You may or may not have heard of a furniture protection plan before. If you haven’t, you’ll be pleased to find out that they are quite common and in fact, many furniture retail stores offer such a plan to those purchasing a brand new piece of furniture from their store. An example would be the furniture protection plans offered by Guardian Protection Products at select furniture retail stores. But what exactly is a furniture protection plan? Is it like health or car insurance? Should you add one to your total purchase at checkout? Will you really use it? Let’s get to the bottom of these questions, below.
What are furniture protection plans and what do they do?
When it comes down to it, you’ll find that there are two different main groups of furniture plans, one for those who have outdoor furniture and one for indoor pieces. Because of the different environmental factors that influence the health of both furniture groups, you’ll find that each plan is different from the next. You’ll also find that you won’t be able to use an indoor plan for both your indoor and outdoor furniture and will instead have to purchase a different plan for each. For both groups, however, you’ll find that furniture protection plans are simply plans that act as an insurance policy should you accidently ruin a small part of your furniture or the entire piece.
Generally speaking, these plans include a furniture care kit with instructions detailing how to use the enclosed cleaning and care products, a protection service (like an insurance policy) and premium phone support from service professionals within the industry that are trained to help walk you through the cleaning process.
Are protection plans worth it?
The answer to this question really depends on what type of lifestyle you live, how many people share your household and where you intend to place the piece, or pieces, of furniture. Because of this, you’ll find that the answer is different for everyone. If you happen to live in a household filled with children, especially young ones such as toddlers and babies, you may find yourself in sticky situations more so than you would like and that of your neighbor, making the need for a protection plan much greater. This is because children are simply put, much more likely to spill drinks and food on your couch and carpet or to track in dirt and mud from outside after a play date or a sporting event.
Also, if you consider yourself an outdoor person who’s always out and about exploring and hiking, you’ll find that you’re much more likely to track in dirt and grime from outside. If you own dogs and cats, you’ll find that you’re also more likely to find rips in your fabric and leather pieces of furniture, which can be hard to fix. Because of this, you’ll find that protection plans are very much worth it.
Is a protection plan right for you?
Because everyone is different, the answer to this question really does depend on your chosen lifestyle. If you detail yourself to be a very clean person who is more of a home body than anything else, you’ll most likely find that a protection plan really isn’t that necessary in your home. However, if you find you’re the exact opposite and have a home filled with lots of kids and pets, then protection plans are clearly the way to go and will offer you a great amount of security. The key is to first take a look at your day to day life and then ask yourself how likely you are to bring in grass stains, to spill wine or juice (or anything sticky) and how likely you are to create tears and rips in your furniture.
Whether or not you personally decide to choose a protection plan, it’s always a good idea to know your options for future purchases down the road. Also, you may know of someone else close to you such as a neighbor, friend or a family member who is on the hunt for new furniture.