SquareTrade Warranty Blog

Study Finds One in Three Laptops Fail Within Three Years

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Are you planning to get a laptop or netbook this holiday season? Our team has been collecting data on over 30,000 new laptops and netbooks. As laptops have historically been among the most popular electronics gifts, SquareTrade publicly released its findings to consumers, examining the different aspects of laptop and netbook reliability.

Highlights are below but be sure to check out the full study. Update: For further coverage of the report and discussion, check out Gizmodo, Engadget, PCWorld, Electronista or ComputerWorld and see the "Thoughts on this Study?" section below.

Netbooks projected to fail at a 20% higher rate than traditional laptops The study begins with an overview of laptop hardware failure rates, as well as failures caused by accidents. We then compare netbook failure rates to more expensive laptops and evaluate the relative reliability of several leading laptop brands.

Last Chance Pre-Thanksgiving Sale: 30% Off through MIDNIGHT!

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Yes, for today only, we've bumped the savings back up to 30%. Use Coupon Code PRETHANK by MIDNIGHT to get bonus savings on any SquareTrade warranty! Hurry - 30% off is only valid til 11:59pm PST Nov. 17th, 2009! After that, coupon code is good for 20% off through 11:59pm PDT Nov. 22nd, 2009.

As always, warranty must be purchased within 90 days of item purchase date. The purchase window of warranties for Items bought on eBay is 30 days.

Are you a fan of the Status Quo? Neither are we.

Does your current job give you a recurring case of the Mondays?  Perhaps it's because you're longing for a more challenging, highly rewarding work environment. If so, perhaps you should come work with us!

Our engineering team just posted this new job opening on craigslist.

At SquareTrade, our focus is on empowering consumers and transforming an industry. There's a lot about the warranty business that just doesn't compute, but we do things differently around here..and people have taken notice.

But as good as we are, there's always room for improvement. That's where you come in.

If you've got the skills and want to work hard and have fun - we want to hear from you!  We know our fans are savvy and enthusiastic so don't be shy!

We're currently seeking Java Engineers eager to join our team here in our downtown San Francisco HQ.

Smartbooks vs. Netbooks: First Lenovo Smartbook Unveiled.

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Are you excited about getting a smartbook? Qualcomm, the world's largest maker of computer chips for mobile phones, gave us a sneak peak yesterday of this new product category. According to Qualcomm, "A smartbook is what you get when you marry a smartphone and a netbook."

Laptops, Netbooks, Smart phones and...Smartbooks?

Thanksgiving Sneak Peak Sale - 30% Off only through MIDNIGHT!

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Heads up fans: Use Coupon Code PRETHANK at squaretrade.com to get an additional 30% savings on any SquareTrade warranty! Hurry - 30% off is only valid til 11:59pm PDT Nov. 10th, 2009! After that, coupon code is good for 20% off through 11:59pm PDT Nov. 22nd, 2009.

Another SquareTrade Milestone

Wishing our own Vince Tseng, VP of Marketing, a happy 10 year anniversary at SquareTrade. Vince was employee #2 (outside of the 3 founders)! Congrats VINCE!!!

New York Times highlights SquareTrade Value

Did you read the paper? As fans, you've already discovered that SquareTrade offers a refreshing choice so you can say goodbye to those overpriced store warranties. Word continues to spread!

The New York Times draws attention to SquareTrade's value - extended warranties that give control to consumers with prices that are usually about half as much as those other guys:

For instance, a four-year warranty on the Nikon D3000 camera at Best Buy is $150, or more than 27 percent of the $550 price. The warranty on a Hewlett-Packard N270 netbook is $130, or just short of a third of the computer’s $400 price. Such profit margins are high enough that companies having nothing to do with selling the original products have jumped into the market, offering warranties for about half as much. SquareTrade, which offers warranties for products bought in stores or online, will sell you a three-year warranty on that Nikon for $75. The netbook can be protected for $60.

 

Traditionally, warranties have been overpriced with consumers feeling they must make a rushed, uninformed decision at checkout. As the New York Times points out, SquareTrade gives consumers a chance to review their options and make an informed purchase decision.

If you missed the Sunday paper, the full article can be found here: New York Times: Don't Worry, Be Happy: The Warranty Psychology

24 Hour Sale - 30% off all warranties!

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Heads up fans: Use Coupon Code NOVEMBER at squaretrade.com to get an additional 30% savings on any SquareTrade warranty! Hurry - 30% off is only valid til 11:59pm PDT Nov. 3rd, 2009! After that, coupon code is good for 20% off through 11:59pm PDT Nov. 8th, 2009.

Remember, NOVEMBER Coupon is: Valid for savings of up to $50! Good on a warranty for an item purchased from any retailer like Wal-mart, Best Buy or Apple - online or not.* Valid on eBay warranties too! As always, warranty must be purchased within 90 days of item purchase date. The purchase window of warranties for Items bought on eBay is 30 days.

No Tricks just Treats at SquareTrade

Eep - what happened to all the birthday decorations?! Things are getting spooky here at SquareTrade HQ! OK, so it's not really spooky. Things like $100 deductibles for your cell phone insurance would be a scary thought - but you won't find any of that around here! No tricks either.
Instead, there's talk of gutting pumpkins...

TUAW lauds SquareTrade Accidental Damage Coverage

Sang Tang of TUAW (The Unofficial Apple Weblog) writes of lessons learned when his MacBook has an unfortunate encounter with Diet Coke. As he reconsiders the value of extended warranties and laptop insurance, his experience highlights how the value of SquareTrade coverage stacks up when compared to AppleCare.

While AppleCare is certainly compelling for many (phone support and timely repairs of manufacturer defects by Apple-authorized technicians, among its values), its defect is that hardware repair coverage is restricted to manufacturer defects.