Walmart is a one-stop-shop for all your needs. Groceries, clothing, pet needs, hardware, electronics, and even furniture are sold at the store. If your family shops most of the essentials including electronics from Walmart, it is important to know about the Walmart Protection Plan.

Many of the Walmart shoppers are not aware of this plan. Even though the person at the sales counter do ask them if they wish to join the program, most of them absent-mindedly refuse. However, once you get to know the benefits of the plan you might be interested to spend a little more and get Walmart Warranty and Protection Plan as a warranty for all your purchases that are eligible for a cover under the protection plan.

As moms, we are used to our children breaking toys, electronics, and other things around the house. Instead of spending money from your pocket to repair the broken things you can get a replacement or a free service if you have a warranty on the product. This is where the Walmart Protection plan comes in. 

Walmart Protection plan guarantees an extended warranty plan for the things that you shop at the superstore. However, extended warranties are a hard sell for many. Either the company finds a loophole and gets out of the claim you have made or it lets you return the product for a partial refund. Incidents like these are why people shy away from investing in extended warranty plans.

The Walmart Care plan is handled by a company called Asurion, an insurer based in Nashville Tennessee. It is tasked with fulfilling extended warranties when the customers make claims for the products purchased from Walmart. 

You can either call them directly, speak to a representative to file a warranty claim over the phone. Or you can file a claim through its online program called the ‘Solutions Hub”. 

Let’s explore the features of Walmart Protection plan to see if it is actually worthy of the money and whether the company upholds its promises listed under the plan.

Why Buy the Walmart ProtectionPplan?

Here is a list of things that the protection plan covers:

• Wear and Tear

“Never be afraid to use products from Walmart.com too much!‘’ says the superstore. The protection plan covers normal wear and tear that happens as a part of using the product.  

• Accidental Damage from Handling/ADH

 Walmart’s plan covers accidental damage to portable electronics.  Since there are kids at home, dropping an electronic gadget and cracked screens might be commonplace in your house. Water and coffee spills on your computer might also be a constant problem.  The cost of accidental damage to your portable electronics at home will be borne by Walmart.

• Mechanical and Electrical Failures

If you have pets at home you might be familiar with the dirt that they drag into your homes after a walk outside. Coupled with children the dust and the dirt become a cleaning ordeal. Some of this dust can get into your electronic devices as well.

If you ever tried opening the remote control for the television, you will probably see a layer of dust that is covering the circuit board of the device. Imagine the insides of the gadgets if a small device like the remote control can attract dust particles. These dust particles can weaken the functionality of your device and may cause progressive damage. Such damage is covered under the plan. 

• Pixel Failure

There are fewer chances that a newly bought TV will experience pixel failure. In case you are not familiar, pixel failure is when you can see a black, white, red, blue, or green spot on your TV. This is because some of the pixels on your TV screen have failed. 

If you experience this on a brand new TV from Walmart, just file a complaint, you will get another brand new TV in return. 

• Current Spikes

Current spikes or power surges are common in every household. Neither is this your fault nor can you prevent this from happening. Current spikes can adversely damage your electronic gadgets especially gadgets running with a microprocessor like a computer, TV, smartphone, and video gaming consoles. Even washing machines, dishwashers, and refrigerators are affected by these sudden surges. Since these electronic goods are expensive, an extended warranty on these items could save you significant money. 

• Refurbished Electronics

Walmart is famous for selling refurbished products. Even though it is safer to buy refurbished products from the manufacturer itself, some shoppers do buy refurbished electronics from retail stores to save money. Companies have different definitions for refurbished products. Walmart defines refurbished products as ‘’products that are inspected, cleaned, repaired and tested to function like new and qualify as Grade-A unit with respect to the grading criteria outlined by Walmart’’. Products include all original accessories and a 90-day minimum warranty. 

Smart shoppers go for refurbished products especially electronics as these tend to be expensive. Since we have kids at home broken electronic gadgets are common, but replacing these is a pain. Therefore, it is a smart idea to buy these refurbished products but at the same time, it is also necessary to be cautious before buying them. It is better to get a warranty for these before you purchase it because these are not brand new products. Walmart Protection plan covers refurbished electronics bought from the retail chain.

Other Features of the Walmart Protection Plan

“Don’t go only halfway, go the whole way by adding a Walmart Protection Plan to any gift or present you purchase from Walmart.com. Show your recipient that you care about their peace of mind and hope to see them enjoying your gift for years to come,” says Walmart. 

This is Walmart saying you can even insure the gifts that you buy your little ones. Since almost nothing lasts with children, it is better to purchase a plan that can replace the gift in case it is broken. Make sure to purchase a plan at checkout with your eligible item or buy the plan within 30 days of the product purchase. You can also use this feature to cover a gift for your friends.

A website called Living With Beth wrote about an experience with the Walmart Protection plan. A mother bought her little daughter a Toshiba Satellite model laptop from Walmart and while she did that she purchased the protection plan for the laptop as well. In a few weeks, the kid had stepped on the power cord to the laptop, which stopped working. The mother filed a warranty claim online. A couple of days later, she received a huge empty box and a return label. She packed the power cord and sent it back. She got another brand new Toshiba power cord was shipped to her doorstep within a week

The protection plan is above and beyond the manufacturer’s warranty and the plan comes into effect the instant you purchase it. You don’t have to pay for the shipping while you return your products. Some items even qualify for in-home repair service, so in case your laptop or mobile needs repair you can call the insurer to your home. You can manage and track all your plans on the Solution hub. Your plans are automatically updated every time you purchase an item on Walmart.com. 

User Reviews

As far as honoring the Walmart protection plan is concerned, Asurion has got mixed reviews. Some people like Living With Beth have written great reviews about the service. However, some reviews mention that Asurion hasn’t honored warranty claims from customers.

Read the terms and conditions carefully before buying the warranty plan. Don’t fall prey to the words of a seller and blindly purchase the plan. Check whether the item you purchased is covered under the warranty otherwise the money you paid for insurance will just be a donation to the company. 

 

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