It seems this flat rate pricing, being about double the cost of a single repair, should make us rethink our approach to extended service plans.
They used to be an expensive insurance policy. You'd spend more than the cost of a single repair, or get rid of the camera before you'd ever need it.
These days, having a body for 4 years is commonplace, and the chances of SOMETHING coming up in that time is pretty high. Minor problems might not make the camera unusable, so paying $500 to repair it would be silly. But if you've got the plan...no worries.
I got the 4 year plan on my A700 for $170 or something. After two years, I had...
...a dirty sensor that wouldn't blow clean
...a dirty VF, made worse by my haphazard attempt to change a screen
...the notorious skipping thumbwheel
...a very sticky SSS switch (from who knows what)
...a broken flash shoe from using the camera in the cold and having the flash break off the brittle plastic.
Add in the general wear and tear that probably resulted in AF degradation, and the camera really needed a tune up.
The camera came back with AF that seems to work better, and a flash shoe that was less "sloppy" with my 58 flash than my original. The camera is like new.
If I do that twice, it's $90 a pop. More than fair.
I'll get a similar plan with my next camera. This one was from Best Buy, which was a rare coincidence of their A700 blowout sale. Having a dropoff point was great. I'll have to see if I can get one through them even if I buy my camera elsewhere. Since it may be used, I'll go with Squaretrade. I've used them before and been satisfied too.