Performance Guarantee vs. Ed Roman’s Extended Lifetime Warranty.

Each program offers great benefits, however; the main differences lie in the convenience of the services offered.

Both programs start at the end of the of the manufacturers warranty.

The Performance Guarantee which we will refer to as PG, is based upon the value of the Item that you purchase, and works on a sliding scale.

For example:

A 1 year warranty for a guitar under $200.00 is $19.99.

A 2 year for a guitar under $200.00 would be $39.99.

As the value of the instrument changes, so does the price of the PG.

PG’s are only offering a 1 or 2 year option.

Also, if your guitar has a Limited Lifetime Warranty ( which let me assure you is “ very limited”) the PG will convert it to a Full Warranty.

The Ed Roman’s Extended Lifetime Warranty, which we will refer to as ELW, is based upon a flat rate regardless of the value of the instrument.

For example:

A 1 year warranty is $69.99.

A 3 year warranty is $129.99.

A lifetime warranty is $199.99.

Now the 1 year may be a little pricey on a $200.00 guitar, but let’s face it, if you’re buying a $200.00 guitar, purchasing an extended warranty is a bit like putting custom rims on a Pinto. If you buy a $3000.00 guitar, which is not uncommon at Ed Roman, I’m sure you can see the benefit of dropping $200.00 more on an ELW. A 2 year PG would cost $600.00 for a $3000.00 guitar.

Now let’s talk about convenience for a minute.

What happens when you do have a problem?

PG – You are given an 800 number to call and they give you an authorization code. You then have to take your guitar to a UPS store, where they will box it and ship it for you. Once AON, the company that handles the PG program receives the guitar, they will then determine if it even qualifies for a warranty repair. They also cover all shipping cost.

However; you can count on being without a guitar for at least 3-4 weeks.

A good program, but not what I would call convenient.

ELW – You bring your guitar into Ed Roman’s, where it will be assessed and repaired in a timely manner, by the same guys who build our high end custom guitars. If you are local to Las Vegas that means no shipping hassles. If you do have to ship your guitar to us, it will be at your expense, however; the money you save on labor more than counteracts the shipping costs. Also be assured that our warranty repairs receive top priority, in order to keep wait times to a minimum. And let’s not forget, we do offer this for the lifetime of the instrument.

Now we’ll compare the availability of each program.

The PG is offered on new guitars only, for up to 30 days after the purchase.

The ELW is offered on new and used guitars, no matter when you bought it.

In fact, we’ll even cover instruments not purchased at Ed Roman’s as long as they pass our inspection. That certainly beats a poke in the eye with a sharp stick!

Hopefully we’re on the same page here, and you now understand the benefits of an extended warranty.

I want to touch briefly on the subject of a Limited Lifetime Warranty.

Limited – That pretty much says it all. These warranties cover pretty much nothing that will ever go wrong on your guitar.

For example:

Neck problems, binding coming off the body, fret problems, playability, wiring problems, faulty pots, etc……good luck getting anywhere with that.

These things will generally not be covered. This means that basically, they proclaim that the guitar should be in working order when you buy it, and if you screw it up, that’s your problem.  “Yeah capitalism!”

Personally, I will not do business with companies that offer these types of warranties. Bottom line, Limited Lifetime Warranty is a fancy name for something not so fancy. The good news is that if you have purchased a guitar that offers this type of warranty, an ELW can fix that problem immediately. “Yeah Ed Roman!”

I hope you have a greater understanding of the many benefits of an extended warranty plan. Most people purchase a guitar with the intent of keeping it awhile, and it only makes sense to secure that probability. Work hard, and play harder!

Thanks for reading,

True