AppleCare+ Is A Giant Ripoff!

[whitehall]

Yours is an opinion, which makes you feel warm & fuzzy, further it is your $ so knock yourself out. Mine is not an opinion but what statistics shows.

Here is some reading material for you.

http://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/07/warranties.asp

Something from the link above.

What most consumers fail to realize is that although the price of an extended warranty often seems like a bargain to a consumer who is aware of the steep price of repairs, it has actually been carefully considered through actuarial analysis by the company that offers it. In other words, the company uses probability and statistical methods to calculate the likelihood that your new refrigerator or big-screen television, for example, will require repairs. This figure is weighed against how much those repairs would cost to arrive at the price that a company will charge consumers for a warranty on a particular item. This formula is not designed to work in your favor.

As I said in an earlier post - I don't buy AppleCare for the iPhone for the extended warranty as much as I do it for the unlimited 2 years of phone support. Which also provides phone support for iTunes, iCloud, and other Apple stuff related to the iPhone.

If extended warranties for major appliances sold at stores included unlimited phone support FROM THE MANUFACTURER - I'd consider it. But most of them don't.

 

[Megalobyte]

AT&T insurance for me. $6.99 a month, $199 deductible that now goes down 25% every 6 month for the first year... Covers all damage and lost/stolen. And with AT&T insurance, and an iPhone, you get a BRAND NEW DEVICE. No refurbished garbage. Yes please.

My brother-in-law had an iPhone 5, I recommended he get the seven dollar a month insurance through AT&T, because he's not particularly careful with this stuff. Sure enough he lost his phone one day, we filed a claim, he had a brand-new phone in about two days. And, the phone that he lost was a 5, and he got a 5S as a replacement, and it only cost him $99. It turned me into a believer.

 

[techiegirl]

Dropped my mini 2 feet down onto concrete floor over the weekend. $49 and 2 hours later, I have a new one. AppleCare+ worked out for me this time.

 

[Statusnone88]

My brother-in-law had an iPhone 5, I recommended he get the seven dollar a month insurance through AT&T, because he's not particularly careful with this stuff. Sure enough he lost his phone one day, we filed a claim, he had a brand-new phone in about two days. And, the phone that he lost was a 5, and he got a 5S as a replacement, and it only cost him $99. It turned me into a believer.

AT&T's insurance is amazing. And honestly it's worth every penny.

 

[Action Bastard]

I got talked into buying it when I had purchased my iPhone 4s on launch day and to be honest I did get to use it once for a broken volume rocker that happened around the fourteenth month of ownership. The good thing is that they gave me a new refurbished phone on the spot at the apple store with no additional cost to me. But to be honest I have no clue as to what the repair cost would have been without the Apple Care.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

But to be honest I have no clue as to what the repair cost would have been without the Apple Care.

It would've been $0 or even made you money if you purchased it with an Amex card. The out of warranty replacement price for the 4s is $199 regardless of capacity and Amex typically reimburses the full contract price paid. I also replaced a 4s for $199 plus tax and I got $299 plus tax (for a 32gb) back from Amex.

 

[aliensporebomb]

Sigh

My iPhone5 32-gig model was replaced no less than 3 times via applecare due to various issues with the camera that could not be repaired so I got a pristine phone every time.

It paid for itself I think.

 

[phpmaven]

That's fine for you but I don't use american express.

And why do you keep missing out on the point that it extends the warranty by a year. That alone is why I bought it.

FYI. Most credit cards offer the same extended warranty coverage.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

FYI. Most credit cards offer the same extended warranty coverage.

While that's true, Visa/MasterCard might make it more difficult depending on what bank issues it. I personally would only use Amex as they make the process painless and only a phone call away.

 

[phpmaven]

While that's true, Visa/MasterCard might make it more difficult depending on what bank issues it. I personally would only use Amex as they make the process painless and only a phone call away.

I can't argue with that, Amex is great to deal with.

 

[TechnicallyTee]

Even though I have never dropped an iPhone while owning one, I just bought the Apple Care for my 6 Plus. I guess I just have more of a piece of mind right now.

 

[HelloMikee]

Even though I bought with my Amex, I still got apple care. Time is money and going to Apple and getting my dead phone swapped out on the spot will be a lot more convenient and faster than dealing with a third party and waiting, while being without a phone that I rely on for work.

So while Apple care ain't for you, it is for others and don't see why you care.

 

[QuarterSwede]

AppleCare+ Is A Giant Ripoff!

It would've been $0 or even made you money if you purchased it with an Amex card. The out of warranty replacement price for the 4s is $199 regardless of capacity and Amex typically reimburses the full contract price paid. I also replaced a 4s for $199 plus tax and I got $299 plus tax (for a 32gb) back from Amex.

But would it have been replaced immediately? That's the great thing about Applecare+, no waiting. Walk in with a busted phone, walk out with a working one that may as well be new.

I've had every iPhone I've had (5 now) replaced at least once, most twice. AppleCare+ is a life saver.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

But would it have been replaced immediately? That's the great thing about Applecare+, no waiting. Walk in with a busted phone, walk out with a working one that may as well be new.

I've had every iPhone I've had (5 now) replaced at least once, most twice. AppleCare+ is a life saver.

You can most certainly replace it right away by paying for the out of warranty replacement then file a claim with Amex, which will reimburse you.

 

[QuarterSwede]

AppleCare+ Is A Giant Ripoff!

You can most certainly replace it right away by paying for the out of warranty replacement then file a claim with Amex, which will reimburse you.

So yes but with added hassle. Although money saved from not buying AppleCare+. That's definitely a good option if you have an AMEX already for other uses. What is the yearly fee currently?

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

So yes but with added hassle. Although money saved from not buying AppleCare+. That's definitely a good option if you have an AMEX already for other uses. What is the yearly fee currently?

Many Amex cards have no yearly fee. My two Amex cards (Blue Cash and Costco TrueEarnings) have no such fee. Those that do have extra benefits such as also covering you against theft in addition to loss and accidential damage within the first 90 days.

The additional hassle of making a phone call to Amex is worth not paying the $99 and they don't typically make you fill out forms or ask for documentation for routine claims. However, if you are the clumsy type and tend to drop your iPhone and/or keep it for a long time, paying for AC+ with Amex is advantageous as Amex will mirror the standard one-year warranty at the end of AC+, giving you three years of coverage.

 

[Zxxv]

The only thing I don't like is its called apple care but its not provided by apple is it. Its some insurance rip off company making the bucks. I'd feel happier if it were apple providing the cover but its not.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

The only thing I don't like is its called apple care but its not provided by apple is it. Its some insurance rip off company making the bucks. I'd feel happier if it were apple providing the cover but its not.

Applecare+ is provided by Apple. Not sure what you're talking about.

 

[Zxxv]

Applecare+ is provided by Apple. Not sure what you're talking about.

look at the small print. Its not provided by them. Its a 3rd party Insurance company. Atleast in the UK

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

look at the small print. Its not provided by them. Its a 3rd party Insurance company. Atleast in the UK

The UK might be weird because of their customer protection laws but AC is serviced by Apple in the USA.

 

[XboxMySocks]

I'll add, I always buys my phones with an American Express card. They have a policy on all their cards where they automatically extended the warranty of any electronic item by a year. So that's your two years of coverage right there.

So besides for water damage, what else am I really missing out on?

Free Express Replacements/much easier time getting devices exchanged

 

[Zxxv]

The UK might be weird because of their customer protection laws but AC is serviced by Apple in the USA.

its serviced by apple in the uk but the cover is provided not by apple but by a 3rd party insurance company. have you read the small print in the US agreement to see if it says provided by apple or someone else?

by serviced I mean you walk into apple store and say you have applecare plus and they look after you but the cover is not provided by apple, its a 3rd party insurance company. Thats what it was last I read it.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

its serviced by apple in the uk but the cover is provided not by apple but by a 3rd party insurance company. have you read the small print in the US agreement to see if it says provided by apple or someone else?

by serviced I mean you walk into apple store and say you have applecare plus and they look after you but the cover is not provided by apple, its a 3rd party insurance company. Thats what it was last I read it.

In the USA, everything (the standard one-year warranty as well as AC+) is provided by Apple. No third party insurance company.