Saw a Haier fridge at M.Video with extended warranty for extra money for 10 years. Is it worth buying if there's already a manufacturer's warranty? In St. Petersburg the water from the tap is cold - does that affect the lifespan?
It's mostly marketing, because fridges usually break down either in the first year (then the standard warranty helps), or after 5-7 years when the compressor starts giving up, and a 10-year warranty costs a decent amount of money. the fridge doesn't really depend on water quality, more on acidity and mineralization, but it seriously matters only if you're pouring water directly into the ice maker - and you'll be installing a filter anyway, right? honestly, before buying an extended warranty i'd check reviews specifically for Haier at service centers, maybe this model will last fine without it?
I agree, people already made a good point about marketing above. I also looked at different warranties on household appliances and figured out - refrigerators either break in the first year (standard warranty saves you), or they work fine for 7-8 years, and then they start falling apart seriously. A compressor is already expensive, and nobody's gonna want to invest in a 10-year-old fridge. Plus in 2026 spare parts might be a problem to find.
Extended warranty only makes sense if it's a rare or complicated model and you're sure you'll keep it for exactly 10 years. But honestly - you usually overpay for the extra money at the store. Check what's included in Haier's standard warranty (it's often 2-3 years), calculate it, maybe you don't need the additional one at all.
As for cold water in St. Petersburg - it basically doesn't affect the compressor. The fridge doesn't run from the tap anyway. Unless you have an ice maker built in, then yeah, water matters (mineralization and all that stuff). But if it's a regular fridge without all the bells and whistles, forget about that option. Take care of it - wipe it down once a month, defrost the back, make sure it doesn't get condensation - it'll last you well.
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