Asda Teams up with SquareTrade to Launch a New Warranty for Electrical Items that puts Customers First

LONDON, December 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

UK's favourite supermarket to help customers protect their consumer electronics from drops, spills and accidental damage

Asda and SquareTrade, the top-rated warranty provider, today announce a partnership to offer warranties for electrical goods that not only offer Asda customers market leading prices but also ensures comprehensive protection and excellent customer service.  

Research by SquareTrade found that only 17% of people believe that warranty companies offer good customer service and 70% are frustrated by the claims process[1]. With this in mind, Asda and SquareTrade's enhanced warranty protection will not only cover customers against drops, spills and other forms of accidental damage, but also includes a five-day service guarantee for items sent in for repair, a full purchase price refund if the items can't be repaired and if the item isn't returned to the customer within five days then the warranty is free.

The new warranty is also good value for money. For example, a 3 year SquareTrade warranty on a £299.99 washing machine costs just £49.99 at Asda, compared to £109.99 to £119.99 for similar cover at high street retailers. A 3 year SquareTrade warranty on a £499.99 LCD TV costs just £59.99 at Asda, compared to £129.99 to £134.99 elsewhere.

Kirsty Ward, head of Asda Money said: "Clear, honest pricing is a priority for us and we want to make certain that if our customers are buying expensive electrical items that they're not paying through the roof for the warranty and that if anything happens they are fully covered. This is why we partnered with SquareTrade to offer our customers the best service and value for money in the run up to Christmas."  

"As this year's OFT investigation of the warranty industry shows, warranty offerings can deliver a poor deal for consumers. In addition to wanting a great price, customers need to know they can trust a warranty service. Asda customers can easily check SquareTrade's past performance: tens of thousands of 5-star customer reviews and customer comments on our Facebook page explain what it's like doing business with SquareTrade," added Vince Tseng, managing director of SquareTrade. "We're thrilled to be able to provide our services to Asda customers in time for Christmas."

[1] Survey carried out by independent research company RedShift Research of 1000 consumers in September 2011.

About Asda Money

Asda Money is a trading name of Asda Financial Services Limited. Asda Financial Services Limited uses a selection of companies to provide its products and services. Please refer to http://www.ASDA.com/money for details of our product partners and the relevant terms and conditions for each of our products and services.

About Asda

Founded in the 1960s, Asda today is one of Britain's leading retailers. It has over 180,000 dedicated Asda colleagues serving customers from 542 stores, including 32 Supercentres, 309 Superstores, 27 Asda Living stores, 174 Supermarkets, 25 depots and seven recycling centres across the UK. It has its main home office in Leeds, Yorkshire and its George clothing division based in Lutterworth, Leicestershire.  Asda serves over 18 million shoppers a week in store and its growing home shopping business at http://www.asda.com serves 98 per cent of UK homes.  

Its Asda Price Guarantee, launched in 2011, gives customers the reassurance that a basket of groceries will always be 10 per cent better value than competitors.  Powered by MySupermarket.co.uk, the APG is the only independent, transparent online grocery price-checker in the world.  Asda joined Walmart, the world's number one retailer, in 1999.

About SquareTrade

SquareTrade is the top-rated protection plan trusted by millions of happy customers for its fast and exceptional service. SquareTrade protects mobile devices, laptops and tablets, and other consumer electronics and appliances from malfunctions, accidental damage and life's frequent mishaps. Unlike old-fashioned warranties, SquareTrade is designed for today's consumer and uses innovative technology to deliver a zero hassle claims process. SquareTrade has more than 175,000 fans on Facebook, consistently wins industry awards and receives thousands of 5-star reviews for its legendary customer service. Top retailers around the world offer SquareTrade, achieving a 200% increase in sales on average and happier customers. SquareTrade's rapid transformation of the warranty industry attracted one of the largest private capital raises in 2012, with a $238 million round led by Bain Capital and Bain Capital Ventures. Headquartered in San Francisco and London, SquareTrade is privately held. For more information, go to http://www.squaretrade.com SquareTrade is a registered trademark of SquareTrade, Inc. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.