amazon warranty is offered by "Service Net", which is closely affiliated with Amazon assuring a seamless claim process. You call Amazon or Service Net, then Amazon sends you a new Kindle via overnight delivery. You send the broken Kindle back to Amazon. They pay all the shipping.

In my opinion, neither warranty is better than the other, it depends on your individual priorities. If you want the longest term protection for mechanical failure, don't mind waiting for a claim to process and handle it carefully to avoid $50 deductible for accidental damage claims, buy SquareTrade.

If two years is long enough, you don't want to incur a $50 deductible for damage or shipping costs and you want a seamless, quick claims process, buy the Amazon warranty


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

Great analysis, I'm sure many will find this helpful!

A couple of notes on what you listed: _Service Net is an independent company and is not in any way a part of Amazon._ Had this been a warranty direct through Amazon, it would have been a complete no-brainer which to choose. It also does not appear that extended warranty claims can be submitted through Amazon, but rather must go through a number belonging to Service Net. While Amazon typically seems to provide _overnight_ shipping under the original warranty, that is not listed anywhere under Service Net's description or contract, so there's no guarantee of how long you'll be without a Kindle under their terms.

My .02 worth--

I've known many people through camera forums who went with Square Trade on expensive professional equipment, and have had zero issues with warranty claims. Obviously, when you have equipment you depend on for your livelihood, prompt service is critical. So when I saw these two warranties available, I did a little research. What I found was a lot of rave reviews for SquareTrade's customer service. I saw very little in the way of similar reviews for Service Net, and a number of complaints about them that popped up on the first few Google pages of searching. (I've seen nothing on Kindle specific claims as of yet for either company.)

SquareTrade is more expensive unless you catch one of their sales, but for me, the peace of mind it gave me was paramount. Until I see some positive warranty service experiences around Service Net, I can't say honestly that I'd feel comfortable recommending them.


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## Miranda7 (Jun 8, 2009)

Well, here is the rest of the story.....how I came to learn all this. I actually have BOTH warranties. My kindle was a gift and my giver bought the Amazon Service Net warranty with it, unbeknownst to me. I bought myself a Square Trade Warranty after reading about them here.

I opened my Kindle Thursday afternoon to the horrible sight of a deformed (cracked?) screen. I looked up my Squaretrade warranty and read the fine print and saw the $50 deductible and the waiting period that the sales rep had not mentioned (The Kindle is new and I only had the warranty a couple weeks, so I would have had to wait two more weeks and pay the $50). As far as I know I didn't do anything overt to cause the damage, so I decided to call Amazon and explore my options with them. The Amazon CS rep informed me that by my description it was a cracked screen but that my Service Net warranty would cover it.....which was a surprise since I didn't know I had one. The Amazon rep TRANSFERRED my call to the ServiceNet rep (which convinces me they are affiliated). The Service Net rep took my info and told me Amazon would send me a replacement and a label to send my unit back to Amazon. Low and behold, I logged onto my Amazon account and saw a new merchandise order for a new Kindle at cost $0. A brand new Kindle arrived via UPS less than 24 hours later.



At this point my Service Net warranty is exhausted, but my SquareTrade is still in effect, so I will just maintain that and be even more careful with it. I'm happy with that and okay with waiting a bit for a claim if needed, but I must say Service Net sure did come through with flying colors, and great ease.

Does anyone have a Squaretrade experience to share?


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

That's good to know!!!!  What a relief for you to have that taken care of so promptly!  Any idea how the crack occurred?

As far as the affiliation, well I would imagine that CS has them on speed dial.    Service Net is a registered business in the state of Florida and is not at all owned by Amazon under any publicly available information I can find (did the research on that back when I was looking).  They handle many other companies' extended warranties along with Amazon's; essentially, they're selling a product through Amazon to provide extended warranty service in the same way that they would with Best Buy or Fry's.  It's not necessarily a recommendation, since we've all heard of both good & bad extended warranty experiences with different products--heaven knows that most extended warranties carry a pretty lousy reputation.

To me, your story as an independent customer carries far more weight than Amazon's use of Service Net as a provider, if that makes any sense.  I'd suggest you post your experience on the Let's Talk Kindle board here, and on Amazon's forum (or in the reviews for the Extended Warranty) so others will find it more easily.  A positive experience with anything like this is really important for other potential customers to know about!


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## Miranda7 (Jun 8, 2009)

I will do that...As for how it happened, I still don't know.  It was a very slim crack beneath the glass, just enough to make the display look refracted.  I have interrogated the kids and the dogs, considered temperature extremes (we have had 100 degree days here, and it did sit inside the car a couple times, inside an amazon case, inside a purse) I also considered the possibility of my camera jostling against it inside the bag.  All I can say is that it is very fragile and I will be much more careful with it in the future.....I'm looking for a compact, portable climate conditioned vault


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## Bren S. (May 10, 2009)

Wow it was good to read this.
There are a fair amount of bad reviews from people who say they have dealt with Service Net,but it was nice to see another side.


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

Hmm.....

Having pulled apart an Amazon case to recover it, I was a little surprised to see how little impact protection they actually provide.  The layers are thin outer leather, flexible plastic a little thicker than a piece of paper, glue, another flexible plastic layer, a very thin layer of foam, and then the inner grey material.  It's great that the cover's so thin and light, but it really made me think about just how protective it would be against something else in my purse.  I've been carrying mine in a Simplicity sleeve for the light weight, so I've been putting the screen towards the outside of the purse rather than the inside--kind of hoping that it would add an extra layer of protection, and keeping my iPhone from slamming into the screen.  Pretty sure the iPhone would win any argument between the two!     

The heat could certainly be a factor as well.  We just don't know enough about the durability of e-ink screens--the real reason for getting an extended warranty in the first place.  Sure doesn't seem like it's the electronics that go first on these.

Invent the portable vault--you'll make a mint!


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## Kind (Jan 28, 2009)

Good comparison there


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## Miranda7 (Jun 8, 2009)

I just learned another important detail/difference between the two warranties (I called both companies to verify this information):

With ServiceNet, once you file an accidental damage claim, your warranty is exhausted and they will NOT sell you a new warranty for the replacement Kindle.

With Squaretrade, the warranty is also exhausted after a claim, however they will happily sell you a new warranty to cover your replacement Kindle.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Great information, Miranda!

One suggestion, you might call the two companies back in a week or so and ask the question again...I'm getting paranoid about getting different answers to questions from different CS reps.  

Betsy


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

And, if you can, have them send a follow up e-mail that accurately reflects what you were told. . . . .


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## Miranda7 (Jun 8, 2009)

Yes, I always say, when dealing with the government (or customer service) ask at least three people the same question then average the answers!


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## libros_lego (Mar 24, 2009)

So, say my kindle keeps dying on me and it's not accidental, amazon would replace my kindle each time? I'm just wondering because the kindle that Sugar sold me has an extended 2-year warranty which equals to a 3-year warranty for the kindle 2. Just found out the 2-year warranty is just actually only one year.


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## Miranda7 (Jun 8, 2009)

No Jenni, as far as I know under EITHER extended warranty you can only have your Kindle replaced ONCE by the warranty company, regardless of reason, then your benefits are exhausted.  Square Trade will then allow you to purchase a new warranty to cover your replacement kindle.  Amazon/ServiceNet will NOT, according to the rep I spoke to yesterday.

From Service Net/Amazon
This Contract will expire upon the earliest of (a) the date We reimburse You for the original purchase price of Your Product;
(b) the date We have, as a result of services and/or replacement products provided to You,
incurred costs under this plan equal to the original purchase price of Your Product"


From Squaretrade:
The total amount that We will pay for repairs or replacement made in connection with all claims that You make pursuant to this Service Agreement shall not exceed the purchase price of the Product, less taxes. In the event that We make payments for repairs, which in the aggregate, are equal to the purchase price or replace the Product with a new, rebuilt or refurbished product of equal or similar features and functionality, We will have no further obligations under this Service Agreement. 

A two year extended warranty does not equal a three year warranty.  The term of the warranty INCLUDES the first years manufacturers warranty.


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## libros_lego (Mar 24, 2009)

Okay, thanks. It makes sense to me now.


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## Miranda7 (Jun 8, 2009)

Jenni, just to clarify one thing, if your Kindle keeps dying in the first year (without physical damage) your Kindle would be replaced by Amazon directly, not the warranty company, so yes, in that case, it could feasibly be replaced several times, but after one year manufacturers warranty is up, the rules above apply becasue you are dealing with independent warranty compaanies with loss limits


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## libros_lego (Mar 24, 2009)

Thanks Miranda. It's nice to know that I'm covered for the first year and I guess I'll just have to be careful after that.


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## Cammie (Nov 15, 2008)

Miranda, I really don't know....but something you might want to check...it seems logical that your replacement Kindle is not under any accidental warranty at this time.  I think most insurance companies at some point need the date and proof of purchase and serial number as verification to approve a claim.  Since your replacement Kindle will have a different serial number and was obtained on a different date than your original Kindle, you may want to contact Square Trade for peace of mind.  I'm thinking maybe they can cancel what remains of the original policy and refund or credit the difference towards a new policy on the replacement Kindle.


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## Miranda7 (Jun 8, 2009)

Squaretrade never asked for my serial number when I purchased the warranty, nor is the serial number on the Amazon invoice, so they would be unaware that this isn't the original unit.  Nevertheless, I called them to make sure.  They told me there is no problem and made a note on my account to document the exchange.  They told me this happens all the time, since so many manufacturers replace rather than repair items during the regular warranty period.  They said if I had PAID Amazon anything for the replacement, then it would be considered a new purchase and I would have to buy a new warranty.


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## ak rain (Nov 15, 2008)

I had a conversation with them at purchase they took my serial number and copy of invoice(email) for proof of perchase I had to update serial number at replacement of K2 in first month due to battery problem. I understood that if I did not give them the email/invoice i would have to find at time of warranty use.
Sylvia


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