Ok, ordered my first ever Imac, wife's convinced and happy now, 2.8Ghz 24" 750Gb 2Gb (will upgrade to 4Gb on delivery) 8800GS.... ok... but i did NOT take the APPLECARE... but will i really need it? what do you guys say?? How likely is it that my machine or any component will break down in the next 2-3 Years guys? Need to know quick.... cheers...
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Bought the Imac... but no AppleCare.. is it worth it?
- Thread starter Chucky666UK
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You have a full year to buy and register AppleCare. You don't have to buy it from Apple. eBay, Amazon and LAComputing are the cheapest (up to 50% off).
Thanks for the advice guys... i think i'll wait a couple of months (I thought I had to buy it within 28 days of purchasing my new Imac)... and when I do buy i'll check Amazon or Ebay.... Boy I'm so glad I joined this forum 48 hours ago... excellent and very helpful members!!!
In a nutshell, yes. My iMac from Feb 07 is in for a logic board repair for bad GFX memory. This would cost $600+ out of pocket. It's very comforting to know that any issues for 3 years I can just drive over to the apple store and have it fixed.
You can buy applecare anytime within a year. Stuff the 120 bucks in savings for 10 months then pick it up.
You can buy applecare anytime within a year. Stuff the 120 bucks in savings for 10 months then pick it up.
Wrong.
After 3 months phone support won't help you so if you wanna drog your system to the store everytime - good luck.
If you plan to keep the iMac buy the applecare on ebay or amazon.
It's well worth it.
I purchased Applecare right with my iMac because a) I'm inexpierenced and have had horrid experiences with warranties and PC's. and b) I wish this thread would've come up earlier than last week when I ordered my shiney new iMac.
it's like in Tommy Boy where the man in the warehouse demands a guarentee on the box because it 'makes a man feel good'. I should've listened to Chris Farley "Well I can get a good look at a T-Bone by sticking my head up a bulls ass, but i'd rather take the butchers word for it."
cheers.
it's like in Tommy Boy where the man in the warehouse demands a guarentee on the box because it 'makes a man feel good'. I should've listened to Chris Farley "Well I can get a good look at a T-Bone by sticking my head up a bulls ass, but i'd rather take the butchers word for it."
cheers.
PHONE SUPPORT??? What happened to MacRumors and e-mails?
Yah, phone support isn't that great. There's a great bunch of people on MR and Google (yet even some MR users have no idea how to use it) is your best friend.
Also the Apple Discussions on the Apple.com is another great resource.
The biggest thing is not so much the phone support but the ability to perform repairs. For that you have about a year, but you know this now.
Good luck.
Yes you can wait up to 12 months before you register apple care.
My advice is to definitely get it, especially on a imac. They are very well built machines. However if the dvd drive were to ware out, or your hard drive needs replacing. Out of warranty repairs on these imacs. Are very expensive.
The last imac I purchased imac g4, I opted for no warranty. I came from a family of long time apple users and have never had any problems.
15 months later my dvd burner failed. I was quoted a very high price for apple to repair it. I opted to have a 3rd party p.c. slash apple repair shop, to do the work. They ended up destroying my computer and it never worked the same again. After spending hundreds of dollars on countless experts, including apple. No one could pinpoint what was wrong with her other than the ''possibility'' that the logic board needs replacing.
long story short, always get apple care Then you can at least have the security and knowledge that you will at least have a working imac for the next 3 years.
My advice is to definitely get it, especially on a imac. They are very well built machines. However if the dvd drive were to ware out, or your hard drive needs replacing. Out of warranty repairs on these imacs. Are very expensive.
The last imac I purchased imac g4, I opted for no warranty. I came from a family of long time apple users and have never had any problems.
15 months later my dvd burner failed. I was quoted a very high price for apple to repair it. I opted to have a 3rd party p.c. slash apple repair shop, to do the work. They ended up destroying my computer and it never worked the same again. After spending hundreds of dollars on countless experts, including apple. No one could pinpoint what was wrong with her other than the ''possibility'' that the logic board needs replacing.
long story short, always get apple care Then you can at least have the security and knowledge that you will at least have a working imac for the next 3 years.
well said. I enjoy the comfort of knowing that anything that goes wrong will be saved. I'm sure we all have stories like that one.
Make sure you do get it though. My Macbook has had the following replaced under Applecare: 2 screen inverters, 2 top cases (yellowing then cracking), a new LCD, and a new AC adapter.
Apparently someone was asleep on quality control when my laptop came off the assembly line...
Apparently someone was asleep on quality control when my laptop came off the assembly line...
Needless to say, you've certainly benefitted from Applecare.
I wish I had bought it in about 10 months though.. I dunno, oh well. Payments already through and I'm selling some textbooks, my old laptop screen and random stuff to pay for it all!
Agree with the others. You don't need to get Applecare now but make sure to get it within the first year. There are plenty of places to buy it and for much cheaper than at the Apple store.
As far as the case problems and the LCD... you're not cleaning your macbook with windex or something... are u?
Windex (or any other product with ammonia) + plastic or an LCD screen = bad.
And btw, I usually purchase applecare on my macs.
I'd definitely suggest it with a laptop at least.
Given that the OP is in the UK and has bought a desktop, will Applecare bought from the LA Computers or a US ebay item work ok? Basically I'm wondering if the Applecare an international warranty for the Imac?
To me "Apple Care" is like a warm fuzzy blanket in the middle of a heat wave.
Sure every Apple product I have ever bought , I have bought Apple Care.
The only problem is there phone support , it is BAD , i mean bad...
Most of the time they ( people on the other end ) have no clue what going on , I was trying to set up a wireless printer last year and was on the phone with Lexmark for over an hour m finally the Lexmark tech said " I have no idea what to do , I`ll research it and in the mean time you should call Apple" .
OK >
Called Apple Care support number waited.... finally someone answered , I tried to explain the problem , the person just didn`t get what I was talking about , they wanted me to reinstall my system software ( that seems to be there standard fix all ) which of course rarely does any good.
After about 45 min`s he said hang on let me connect you with a tech ... da what am I paying for.
Anyway , I got to talk with a tech and he said that model printer won`t work wirelessly with Apple products , Lexmark knows this and there future models will have a fix that works m his advice , take the printer back for a refund , which I did.
That conversation lasted about 2 min.
So over an hour with Lexmark + about 45 min with Apple Care rep.
Like I said , if the Apple products breaks , it is good to have,
But there phone support need a lot of work.
2nd need for Apple Care:
I have a wireless keyboard & mouse , last Jan, the scroll button would not scroll down , called the Apple Store where I bought it , had I make an appointment on line , went there the next day waited in line for about an hour and a half they finally checked my mouse and wanted to fix it ( they could not ) so they gave me a refurb , I tried it before I left the store and that didn`t work at all.
I said " you had better get me a brand new one---NOW " they did , it worked.
Just some things about Apple Care that everyone need to know !
Have a nice day
Gary
Sure every Apple product I have ever bought , I have bought Apple Care.
The only problem is there phone support , it is BAD , i mean bad...
Most of the time they ( people on the other end ) have no clue what going on , I was trying to set up a wireless printer last year and was on the phone with Lexmark for over an hour m finally the Lexmark tech said " I have no idea what to do , I`ll research it and in the mean time you should call Apple" .
OK >
Called Apple Care support number waited.... finally someone answered , I tried to explain the problem , the person just didn`t get what I was talking about , they wanted me to reinstall my system software ( that seems to be there standard fix all ) which of course rarely does any good.
After about 45 min`s he said hang on let me connect you with a tech ... da what am I paying for.
Anyway , I got to talk with a tech and he said that model printer won`t work wirelessly with Apple products , Lexmark knows this and there future models will have a fix that works m his advice , take the printer back for a refund , which I did.
That conversation lasted about 2 min.
So over an hour with Lexmark + about 45 min with Apple Care rep.
Like I said , if the Apple products breaks , it is good to have,
But there phone support need a lot of work.
2nd need for Apple Care:
I have a wireless keyboard & mouse , last Jan, the scroll button would not scroll down , called the Apple Store where I bought it , had I make an appointment on line , went there the next day waited in line for about an hour and a half they finally checked my mouse and wanted to fix it ( they could not ) so they gave me a refurb , I tried it before I left the store and that didn`t work at all.
I said " you had better get me a brand new one---NOW " they did , it worked.
Just some things about Apple Care that everyone need to know !
Have a nice day
Gary
I work at PC world (large computer shop in the UK) and I get the PC performace which covers accidental damage and warranty repairs for as long as the service goes for. Depending on the price of the goods depends on the monthly price. My Imac should be £9.99 a month for as long as I like, however as im staff I get it for £1.99. £150 for Applecare? I get Accidental damage and warranty repairs for 3 years for £62. Not bad .
.
you said you were going to install 4GB RAM in it - surely that will void your warrantee???? would that mean that you fork out on apple care, and when you go to use it, they tell you they won't help you cos you've opened up your machine???????
adding RAM does NOT void your warranty! RAM is user installable and only requires removing one screw at the bottom of your iMac. the process is clearly documented in the iMac manual and does not require you to "open up your machine." it is advisable to remove third party RAM before taking your iMac in if there is a problem but that is just to remove one more variable in the troubleshooting equation and something the techs would do anyway.