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AppleCare worth it?
- Thread starter Gooberton
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And unfortunately, it will continue to go up in price due to people like that.
What the...
Can anyone else confirm this from their own experience as well?
Someone should make a sticky thread about this.
On average, you do not need to buy insurance for electronics. Yes, there will always be exceptions who use it because something happened to their device. However, Apple offers Applecare because they make money off it. Meaning, they pay out less than gets paid in. If that weren't the case, they would not offer it, or they'd raise the price.
Plenty of people, like me, have never bought Applecare and have never needed it. Even if I DO need it tomorrow, I'll be better off paying out of pocket once than paying Applecare since 2008. The most common repair is probably a cracked screen, right? It doesn't cost that much to get that repaired. If you buy Applecare and pay the replacement fee it's $99 + $79 (I think). And with how often people upgrade devices, you'll get a brand new phone soon anyway, regardless.
And, yes you get a one year warranty with the phone.
Extended warranties are not good for the consumer.
I don't know. Maybe they changed the terms? My apple care was either $69 or $79, not $99. Is there some difference between applecare and applecare+?
Someone had told me once that you had to buy it at the time of original purchase and I asked the CSR about that over the phone. She said I had a year to buy it and took my credit card info over the phone.
I had it on my 5. I had my 5 for 2 years with no case, no skin, no skin protector. Never broke it but it did have battery and camera issues during year 2. Because of AppleCare + , I got a replacement for free under the extension of warranty and the peace of mind that if I busted it they would fix the screen, etc.
However, I am bummed to see that the replacement fee if I mess it up went from $49 per incident (for a max of 2) to $79 per incident.
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I agree and do normally side with you. But I had a $399 iPhone 5 64GB that was $849 for a replacement if I messed it up. Not sure what replacement screens cost. But the $99 was a nice insurance policy and I did get a free replacement in year 2 for things that naturally went bad. Not to mention my pristine phone that never had a case is now worth $300-450.
However, I am bummed to see that the replacement fee if I mess it up went from $49 per incident (for a max of 2) to $79 per incident.
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I agree and do normally side with you. But I had a $399 iPhone 5 64GB that was $849 for a replacement if I messed it up. Not sure what replacement screens cost. But the $99 was a nice insurance policy and I did get a free replacement in year 2 for things that naturally went bad. Not to mention my pristine phone that never had a case is now worth $300-450.
Here is a hint about whether to get AppleCare or not. Do you believe Apple sells AppleCare at a loss? At a break-even point? No. It is sold at a profit overall. Therefore, on average, people are paying more for this "insurance" than the service actually being provided.
The reason the replacement fee went up is because people were having more repairs or more people were buying Applecare (or both). The only other reason is that the tech price went up, but that doesn't seem the case. Like I said, they have to make money off of it.
It'll work out great for some people, but you know, on average, Apple will come out on top. Just like gambling. You will win some, but the house wins in the end. That's how they build those amazing buildings in Vegas. Applecare is nothing but gambling. Maybe if someone is particularly rough on their phones it is more feasible.
It's a shame they aren't swapping phones out for failures as much though because then you risk them damaging your phone and giving you the same one back (scratch that they would consider no big deal). I don't like that, I'd rather them just swap it out than risk an injury to the phone's case.
I wonder if you pay for the Express service, if they would always swap it out rather than repair, I guess they would have to?
I wonder if you pay for the Express service, if they would always swap it out rather than repair, I guess they would have to?
What is their threshold for too minor to merit repair/replacement? I mean, they won't bother with a scratch on the case, right? What if there is a dent? Are they not doing swaps anymore? They are actually repairing phones?
Do you use them as dog leashes?
I've only had one lightning cable out of probably two dozen fail on me, and that's because it got sucked up in a vacuum.
My wife & iPhone 5
1) dropped and cracked the screen (1st replacement, under
care)
2) replacement under warranty because of defect digitizer
3) fluup, and down into the toilet ... Worked for few more weeks, then 2nd replacement undercare
So, yeah: for mecare was a good choice.
And no, this way my wife will never ever experience any battery issues
1) dropped and cracked the screen (1st replacement, under
care)2) replacement under warranty because of defect digitizer
3) fluup, and down into the toilet ... Worked for few more weeks, then 2nd replacement under
careSo, yeah: for me
care was a good choice.And no, this way my wife will never ever experience any battery issues
Another advantage of Applecare+ is the ease of access. If your phone needs repair or replacement and you have a store near you, then you can simply go into a store. I dropped my phone and cracked the screen, made an appointment for the next day, walked in/out in 30 minutes with a new phone.
So I'd say if you have a store near you, I would go for applecare+, if not square trade is not that. I have square trade for my TV, however I have never had to deal with them just yet.
Since I replace my phone every year I don't really like paying $99 but it can help with resell value. I pay AT&T $6.99(the other $3 is a true waste of your money) but the deductibles are a little higher. You also get protection against loss and theft so its definitely worth it to me. $6.99 x 12 = $83.88/yr with deductibles around $199.99 - $299.99. I've never dropped a phone before but I did have one stolen in high school a long time ago so I probably don't need anything but $6.99 on my bill makes me feel a little better about it.
T-Mobile JUMP program is essentially the same deal as Apple Care, but it costs $10 a month and covers anything. Lost, stolen, damaged, whatever.
I grab applecare, so you get 2 replacements there, and I still use the insurance through VZW so there is 1 per year there as well. I'm honestly not that clumsy and have never had to use it, **KNOCK ON WOOD**, but I like to rock my phone naked. I think i'd buy a case if I started dropping them.
If you buy your phone outright, I guess so, I buy AppleCare for all my Macs. For my personal situation though it's not worth it, because I get a new iPhone for 200-300 every year, so the waranty covers it pretty well.
Yes, things like broken glass or batteries, they are actually repairing the phones.
I suppose, with my concern, if they truly did damage your phone and it was unacceptable, you could contact HQ and ask them to take care of it, but it seems like a hassle.
The swapping was nice, but people likely abused it.
You probably bought the AppleCare Protection Plan (APP), which is no longer available. That is the only way you could have gotten "AppleCare" that late after your purchase date. People sometimes confuse the APP with AppleCare+, which is understandable, but the former has been phased out, and now only AppleCare+ is available.
When APP was available, you could purchase it anytime during your 1-year hardware warranty. It was $69. It extended your 1-year hardware warranty out to 2 years and also extended your phone (and now chat) support out to 2 years as well. However, it did not come with the two incidents of coverage of accidental damage.
Also, to the people asking: you can now purchase AppleCare+ from chat support as well as phone support, up to 60 days from your purchase date. A diagnostic needs to be run first.
(Source: I work for AppleCare. I'd be happy to provide any clarification on what APP vs AC+ is, what AC+ gets you, etc. Obviously can't disclose any internal processes or anything like that, but I really believe in AppleCare+ as a product, so I'd like to clear some air about it.)
As for OP's question: I purchase AppleCare+ on all of my iPhones. Much cheaper than carrier insurance (10 per month + 200 deductible, yeesh), although to be fair, some carrier insurances cover lost/stolen devices, which AppleCare+ does not. I buy each new iPhone model yearly at retail price, so being able to advertise to buyers (usually family members) that the iPhone I am selling them comes with a year of AppleCare+ with both accidental damage incidents in-tact helps me recoup some of the expense of upgrading as often.
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Typically, no. Again, I can't disclose any internal processes, so here's a public link for you to the AppleCare+ terms:
http://images.apple.com/legal/sales-support/applecare/docs/applecareplus.pdf
If you do a search for the term "Cosmetic," you'll find this:
(v) The Plan does not apply to cosmetic damage to the Covered iPhone, including but not limited to scratches and dents, that do not otherwise affect the functionality of the Covered iPhone.
Given that information, dents are not covered if they are not impacting the functionality of your iPhone.
People saying that it can't be a good deal because Apple wouldn't offer something unprofitable to them...
Apple replacing your phone with what is usually a refurbished model costs them way less than you going out and spending $800-$1000 to replace your phone. The same goes for service, cracked screens, etc.
Yes, Applecare is profitable for them because they already have these service people working and refurbished phones ready to go, but that doesn't mean that it can't also be a good deal for the consumer.
Apple replacing your phone with what is usually a refurbished model costs them way less than you going out and spending $800-$1000 to replace your phone. The same goes for service, cracked screens, etc.
Yes, Applecare is profitable for them because they already have these service people working and refurbished phones ready to go, but that doesn't mean that it can't also be a good deal for the consumer.