Advice From A Genius: Should You Buy AppleCare?

[juanm]

AppleCare is pointless for European customers since our consumer rights cover manufacturing flaws for reasonable amount of time (minimum of two years for computers here in Finland). Find out your rights before buying AppleCare, you might be abe to get the same coverage without it.

In Spain it's two years as well. I once had my MacBook Pro logic board taken in and swapped by Apple for free 1 year and 363 days after its purchase date...

For instance, in the case of my current refurbished MacBook Air, for which I paid 850€, I don't think it's worth it paying 250€ for only one extra year on a, by then, two-year-old laptop.

What would you do? Pay a total of 850€ for 2 years or 1100€ for 3 years?

 

[ct95]

One factor to consider is that if you buy your computer using a credit card, the credit card company often offers an additional 1 year warranty on top of the manufacturer's warranty free of charge. I've used this to replace my iMac keyboard after the space bar and several adjacent keys stopped working. Frankly, I think my kids spilled some liquid on the thing, but I don't know for sure. In any case, i was told by the Visa warranty people to just buy the replacement, send in the paperwork, and the cost will be reimbursed.

Relatively painless. I've read good things about the American Express warranty program also.

You do get an extra year with Applecare for your $170+, which is a very steep price.

 

[173080]

Interesting. I'm gonna be a weasel and say that they must have changed the terms since I last researched it. I do remember back in 2004 (when I bought my iBook), I looked into getting Applecare or just relying on my Amex card's coverage. I clearly do not remember Amex's coverage starting after Applecare.

Amex did change the terms.

 

[cinematicme]

You really should, and I mean REALLY REALLY should. AppleCare has saved me about... $2000 something in repairs for my Macbook Pro 4,1 (Early 2008).

Issues I've had in 3 years.

- Logic Board Replacement x2
- Keyboard Replacement x1
- Screen / Screen Bezel
- Fan Replacement
- Costs of Labor

= ~$2250 (Really Roughly but look up the costs of the parts and you'll get the idea)

What I Paid = $180 for the keyboard replacement, because it was so my fault. However, everything else was paid for by Apple.

If thats not reason enough to spend the extra $200 for it, I really can't think of a better one.

 

[cgmpowers]

AppleCare...a different kind of warranty...

AppleCare is a great addition to your Mac computer, it does really outshine the others who offer help from their "geek staff" (i.e. Best Buy).

AppleCare allowed me to numerous times call on the smallest of issues regarding my computers, and I've had 10+ Mac computers in the past twelve years. I've called the AppleCare number when I couldn't find the answer online when things with my Mac went awry, usually problems I had caused and did not know how to fix properly. Also, I've bought a few new Mac's that weren't the well built machines the others were, I had a few different Mac's that needed new parts within the first two years. From the motherboards, hard drives to even the monitors--parts can sometimes fail for a multitude of reasons. A few dollars of AppleCare saved me from tossing the machine into the dumpster or listing it on Ebay at a huge loss.

I'm kind of mixed on AppleCare on my phones. I've had one iPhone needing AppleCare after only 2 days of ownership and it was covered! Another one, well no amount of pleading would have covered the issues I had with this one. So sometimes, even AppleCare can't fix problems you cause yourself (water & iPhone bad, really bad...seriously not good).

I guess on the small items, where the dollar amount is low & the turnaround on when you're going to replace it with the next model, its sometimes not worth getting the warranty. Its probably safe to say most people's phones get upgraded far faster than their desktops or laptops, or even their iPads for that matter.

Displays and computers, YES. iPads, iPhones, iPods, other Apple Devices? Maybe, but just outweigh the timeframe of when you'll replace it--if its shorter than the AppleCare's term--don't get it then, unless you want it as a reselling point I guess.

Christopher Powers

 

[wilfried]

Amex did change the terms.

My Applecare expired last November. Just today American Express approved a claim for a repair for which the Apple Store gave me an estimate for $728.77. Amex is going to credit my credit account that amount. So American Express did give me a fourth year of warrantee coverage.


So for me, Applecare has been well worth it. $718.77 for this repair (Apple isn't paying for it, but the three years of Applecare made possible the fourth year of Amex coverage), a hard drive replacement a year and half ago (two hard drives replaced in three and a half years, what's up with that?), and innumerable Mighty Mice. I must have gone through like six of them (though half the time, the Apple Store didn't even bother to look up my account, they just handed me a new one).

 

[OTACORB]

I have a 2009 MacBook Pro. I purchased Apple Care a week before my one year was up. The next week my display started acting funny. They replaced the logic board. I got it back and about 2 months later, I discovered my microphone wasn't working. Took it in and the store ended up shipping it to a repair center. I got it back within 48 hours. Another logic board, new fan. Week before last, I noticed as blurry spot on my display. Took it end and the replaced the top (display). So, I have more than gotten my money worth for that Apple Care. I still have one year left on it and I was told if I have to bring it back again, they are going to replace the whole thing. Basically I am already at 3 strikes, so anything else and I'll get another.

 

[ntrigue]

Applecare is a must on portables in my experience.

That being said, I bought a Dyson 10 years ago with a Best Buy Performance Service Plan. Ten years later I haven't repaired this beautiful machine a single time.

 

[ModerateFKR]

I'd disagree with the iPhone comment, actually. I've owned an iPhone 3G, 3GS and 4, and have replaced each of them at least twice due to various issues (buttons sticking/breaking, a vibrator motor dying, battery life issues, camera issues, etc).

Because of this, when my and my wife's iPhone 4's were about to hit the 1-year mark, I decided to add a year of AppleCare.

Not sure where you live, but here in the UK the Sale of Goods Act covers manufacturing defects for a lot longer than 1 year. All manufacturers and retailers are really extracting the michael when it comes to the sale of these extended warrantees. And in many cases retailers have been selling these add-on covers to gullible consumers unnecessarily.

Accidental damage aside, all electrical and electronic devices should last 3 years. If not, why would we buy them? And what manufacturer worth considering would market them?

It's sometimes very difficult indeed to get the retailer to understand their responsibilities under the law, but well written letters backed by the correct legislation works eventually.

So, if a vibrator motor stops working on an iPhone that's less than 3 years old, it's Apple's responsibility to replace it, not yours - no matter what the retailer or Apple say. And when they refer you to the wording of their terms and conditions, in the UK at least, refer THEM to the Sale of Goods Act.

Batteries on iPhones are meant to last 1000 cycles, which is going to be something like 3 years. But what does it cost to replace the battery in an iPhone?

Apple's disclaimer is also worth reading:

__________________________________________________________________
1. iPhone comes with 90 days of technical support. AppleCare Protection Plan benefits are in addition to any legal rights provided by consumer protection laws in your jurisdiction.

2. Service coverage may be subject to certain restrictions. Service coverage is available for battery depletion of 50 percent or more from the original specification. Products returned for service may be repaired or replaced with parts equivalent to new in performance and reliability. This plan extends your service coverage to two years from the date of your iPhone purchase. The plan must be purchased while your iPhone is still under its original one-year warranty.
__________________________________________________________________

This is a 12 month extended warranty and little more. It's not 2 years cover at all. And it confers no more cover for manufacturing defects than the law already allows. So this is 12 month cover for accidental damage only - plus some phone support. I would argue any good manufacturer or retailer should provide that for free anyway.

 

[ModerateFKR]

That is not valid when your HDD fails two weeks after your 1 year warranty expired or when your wifi fails or any other normal hardware failure.

You're wrong. The warranty is superseded by the Sale of Goods Act in the UK at least. That covers manufacturing defects.

 

[mutantteenager]

Surely all those keenly advocating the purchase of Applecare because of their extensive use of it are missing the point. Apple's products aren't as well made as they used to be, and so you need the extended warranty!

Kind of makes you wonder why they still charge a premium for their wares in the first place.

 

[jstjck]

It's totally personal choice but seeing as I spent over $4K on a MBP, I wanted the peace of mind knowing that should something happen I'd be ok. I've had it looked at twice without having them do anything but 5 days after AC expired, my MBP won't start & they've said they'll cover it. It's ironic and I'm grateful. I've got AC on my iMac which has been great too - USB port was acting funny & they replaced keyboard no questions.

Anyone know though - are repairs guaranteed once AC is over?

 

[oakfan52]

So what do all these replies say about quality?

The fact is threads like these will always be baised as the people who have actaully had an issue and used a warranty will be more vocal. I stick with what most finical advisors say. Don't buy warranties on electronics.

 

[lyoungz]

I agree with the former genius' assertions on every level except for one: the overall VALUE of Applecare. While it indeed is a fantastic program that provides numerous benefits (I myself have had a 2008 white Macbook replaced with a 2010 MacBook pro due to malfunctions), the question that needs to be asked is whether there is any other warranty program that meets or even exceeds the price to coverage ration of AppleCare. To this end, the answer is simple: Squaretrade. This third-party warranty giant provides the same level of coverage that Apple provides against manufacturer's defects while also warranting against accidental damage. Apple may do a good job of protecting your MacBook, iMac, iPod touch, and iPhone against their own mistakes (which are few and far between), but they offer the consumer nothing in the way of protection against the bumps, bruises, and splashes of real life. If there is anything that could be construed as a consumer-facing mistake in Apple's business model, I believe that this indeed qualifies as one of their biggest.

For a pittance more than you would pay for AppleCare, you can get the peace of mind you want from Squaretrade. Their "online only"
interface may leave Apple owners longing for the face-to-face store interaction, but I believe that the practical will not notice the absence of blue-t-shirts and glass and maple surroundings for long. As someone who has experienced the ills and frills of both companies, I highly recommend them for the very reasons that this former genius has pointed out above.

The SquareTrade warranty is not directly comparable to Applecare for two reasons:
1) Applecare includes technical support for both the hardware and software. Squaretrade is only a warranty.

2) Squaretrade limits the amount they will pay out to the amount you paid for the computer. Multiple repairs over the lifetime of the computer could well exceed that number. My 2008 Macbook Pro, admittedly a lemon, has had the logic board replaced 3 times, the battery replaced (under warranty), the charger replaced, and currently has a failed display and failed optical drive, all after just 2.5 years. I didn't buy AppleCare, and I am replacing that Macbook now because I am not willing to put another penny into it without a warranty.

By the way, Apple didnt charge me for any of the logic board replacements, or for the charger, even though they were all out of warranty. But I don't care to depend on that happening in the future ... from now on, I will buy Applecare for any Apple computer.

 

[lyoungz]

You really should, and I mean REALLY REALLY should. AppleCare has saved me about... $2000 something in repairs for my Macbook Pro 4,1 (Early 2008).

Issues I've had in 3 years.

- Logic Board Replacement x2
- Keyboard Replacement x1
- Screen / Screen Bezel
- Fan Replacement
- Costs of Labor

= ~$2250 (Really Roughly but look up the costs of the parts and you'll get the idea)

What I Paid = $180 for the keyboard replacement, because it was so my fault. However, everything else was paid for by Apple.

If thats not reason enough to spend the extra $200 for it, I really can't think of a better one.

Aahh, a fellow sufferer!! I bought the same model, and suffered terribly for it. I beat you on logic board replacements ... I forget if it was 3x or 4x.
Display. Optical drive. Keyboard messed up. Battery failed in 1 year. Charger failed. A monstrous lemon.

I am planning to buy a new Macbook Air in the next couple of days, this time with AppleCare! My Macbook can still work like a mini, more or less ... no display, no optical drive, but still able to compute at least.

How's that for brand loyalty?

 

[Detrius]

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Warranties are pure profit for companies. I completely agree with the comment around NOT buying AppleCare for iPhones and iPods. Think about it for the iPhone. You get subsidized upgrade pricing every 18 months. The initial warranty lasts for the first 12. Therefore you're adding 90 dollars of cost by purchasing AppleCare to cover 6 Extra months? Not to smart.

Just because the warranty is profit for the company doesn't mean that it's not also beneficial to you. A repair that's done under warranty involves the cost to fix the part plus paying the salary of the technician who does the repair (plus minimal shipping costs and accounting costs). If, instead, you pay for the repair, you can probably add a zero to the end of that number, and that's close to what you're paying.

 

[Saturn007]

Agree 100%. This argument often appears-- don't buy the extended warranty because it's pure profit to the companies. No doubt, they price it well above what they need to, and do make out like bandits. But just because they are doing well on it, doesn't mean the individual calculus should be any different.

1,000 people pay $200 for AppleCare that gives Apple $200,000. If 1% of them (10) need a $2,000 logic board replaced, it costs Apple only $20,000. But if you're among those $10, forking out $2,000 unexpectedly is a drag and you'd have to arrange for the diagnosis and repair yourself.

It's truly a question of the money-- one repair, especially something like a laptop logic board, can cost thousands. But other smaller repairs can be needed, too (I've had to have keyboard replaced multiple times, battery, screen, hard drive). So, spending $150-200 for Applecare makes great sense. It's a hassle saver; Apple's servicing is top-notch; it's a small % increase in the cost of the product for superb coverage should something go wrong.

I think another poster here raised a good point--there does seem to be an increasing problem with Apple quality control. While that's a completely anecdotal observation on my part, based on personal laptop experience and reading the net, it makes me even more likely to spend on AC. However, the credit card extended warranty is a great thing, too--especially if yours gets you a year past AC.

 

[sososowhat]

Since the original iPhone, I've replaced 2 fraying dock cords, and 19 pairs of earbuds. they cost $29 each. thats $551 total. def worth the apple care.

On my macs, I've never had it NOT pay for itself.

What the heck are you doing to your earbuds? Maybe you should invest in something more rugged, like a pair of JBUDS

 

[rutledjw]

Agreed

There's good advice in this article.

AppleCare is a must for porta-Macs.

I used to do a lot of international travel and my MacBook was my business laptop. Traveling is rough and the way I do it moreso. I went through 2 DVD drives and 3 weeks before my 3 years were up - my motherboard went bad. Lucky.

Got that fixed, no sweat. Granted, it rid me of the immediate need to upgrade, and I now have a 4.5 year old mac that needs replacing, but hey - certainly worth the value!

 

[vitzr]

Good to know. I purchased AppleCare for my MBP and it has paid for itself, according to this article, probably three times.

I have owned many new Apple Laptops, and I buy Apple Care for every new laptop without hesitation.

The times I have had to use it, it has more than paid for itself.

It's the best part of the Apple experience. No other manufacturer does the job that Apple does, when it comes to warranty coverage and outstanding service. Apple never hesitates to honor the Apple Care warranty.

 

[Infernos]

In general I don't like extended warranties. I worked in computer retail many years ago and I know that for the most part, it is just pure profit for them. I've also had a few nightmare encounters with retailers who flat out refuse to honor the terms of the warranty. Not only will I not buy any warranty from them, I'm more than happy to tell them why.

I did purchase the AppleCare on my late 2008 model iMac. The small price of $169 saved me when the machine eventually did need service. I had the screen replaced and then the logic board just two weeks later. Out of pocket expense for those two combined would have been over $1700. Considering what I paid for the computer, it was well worth the price. I agree that there isn't much value in getting the AppleCare on an iPod, iPhone, or Apple TV. Those products have reached the level of almost being disposable and you don't invest in them expecting it to have a 3 year or more life span.

Apple has always given me fantastic customer care. I have a first gen Intel Mac Mini that is 2 years or so out of warranty and the local Apple store was happy to look at it and tell why it had died. Then even offered me a nice discount on a new Mini if I wanted to trade it in. Turned out to be a bad hard drive, which I replaced on my own. 6 years old and still works fine.

 

[pizzafootbal]

I'm most likely going to get AppleCare for my iMac, glad it's pretty cheap!

 

[fat jez]

Hi everyone! Is there a way that the apple customer can be a victim of an insurance fraud? How will you know if that is a fraud? Thanks!

Yes, but potentially only if you buy Applecare from a non-authorised reseller. People have been caught out by buying cheap Applecare from ebay and other sources which emails them the registration code, only to find the registration code has been generated (and not by Apple). This usually only comes to light when somebody else buys the boxed product with the same code and attempts to register it. Since they have both a box and a receipt for the purchase, Apple will favour them instead of the first buyer. Except you probably won't know until you try and use your Applecare and find out it's invalid.

In other words, unless buying it direct from Apple, always make sure it comes in a box and it's from an authorised reseller.

 

[Ntran]

I totally disagree with those saying that more people buy Apple care due to the quality of Apple products getting worse with time.

I found Apple care is more of a type of Insurance. It definitely helps you when something happens to your investment. It's like you buy insurance for your care or your home or whatever and that's how insurance companies make profit (outside of their investment on insurance premium paid by their customers). Apple could make profit from their Apple care products, but that is not their objectives. They do not become the largest company in the world because of their Apple care, but because of their exceptional products.

I bought Apple care for my 2010 15" Macbook Pro and my wife's 2009 13" Mac Pro and since then I fortunately (or unfortunately) have not had the chance to use my Apple care. Do i regret about buying it? NO since I know that if something goes wrong with my machine, I can have all my expenses covered. Now I just traded both my Pro for Macbook Air and I don't mind spending extra $170 for Apple care for the next worry-free 3 years, though I am not sure if I am gonna keep my Airs for 3 years.

 

[Attonine]

Unfortunately, Apple doesn't care about that.

I didn't get Apple Care with my MacBook Pro, because in the EU it's made redundant by a law that says that all computers should be under warranty for 3 years.

My Superdrive failed, my GPU failed, my battery failed, and my left fan failed, all within 3 years of purchase. Only my battery got replaced free of charge.

I was stupid as I thought Apple cares about the law. They don't! What can I do? Sue them? How? Tricky Apple, very tricky!

You'd think such an expensive computer should keep working for at least a few years!

Last week I recertified as an ACMT, I specifically asked the trainer about Applecare and European legislation. He said that Apple will adhere to the EU legislation, however, it is up to the user to pursue the matter and you would need to call the Apple HQ for your country, work on getting passed around until you get to the right person and then be prepared to quote the correct legislation. He said to get Apple to honour the legislation upto 2 yrs was easy, for the third was a lot harder, but if you know the legislation you should be able to get what is, after all, rightfully yours.