SquareTrade versus Apple Care +

[Dtp8513]

I want to buy insurance for my new 4s but I didnt buy the insurance at the same time as the phone so i might just do squaretrade..

Can anyone give me any advice in regards to squaretrade? I have never used it- interested to see if anyone has had any issues/positive xperiences?

Thanks!

 

[cschmelz]

I want to buy insurance for my new 4s but I didnt buy the insurance at the same time as the phone so i might just do squaretrade..

Can anyone give me any advice in regards to squaretrade? I have never used it- interested to see if anyone has had any issues/positive xperiences?

Thanks!

I've had Squartrade on my iPad 1 and iPhone 3GS and 4. Thankfully I haven't used it except on my iPhone 3GS.

I dropped my iPhone 3GS in water and it of course needed a replacement. The solution they use is a bit odd. You register the breakage, then you get an authorization and have to go to an Apple Store to get a $199 replacement. Squaretrade then refunds you $150 of the $199 via paypal or credit card once you send the replacement receipt.

The nice thing about Squaretrade is, if you upgrade early (which many of us here do) you can buy the 2 or 3 year coverage and, if your butter fingers don't need a replacement in that time, you can cash in the unused time for credit back. I only used like 9 months of my iPad 1 warranty so I got over 50% of the purchase price back and applied that on my iPad 2 warranty.

In that way it is much better than Applecare+ which clearly won't give you any credit for unused time. However, there are extra steps involved in the replacement and getting the $150 back. Squaretrade seems financially solid, but Apple clearly is much MORE solid and safe from a potential bankruptcy and loss of coverage.

I'm still undecided which I'm going to buy when I am up for upgrade in mid-November.

 

[deeddawg]

In that way it is much better than Applecare+ which clearly won't give you any credit for unused time.

Why would you say that when the T&C clearly spell out the pro-rated refund terms? Who told you there's no refund on AppleCare+?

Please see section 9, particularly the after 30 days part, and tell me if I'm misunderstanding: http://images.apple.com/legal/applecare/docs/AppleCarePlus.pdf

My read says they refund unused less 10% or $25 whichever is less (sounds like they're setting up for AppleCare+ for other products)

 

[ZipZap]

I've had Squartrade on my iPad 1 and iPhone 3GS and 4. Thankfully I haven't used it except on my iPhone 3GS.

I dropped my iPhone 3GS in water and it of course needed a replacement. The solution they use is a bit odd. You register the breakage, then you get an authorization and have to go to an Apple Store to get a $199 replacement. Squaretrade then refunds you $150 of the $199 via paypal or credit card once you send the replacement receipt.

The nice thing about Squaretrade is, if you upgrade early (which many of us here do) you can buy the 2 or 3 year coverage and, if your butter fingers don't need a replacement in that time, you can cash in the unused time for credit back. I only used like 9 months of my iPad 1 warranty so I got over 50% of the purchase price back and applied that on my iPad 2 warranty.

In that way it is much better than Applecare+ which clearly won't give you any credit for unused time. However, there are extra steps involved in the replacement and getting the $150 back. Squaretrade seems financially solid, but Apple clearly is much MORE solid and safe from a potential bankruptcy and loss of coverage.

I'm still undecided which I'm going to buy when I am up for upgrade in mid-November.

It is also fair to note that your coverage also was reduced by $150. When it hits zero, you have no more warranty even if the 2 or 3 years is not yet up.

 

[deeddawg]

It is also fair to note that your coverage also was reduced by $150. When it hits zero, you have no more warranty even if the 2 or 3 years is not yet up.

Another thought... As I understand it, with AppleCare+ the deductible/two-time thing only applied to accidental damage. Repairs that would have been covered under the original warranty are covered for the second year with no limit or deductible.

Say the dock port cracks (3GS problem) or the home button dies; with AC+ it ought to be covered at no cost, with ST it uses some of your coverage (not sure if deductible applies).