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Do Apple call to offer on phone only discounts?

jaseone

jaseone

macrumors 65816
Original poster
A "representative from Apple" just called me with a one time only offer for a discount on AppleCare for my Powerbook from $349 down to $239 so about a third off. Now I've been meaning to invest in AppleCare and that is a good deal but I was bit skeptical especially when it came to providing my credit card details over the phone.

Apparently if I was in front of a Mac she could verify she was from Apple by doing something with the serial number but I'm at work in a wintel only environment. I think it was legit but still didn't feel comfortable providing my credit card details so I didn't proceed especially as it had to be done right there and then on the phone, I couldn't call back or anything so that just seemed odd.

Has anyone had any similar calls? It just seemed very un-Apple like.
 
Sounds fishy. Can't call back? Accept now, or it's gone? Doesn't seem like something Apple would do, and I've never heard of that.

As for verifying the serial number, you could have told her to tell you what serial number was registered to you, and see if she could do it. If she didn't know you weren't at your Mac, she may have balked at that.

My opinion: scam.

P.S. Are you even eligible for AppleCare? That is, is you Mac less than 1 year old?
 
when i bought my PB a week ago, they had an offer on Applecare that is £180, apparently a very good offer (i can't remember the full price), but they couldn't say when it ends. So, maybe it is legit.
 
emw said:
Sounds fishy. Can't call back? Accept now, or it's gone? Doesn't seem like something Apple would do, and I've never heard of that.
Click to expand...

Yeah that was the general gist of it.

emw said:
As for verifying the serial number, you could have told her to tell you what serial number was registered to you, and see if she could do it. If she didn't know you weren't at your Mac, she may have balked at that.
Click to expand...

Well actually she was the one that offered to do that to verify her identity.

emw said:
P.S. Are you even eligible for AppleCare? That is, is you Mac less than 1 year old?
Click to expand...

Yes I am, still have a few months up my sleeve.
 
jaseone said:
A "representative from Apple" just called me with a one time only offer for a discount on AppleCare for my Powerbook from $349 down to $239 so about a third off. Now I've been meaning to invest in AppleCare and that is a good deal but I was bit skeptical especially when it came to providing my credit card details over the phone.

Apparently if I was in front of a Mac she could verify she was from Apple by doing something with the serial number but I'm at work in a wintel only environment. I think it was legit but still didn't feel comfortable providing my credit card details so I didn't proceed especially as it had to be done right there and then on the phone, I couldn't call back or anything so that just seemed odd.

Has anyone had any similar calls? It just seemed very un-Apple like.
Click to expand...

It's legit. I got a call about 11 months after I bought my iBook, and my brother got one about 9 months after he got his iMac. I actually wasn't home the first time they called. The woman left me a message saying she was calling from Apple and wanted to speak to me about my iBook. She left a phone number, and when I called it back, I got Apple customer service center (it was the 1-800-MyApple number). She left me her extension so I could speak with her directly. She called to tell me about AppleCare, why I should get it, then she offered me a discounted price. I passed, because all extended warranties are, in my opinion, a waste of money. It's a very nice customer service thing they do.

It's not a scam or anything. It's very much legit.

NOTE: They only do this for AppleCare and no other product.
 
Whenever Apple does something out of character, involving customers, it's usually because they have a 3rd party vendor involved. So, Apple probably gave the list of <1year, no Applecare people to the vendor, which does things their own way... hence the (rather rude) no-call-back, now-or-nothing style offer.
 
Interesting...

$239 is the AppleCare price for PowerBook after the education discount, IIRC.
 
Just buy applecare on ebay...you can get it for less than they offer it at.

That's where I got mine. I think it was $200 for the powerbook if I recall.
 
Apple phoned me with a similar offer when my PB was close to running out of standard warranty. I phoned them back and it seemed like a legit operation.

FD
 
Zeke said:
Just buy applecare on ebay...you can get it for less than they offer it at.

That's where I got mine. I think it was $200 for the powerbook if I recall.
Click to expand...

you can buy applecare on ebay....does this only sound weird to me?

i am sure your not lying but that has to be one of the the strangest things i have heard. how does that work?
 
I think that you were very smart to question the call. The really large discount is one. But the most serious is not being allowed to call back, yes very non Apple like. My wife has received a phone from an Apple representative, but she was allowed call back.
 
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