Funny you should ask. Literally the day you posted this I was doing some sound editing while on my lunch break, with my brand new MacBook Pro w/Retina. Knocked a bottle of Cherry Coke all over it. Got the beach ball, then the screen froze, and I forced it to turn off. When I started the computer back up, I got the folder-with-question-mark icon. Forced it off again. And after that it wouldn't start.
Thankfully, I had SquareTrade on this thing. I filed a claim, and a few days later I got a pre-paid shipping box to be sent to a semi-nearby Apple repair place. The mailer had sort of customizable foam padding -- you actually tear pieces out to make it fit your device snugly...dropped off the box to FedEx, two days later got a notice that the repair place approved my claim, and just this morning my MBP came back to me. Judging from the "Laptop Repair Checklist," they had to replace (or possibly repair, but I can't imagine they would have repaired -- especially in such a quick time!) the system board. I fired it up...*boom!* Good as new! Not only did it look like my data was safe after I logged in, but also it opened up Audacity *right to the point in the audio file* where I spilled the Cherry Coke.
My wife and I have been getting SquareTrade for every portable device we don't want to lose. We never, ever want to have to use it, but this time I had to, and I'm glad I did. I won't actually give them an *official* review until, say, 31 days from now. (The repair warranty is 30 days. If it still works on day 31, then I'll post something good on Yelp.
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It was pretty hassle-free. I just had to pay a $75 deposit...better than having to pay Apple $800 for a new system board. (The repair facility -- iResq in Kansas -- was having a sale, 50% off, but still, better to pay $75 than $400!)
If you ever have to actually USE SquareTrade, take my advice: whenever they give you a range of days, add one to it and assume it's the HIGHER extreme.
Also...from what I can tell from other reviews, SquareTrade is very reliable with iPhones and other major name-brand things...but if you have an off-brand (like, say, a phone that's neither an iOS nor Android device), they might take a while, possibly even literally giving up and just offering to reimburse you for the cost of a new device.
