SquareTrade Warranty Blog

SquareTrade Adds Leading Electronics Retailer Crutchfield to Growing List of Retailer Clients

 


We’re proud to announce Crutchfield as the latest retailer to offer SquareTrade. (That’s a customer service match made in heaven!!)

Pioneering Warranty Provider Extends Premium Service Offering to Established Catalogue and Online Retailer.

SquareTrade Celebrates iPad Launch with Apple Fans

April 3rd, 2010 - San Francisco: Hundreds lined up hours before the Apple store opened to purchase the iPad. Chris Trewin

Just as it did with the iPhone, Apple has created quite a buzz with the launch of its iPad. The company announced it sold over 300,000 iPads over its weekend launch. Here in San Francisco, the lines stretched out in front of Apple's flagship store, with some arriving as early as 11pm the night before.

Gadget lovers from across the Bay Area and globe gathered in anticipation! A couple of SquareTraders hit the streets to join the fun. It was great seeing so many familiar faces and making friends with Apple fans ...including some who traveled as far away as Brazil and the UK!

A special shout out to all who tweeted and tracked down SquareNaomi to say hello -- I loved seeing so many SquareTrade fans out and about! Hopefully you enjoyed the iPhone skins and other goodies we were handing out.

In case you missed it...

1. Check out SquareTrade's Facebook Fanpage for more photos (including pics from my very own "Unboxing Day!") 


2. Find out how SquareTrade's iPad warranty stacks up to Applecare. (Check out the Macworld write-up or compare for yourself: iPad Warranty.)

 

Your task, should you choose to accept it: Changing an Industry!

On a mission to change an industry: As you know, SquareTrade's mission is to empower consumers with a choice. As such, we're known for doing a lot of things that break the status quo, setting us apart from those other pushy, pricey warranties.

One way we go about this is by finding innovative ways to use technology to save you time, money and energy. Which means, if you like a challenge, live to instigate change and love to take the initiative, you're our kind of people!

Put your problem-solving hat on! During recent interviews for the newest members of our engineering team, we gave them a fun creative challenge: 

• We gave them each a box of legos, a web camera, laptop and rubix cube. 
• Their task was to develop an algorithm to solve the rubix cube in 20 moves or less. Points for speed but reliability was essential.

The result? The world's fastest lego speedcubing robot!

OK, so I'm just kidding about the test we gave our new engineers. Sort of. We didn't give them the rubix cube challenge, but...

Smart Technology: More Efficient and Affordable

Technology saves time and energy! As a gadget geek, I'm constantly in awe of how technology can be used to do things quicker and more efficiently. I must admit, I'm especially thrilled whenever the result is convenience with a smaller price tag AND reduced carbon footprint.

It's part of why I love living in the Bay Area, a global center for cleantech innovation. I'm constantly on the lookout for  companies like SquareTrade that use technology to do things smarter - saving consumers time, money and energy.

In related news: Earlier this week, IBM announced a breakthrough in solar-panels. The result? They've developed a way to obtain a 40% boost in efficiency over commercially available solar cells -- at a fraction of the cost!

As a savvy consumer, you already know that SquareTrade is up 70% less than traditional warranties. And, like the IBM researchers, our team is constantly innovating, searching for more convenient, efficient ways to do things.

Case in point? With SquareTrade's paperless management, you always have 24 x 7 access to view, print, transfer/cancel your warranty. Since your contract is all online, you'll never have to keep up with that paperwork!

Filing a claim is quick and easy too:  Just go to squaretrade.com and log in to "My Warranties" or give us a call at 877-WARRANTY.

 

Yup, we'll even store your item's receipt digitally to save you time and avoid hassle, should you ever need to file a claim:

Just go to squaretrade.com and log in to "My Warranties." After you login, select your warranty. Click "Manage my receipt" and find out where to forward your purchase confirmation email or fax in your receipt.

It's that easy! We'll send you a confirmation email within the hour.

Questions? Please give us a call at 877-WARRANTY and we'll be happy to assist!

While we put technology to use to make things more efficient and affordable, we pride ourselves on best-in class service. This means providing excellent service - online or off, whenever you need us. So give us a call anytime - we love hearing from you!

CBS reports: SquareTrade Customers Avoid High Pressure Warranty Sales

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Are warranties worthwhile or just a waste of time?  CBS 19 (WOIO-TV) and CBS 5 ConsumerWatch (KPIX-TV) took a closer look at extended warranties, exploring the pros and cons. Is there a way to avoid the high-pressure warranty sales? Check out these videos - sure you can relate!

CBS 19 recommends SquareTrade to avoid high pressure sales tactics & get a "square deal." (Feb. 8, 2010)

Sue Kwon of CBS 5 Consumer Watch says avoid pressure at checkout --
get half the cost of traditional warranties with SquareTrade. (Feb. 4, 2010)

Google and Amazon Working on an Answer to the iPad?

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Hrmmm....are things just heating up? With the start of the New Year, a number of  tablets were announced at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Already, there was talk that Tablet PCs were perched to steal the spotlight from netbooks. Then came the official unvieling of Apple's iPad.  Now, there are rumors flying about Google stepping into the fray, pointing to a series of mockups and early concepts for a Chrome-based tablet PC. Meanwhile, Amazon is also said to have acquired touchscreen startup Touchco with plans to merge it with its Kindle Hardware division.

So, what might this mean for the future of media tablets? According to a report from analysts at ABI Research, we'll likely see four million media tablets shipped this year and "a rise to 57 million units by 2015, prodded along by the iPad." I'll admit I'm a bit of a gadget geek and may eventually be included amongst those tablet owners. But, working for an industry-changer like SquareTrade, what I find particularly exciting (and far more important) is that companies like Apple, Google and Amazon have a proven ability to push the industry, driving constant innovation:

Multi-touch for Nexus One but not other Androids?

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With Google's announcement Tuesday, Nexus One owners were informed they would soon be receiving an over-the-air software update which will enable multi-touch for various applications. Other updates would address some of the problems with the Nexus that many of you reported earlier - including a general fix to improve spotty 3G connectivity.

Are fellow Androids left behind? I'm sure that this will be warmly received by Nexus One users as it will enhance browsing and navigation through photos and maps with pinch-to-zoom technology. But, I can't help but wonder how Droid, Hero, Cliq and other (potential) Android owners feel. The multi-touch support is possible but absent from many of these fellow Androids. It's not clear why that's the case but there's plenty of speculation... Google, up until yesterday, left multi-touch off its U.S. Android phones, presumably in deference to Apple’s multi-touch patent. - ZDNet, Jason O'Grady Rumor has it Apple requested that Google avoid multi-touch back when the companies were cozy, but Google may no longer want to comply now that the relationship has soured. - PCWorld, Jared Newman Within minutes of Apple pushing iPhone 3.1.3 Google began pushing out an Android update to Nexus One users. Hmmm. Timing's a little suspicious, but we'll chalk it up to coincidence. - ZDNet, Jason O'Grady Where does that leave you - still waiting for your update? What's your reaction to the timing of the Nexus One multi-touch update? Any current Nexus One owners already download and test it out? Feel free to sound off in the comments below or join the conversation on twitter. Oh, and on the note of waiting: if you're a current Nexus One owner, you should be on the lookout for a message in your phone's notification bar prompting you to download the software update. For details on the full list of updates, see Google's Nexus One announcement.

Apple's iPad is Official! Verdict?

Update (January 29, 2010): Getting an iPad? SquareTrade is pleased to announce the first and only extended care plan available for Apple's iPad tablet with protection from drops and spills.

"Tabletless. Plz help!" Apple fan spotted at Yerba Buena with signs pleading, "Will Tweet 4 Press Pass!"

It's official! With Apple's announcement this morning, the iPad is no longer mere rumor or speculation. Of course, you'll have to wait until March to get your hands on one. Miss out on the live coverage? Check out the video clips below. Apple.com is also live now with official iPad specs. Sound off! So now that the actual specs are out, I'm curious to hear your verdict. Leave a comment below or join the conversation on twitter or facebook.

Apple's newest creation to be revealed!

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As always, there's much speculation about what Apple has up its sleeve. Rumors have been flying about whether the company will soon unveil a tablet which may have (not-so-)secretly been in development for several years. Today, Apple made it official!  We now know when and where Apple will be unveiling their "latest creation!"

Amidst numerous rumors and speculations, Apple sent out invitations this morning which teased people to "Come see our latest creation."

The highly anticipated event will be held in San Francisco at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts next Wednesday morning, Jan. 27th - just a couple blocks down the street from SquareTrade's Headquarters!

Will we finally be introduced to what speculators have been calling an "iTablet" or "iSlate"? Regardless, I'm prepared to be dazzled by Apple and have these rumors put to rest (so we can start speculating about their next innovation)!

Mum's the word for now, but stay tuned!

As usual, Apple seems to be keeping a lid on confirming any other details so be sure to check back for further updates.

In the mean time, feel free to share your speculations in the comments below or join the conversation on twitter. What do you hope to see Apple unveil next week?

Nexus One and the Search for Customer Service that Shines

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Over the past few days, there's been a lot of talk about Google's service and support issues for the Nexus One. See, for example, The Wall Street Journal's write up: Nexus One Customers Complain of Lack of Customer Service:

In the wake of Google’s launch of its new Nexus One phone last week, customers are starting to complain about Google’s lack of customer service. At CES on Friday, Walt Mossberg asked Google VP of engineering Andy Rubin specifically about complaints from people seeking support for the Nexus One. According to All Things D, “Rubin concedes that there is no phone support and that there is sometimes a 3-day delay in response time. ‘We have to get better at customer service,’ he says.” - Wall Street Journal

It's a big step for a company to publicly admit there's a problem.  While Google works to address these issues, we're curious to hear about your personal experiences. So, two questions for you: Have you had a first hand experience with Nexus One customer support? If you bought a Nexus, feel free to share your experience with others. Service that shines:  Which companies provide support and customer service you've come to rely on? Whether it's another cell phone provider or the associate that was exceptionally attentive in helping you pick out your new big screen TV  for the Super Bowl, I'm sure you've had a customer service experience that actually left you smiling and happy to recommend that company to others whenever possible.  So, here's your chance to do so! Sound off: Feel free to sound off below or join the conversation on Twitter!