Apple Retail UK Higher Education discount - Question about warranty

[Spanky Deluxe]

I'm thinking of buying a new Mac Mini and am eligible for the higher education discount. Since I live in London, I'd much rather just go and pick one up straight from the Regent Street store rather than order it online and wait a week for it to arrive. I'm only after a base spec stock model anyway.

I've called up Regent Street and they've told me that they sell exactly the same higher education discount. However, one thing that they couldn't answer me was the question over the three year warranty. The terms and conditions of the UK Higher Education store say the following as we all know:

10.1.1 All Apple-branded desktop and portable computer products shall be subject to a 36 calendar month warranty period commencing from the date of purchase (the date of your invoice).

Now the person I spoke to at at the Regent Street store on the phone seems to think that you only get one year's warranty, however, he didn't sound like he actually knew or not and seemed to be making stuff up on the spot.

Can anyone that's actually made a higher educational purchase in a UK retail store confirm what their warranty status is using the warranty check?

I would really like the three year warranty but I'd like to avoid having to wait a week after ordering!

 

[NATO]

I'm curious about this as well, something makes me think that it's a standard 1 year warranty from the store (because they simply discount the standard product, compared to the online process where you order from a 'special online store' which logs the sale as a HE sale).

However, even with that said I would recommend you pay the £50 or so to upgrade to full AppleCare. I know that if you order online you get a 3 year hardware warranty but the full AppleCare gives you 3 years of telephone support too plus you're less likely to encounter any hassle should you have a hardware problem you need fixed (You might find yourself having to argue or prove that your system has a 3 year warranty before a fix is provided whereas they can simply look up their system and see 'Applecare' against your product).

For £50, it's worth it in my opinion but obviously it's your decision

 

[Spanky Deluxe]

I'm curious about this as well, something makes me think that it's a standard 1 year warranty from the store (because they simply discount the standard product, compared to the online process where you order from a 'special online store' which logs the sale as a HE sale).

However, even with that said I would recommend you pay the £50 or so to upgrade to full AppleCare. I know that if you order online you get a 3 year hardware warranty but the full AppleCare gives you 3 years of telephone support too plus you're less likely to encounter any hassle should you have a hardware problem you need fixed (You might find yourself having to argue or prove that your system has a 3 year warranty before a fix is provided whereas they can simply look up their system and see 'Applecare' against your product).

For £50, it's worth it in my opinion but obviously it's your decision

Yeah if it were a new Mac Pro or MacBook Pro I were buying then I'd be getting the full Applecare anyway but this mini is for the lounge under the tv. If I wanted phone support for how to use some software etc (unlikely since I'd use google first), I could always call up with the AppleCare on my MBP or MP after all.

I know its only an extra £34.50 but that's about 80% the cost of a wireless keyboard and I'd rather spend my money on that. If no one can give me a definitive answer on here then I'll have to decide whether the £34.50 is worth getting the item a week quicker or not.

 

[Igantius]

This probably isn’t much use as I can't vouch for it, but from threads from quite a way back, I seem to remember that although UK bricks and mortar stores will much the HE Store price, you didn’t get the three-year warranty as you would with the latter and I’ve feeling that they charged the full RRP for AppleCare.

Hope someone is able to give a definitive answer, as I would like to know too!

 

[maehara]

I have an MBP that was bought off the HE contract, and it's a three-year warranty:

AppleCare Base Warranty Certificate for the Higher Education National Contract

...

Coverage is now in effect. The AppleCare Base Warranty is a uniquely integrated service and support solution that extends your built-in service and support coverage from date of purchase as follows:
- 1 year phone support / Apple Applications Support (*)
- 3 years Hardware Warranty Parts & Labour (*)

Don't know if buying from different sources will affect how the HE terms are applied, so for the record I bought by 'phoning the Apple Store - HE terms are different from the FE terms you get on the online Education store.

 

[logana]

This has been answered lots of times - 3 year warranty for HE purchases on-line or by phone...
1 year warranty if purchased with HE discount in-store (but you have the option of purchasing proper AppleCare AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE at greatly reduced rate (around £49 plus vat for MacBooks). If you purchase AppleCare later you pay full price.

I don't know why the in-store warranty is different - it just is...

Buy on-line or by phone.....

 

[Spanky Deluxe]

I called up Regent Street and Applecare costs just under £50 - compared to the cost of Applecare on the HE store which is just £30 odd. Shame they boost up the HE Applecare cost in store. I'll just order it online now, never mind.

 

[Shaun.P]

I called up Regent Street and Applecare costs just under £50 - compared to the cost of Applecare on the HE store which is just £30 odd. Shame they boost up the HE Applecare cost in store. I'll just order it online now, never mind.

You get three year AppleCare. I phoned the Apple Sales number online last week (regarding a new MBP I was thinking about) and you definietely get it - you just don't get telephone support.


It is also transferable if you ever sell the computer.

 

[Igantius]

You get three year AppleCare. I phoned the Apple Sales number online last week (regarding a new MBP I was thinking about) and you definietely get it - you just don't get telephone support.


It is also transferable if you ever sell the computer.

It's not full AppleCare:

Staff, students and institutions can all get:
Special pricing and discounts.
Dedicated Apple Store with two levels of user access (browse and purchase)
Special promotions
Special three year parts and labour coverage, with additional first-year warranty and support benefits, as standard
Special offer on AppleCare Protection Plan purchased at the same time as systems
- http://www.apple.com/uk/education/nationalcontract/

The free three-warranty is also transferable.

When accessing the online HE, on the purchase page for a machine, it gives the option for Applecare - it used to be phrased as 'an uplift', whereas now the way it's put, you wouldn't think you get a free three-year warranty. As maehara quoted the HE warranty is now called 'AppleCare Base Warranty Certificate for the Higher Education National Contract'

Unless they've changed the terms, under AppleCare, if you need to send the machine away for repair, Apple will pay for a courier - under the HE warranty, you would have to pay the cost of sending it back, or alternatively, just drop it into an Apple Store or reseller. I think AppleCare also gives you global coverage.

A couple of years ago (or maybe last year), there were a couple of lengthy threads about this and from what I remember, different people got different information when they called Apple to check about this - I do know that my brother was told three different things by three different sales people!

 

[kuruption]

the difference is...

people have heard of applecare, and no-one at apple seems to have heard of the 3-year student warranty, i had to quote the terms and conditions to them, as my laptop stolen and i'm trying to get the 3-year student warranty transferred to the laptop my insurance company gave me, its hard work!

 

[Igantius]

people have heard of applecare, and no-one at apple seems to have heard of the 3-year student warranty, i had to quote the terms and conditions to them, as my laptop stolen and i'm trying to get the 3-year student warranty transferred to the laptop my insurance company gave me, its hard work!

I don't think AppleCare is transferable from one machine to another - from various threads, I got the impression that Apple will refund unused portions of AC, but not transfer it to another machine.

 

[darbklue]

If someone purchased the mac from retail store with HE pricing and get only 1 year warranty, call the customer services and explain the situation to get the free 3 year warranty?

 

[psxguru]

If you order online you will get the 3 year warranty (it gets confirmed and emailed to you after a month or so, presumably in case of returns).

Waiting a week or so after ordering isn't going to kill you!

And yes the warranty is transferable...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HE58

I've done it in the past.

 

[darbklue]

The thing is I cannot bring the computer back in 14-days period, because I am not in UK right now. I have learned it after I bought my mac and traveled to another country.

I do not understand why they do not give free 3-year warranty when you buy in-store, its nonsense.

I guess I should call apple and talk with them and try to get the warranty

 

[Primus84]

All the information you need is covered here:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1103022/

 

[amoda]

Does anyone know if the 3-yr warranty is doubled when the laptop is purchased using a credit card that extends warranty?

Edit: I looked up my credit card terms, and for those interested, at least mine stipulates that the warranty is double up to 12 months. Still, 4 years warranty is great!

 

[Big Stevie]

My brother (Unversity employee) bought a MacBook Pro from a UK Apple store a few weeks ago via the HE scheme. All they did was discount Apple Care by the student 15% discount. Once he realised this, he took it back and got a refund. He then ordered a new one online to get Apple Care free. Though its not actually the normal Apple Care that they give via the HE scheme, its just a 3 yr warranty. Good enought though.

From these experiences, I feel that the Apple retail store staff arent really clued up regarding the HE scheme/Apple Care. Personally I would order it online via a University computer, or via Apples HE phone line.