I wanted to share my experience with AppleCare for my MacBook Pro with Retina Display. It is worth every penny and far more! Skip down to ★★★ if you don’t want to read the background story.
In March 2013 I bought a 15.4” MacBook Pro with Retina Display. It was the most basic model - 256GB storage, 2.4GHz, etc. At the time it cost $2,200.
Fast forward to March 2014 - I bought AppleCare for $350 just before the 1-year warranty was over. So now, my warranty coverage extends until March 2016.
I’ve had a number of issues that needed repair over the years - a swollen battery two months after purchasing that messed up my trackpad and required the entire bottom half of the MacBook to be replaced; an HDMI port that wasn’t working, the keyboard backlight not working.
But the one issue that kept continuing was a screen issue. After my MacBook sat in sleep mode for a few hours and I turned it back on, a fuzzy black/white/grey screen would pop up for a second or two before showing the login screen. I took my MacBook to a local Apple Authorized Service Provider, and he replaced the logic board (which would have been a very expensive repair without AppleCare).
The issue continued to persist afterward, and he didn’t know what it could be. He recommended I take it to an Apple Store and that at this point, they would probably replace it. At the time, I couldn’t afford to send in my MacBook to Apple’s repair center because I’m a university student and needed my laptop.
★★★
Eventually, over one year later (last week), I was forced to bring in my MacBook to the Apple Store. The battery stopped charging, so the MagSafe board had to be replaced. I told them to fix the screen issue at the same time. Once I picked up my MacBook after the repair, I discovered that they decided to replace the logic board again. A second logic board replacement.
Of course, later that day I discovered that the screen issue was still not fixed. I went to Apple’s online chat to talk about it, and after explaining the situation to the person I was connected with, they escalated me to their boss - a Mac+ Senior Advisor. We chatted some more, and he was looking into my case and the options I had.
First, he told me to pick out up to $300 worth of accessories from the Apple Online Store as a gift for the inconveniences I’ve gone through trying to get my MacBook repaired. I was shocked, and even doubted the legitimacy of who I was talking to. Two days later, I had the item that I had picked out (AirPort Time Capsule 2TB) - Apple had overnighted it to me.
Second, he told me that he would set me up for a product replacement. I was even more shocked. I didn’t think this could be legit, because every Genius that I spoke with at physical Apple Stores gave me a hard time about getting a product replacement.
Sure enough, over the next two days I was in contact with another Apple employee who was responsible for processing my product replacement. Apparently, the rumors about Apple’s “no downgrade” policy are true - because they are replacing my Early-2013 MacBook Pro with a Mid-2015 MacBook Pro. You know, the model with the brand new Force Touch trackpad.
On top of this, they upgraded my storage from 256GB to 512GB because the 256GB version of the newest model did not have a graphics switching feature that my old MacBook had. This also means my GHz went from 2.4 to 2.5. The laptop they’re sending me sells for $2,500.
Another nice thing they did was send the replacement to an Apple Store so that I could pick it up there. The first two options they gave me were: (1) send in my MacBook first, and then they will ship the replacement to me. That would have meant I’d be without my laptop for a few days. Not an option. Or (2) have the MacBook sent to my address, but they would put a hold on my credit card for the retail value until they received my old MacBook. This wasn’t possible either because the highest credit limit I have on a single card is $2,500. The retail value of the new MacBook Pro is $2,499 plus tax. So, the lady I was speaking with looked into getting permission from an Apple Store manager to send the replacement to their store so that I could pick it up there.
In conclusion, I got a $300 gift and went from an Early-2013 $2,200 MacBook Pro with Retina Display to a Mid-2015 $2,500 MacBook Pro with Retina Display. All because I bought AppleCare for a measly $350. Now I can buy a new AppleCare Protection Plan for the replacement MacBook, meaning my coverage will extend into November 2018. I’m very impressed with Apple and very excited to pick up my new MacBook Pro next week.
To all of the naysayers: AppleCare is definitely worth the money!
In March 2013 I bought a 15.4” MacBook Pro with Retina Display. It was the most basic model - 256GB storage, 2.4GHz, etc. At the time it cost $2,200.
Fast forward to March 2014 - I bought AppleCare for $350 just before the 1-year warranty was over. So now, my warranty coverage extends until March 2016.
I’ve had a number of issues that needed repair over the years - a swollen battery two months after purchasing that messed up my trackpad and required the entire bottom half of the MacBook to be replaced; an HDMI port that wasn’t working, the keyboard backlight not working.
But the one issue that kept continuing was a screen issue. After my MacBook sat in sleep mode for a few hours and I turned it back on, a fuzzy black/white/grey screen would pop up for a second or two before showing the login screen. I took my MacBook to a local Apple Authorized Service Provider, and he replaced the logic board (which would have been a very expensive repair without AppleCare).
The issue continued to persist afterward, and he didn’t know what it could be. He recommended I take it to an Apple Store and that at this point, they would probably replace it. At the time, I couldn’t afford to send in my MacBook to Apple’s repair center because I’m a university student and needed my laptop.
★★★
Eventually, over one year later (last week), I was forced to bring in my MacBook to the Apple Store. The battery stopped charging, so the MagSafe board had to be replaced. I told them to fix the screen issue at the same time. Once I picked up my MacBook after the repair, I discovered that they decided to replace the logic board again. A second logic board replacement.
Of course, later that day I discovered that the screen issue was still not fixed. I went to Apple’s online chat to talk about it, and after explaining the situation to the person I was connected with, they escalated me to their boss - a Mac+ Senior Advisor. We chatted some more, and he was looking into my case and the options I had.
First, he told me to pick out up to $300 worth of accessories from the Apple Online Store as a gift for the inconveniences I’ve gone through trying to get my MacBook repaired. I was shocked, and even doubted the legitimacy of who I was talking to. Two days later, I had the item that I had picked out (AirPort Time Capsule 2TB) - Apple had overnighted it to me.
Second, he told me that he would set me up for a product replacement. I was even more shocked. I didn’t think this could be legit, because every Genius that I spoke with at physical Apple Stores gave me a hard time about getting a product replacement.
Sure enough, over the next two days I was in contact with another Apple employee who was responsible for processing my product replacement. Apparently, the rumors about Apple’s “no downgrade” policy are true - because they are replacing my Early-2013 MacBook Pro with a Mid-2015 MacBook Pro. You know, the model with the brand new Force Touch trackpad.
On top of this, they upgraded my storage from 256GB to 512GB because the 256GB version of the newest model did not have a graphics switching feature that my old MacBook had. This also means my GHz went from 2.4 to 2.5. The laptop they’re sending me sells for $2,500.
Another nice thing they did was send the replacement to an Apple Store so that I could pick it up there. The first two options they gave me were: (1) send in my MacBook first, and then they will ship the replacement to me. That would have meant I’d be without my laptop for a few days. Not an option. Or (2) have the MacBook sent to my address, but they would put a hold on my credit card for the retail value until they received my old MacBook. This wasn’t possible either because the highest credit limit I have on a single card is $2,500. The retail value of the new MacBook Pro is $2,499 plus tax. So, the lady I was speaking with looked into getting permission from an Apple Store manager to send the replacement to their store so that I could pick it up there.
In conclusion, I got a $300 gift and went from an Early-2013 $2,200 MacBook Pro with Retina Display to a Mid-2015 $2,500 MacBook Pro with Retina Display. All because I bought AppleCare for a measly $350. Now I can buy a new AppleCare Protection Plan for the replacement MacBook, meaning my coverage will extend into November 2018. I’m very impressed with Apple and very excited to pick up my new MacBook Pro next week.
To all of the naysayers: AppleCare is definitely worth the money!
