Do I need extra warranty for my electricals?

QVERY often when I buy anything electrical, one of the sales staff asks if I want to “protect” the product for two or three years.

They say that if the item breaks down, they’ll provide me with a free replacement. It’s the same when I buy online – the website asks if I want a care package for anything from two to five years.

The cost seems to be proportional to the value of the item but it can add as much as a third to the price. Is this worth it? Penny G

AIT’S a good question, for while retailers are nowhere near as insistent on selling “extended warranty” replacement policies as they once were, they still ask the question because this sort of cover is very profitable.

It promises a replacement if there is accidental damage or product failure during a set period. But there is no cover against theft, loss and cosmetic damage and some don’t protect the replacement item.

Effectively, they extend the retailer’s own guarantee period – so the first year (or more in some instances) is protected by the original no-cost warranty so you only get the second and maybe a subsequent year or so covered.

Most problems occur soon after you take the item out of the wrapper or many years after these plans have expired. A second or third year failure is rare.

In 2011, research from Which? indicated extended warranties when you buy a kitchen appliance or TV are probably a waste of money. That view has not changed.

Under 2015 consumer legislation, protection stretches beyond the official guarantee. Goods should last a reasonable time and you can claim a repair, replacement or even a refund for up to six years (five years in Scotland) in some circumstances.

Many products are uneconomical to repair. But compare the cost of replacement of the many electrical items in the typical household during the cover period with what the insurance would cost on all these gadgets.

It’s only worthwhile in the unlikely event of around a third of items failing in the second and third years. You could create your own replacement fund with money saved by avoiding this cover.