Applecare for $45?

[Bowlerguy10]

Do you guys recommend that I get applecare for $45? Is it worth it?

[delude]

I would definitely recommend it! How are you getting it that cheap? In the UK it is double that amount!
I haven't bought it yet, but as long as you do any time during your first year of having the Touch you will get an extra years warranty plus phone support. I think that if you spend that much on an electrical item, it is worth protecting it. (Off topic i know, but have you seen the price of Applecare for Macs?!?! Mental!)

[Bowlerguy10]

Ya, this place that my friend directed me to has almost half off on all of the applecare protection plans. http://www.lacomputercompany.com/cgi-bin/rpcart/index.cgi?command=dispitem&type=sku&sku=10242 That's the iPod touch plan!

[delude]

Thanks :)
Just looked on eBay and found them really cheap! (Just not too common, there are more for Macs)

it may be worth checking eBay US as you could snag a right bargain! As long as it's new and hasn't been opened and registered it's good :D

[Bowlerguy10]

Ya........I would rather not leave that sort of thing to chance.

[delude]

Yeah, I suppose.

[flopticalcube]

$45 extended warranty for a $250 device? No.

Remember AppleCare is not insurance, its an extended warranty. It won't protect you from breakage due to dropping or liquids or any of the other myriad of things that are more likely to happen than the electrical/mechanical failure that AppleCare does cover. Put the money in the bank towards a new touch in a few years time.

[delude]

flopticalcube, what about if the battery fails and needs replacing? What happens if the screen becomes unresponsive? The warranty would cover this. I personally think that it is worth it, as I know how Apple get when the warranty is up.

[flopticalcube]

flopticalcube, what about if the battery fails and needs replacing? What happens if the screen becomes unresponsive? The warranty would cover this. I personally think that it is worth it, as I know how Apple get when the warranty is up.

I just don't think the risk justifies the cost. If the touch fails it will likely fail within its first year (probably within its first month). But if it helps you sleep better at night, then by all means buy AppleCare and sleep in peace. Can't really put a price on peace of mind (and Apple knows this).

[Bowlerguy10]

$45 extended warranty for a $250 device? No.

Remember AppleCare is not insurance, its an extended warranty. It won't protect you from breakage due to dropping or liquids or any of the other myriad of things that are more likely to happen than the electrical/mechanical failure that AppleCare does cover. Put the money in the bank towards a new touch in a few years time.

I paid $400 for mine.......not sure where you can find an iPod touch for $250.

[delude]

I just don't think the risk justifies the cost. If the touch fails it will likely fail within its first year (probably within its first month). But if it helps you sleep better at night, then by all means buy AppleCare and sleep in peace. Can't really put a price on peace of mind (and Apple knows this).

Yeah, I have to agree with you there. That's why if I was to buy it I would get it off eBay, which would convert to around $20.

[flopticalcube]

I paid $400 for mine.......not sure where you can find an iPod touch for $250.
Walmart (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=7942581) sells the touch for $277. I have seen it slightly cheaper at Best Buy when its on sale.

[Bowlerguy10]

Walmart (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=7942581) sells the touch for $277. I have seen it slightly cheaper at Best Buy when its on sale.
Ya.......I would strongly recommend against assuming that I purchased my touch for a discount.

[aethelbert]

Ya.......I would strongly recommend against assuming that I purchased my touch for a discount.
Who the hell cares what you paid for it? The point that he's making is that $45 is a pretty signifigant fraction of what you paid for the device. Why not just wait until the end of the year and see if you've had problems by then? If not, then you probably won't need Apple Care.

[delude]

akonradi, I can see where you're coming from but surely the longer you own and use an iPod, the more chance that the battery would need replacing or have problems. No?

[davidy]

Do you guys recommend that I get applecare for $45? Is it worth it?

Before you make up your mind, you should read this article http://tv.about.com/od/warranties/a/buyexwarranty.htm , along with the relevant links.

Ask yourself these questions:

1. Does the extention start immediately, or after the one year manufacturer's warrenty ends?
2. What exactly (in writing) does it cover?
3. What (in writing) is not covered?
4. Are both parts and labor covered, or just parts?
5. Who services the warrenty? Apple, or a third party? Who pays for the shipping and insurance for warrenty work?
6. What will be the value of your touch more than one year down the road? Will it be worth the warrenty cost plus two way shipping and insurance?
7. Does the warrenty cover damage due to neglect (broken screen, water, etc)?

Do your research before dropping $25 unnecessarily. In general, extended warrenties are a scam. They wouldn't be sold unless the seller was making a profit, i.e., knowing that they'll only have to pay out once out of several hundred sold.

Personnaly, I'd pass.

[aethelbert]

akonradi, I can see where you're coming from but surely the longer you own and use an iPod, the more chance that the battery would need replacing or have problems. No?
The battery should still be running fine in two years, around 80% capacity in theory. Apple won't go around replacing every battery because of natural decreases in capacity. Even so, you're just saving four bucks on the battery replacement that you might not even use.

These extended warranties are gambles, and the buyer usually loses.

[delude]

^Thanks!

(I've noticed this is a vBulletin board, the admin should enable the 'Thanks' button :D)

EDIT:

Something to consider...


Service coverage is available only for the iPod and its original included accessories that are defective in materials or workmanship or for battery depletion of 50 percent or more from original specification. Equipment returned for service may be repaired or replaced with functionally equivalent new, used, or refurbished equipment.

[DuckSoup]

These extended warranties are gambles, and the buyer usually loses.

I've bought extended warranties twice over a 25 year span and have saved THOUSANDS by not shelling out for such warranties on more items (I'm a gadget freak too). The only two things I've bought extended warranties on were my SONY SXRD rear-projection HD TV about two years ago right now, and a TASCAM DAT machine in 1997.

In general extended warranties are not at all worth the $ in my opinion.

Mike

[eplchamps0304]

I purchased an $11 drill at home depot and they wanted me to pay $4 for an extended warranty. What a joke.

[aethelbert]

I purchased an $11 drill at home depot and they wanted me to pay $4 for an extended warranty. What a joke.
I once purchased a $12 mouse ant best buy and they wanted $7.95 for the warranty...

[Resist]

If a product needs an extended warranty, then that should tell you something about its quality.

I only purchase extended warranties on high ticket products that have a high repair cost, like in the case of certain vehicles (but not all). But more importantly I do my research and if a certain product has a long history of issues that need the extended warranty, then I pass on purchasing the product.

Companies should stand behind their products without requiring the use of an extended warranty.

[flopticalcube]

Ya.......I would strongly recommend against assuming that I purchased my touch for a discount.

Its not what you paid for it, its what you have to pay for it when you buy the warranty. Think replacement cost when assessing the risk (both to the touch and your capital).

[ScottFitz]

I used to office next to an independent TV repairmen. You should have seen how many LCD and plasma screen TVs he had in there waiting for repairs. Huge numbers of them woudl come through. There are very few items i'd buy the extended warranty for, but for my two high dollar LCD's, I bought the extended warranty through Sams Club for each.

[eplchamps0304]

Extended warranties are good but sometimes the pricing doesnt make sense. And why do these retail stores make the warranty start at the moment of purchuse, when you already have the 1yr manufacturers warranty. I was at office depot today and a lady paid $100 for warranty on a $600 laptop. The sales clerk even told her that it was good to get it because she could easily break her screen. The warranty I don't think covers accidental damage.

[Resist]

And why do these retail stores make the warranty start at the moment of purchuse, when you already have the 1yr manufacturers warranty.And this is one reason why they aren't worth it!

[dagored]

I used to office next to an independent TV repairmen. You should have seen how many LCD and plasma screen TVs he had in there waiting for repairs. Huge numbers of them woudl come through. There are very few items i'd buy the extended warranty for, but for my two high dollar LCD's, I bought the extended warranty through Sams Club for each.

Good luck with that. Lets just say, if the cost for repair is prohibitive. They return your extended warranty fee. I do not know what the laws in Texas are.

EDIT: I forgot. Circuit City. Same deal. It was cheaper for them to give me my money back on the cost of the TV plus the tax than to repair the Sony TV. I know, i was not out anything, but it just p*sses me off.

[Resist]

TV's used to last a long time and some would be passed down to other family members. Now a days, TV are so expensive and yet cheaply constructioned that they have a very limited life span and not worth repairing. Plus the TV technology changes so much that a 5 year old TV is old so people just purchase another one.

[Mackilroy]

I bought AppleCare for my original iPod back in 2004–it was worth it, because the hard drive failed about a year and a half later, and I sent it back to Apple and got an entirely new one for free. However, I haven't bothered with the iPod I bought in late 2006, and it's worked perfectly fine since I picked it up from the store.

[anuthanu]

quick question regarding apple care
if i was to purchase an Touch from a PVT dealer..
would i be able to add the apple care to it? or would i have to purchase the touch from them and add it?

Thanks

[flopticalcube]

quick question regarding apple care
if i was to purchase an Touch from a PVT dealer..
would i be able to add the apple care to it?

Yes. You don't need to buy it from the same place you purchased you Apple hardware. Buy it on eBay for $20, if you feel you need to buy it.

[anuthanu]

so if i was to purchase the apple care,
it would cover faulty issues, damages and etc? just like a product service plan from a retailer would?

Thanks

[flopticalcube]

so if i was to purchase the apple care,
it would cover faulty issues, damages and etc? just like a product service plan from a retailer would?

Thanks
No. only faulty hardware is covered. Damage due to dropping/water/whatever is not covered. PSPs vary in their coverage so you are best advised to read the small print.

[PMB]

I decided to not wade through that many posts, and just post

I got apple care, becouse my last ipod was a 3rd gen, that i had since it was released, so the extended warrenty worked for me, as last year, the motherboard, and HD had to be replaced, and i spent less on the warranty than it would have cost to pay to get it fixed

ITS WORTH IT!!!

[iTattoo]

The iPod Touch with no moving parts should be reliable, and if it's not, like other tech devices will fail early in it's life cycle which is covered by the standard Apple warranty.

Given that the cost of the extended warranty and then contrast that to what you'd rather have in a few years in the event your iPod Touch fails. The $45 for Apple Care would likely be a significant down-payment for a comparable offering at that time.

In March 2005 (going back 3 years) the Mini which morphed into the Nano was $249 for 6GB. If you owned that and it broke now - what would you rather have ... a 6GB mini fixed, or your apple care $$ you saved to put towards something new?

Details below are from http://mactimeline.com/index.php

23 February 2005 iPod mini 4GB refreshed, colours as per 6GB model. 18hr battery life, US$199.New iPod mini 6GB model, 4 colours (blue, green, pink, silver), 18 hr battery life US$249

28 June 2005 344 iPod 20GB & 60GB colour screens (US$299, US$399), 15hr battery. No more iPod photo. U2 iPod now colour screen.