Boy am I glad my husband bought the warranty when he got my birthday camera back in November. A week after buying it my young daughter knocked it off the table and it had to be returned. Still under the store warranty I could exchange it for a replacement at Walmart.
Over these past months of using it, a tiny piece that holds the battery door closed tightly broke off. In the middle of taking a shot the flap would pop open and the batteries would spill out. My hubby tried to exchange it at the store again but was told he needed to call the number for the extended warranty plan. I thought, "here comes all the warranty loop holes." So I put it off. I finally got around to placing the call after considering keeping the darn thing and taping the door shut. But NO! We bought the plan for this very reason. I shouldn't have to suffer with a gimpy camera.
I was pleasantly surprised at the simplicity and ease in implementing the Walmart Warranty. After a short, sweet phone call to file the claim, a drop of a package containing the old camera into the UPS box, I was issued a cash check for the full amount of the camera. I could either use the money to buy a new camera or spend it as my heart desired.
My hubby took the money from that camera with a little "upgrade" money and bought me a GE X500. He surprised me with it one day after work.
I love it! I have had so much fun learning the features and taking pictures with it. Very much a beginner photography, this is all the photo power I need at this point.
I'm very glad I sucked it up and used the warranty after all because only two weeks after completing my camera claim my daughter dropped her prized ipod on the gravel drive way, shattering the screen. Luckily, we bought the warranty for it :-D It was just as easy, if not more so, because I filed the claim online. . . oh, and I had that recent experience of dealing with the warranty claim system under my belt. I'm a pro at it now!