For what it may be worth, as a comsumer, I wouldn't undertake any major outlay without some form of long term protection. I'm more than willing to take a chance on small electrical goods because, in general, we end up buying from a large company, we only buy kit that has a global reputation and, in the worst case, we can write it off and buy something else. When you fork out a five figure sum and the provider offers to insure the parts and labour for 5 or 10 years you want to be sure that somebody will be around in 5 or 10 years to honour that warranty. Heaven forbid a company may go bankrupt but, as we have seen, legislation can dessimate an industry in a matter of weeks. Less likely, the company may simply move into different territories or the owner may win the lottery and fold the company. Then, when that component goes south, where are you?
Yes, as the comsumer, we pay for that assurance but at least we have some redress for the warranty period as long as we buy a reputable warranty in the first place. Mine is with IWA.
I think its an important differentiator and indicates that the supplier has thought about the customers long term interest and not just the pricing point for the quotation.
