Buying a Sony Camcorder? Don't forget the warranty!
Oct 25 '00
When I was pregnant with my first daughter my husband and I decided that we needed a Camcorder. We wanted to be able to capture every moment of our daughter's life from the very first day. A few months before she was born we went to Circuit City and picked out a nice Camcorder.
We went with Sony because it was a well known name brand, and truthfully, there really aren't a whole lot of brand choices when it comes to purchasing a Camcorder. Sony seems to be the leader. Sony also has a wide array of features to choose from. They were one of the only ones that had the color view finder in the price range we wanted as well as the other features. We thought that we were making a good choice. We did not buy an extended warranty, as we thought that Sony was a well made product and we would not need that extended warranty.
We used the Camcorder for about 3 years before we began having problems with it. It started displaying the "tape" icon in the view finder, indicating that there was something wrong with the tape. The tape was not full and everything appeared to be normal. It would then stop taping. In order to get it to resume taping we would have to open the tape case, take the tape out, put it back in, and shut the case. Then it would resume taping for a short time before going through this process again.
It did this for awhile and then suddenly it stopped taping. Since we did not have a warranty on the Camcorder we would have had to pay for any repairs required and at this point there were far better camcorders on the market, so we decided to purchase a new one.
We again decided on a Sony, for the same reasons listed above. However, this time we went in knowing that we would be purchasing that extended warranty. We knew it was a must.
We talked to the sales representative at the Good Guys who explained that the extended warranty is a really good idea when purchasing a Camcorder of any type. He told us that Camcorders are there #1 serviced item. The reason for this is that they are made up of hundreds of parts and they are constantly being moved, carried, and toted around. Therefore, they tend to break easily. He recommended that we purchase the extended warranty and we had to agree.
We purchased a 5 year warranty. With that we get free Camcorder cleaning service anytime we want. These cleanings normally cost $70 each time and he recommended that we bring it in two times per year for cleaning. That alone pays for the warranty and should help keep the Camcorder in good working order. Also, if anything goes wrong with our new Camcorder we are covered now that we have the warranty.
I have to highly recommend that you purchase the extended warranty if you are purchasing a Sony Camcorder. We really did not use our Camcorder excessively. I would have to say that we used it maybe once/month or less. I was disappointed that we were having problems after having the Camcorder for a little over 3 years.
I no longer think that Sony is the quality product that I once did. We have a Sony TV that we have had problems with and a Sony VCR that we have had problems with. So, why would we buy another Sony Camcorder? Because there really are not a lot of options out there. Sony had the features we wanted and according to the Sales representative they are the leader in Camcorders. He assured us that the other brands have the same amount of problems again.
This time I am assured that I am covered because we did buy the extended warranty. I know that I have a good 5 years of service from this Camcorder. If you are looking at Sony Camcorders, or any other Camcorder, make sure you figure in that extended warranty into your budget. Also, find out if the store you are buying it from offers free cleaning and periodic maintenance on it. I don't think that all the stores offer this, the Good Guys does and we will definitely be using it. Remember, as the sales rep told us, Camcorders are the #1 serviced item, protect yourself with that warranty.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
merlot
|
 - Top 500 |
|
Location: Californina
Reviews written: 295
Trusted by: 321 members
About Me:
Feel The Roar! GO KINGS!!!!
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.