Originally posted by monochrome @Edgar_In_Indy I'll ask again since there was no response to the prior open query - would you pay $20 for a 2-Year Warranty Card (Extension)? How much would you pay for 4 additional years? Why not leave it up to the buyer how much insurance to buy?
Sure, I'd pay an extra $20 to double the warranty, assuming I could actually count on getting my item repaired in a timely and competent manner. But from what I've heard, a warranty extension card from Pentax wouldn't hardly be worth the paper it's printed on since it sounds like it often takes months and a lot of leg work to actually get anything repaired.
I simply would not buy an expensive Pentax lens at this point given the state of their repair service here in the US.
And if I were going to buy an extended warranty, I'd rather get one from Mack Camera than from Pentax. If Mack can't get your item repaired, they'll cut you a check for the replacement cost. I had a good experience with them with one of my old home theater projectors. I bought it second hand for $500, and the original owner bought a Mack Camera warranty which I was able to transfer to my name. When it failed and was deemed too expensive to repair, Mack sent me a $1000 check to replace it with the current model. The whole process took a few weeks, but they did send me the check.
If someone does decide to buy a Pentax lens, in addition to the 3rd party warranty, I would also use a charge card that extends the warranty. For example, my Visa card doubles manufacturer's warranties up to an additional year. So my new Pentax lens would be covered for 2 years. And Visa would probably be a lot more responsive to a customer when Pentax tried to take months to repair the thing.