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International Warranty I Think Not

B

bsolomonny

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 10, 2007
148
0
Taiwan
Hi I just called Apple Care and asked about the "international coverage" of the apple care warranty. I go to school in Taiwan but want to buy a macbook or macbook pro here. I was shocked by the answer i got from the apple care guy. He told me if i had any problems he could not guarantee i would be covered abroad. He also said that any problems would require i send the computer back to America for parts and repair. I read him apple limited warranty's fine print,

"If the product is portable, meaning that it can operate independently without a power cord, you may obtain warranty service worldwide. However, service will be limited to the options available in the country where service is requested."

And Apple Care's not so fine print,
"Convenient repair options
The AppleCare Protection Plan includes up to three years of onsite service for desktop computers.* The plan also provides global repair coverage, which can be very important if you travel abroad. Apple-authorized technicians perform repairs using genuine Apple parts."

I also pointed out that the AppleCare fine print states,
"If the product is a Mac mini or is a portable product, meaning that it can operate independently without a
power cord, Apple will provide worldwide repair or replacement service, as described below."

I asked the apple care guy double check and talk to a supervisor. He came back after 5 minutes and said that if i need help abroad they may help me but there are no guarantees and that its apple's policy that the computer be shipped back to the US for repairs and parts. This means if there is a problem the customer has to wait for his computer to be sent to the US and be sent back to where ever he or she is. He said that "global coverage" just means i will not void the warranty if i travel abroad.
I am really shocked. I was about to purchase my first apple but after discovering that there is no guarantee of service coverage abroad i am very nervous. Can it be i just got a bad apple guy? I can't imagine such a visionary company would treat their customers in this deceptive way.

On a side note, one reason i wanted to switch to apple is i do a lot of traveling abroad and my last computer was a Toshiba with an international warranty. While in Taiwan, Toshiba wanted me to wait 3 - 6 months for a hard drive to be shipped from the US because mine was defective.
 
just an update:
I called again and spoke to someone different. He seemed more confident that you can get coverage outside the US but was still not sure. I think it is very strange how Apple and other companies tout that they have international warranties but their staff seems to be unaware of them.
 
bsolomonny said:
just an update:
I called again and spoke to someone different. He seemed more confident that you can get coverage outside the US but was still not sure. I think it is very strange how Apple and other companies tout that they have international warranties but their staff seems to be unaware of them.
Click to expand...

I am pretty sure the people you talked to didn't know what they were talking about. Call back and ask to speak with a more experienced agent, a higher up or something.
 
what's so deceptive about that?

maybe apple doesn't guarentee that there are authorized repair center everywhere in the world, so the one thing they can say for sure is they will cover you, but it might have to be sent back to the U.S., since that is the place your warentee started.

i think you just have unreasonable expectation.
 
"Warranty" doesn't imply "Fast service"

A three week or longer turnaround on repairs is entirely within the warranty provisions - the warranty doesn't say that the service has to be done on the spot at the local depot, or within a certain amount of time. "obtaining warranty service" simply means that you don't have to ship it to the US yourself, you hand it to Apple's agent in <country> and <stuff happens> then <a variable amount of time> later, you get a repaired machine back.

Apple's international operations in countries other than where Apple has a corporate presence, is handled by independent companies who own the Apple distribution rights for their area. The service can range from the good to the truly abysmal depending on the company who is running it.
 
Er, our AppleCare in Holland worked fine...
I think the first guy was just clueless.
 
My uncle bought his MacBook in the US, but he got the battery replaced in Panama. It took about 3 weeks to Apple ship the battery here. The Authorized Reseller only asked for the invoice.

I do know that Apple recommends to buy the AppleCare in the country/region where you live.
 
Can you buy a notebook in the US and then buy AppleCare in another country?
In regards to the other posts...I guess i had expected a higher level of service from Apple. My point was is, it seemed that the apple reps did not even know anything about apple's international warranty.
 
Beware of international service

My wife just got off the phone with apple service for what appears to be a fairly common problem (http://www.appledefects.com/?cat=24). She purchased her Macbook in the USA, but live in Israel. The answers we got as for servicing the broken power cord were outrageous.

They would not guarantee that the licensed salespeople here would replace the defected part, would not call them on our behalf despite the fact we purchased the extended, intenational warranty in the USA and the most infuriating was that they would not send us a replacement part overseas!

They also refused to answer whether we can charge the laptop with a cord from a friend's MacBookPro in the meantime. I am not very optimistic that the servicer here will recognize the international warranty when we go tomorrow simply because we didn't buy it from him. And now that we know that Apple USA won't do anything either, we feel a bit screwed.

So to the student in Taiwan who first posted, beware before you buy because even if they tell you what you want to hear when you purchase the product, you may get nothing but useless doubletalk after holding for 8 minutes on an international phone call if you do have a real problem.
 
lovinghusband said:
My wife just got off the phone with apple service for what appears to be a fairly common problem (http://www.appledefects.com/?cat=24). She purchased her Macbook in the USA, but live in Israel. The answers we got as for servicing the broken power cord were outrageous.

They would not guarantee that the licensed salespeople here would replace the defected part, would not call them on our behalf despite the fact we purchased the extended, intenational warranty in the USA and the most infuriating was that they would not send us a replacement part overseas!

They also refused to answer whether we can charge the laptop with a cord from a friend's MacBookPro in the meantime. I am not very optimistic that the servicer here will recognize the international warranty when we go tomorrow simply because we didn't buy it from him. And now that we know that Apple USA won't do anything either, we feel a bit screwed.

So to the student in Taiwan who first posted, beware before you buy because even if they tell you what you want to hear when you purchase the product, you may get nothing but useless doubletalk after holding for 8 minutes on an international phone call if you do have a real problem.
Click to expand...

Something's not right about these stories. I think you must be getting hold of the wrong rep. At least, I hope so. Before I sold a mac mini to a guy in Ireland, I called apple care a few times to make sure the mini would be covered in the same way that it was covered here in the US. They reassured me in all instances that the mini was covered under their international warranty. Are you talking to the US apple care people or Israeli? If only one, i would suggest talking to the other. If you're getting the same story from both, then Apple has been deceptive. I was told there is some sort of international database so that apple care in other countries could access your computer's info etc...

Good luck getting this resolved!

YT
 
14-day wait

At the end of a long day, the servicers in Israel said we will have a new power cord in 14 days. What remained absurd is that they were able to confirm our applecare and they have they the part we need in stock, but cannot replace it without getting the OK from Apple in the USA. All of our attempts to find a solution were also rebuffed. We asked if we could purchase a cord and return it if/when the new one arrives or leave a post-dated chack that would only be cashed if the replacement wasn't approved. None of these were do-able.

In response to yojitani, naturally we asked all the questions about the warranty when we made the purchase tis summer in America. We were led to believe then that if we purchase the comprehensive international warranty, servicing the product in Israel would be as easy as in America. Clearly this is not true. Now I have serious doubts if it is worse purchasing a MacBook for myself as I planned after seeing the problems my wife is having. The service I got from HP here in Israel was infinately better than my wife has recieved from apple.
 
lovinghusband said:
At the end of a long day, the servicers in Israel said we will have a new power cord in 14 days. What remained absurd is that they were able to confirm our applecare and they have they the part we need in stock, but cannot replace it without getting the OK from Apple in the USA. All of our attempts to find a solution were also rebuffed. We asked if we could purchase a cord and return it if/when the new one arrives or leave a post-dated chack that would only be cashed if the replacement wasn't approved. None of these were do-able.

In response to yojitani, naturally we asked all the questions about the warranty when we made the purchase tis summer in America. We were led to believe then that if we purchase the comprehensive international warranty, servicing the product in Israel would be as easy as in America. Clearly this is not true. Now I have serious doubts if it is worse purchasing a MacBook for myself as I planned after seeing the problems my wife is having. The service I got from HP here in Israel was infinately better than my wife has recieved from apple.
Click to expand...


Well, glad to hear that at least there is some kind of resolution - though obviously not ideal. It sounds like you have only been in touch with apple in Israel since the cable went. If that's the case, you might try contacting apple USA, since you bought the computer there, and explaining the problem you are having. I've heard of this tactic working for someone in Hong Kong (or Singapore).

Keep us posted on how it works out for you.

YT
 
japan to canada

i am currently in Osaka japan and interested in purchasing my first macbook because of there being no tax which means cheaper for me. My only hesitation is the warranty.. and if it will be valid in canada? Does anyone have any insight to share with me to help me with my decision whether to buy one or not? It would be greatly appreciated.
 
I think you should contact apple store in Taiwan.Because I heard applecare is valid all over the world and you can get service/repair.But like I said contact Taiwan apple store and find out.
 
I bought an iBook in Canada and it went belly up in France and the UK and the warranty was honoured. The service was absolutely sh*t with loads of broken promises but there was no question about the validity of the warranty. I think they sent it to Holland for repair and the turnaround was something like 4 days but it took them 3 weeks to pick it up! (Which was about 15 broken rendezvous!) Apples' reps have been super crap in their approach to this matter. Unreasonable expectations my arse. They keep telling us they're a premier company so they should behave like one to each and every individual. They wouldn't tell Walt Mossberg this.
 
gnomer said:
i am currently in Osaka japan and interested in purchasing my first macbook because of there being no tax which means cheaper for me. My only hesitation is the warranty.. and if it will be valid in canada? Does anyone have any insight to share with me to help me with my decision whether to buy one or not? It would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Applecare coverage is global. You should be covered even if you bring the computer back to Canada with you. I would highly recommend buying the full 3 year Applecare plan though.

My iMac was purchased here in Japan and I bought the Applecare coverage for it from L.A. Computer in the United States because it is much cheaper. I've already used it twice for this machine for LCD panel problems.

I don't know how the service is for Apple in Canada but here in Japan it is top notch. I sent my iMac in a few days before Golden Week for a backlight flickering problem and they replaced the LCD panel and had it back to me in 3 days total. :D
 
Apple Care Outside the U.S.

I was in a situation in the Philippines where a MacBook went bad. They offered to fix locally, which was not a good idea, according to the locals. As long as the computer was bought in the U.S.. Apple will pay for international shipping and fix it in the U.S. as long as you plan to return sometime. They also guarantee the return shipping, which is a problem in some countries, as people will get into packages coming in from the U.S.
So I would buy U.S., unless your in a country where you know that
the Apple Care will be of quality service and I don't mean a Certified Apple Repair facility. Especially when it comes to Lap Tops you want them fixed by Apple.
Geoff
 
CanadaRAM said:
"Warranty" doesn't imply "Fast service"

A three week or longer turnaround on repairs is entirely within the warranty provisions - the warranty doesn't say that the service has to be done on the spot at the local depot, or within a certain amount of time. "obtaining warranty service" simply means that you don't have to ship it to the US yourself, you hand it to Apple's agent in <country> and <stuff happens> then <a variable amount of time> later, you get a repaired machine back.

Apple's international operations in countries other than where Apple has a corporate presence, is handled by independent companies who own the Apple distribution rights for their area. The service can range from the good to the truly abysmal depending on the company who is running it.
Click to expand...

I work is Electronics retail and yes I agree that this topic is very controversial... I quote the above post because as a sales rep, I'm always being hassled by customers who argue and make outrageous demands (and actually think I give a hell, LMAO!).

My view is that people are under the impression that shops and service centers have computers and spare parts lying around that technicians are itching to hand over in exchange for their defective products. This is not the case. And technicians do not supernormal computer-fixing capabilities.

To the blogger in Israel who thought the local reseller should let them borrow a laptop power adaptor in exchange for a post dated cheque or whatever. Please step back and understand what it is you are asking - would you let some stranger "borrow" a brand new TV or cellphone of yours for a few weeks, with no real form of payment (sorry, cheques don't count) and the provision to give back whenever they feel like it, in who-knows what condition? I think not!

One last thing, (I think) Apple does not have a corporate presence in Isreal. They will tender their service contracts to local (or sometimes in neighbouring countries) repair companies that will try to do the best job they can with the resources at hand - and I'm afraid this does not allow for instant, shiny, state-of-the-art, seamless or fool-proof service.
 
You can be pretty sure that AppleCare works in most, if not all, western countries.

Apple do sell products outside of the United States.
 
I got pretty good service for my america bought macbook in taiwan. I had to send it to taipei but i was happy with the work they did. It did take 10 days to get a battery but i was covered here.
 
Apple's warranty is valid worldwide, and no matter where you purchase your computer or the Applecare Protection Plan the terms of coverage are exactly the same. In Canada and US and in the UK you can expect fast and efficient service, but elsewhere Apple doesn't have much of a corporate presence and outsources their repairs to various channels of resellers, and in many countries there are only a very small network of resellers. Apple does not guarantee how fast your problem will be fixed, all they guarantee is that you will have a working product.
 
The service is excellent and lightning fast here in Japan. I can't be exactly certain but I don't think they outsource the work here. Apple has it's own service center in Tokyo.

In fact, although I'm American and perhaps should be biased, from what I've read from horror stories in these forums I think I'd rather deal with Apple Japan than US for service.

I've already described my latest excellent experience with them above in this thread. :)
 
The Caribbean

Im in a similar situation except i havent bought the applecare yet, I live in Antigua(Caribbean) and recently had my friend bring me down a refurb mbp i entered all my information on apples website and tried to see if i could register it for apple care. I was told that they dont offer any services in my region is there anything i can do?
 
f1 said:
Apple's warranty is valid worldwide, and no matter where you purchase your computer or the Applecare Protection Plan the terms of coverage are exactly the same. In Canada and US and in the UK you can expect fast and efficient service, but elsewhere Apple doesn't have much of a corporate presence and outsources their repairs to various channels of resellers, and in many countries there are only a very small network of resellers. Apple does not guarantee how fast your problem will be fixed, all they guarantee is that you will have a working product.
Click to expand...

Our servicing in Australia is done in-house. Doesn't take too long either. Batteries are usually a day or two, anything major is usually 3 to 5 days.
 
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