[ohgeetee]

If you bought the service plan on every item you purchased, would the cost to fix items that broke in the extended period be more than the total cost of the service plans?

I think most people would say no, which would mean they aren't worth it.

There are also different types of service plans, those that extend warranty, and those that offer replacements. Depending on where your ethical line is drawn, replacement plans can be very advantageous for the consumer. Buy an ipod, pick up a 3yr replacement plan, then have the ipod break just before the 3 year mark, basically getting you a 2 generation upgrade for free. When you tell the sales Mgr that you want a replacement plan on the replacement, they will almost bend over backwards to get your replacement for you.