# Sagemax extended warranty  good or bad?



## invisible (Jul 26, 2009)

Does anybody here have experience using the Sagemax extended warranty? (It's the one offered by B&H, and I'm sure many other stores as well.) It looks very interesting, but *I'd like to know how they respond when you actually have a problem*.

Thanks for your help in advance.


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## c.cloudwalker (Jul 26, 2009)

Most books and articles on personal finance say extended warranties are a waste of money.

And I say most because I haven't read them all but everyone single one I read said so.

A couple years ago, I bought an iMac as our everyday computer and because of its design (the cpu and the monitor are one and the same and there is no fan) I wondered about the heat doing something to the monitor so I bought the extended warranted. Well, I haven't had to use it. Probably won't.

But it is really up to you.


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## invisible (Jul 26, 2009)

c.cloudwalker said:


> Most books and articles on personal finance say extended warranties are a waste of money.


First off, thanks for your answer.

I'm planning on buying a Nikon D700, which is quite the investment especially considering I don't make money out of photography.

I don't know about the US, but here in Canada if you need something electronic to be repaired (big ticket items in particular), you need to be ready to pay a pile of dollars. A 1-year warranty for a camera is short, I would say. I don't mind paying for peace of mind, as long as the company responds when you need them.

Hence this thread


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## c.cloudwalker (Jul 26, 2009)

invisible said:


> I'm planning on buying a Nikon D700, which is quite the investment especially considering I don't make money out of photography.




Quite the investment is right. I had no idea what this body is so I did a quick google and, wow! Up until a few years ago I'd never paid that much for a car 

But if you don't make money from your photography, are you sure you need this camera? Obviously, I don't know you so you may have a very good reason to be looking at this body but, from my point of view, which is that of a pro for over 25 years who never owned a so called pro 35mm body, I have to ask that question.

I got my first DSLR a few months ago and it cost only a little over $500. At that price, I can kill a couple bodies and not worry about extended warranty before I get anywhere near what you are looking to spend.


If a D700 is what you need, then that is what you need but I have to ask another question: how much is the extended warranty, for how long, and what does it actually cover?


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## invisible (Jul 26, 2009)

Well, the fact is I don't *need *this camera . I want to upgrade to a camera with solid high-ISO performance. The options are D300 and D700. Of course one of them is expensivee, and the other one is very expensive. However, with the exchange rate right now, plus a Nikon rebate available only in the US, buying the D700 south of the border is a great deal for us Canadians.

Th 3-year extended warranty (not sure if that includes the manufacturer's 1-year warranty, of if it's additional) is $295. That's the equivalent to just 4 hours of specialized labour. Or, hypothetical case, 2 hours of labour + parts. It's a fair number... as long as the company delivers.

Coverage: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...Detail&A=printerFriendly&Q=&sku=524154&is=REG


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## c.cloudwalker (Jul 26, 2009)

Can't say anything about the company since I don't know them *but*: can you use this warranty for a camera bought in the US while you live in Canada? If yes, it doesn't seem like a bad deal. Especially if it's going to avoid you a heart attack every time you take it out of your camera bag.


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## invisible (Jul 26, 2009)

c.cloudwalker said:


> *but*: can you use this warranty for a camera bought in the US while you live in Canada?


I don't know yet. There's nothing on the website regarding this warranty and international customers. I called B&H today but they were closed. I'll call again tomorrow.


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## c.cloudwalker (Jul 26, 2009)

I would definitely make sure of that unless you are close enough to the border and can use a US friend for an address. Lol.


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## Garbz (Jul 27, 2009)

c.cloudwalker said:


> Most books and articles on personal finance say extended warranties are a waste of money.



That's a negative and quite wrong over generalisation. There are plenty of times something breaks outside of warranty that should be covered by it. I just got lucky with an eye-one display two, the warranty for that expires next month and I just had to have mine replaced.
Or say Dell. It was widely known much to Dell's distaste that if you get a new for old warranty coverage for the extortionate sounding price you can actually "accidentally" drop your laptop in 3 years and get the new latest model. Where the standard warranty would give you your exact laptop back again. 

It may be true in some cases, but as I hate generalisations like that.


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## Dao (Jul 27, 2009)

Well, in general extended warranty business is a business.  They exist for companies to make more money.

It is like going to casino, of course, someone can make money from casino, but most others don't.  But everybody do have a chance.  It depends on how big the chance is.

Chances are most of the products will still function correctly through out the extented warranty period. In general, I believe Nikon make reliable products. But of course it doesn't mean they do not have lemons.

So buying a extended warranty or not, it is a personal choice.  For me, I usually say no.  It doesn't mean I am right, but it is right for me.


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## photoaf (Jul 27, 2009)

Sagemax are one of the best warranties out there. Depending on the level/type of warranty you buy, they offer ADH which is a fancy way of saying if you drop it or spill something on it, you are still covered. 

Here is a link to answer your international question (yes, they do cover) SageMax | International Coverage

Definitely call B&H or the warranty company as they will be able to tell you more about what is covered.




invisible said:


> Does anybody here have experience using the Sagemax extended warranty? (It's the one offered by B&H, and I'm sure many other stores as well.) It looks very interesting, but *I'd like to know how they respond when you actually have a problem*.
> 
> Thanks for your help in advance.


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## c.cloudwalker (Jul 27, 2009)

Dao said:


> In general, I believe Nikon make reliable products. But of course it doesn't mean they do not have lemons.



It is always possible but, the only lemon I have ever had, I knew long before the regular warranty expired.


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## invisible (Jul 27, 2009)

photoaf said:


> Sagemax are one of the best warranties out there. Depending on the level/type of warranty you buy, they offer ADH which is a fancy way of saying if you drop it or spill something on it, you are still covered.
> 
> Here is a link to answer your international question (yes, they do cover) SageMax | International Coverage
> 
> Definitely call B&H or the warranty company as they will be able to tell you more about what is covered.


No offense, but I was hoping to receive replies from established posters. Mack (Sagemax's competitor) seems to have people roaming the forums to post "reviews", and I wouldn't be suprised to learn that Sagemax had people doing the same. Just so you know, not only is it an insulting practice, it's also illegal. Check the FTC's website for more information, or read this case.


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## mkeottawa (Dec 28, 2011)

I submitted a claim and they are very friendly but after looking my submission 4 times, six months later they advise they need a different receipt the company that did the repair.  Of course they would not accept my submission until I did the repairs first, so I'm out of pocket to fix the camera and have no confidence that I'll ever see any money from these people.  Stay clear of this company, they seem to be more interested making things as difficult as possible.  I suspect they are attempting to frustrate people into giving up on their claim.  This is as close to fraud as you can possibly get.


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## KmH (Dec 28, 2011)

You want us to assume you had a valid claim, without explaining why you filed a claim?

Since your 1st post as a TPF member is in a thread that died 2+ years ago, it's easy to imagine you have done an Internet search on SageMax so you can tell your incomplete story as many times as possible.

Your story is a large part of reasoning that suggets buying a 3rd party extended warranty is an error in judgement to begin with.


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## photofx2 (Jan 19, 2012)

I bought a Sagemax ext war with a Panasonic. I wouldn't with my Nikons or Leica as they work forever and have excellent warranties. My experience with Sagemax has been nothing short of a nightmare. I've been run around in circles by their empty promises to even send me a shipping label! I can only imagine how they repair cameras, that is if they ever stop scamming me with their false promises. STAY AWAY! SAVE YOUR MONEY! MKEOTTOWA IS 1000% RIGHT!


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## zyzzyvas (Jan 19, 2012)

I've had to use it three times - once the camera body completely submerged in muddy water and useless.  Within a week I got a check for the full cost I paid on the camera.  

Since I've had another one fully repaired once 9 months ago and it came back functioning BETTER than new.  Now back in for another reason.  First glitch was they took a while to email the UPS prepaid label.  

If you call SageMax - they answer pretty quickly and are open 24/7.  I highly recommend them.  You run over it by accident with a truck - as long as you are able to send it to them (as in it wasn't stolen or lost at sea) - they do a great job in my opinion.


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## photofx2 (Jan 19, 2012)

Good Luck getting them to send you the label. It has taken weeks of repeated calling and I still don't have it. I'm like in Alice in Wonderland's  Rabbit Hole, hmm probably that's not as bad. When I see that they actually do what they promise I'll be the first to admit they're OK.
Meanwhile- I might as well go out and buy another camera. After all they're getting cheaper by the day, and if I deduct the extended Warranty price I'd have a new camera without the wait.


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## digital flower (Jan 19, 2012)

A lot of new members posting in this thread

I'd skip the warranty and take my chances. The D700 is built like a tank. If it were me I would probably pick up a couple of used lenses for the $295 instead.


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## loopy (Jan 20, 2012)

I looked into this when I bought my K5, there was a lot of mixed reviews and when I inquired with Mack they told me that the Warrenty started on the purchase date. I concluded it wasn't worth it as Pentax Canada already offers 2 year Warrenty. I actually think Nikon does as well.

One thing I forgot about is that many credit cards will extend the Warrenty, mine would have extended my Warrenty an extra year.


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## photofx2 (Jan 28, 2012)

I said I'd be the first to admit if the company did well. I never did receive my label by e mail, but a snail mail arrived over a week later. I sent the *Pana *out for repair UPS and it arrived 13 days later working perfectly! That was quicker than the label took to email .. it's still out there somewhere? The repairman was terrific but the reps on the phone are polite but clueless :greenpbl: duhh??? OK maybe complaining on this forum HELPS!


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