The Costco Warranty: All The Products They Stand Behind (and For How Long)
Not only does Costco have a great return policy, but the in-house Costco warranty is pretty darn good as well. Here’s exactly how it works and what products at Costco come with a special warranty that far exceeds the manufacturer’s warranty.
Televisions
Many HDTV brands like Samsung, Sony, and Vizio only provide a 1-year limited warranty on parts and labor.
But if you buy your TV from Costco, you automatically get a 2-year warranty. This includes tuner-free displays as well.
They actually provide a Concierge Service that you call to get free technical support. This goes for almost all of the products listed below.
If the technical support rep can’t help you fix your problem they’ll initiate the exchange of a new HDTV.
Not sure why you’d buy a new TV from anywhere else.
The toll-free Costco Concierge phone number is 1-866-861-0450.
PRO TIP: DON’T FORGET ABOUT PRICE PROTECTION
If Costco drops the price of an item within 30 days of your purchase, you can request a price adjustment.
This isn’t a warranty benefit per se, but it helps you save money if you don’t want to return and rebuy the item.
Projectors
It would also be smart to buy your next projector from Costco as it comes with a 2-year warranty.
The same concierge service is standing by to help you with this warranty.
Computers
2 year warranty as well.
This includes both desktop and laptop computers.
It should be noted that this excludes touchscreen tablets.
PRO TIP: KEEP DIGITAL COPIES OF RECEIPTS
Costco tracks most purchases, but electronics, jewelry, and large purchases may require a receipt for returns or warranty claims.
So snap a picture of your receipt or keep digital records in case you need them down the road.
Major Appliances
When it comes to appliances, the Costco warranty includes refrigerators (bigger than 10 cubic feet), freezers, ranges, cook-tops, over-the-range microwaves, dishwashers, and washers/dryers.
Again, the warranty is a flat 2 years on these appliances.
This alone makes the Costco membership worth it as Home Depot and Lowe’s only offer a measly 48-hour return policy on major appliances.
Auto Tires
When you buy your tires at Costco they come with a pretty darn good warranty.
They call it their Road Hazard Warranty and as long as you don’t sell your car, you’ll get a full 60 months of protection.
Just rotate and balance your tires in accordance with your vehicle’s manufacturer and you’ll be protected.
See Also: Are Costco Tires Cheaper? Here’s How Costco Prices Stack Up
PRO TIP: USE CONCIERGE SERVICE BEFORE DEALING WITH WARRANTY DEPARTMENT
I’m always surprised with how few shoppers know about Costco’s free Concierge Service.
You can call them for free at 866-861-0450 and they can help you troubleshoot TVs, laptops, and appliances before you go through the hassle of a warranty claim or return.
Also, I highly recommend checking if Costco’s Concierge Service can facilitate warranty repairs under the original manufacturer before going through Costco’s return process.
I’ve found them to be very helpful and they can often help you remotely or facilitate repairs for you.
Food Items
All food items, both perishable and non-perishable, fall under Costco’s liberal warranty policy.
If you’re not happy with any food item, either opened or not, you can return it for a full refund or exchange.
Amazingly, Costco does not specify a specific time window for you to bring back food items. They leave it completely open ended.
The only “edible” items that don’t qualify for this warranty are alcohol and cigarettes.
Car Batteries
Costco sells Interstate Batteries and stands behind them with a pretty solid warranty.
Here is how it breaks down:
- Bought within 36 months: Full refund or exchange.
- Bought 37 – 45 mo. ago: 60% refund.
- Bought 46 – 55 mo. ago: 50% refund.
- Bought 56 – 65 mo. ago: 40% refund.
- Bought 66 – 75 mo. ago: 30% refund.
- Bought 76 – 86 mo. ago: 20% refund.
- Bought 86 – 95 mo. ago: 10% refund.
- Bought 96 – 100 mo. ago: 5% refund.
Be sure to hold on to your Costco receipt to make for an easy return or exchange of your battery.
See Also: Guess Who Makes Costco Batteries? (Answer Might Shock You)
PRO TIP: FIND A COSTCO BUSINESS CENTER
Some Costco locations actually offer free tech repairs.
In particular, many Costco Business Centers or larger warehouse locations have tech support available on-site to fix small issues for free before you use your warranty or return an item.
If you have a Business Center near you, or live in major metropolitan area, inquire about these services as they can be a real life-saver.
Eyeglasses and Contacts
According to a Costco rep, eyeglasses and contacts bought at the warehouse fall under their 100% satisfaction guarantee policy.
So if you have any problems just take them back to Costco and they’ll take care of you.
See Also: 10 Things To Know Before Using Costco Optical
Hearing Aids
When you buy your hearing aids at Costco their warranty is a little different than most.
According to a Costco employee that I spoke with they offer a one time replacement on your hearing aids.
After that you’ll need to attempt to get them repaired or replaced on your own dime.
Does Costco Also Offer Extended Warranties?
Yes.
Via Allstate, Costco offers extended warranties on TVs, projectors, computers, and major appliances.
Allstate extends the warranty for up to 5 years beyond your purchase date OR delivery date for online purchases.
Ask the Reader: Have you ever taken advantage of the Costco warranty? Was it a painless process?
By Kyle James
I started Rather-Be-Shopping.com in 2000 and have become a consumer expert and advocate writing about out-of-the-box ways to save at stores like Amazon, Walmart, Target and Costco to name a few. I’ve been featured on FOX News, Good Morning America, and the NY Times talking about my savings tips. (Learn more)
patio cushions from purchase 18 months ago have faded. How do I get these replaced. warranty for five years.
Costco — you should stick to toilet paper.
If you ever consider purchasing anything other than toilet paper, rotisserie chicken, or chewable multi-vitamins from Costco, reconsider.
I purchased a $5000 TV on my Costco Citicard, which included extended warranties and Concierge service. I would have been better off paying a higher premium for the product with a more reputable retailer that specializes in electronics.
The TV broke — dark spots all over the UHD screen. I should probably blame Samsung for that. But Costco arranges to have it fixed. Repair guys replace a bunch of parts. Great.
Three months later, the screen is PEELING OFF of the television. Two repair guys evaluated the issue and agreed it couldn’t be fixed. They even reported that back to Costco. No joke.
You know what is a joke? Costco Concierge. They demand we try to repair anyway (mind you, this TV has already been repaired once). It takes six weeks to send busted replacement parts. So now we’re waiting again for new replacement parts (hopefully not busted). And quite frankly, this is like the car that suffered a front-end collision with a brick wall. Yeah, it can be fixed. But do I really want to keep driving the car that basically has to be rebuilt from scratch with random parts from who knows where?
NO! There’s a reason your auto insurance “totals” the car. This TV should be “totaled.” It’s been sitting on our wall literally peeled open and exposed to dust, debris, and dander for two months. And the answer is to just tape a new screen on?
So let me get this straight, Costco — your solution to this $5000 television is to re-apply some double-sided tape and press? Hold on — I have some double-sided tape that I bought FROM COSTCO. Why don’t I just fix the TV myself? It would be faster!
The most disappointing part of all this? Costco’s service sucks, and I’ve always been such a huge fan. But there’s zero sense of urgency or even human decency. Make this right, Costco. Stand behind the products you bring into the warehouse, and the warranties and service you sell.
In the meantime — to all you consumers — walk right past the gleaming displays of gorgeous electronic devices and head straight to the cheese samples in the refrigerated foods section.
Dude you need to go in and talk to the store they took care of me that day as it was going to take who knows when to fix my TV go to the store
Talked to concierge service for an hour with no resolution for a broken Tcl tv. I was told I had to speak to a 3rd department but could only be on hold for 3 min. Then had to call back later or the next day. No supervisor available. I gave up and called the local Costco store manager who agreed to help me.
I purchased a Samsung Galaxy Tab A Tablet in December 2018.
In January 2020, 13 months after the original purchase, the tablet is dead. We tried all the tricks in the book, to no avail. The original warranty is only 12 months! 🙁
I now just found out that Costco offers 2 year warranty on computers but not on touchscreen tablets. Grrrr!
I would advise against buying major appliances from Costco if their warranty is a major consideration.
To be clear, your Costco membership will extend the manufacturer warranty by an extra year, but you are not dealing with Costco. Their representatives will redirect you to the manufacturer and you will have the same hurdles in getting your appliance repaired and have to justify that you are not responsible for improperly using or installing your appliance.
Should you be weighing between one vendor or another, I personally will no longer be considering Costco’s concierge services a positive factor in future decisions for any major appliances. I still have a very favorable opinion of their warehouse return policies, but the major appliances support is very lacking.
I am not so enthused about the Costco extended warranty. They don’t tell you up front how much hell you may have to go through to get them to live up to the warranty. I have a 20-month old laptop with a malfunctioning keyboard. It has taken a half-dozen calls, two resets of my laptop (if you have done it you know it is not fun) and a lot of other wasted time for them to agree to look at it. There seems to be quite an effort to have you not use the warranty. Will update after I experience the 7 to 10-day repair process.
soooooo. what happenned
Hi, do the cordless phones sold at Costco have extended insurance if I used my Citi Costco card?
I’m not sure but you can return the phones for a full refund if you want. I don’t think they fall under the 30-day return policy on Electronics.
I need a contact number for my g e dishwasher not working correct
I have been in a complete costco return nightmare!!!! Hours (20plus) spent on the phone because costco made a huge mistake!!!!
The costco citi visa perk with additional warranty on appliances was discontinued as of 2023 just FYI.