So, about 5 years ago, our old Sony TV died on us. To be honest, it would just take longer than usual to turn on. A cousin of mine opened up the back, claiming to know a solution. All he did was screw up the TV even more.
My parents decided it was about time to get a new TV. They stuck with Sony and got a fancy HDTV. (They were getting cheaper around that time.) We also got a lovely warranty for the new TV. Little did we know how pointless that choice had been.
Within weeks, the TV’s lamp blew out and we had to get it replaced. A technician came by and did it free of charge.
A week or two ago, the TV started acting up and I figured it was the lamp. I mentioned it to my parents and they said they’d gotten a 10-year warranty so all we had to do was make a quick phone call. Of course, they’d been wrong. Our warranty ended back in October.
Now, I decided to look into how much it would cost to hire someone to repair the TV. I found out that I can actually replace the lamp myself for $200. I wish my parents hadn’t gotten the warranty. They had to pay $100 every year for something we never even put to use. We would have saved $500. I’m sure the first replacement was covered under Sony’s warranty. Even if it wasn’t, we could have spent $200 on a new lamp rather than $500 on a pointless warranty.
I’ve warned my parents against getting warranties in the future. I mean, isn’t it funny how the TV needed repair right after the warranty was over? 
