It’s no surprise that an electronics store salesperson might try to talk you into an extended warranty that you don’t need. However, reader Chris learned recently to be even more cautious in his dealings with salespeeps: they might be misinformed as to how long the manufacturer’s own warranty is. Or–gasp!–even trying to mislead customers.

Chris writes:

Long story short: We bought a 300 dollar camcorder (Canon Vixia hfr10) and the salesperson told us canon offers 3 month warranty then pushed a 2-year onto us for 70 bucks.

Didnt open the package and waited until much later, but its actually one year.

In some cases, this would still be worthwhile. For example, if the store warranty covers loss or accidental damage, then that’s an improvement on the manufacturer’s warranty, and may be worth your time. Consider how you plan to use the device, and buy protection (or don’t) accordingly.

Otherwise, you know the drill–always do your research before major purchases.

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