Is AppleCare or extra warranty really worth buying?

[lilskaterpunk]

Well I checked with my Visa and what it covers for warranty.

EXTENDED WARRANTY INSURANCE
Extended Warranty Insurance automatically doubles the original manufacturer's
warranty, up to a maximum extension of one (1) year. Your Extended Warranty
Insurance starts immediately following the expiry of the original manufacturer's
warranty, but in no event shall the combined Extended Warranty and original
manufacturer's warranty exceed five (5) years. If you have a claim under this Certificate
of Insurance, it will be reviewed according to the original manufacturer's warranty, which
will outline all terms and conditions relating to your personal property or gift. The terms,
conditions and exclusions of this Certificate of Insurance will govern in case of a conflict.
In the event your original manufacturer's warranty is no longer available due to the
bankruptcy of the manufacturer, this insurance will provide coverage in place of the
original manufacturer's warranty, to a maximum of one (1) year from the date of
bankruptcy of the manufacturer.

So if I take this right, I can buy the MBP 13'' on my Visa and I should have 1 year warranty from Apple and once 1 year is up, I get another 1 year coverage through my Visa which is extending the warranty?
If so, this is really all I need as I don't keep my laptops for over 2 years lol Like I said in previous post, im always trying something new.

Can someone correct me here?

Thanks

 

[flopticalcube]

So what? Why would that have any bearing on the decision to buy or not buy a warranty?

Of course it makes them money, they're not a charity.

Here's your choice: Buy an extended warranty for a couple of hundred bucks more now, or risk paying thousands out of pocket later if something goes wrong.

How much buying the warranty profits the company is totally irrelevant.

Why does it matter? Because if its making them SO much money, its probably a poor investment on the purchaser's part. The risks are clearly so low that the house almost always wins and its simply the fear of something going horribly wrong that prompts people to spend disproportionate amounts of money on an extended warranty. That's why.

 

[BlackiBook]

If you buy it on ebay then you can get a really good deal! And yes it is worth it, I have had two hard drive failures and both times they were replaced for free! (both times were in a 3 year old computer)

 

[flopticalcube]

If you buy it on ebay then you can get a really good deal! And yes it is worth it, I have had two hard drive failures and both times they were replaced for free! (both times were in a 3 year old computer)

Apple has recently clamped down on eBay purchases. You may find that your warranty does not get approved after you tie it to your hardware. There was a long thread on MR about that recently.

 

[sbb155]

Well I checked with my Visa and what it covers for warranty.

EXTENDED WARRANTY INSURANCE
Extended Warranty Insurance automatically doubles the original manufacturer's
warranty, up to a maximum extension of one (1) year. Your Extended Warranty
Insurance starts immediately following the expiry of the original manufacturer's
warranty, but in no event shall the combined Extended Warranty and original
manufacturer's warranty exceed five (5) years. If you have a claim under this Certificate
of Insurance, it will be reviewed according to the original manufacturer's warranty, which
will outline all terms and conditions relating to your personal property or gift. The terms,
conditions and exclusions of this Certificate of Insurance will govern in case of a conflict.
In the event your original manufacturer's warranty is no longer available due to the
bankruptcy of the manufacturer, this insurance will provide coverage in place of the
original manufacturer's warranty, to a maximum of one (1) year from the date of
bankruptcy of the manufacturer.

So if I take this right, I can buy the MBP 13'' on my Visa and I should have 1 year warranty from Apple and once 1 year is up, I get another 1 year coverage through my Visa which is extending the warranty?
If so, this is really all I need as I don't keep my laptops for over 2 years lol Like I said in previous post, im always trying something new.

Can someone correct me here?

Thanks

YOU are absolutely correct. Have done it this way several times. As I have said, applecare is just a waste of money, since it only helps in the third year. By that time, the value of the computer is significantly low. If you buy a 1500 macbook pro, it may only be worth 750 in 2-3 years. is applecare worth 300 dollars on such an older computer? especially since you have already had 2 years to get the kinks out of your system?
yes, applecare is for suckers. Plenty of them out there of course.

 

[BlackiBook]

Apple has recently clamped down on eBay purchases. You may find that your warranty does not get approved after you tie it to your hardware. There was a long thread on MR about that recently.

Oh wow I must have missed it! Wow I am glad the one I bought a few months ago went through alright! Thanks for the info!

 

[lilskaterpunk]

YOU are absolutely correct. Have done it this way several times. As I have said, applecare is just a waste of money, since it only helps in the third year. By that time, the value of the computer is significantly low. If you buy a 1500 macbook pro, it may only be worth 750 in 2-3 years. is applecare worth 300 dollars on such an older computer? especially since you have already had 2 years to get the kinks out of your system?
yes, applecare is for suckers. Plenty of them out there of course.

Thanks dude for the reply.
I totally understand and yes everyone has there own thoughts of warranty.

Cheers

 

[eyedoc_00]

Here is my story with apple care. Sorry for the length.

Purchased an iMac G5 in 2005. After year 1, I had the logic board, power supply and LCD screen replaced. Would have cost $1700, all covered by apple care.

In year 3, LCD screen and slot loading dvd drive replaced.

Now for the truly lucky part. About 5 months ago, my iMac started having start up problems. Turned out to be a bad logic board. When I contacted apple care, they told me the computer was out of warranty and it did not make sense for them to fix it for the price of $800.

They told me they would give me a credit of $800 towards the purchase of a new computer.

I wound up getting the 27" i5. They actually only charged me $923 for the i5. Told me it was an upgrade cost. I could not be happier. Apple certainly did not have to give me anything for an out of warranty computer. My 2 cents is that it is worth the cost.

 

[HBOC]

i bought AppleCare. I paid cash for my MBP, so i didn't have the benfits of an extended warranty from the CC companies.

DO NOT buy AppleCare on EBAY. Click the link in my signature. You WILL NOT get the AC box, a receipt or the TechTools CD (you can download it, but you are paying for it already..)

With the student discount, AppleCare for a 15" MBP is $239 at Apple.

My MBP had a logicboard go out within the first 60 days (the graphics card i do believe).

 

[Bbusyb]

Applecare (And Other laptop's Manufactures warrantys) are well worth it if you use you machine well. The Store Warranties, I agree are definitely a rip off.

I've found that in the case of laptops, My machines usually start to have problems around the 16-18 month mark (Probably due to usage as they are usually in Use 24 /7, and constantly on the go) and the costs to fix start to add up if yo have to pay retail to fix. The one time I Didn't get the extended warranty, the first repair cost was double what the warranty would have cost not to mention the costs it ended up incurring in the future.

In my Dell, Which I abused thoroughly, I've had literally everything inside replaced at least once if not twice, with problems often being caused by environmental factors, but Dell been pretty happy to repair and replace whatever is needed.

I've run into issues with multiple manufacturers, so its not just a problem with one companies quality. Also, do keep in mind that as long as you have the warranty, the company has to provide replacement parts or replace the whole machine. Finding replacement Parts for a Out of warranty Laptop is a crapshoot, especially as companies mostly use custom parts.