Extended warranties often not worth it because of loopholes
Q. I bought a four-piece leather living room set from Jennifer Convertibles in 2006. It consisted of a love seat, couch, a chair, and an ottoman. I also purchased the extended warranty to protect my investment. In early 2008 the chair started to discolor. I contacted Jennifer regarding this and have been getting what I feel is a runaround, and I still am going round and round with them. The warranty, according to them, does not cover discoloring. If I had taken a knife to the chair or burned it I would be covered. This makes no sense. A chair from a $1,700 furniture set should not discolor after two years.
I hope the Globe can help me.
Kevin Love
Newmarket, N.H.
A. Rarely is it a good idea to buy an extended warranty because of all the exceptions and other pitfalls. In this case, the plan was not a blanket warranty extension but specific coverage for accidental damage that would be eligible for repair if quickly reported - also not a good idea.
Your situation seems frustrating, but it doesn’t look like you’re going to get a lot of satisfaction.
Martin Erhlich, Jennifer’s vice president for customer service, explained that since the first complaint they logged about the discoloration you reported was this March, they don’t believe it would be proper to extend the one-year guarantee attached to the furniture that covered manufacturing defects.
He questioned whether the discoloration would be a defect since it was not apparent within a short time of your purchase.
It is more common, Erhlich said, for the fading to have been caused by improper cleaning or excessive exposure to sunlight. Regardless, Jennifer does not see this as a warranty issue.
Still, Erhlich said he would be willing to have your chair replaced at the manufacturing cost.
If you still think you are in the right, you can lodge formal complaints with the New Hampshire attorney general, New York’s attorney general, and the Better Business Bureau, which can sometimes break a logjam. Be prepared to submit copies of whatever paperwork that will support your case.
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