Registering for warranties

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
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Saving$
Posts: 2510
Joined: Sat Nov 05, 2011 8:33 pm

Registering for warranties

Post by Saving$ »

Do Bogleheads register for the warranties on products you purchase? Does it matter what the product is - ie higher value such as appliances?

I have not registered in years, simply because I view it as disguised data mining/ market research. Googling indicates people are concerned you risk not being notified of a recall. However, I bought a tool at Home Depot, and am 100% sure I did not register the warranty. Years after the purchase I received a letter from Home Depot asking me to stop using the tool due to a safety defect, and indicating they found me through credit card records. About a year ago, I received a phone call from a grocery store, who had also identified me through credit card records, warning me of a contamination of a product I had recently purchased. I have no idea how they got my number as I have never signed up for that store's frequent purchase points card. In that instance, I also received a robo call from the FDA a few days later.

So is it safe to assume that if there is really a danger and you purchased by credit card, they will find you and notify you?
Is there any other reason to return those warranty cards? Does this reason outweigh the downside of sharing data, potential junk mail, etc you will get if you do return the card?
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SmileyFace
Posts: 9080
Joined: Wed Feb 19, 2014 9:11 am

Re: Registering for warranties

Post by SmileyFace »

You're concerned about data mining based upon product registry but sounds like they are already data mining your credit card purchases anyway :happy

I register for large appliances and photography gear (Camera bodies, lenses, flash units, etc.) but not much else. Its not that I'm concerned about data mining - I'm just too lazy to fill out a card or take the time to go online to do so (most cards now give an on-line option).
For large appliances the main reason I register is I don't trust them to find me through credit card mining. I once had a dishwasher with a part that could catch fire that was recalled and replaced for free. If I didn't register would they have found me? Maybe or maybe not - I don't know. I know someone that follows sites that list recalls - I don't want to spend time doing that.
For Photography - its my hobby. I don't mind the additional junk mail I may be getting and if there is a recall on an expensive item I bought - I want to make sure I'm in line for the replacement.
For everything else - its pure laziness that I don't do it.
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