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Nervebullet

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 5, 2007
12
0
Hey guys!

I am unsure of which to get.

I dont like shipping a laptop away , so id rather hand it over somewhere close

Best Buy is a few minutes away, but come August we will get an apple store right next to it so my question is as follows...

which option do you recommend

1) Buy apple care and if anything needs to be fixed visit the apple store
(i dont know the education discount on this but i will get it at that price)

2) Buy a protection plan at best buy for 3 years for $480. This covers accidental damage and hardware repairs.

What are your thoughts guys =)

Hopefully im getting my mbp today and its going to be my first ( ive had an imac since nov. and i love apple)

=)
 

cyclingplatypus

macrumors 65816
Mar 15, 2007
1,117
237
Earth
You've got a year to decide on AppleCare, and I'm like you I'd rather take it somewhere instead of shipping it. AppleCare is far less than the $480 BB wants.
 

crazzyeddie

macrumors 68030
Dec 7, 2002
2,792
1
Florida, USA
Don't do the Best Buy thing. They don't sell Macs, so they will heavily resist you on repairing/replacing it.

Secondly, Applecare is the best. There are many stories on this forum of people who have gotten excellent service and they will do just about anything to make you satisfied. And the fact that you will have an Apple Store there sweetens the deal even more. You can't beat a face-to-face tech consultation with someone who actually knows the Mac.
 

Ish

macrumors 68020
Nov 30, 2004
2,210
743
UK
My PB had three new logic boards within about 18 months of buying it. Can't fault the service. After the first time I knew what the problem was and I rang up beforehand to check if the part was in. When it was, the Apple store replaced the board within two or three hours and I could take it back the same day.

I've been very satisfied and I'd much rather trust Apple with my Apple hardware. Wouldn't like anyone else to get their hands on it, never mind letting them poke about inside.
 

dex22

macrumors regular
Jun 17, 2003
248
0
Round Rock, TX
People who work at Apple are really motivated to work there. People who work at Best Buy are trying to get by in retail.

Who do you want to fix your computer if it breaks?
 

urbanskywalker

macrumors 6502
Apr 30, 2007
255
0
Don't buy Best Buy go with Apple. Best Buy likes to give you the bull about Apple not covering certain things, but it's crap. Best Buy will also take longer to fix your machine and chances are they will have to send it out to Apple anyway. Cut out the middle man and save yourself time and money. Also with Apple, as pointed out, you can buy Apple care anytime within the first year.
 

gameguy3001

macrumors member
Feb 8, 2007
96
0
Saskatoon, SK
I'd say go with the AppleCare, its the top rated computer tech support for 4 or 5 year in a row. It will also cover any repair for free, unless you throw your computer down a flight of stairs. Since your getting a apple store as well, get the applecare.
 

steamboat26

macrumors 65816
May 25, 2006
1,123
0
Arlington VA
Be wary of any kind of best buy protection plan. I used to work for them, and they will do almost anything to avoid replacing your product.
 

jeremy.king

macrumors 603
Jul 23, 2002
5,479
1
Holly Springs, NC
Don't do the Best Buy thing. They don't sell Macs, so they will heavily resist you on repairing/replacing it.

They actually do sell macs (in store and online).

People who work at Apple are really motivated to work there. People who work at Best Buy are trying to get by in retail.

Who do you want to fix your computer if it breaks?

Apple employs third party repair centers (Flextronics, Teleplan, others), so your machine isn't gauranteed to be fixed by Apple

Cut out the middle man and save yourself time and money.

I completely agree. Applecare is the best option.
 

anirban

macrumors 6502a
Jan 9, 2007
689
0
Houston, TX
Slightly off-topic but..

With no intention of hijacking the thread, I have a question:

If I purchased AppleCare from Apple online store, and if my MBP needs some warranty work, can I just take it to an Apple Store (even though I didnt buy the MBP from there)? Or do I need to ship my machine to Apple?
 

TraceyS/FL

macrumors 601
Jan 11, 2007
4,173
313
North Central Florida
Apple Care isnt' going to cover a lightening strike. Or dust issues, or other type of stuff that BB is going to.

They will cover bare bones Manufacturing Defects. Nothing "accidental" at all.

Read the fine print and then decide!

Oh and laptops are shipped off for service, even with Apple Care. Very rarely will you get an instore repair from what i've read.

anirban: you can take it to the Apple Store - but they will probably ship it off for most things. So it may be faster to get service calling - just depends on the issue you are having.
 

Nuc

macrumors 6502a
Jan 20, 2003
798
6
TN
With no intention of hijacking the thread, I have a question:

If I purchased AppleCare from Apple online store, and if my MBP needs some warranty work, can I just take it to an Apple Store (even though I didnt buy the MBP from there)? Or do I need to ship my machine to Apple?
You can take it to the Apple Store. I bought mine online at Apple.com and have taken mine in with no problems.

Nuc
 

amc382

macrumors regular
Nov 4, 2003
102
0
Applecare 100%

I wouldn't trust the best buy people to do something as simple as install RAM.
 

anirban

macrumors 6502a
Jan 9, 2007
689
0
Houston, TX
Thanks a lot Nuc and TraceyS/FL for the replies.


Yes, I would not trust Best Buy to touch such a cosmetically delicate machines such as MBP. I remember when I had asked them to fix a problem in my HP laptop, they were not able to fix the problem, charged me an outrageous amount, and returned my laptop with lots of scratches on the lid.

I saw them just taking the laptop, putting it upside down to look at the battery, and then sliding it to get a better look- on just plain hard wood table. What the heck??
 

thegoldenmackid

macrumors 604
Dec 29, 2006
7,770
6
dallas, texas
Stick with Apple Care, I imagine that Best Buy doesnt exactly move....quickly....

Apple Care is extremely quick although they ship things out and as long as you don't do stupid things the accidentalness shouldn't be a problem.
 

Affe

macrumors member
May 12, 2007
52
0
I am not going to dis on Best Buy, their replacement plans on their iPods are great! I have gotten to upgrade from a SanDisk to a iPod nano G1 to a iPod nano G2, all for the same price (I might of had to pay a bit the difference of the SanDisk to nano.) The Best Buy near me accepts you to just complain about battery life, or in the case of my 1gen nano the screen discoloration or "rainbow" effect on it and they would either give me a replacement of same product or store-credit.

However, I cannot vouch for their laptop plans and for that price I don't think it is worth it. I think AppleCare is the way to go in this case.
 

thegoldenmackid

macrumors 604
Dec 29, 2006
7,770
6
dallas, texas
I am not going to dis on Best Buy, their replacement plans on their iPods are great! I have gotten to upgrade from a SanDisk to a iPod nano G1 to a iPod nano G2, all for the same price (I might of had to pay a bit the difference of the SanDisk to nano.) The Best Buy near me accepts you to just complain about battery life, or in the case of my 1gen nano the screen discoloration or "rainbow" effect on it and they would either give me a replacement of same product or store-credit.

However, I cannot vouch for their laptop plans and for that price I don't think it is worth it. I think AppleCare is the way to go in this case.

Apple Care on iPods isn't shabby either. I don't dislike Best Buy, but Apple's replacement or repair plan's on iPods are amazing. Sure they don't upgrade your iPod, they replace it, which is the correct thing from both a business/consumer stand point. If you have Apple Care and unless you damage your iPod (such as smashing the screen with a hammer) if there's an issue with your iPod, you won't leave the Apple Store with a broken one.
 

aquajet

macrumors 68020
Feb 12, 2005
2,386
9
VA
Oh and laptops are shipped off for service, even with Apple Care. Very rarely will you get an instore repair from what i've read.

Actually, many things can be repaired in-store. The Superdrive, speakers and fan in my MBP were all replaced in-store.
 

theBB

macrumors 68020
Jan 3, 2006
2,453
3
When I bought a Compaq laptop at Best Buy, I bought BB plan. They replaced my battery without any fuss after about 2 years later when it lost much of its capacity. Of course, they charged me about half of your price, so it was an easier choice.

Read the fine print. If they cover the battery and accidental damage, it might be worth it.

Does AppleCare cover battery after 1 year?
 

franknpiano

macrumors newbie
May 29, 2011
1
0
I completely agree, it depends on products and which location as well.

The best buy in city of industry before (6 years ago) used to be pretty awesome.

I had a PS3 with extended warranty, and it broke; and i ended up getting a store credit like $100 because sony reduced the price on ps3.

That was nice. Then Best Buy is asking for driver's license to return anything to monitor returns. It is not so nice now.

I am not going to dis on Best Buy, their replacement plans on their iPods are great! I have gotten to upgrade from a SanDisk to a iPod nano G1 to a iPod nano G2, all for the same price (I might of had to pay a bit the difference of the SanDisk to nano.) The Best Buy near me accepts you to just complain about battery life, or in the case of my 1gen nano the screen discoloration or "rainbow" effect on it and they would either give me a replacement of same product or store-credit.

However, I cannot vouch for their laptop plans and for that price I don't think it is worth it. I think AppleCare is the way to go in this case.
 
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