Apple care or Frys

[jnash]

go with applecare to avoid future problems

 

[thegoldenmackid]

I have not heard of that .. If you get Fry's warranty then you (customer) deals with Fry's not Apple ..

Fry's has a loaner program, after returning the loaner, they will sell these computers saying that you can still get the 90 day apple limited warranty, I talked to the Mac Geniuses and this is completely illigit, if apple found out that these computers had a previous owners/loaners the 90 day limited warranty is void.

 

[Squonk]

There are two things you need to consider:

1. Will your local Fry's be around for the next 3 years? The ones near me have been closing.

2. You don't have to buy Applecare from Apple. Amazon sells it for less than Apple. LA Computer sells it for less than anybody.

Best wishes.

I didn't buy AppleCare on my PowerBook and it has performed flawlessly with admittedly light travel out of the house, but lot's of random locations inside the house. But, seeing those prices from LA Computer for AppleCare, I'll most likely buy it from them for my MB or MBP down the road.

 

[VoodooDaddy]

I don't think you should buy any extended warranty. Electronic normally work great out of the box, or immediately have problems. The normal Apple warranty should cover you for that. I've bought dozens of Mac over the years and never bought that extended warranty.

-T

I think this is bad advise. In this day and age, with an high priced electronics purchase an extended warranty is almost a must.

I used to be in the "warranties are a waste" group, but not anymore. I got an extended warranty on my bigscreen tv from a few years ago. First extended warranty I ever bought. TV was perfectly fine for about 3yrs, then one day poof! It went out. The repair would have cost me close to $500, so the warranty more than paid for itself.

Had 2 xbox360s crap out on me, both replaced under extended warranty.

Had a Sony laptop replaced twice within the warranty. Once the warranty expired I didnt renew. And shortly after that the computer just died, prompting a macbook purchase.

And that macbook has had 2 service repairs. First was for a bad/expanding battery. Second for a hard drive failure. It is still within the original 1yr warranty but I have bought applecare to apply to that to extend the coverage.

To the OP, as has been mentioned, you dont have to buy it right now. You have up to your 1st year after purchase to buy it. I got one for the macbook off Ebay for $130.

 

[carfac]

I think this is bad advise. In this day and age, with an high priced electronics purchase an extended warranty is almost a must.

Huh? Laptops are cheaper than ever. 5 years ago, you could not get into one for under 2 K... now, even a lowly MB is only 1. (Yeah, TVs are pretty expensive, but that is not what we are talking about...)

Sure, it's "gambling", and when you read all the horror stories here, you may think the odds are close to even.... but real problems are few and far between. You know going in that Mac Notebooks have horrible screens, heat issues and some whine- but those are not really warranty issues. If you have problems, they should show up pretty quickly.

I would say blow off any extra warranty. If, in 10 months, you are still nervous, get Applecare on eBay or wherever and sleep well. But store warranties are usually pretty poor. I do NOT know Frys specifically (and that loaner notebook does sound cool), but I know you are just throwing money away if you get a Best Buy one. Personally, I would NOT do those. Applecare if anything, and make that decision based on your first 11 months of ownership!

Dave

 

[VoodooDaddy]

1. Huh? Laptops are cheaper than ever. 5 years ago, you could not get into one for under 2 K... now, even a lowly MB is only 1.

2. I would say blow off any extra warranty. If, in 10 months, you are still nervous, get Applecare on eBay or wherever and sleep well. But store warranties are usually pretty poor. I do NOT know Frys specifically (and that loaner notebook does sound cool), but I know you are just throwing money away if you get a Best Buy one. Personally, I would NOT do those. Applecare if anything, and make that decision based on your first 11 months of ownership!

1. So I guess $1000 is chump change to you? If Im spending a grand on a MB Im HOPING it lasts more than a year. And an ext. warranty will ensure that.

2. I never said get a store warranty. And furthermore I actually advised waiting til the first year was almost up before buying applecare.

 

[Joetejada12]

Will you be traveling over-seas?


The Fry's warranty on laptop/dektop: If the unit needs repair on the same issue for more than 3 x then the 4th time on that issue then you get an equal priced unit if they don't have the unit in stock ..

Plus you get a loaner during the repair of your unit .. Fry's is the retail chain that only does loaner units to customers..



Anything else you wanna know about Fry's warranty info ?

Whats the difference with buying a macbook from fry's and buying it from apple? Because there is a price difference at fry's its 100-200$ cheaper , why ?

 

[Efrem]

There's a reason that companies that sell extended warranties can pay huge commissions to stores and salespeople to push them and still make tons of money. Think about it.

I have never bought an extended warranty on anything. Sure, I can identify a few things where the warranty would have paid off. Over the years, though, I've saved a ton of money by paying for those few things out of pocket. Unless paying for a replacement computer would drive you (or your parents) into bankruptcy, extended warranties are a bad bet no matter whose they are. Like any other gambling bet, a few people win (some of them have posted above), but most people lose, and in the long run pretty much everyone loses. The house percentage on extended warranties is way higher, the amount paid out to bettors is way lower, than in any casino.

Trogloxene (post #8 above) has it right.