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Apple Care+ or SquareTrade?

Larrupin said:
According to the terms of service, you can transfer it:
http://images.apple.com/legal/applecare/docs/applecareplusforipadenglish.pdf
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Yeah I think I am definitely going to buy it tomorrow then. Hopefully I will be able to do that through a chat representative because we all have the serial numbers by now.

I have a 2 year old, a 6 month old, and a 8 year old. Like it or not, they will get their hands on it at some point.

My iPad 2 fell about 3 feet and got a nice dent in it because of the little ones. Luckily I was still able to sell it for a lot of money because it was fully functional.
 
I don't see how it's even a question. AC+ is the way to go.
First of all AC+ will reimburse you for TWO replacements as long as you pay the deductible each time. Square Trade charges you a deductible and will take away the repair cost. Essentially if you need a replacement through square trade they will charge you $50 and that's it you'll get the phone only.

With AC+, if you need a full replacement you still have another replacement waiting for you incase you break it again. Plus you can walk into any Apple store and get it replaced on the spot.
 
I also like that with AppleCare+ you get 2 yrs of software support from Apple instead of just the 90 days they automatically give.
 
TB07-NJ said:
Good luck trying to find their terms or a copy of their full contract. If you find a link to the actual info please post. That bugs me to no end.
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Yeah, I'm having no luck. :p The fact that they don't make them easily available is weird... I'll probably just go for AppleCare in the end.
 
With an iPhone they have a set cost to give you a refurbished replacement, used to be $200 if I recall correctly. Do they still do this, and is it the same with an iPad? If you drop it or get it wet will they give you a refurbished one as a replacement for a certain price? If so, what is that cost?

Also, does Apple record a serial number when you purchase AC+? Squaretrade does not, or did not anyway. This was nice for a family that purchased more than one identical iPad, they could use it on whichever ones gets broken, or broken first anyway.

Also, is there any coupon codes or anything to get the square trade price down below $89?
 
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ADH coverage begins 30 days after purchase, and does not cover willful damage, negligent use, theft or loss. ADH coverage begins 30 days after purchase, and does not cover willful damage, negligent use, theft or loss. A $50 deductible applies on ADH-related claims for Cell Phones only. SquareTrade has waived the deductible for all other ADH claims. ADH is not available on all items.
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That's straight from my iPad 2 contract.


eikast said:
I don't see how it's even a question. AC+ is the way to go.
First of all AC+ will reimburse you for TWO replacements as long as you pay the deductible each time. Square Trade charges you a deductible and will take away the repair cost. Essentially if you need a replacement through square trade they will charge you $50 and that's it you'll get the phone only.

With AC+, if you need a full replacement you still have another replacement waiting for you incase you break it again. Plus you can walk into any Apple store and get it replaced on the spot.
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This is incorrect as there is no deductible.

EDIT: It seems the terms have changed for the new iPad.
 
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urkel said:
Squaretrade: I bought SquareTrade for my wifes iPad 2 and when I sold it they gave an option to refund a prorated amount so I got back $60 from $90.

AppleCare+: Someone pointed out earlier that if you own a Time Capsule or Airport device then that is covered also. Thats a feature that doesn't work with the iPhone AppleCare+ so its pretty good if you use those products too.

Personally, Im going with neither since I intend on selling next Feb for The next iPad.
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How long did you have it?
 
jjk454ss said:
I remember that from the iPad 2, but it does says $50 deductible right on the iPad page now.
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Oh. Wow. I just visited the page and saw that. In that case, I would go AC+ just because of that. That was their one plus over AC+. I guess they saw Apple charge a deductible and they decided to as well.
 
boshii said:
Oh. Wow. I just visited the page and saw that. In that case, I would go AC+ just because of that. That was their one plus over AC+. I guess they saw Apple charge a deductible and they decided to as well.
Click to expand...

Yeah, could be. I emailed them to make sure, I'll post here when I get a response.
 
Squaretrade sent an email last week announcing a "big discount" for iPad 3 policies on Friday 3/16 (they are going to have to compete with AC+):

The New iPad is almost here! To celebrate, we're offering
Biggest iPad Warranty
Discount of The Year!
Look out for our coupon email on the day
the New iPad goes on sale, March 16!
DON'T MISS THIS SWEET DEAL!
Learn more about our iPad Warranty

I cliecked on the "learn more" link and got this page: http://www.squaretrade.com/pages/ipad-landing?ccode=bs_war_vc_090:homepageipad

Yes, there definitely is a $50 deductible.

THIS is Squaretrade's biggest downfall:

THE VALUE OF YOUR COVERAGE:

The value of your Care Plan is in most cases equal to the purchase price of your item. Each time you file a valid claim, and we provide repair, the total value of your coverage is reduced by the cost of the repairs. (APPLECARE gives you 2 full replacements for the same $49 deductible).

Then if you file another valid claim with us on the same item, and repairs are estimated to cost more than the remaining value of your Care Plan, the remaining value of your Care Plan will be offered instead.

This is their "contract/terms:" http://www.squaretrade.com/merchant/learn/summaryPopup.html
 
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This is my response from Squaretrade just to verify that there is a deductible:

SquareTrade now charges $49 deductible on all claims. the reason why we started charging the deductibles is that first we have lowered the prices for the warranty and secondly, the claim for ipad was higher as compared to other items, therefore to keep the warranties prices affordable, we started charging deductibles.

Furthermore, for any retail bought item, we also need a copy of your purchase receipt before we can approve any claim you might file with us.
Click to expand...
 
jjk454ss said:
This is my response from Squaretrade just to verify that there is a deductible:
Click to expand...

Squaretrades' response is BS. There are always discount coupons out there that brought the price down and $89 is pretty much on par with the pricing you could get on the ipad 2.

Adding deductibles for all service requests clearly indicates that Squaretrade has encounters a large share of repair requests to the point they are losing profit.

My guess is their special pricing will be either $49.99 or$ 59.99. While this is Ok, what is not clear is the cost of repair. Especially on a low production Retina Display.

Does Apple have a flat replacement cost for the ipad that you could use as a benchmark/high water mark? I dont think so.

So, all that said...AC+ is going to be the best and most convenient option. A no brainer if you have kids.
 
ZipZap said:
what is not clear is the cost of repair. Especially on a low production Retina Display.
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Well, you know it will be AT LEAST a $299 swap because that was the iPad 2 replacement price if you broke the screen (and couldn't find an 20yr old hottie with a tight tank top to take it to one of the "geniuses" for a freebie.).
 
Well...

$100 for warrenty + ~$50 for case + +$50 deductible = $200 easy to keep it safe. Saving a POSSIBLE $100 for a $300 replacement we don't even know will be needed.

Am I missing something? because it just seems like a really bad deal.
 
I'll save you time and from having to like them on facebook:

Squaretrades special rate is $79 with this code: 40IPAD3


I just bought the Applecare +
 
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ZipZap said:
I'll save you time and from having to like them on facebook:

Squaretrades special rate is $79 with this code: 40IPAD3


I just bought the Applecare +
Click to expand...

Did you go to the store and get it or were you able to just call?
 
ZipZap said:
Squaretrades special rate is $79 with this code: 40IPAD3

I just bought the Applecare +
Click to expand...

I will be doing the same. Maybe. I might pass on the warranty altogether -- I never once dropped my iPad 2 and in the two years I've had my iPhone 4 I never dropped it on a hard surface... but you just never know. *sigh* I don't know what to do. And it's actually other people who might get their hands on my iPad, not even myself, that I am worried about the most.

I was expecting a larger discount. I was going to buy a SquareTrade warranty a few days ago, but was told by them over Twitter that a much larger discount was going to happen on the 16th...
 
I went with squaretrade for my iPad2. But based on their new deductibles, I'll go for the Apple Care+. Sorry Squaretrade, even at $79, I'd rather deal with the convenience at this point since your advantage over Apple has fizzled.
 
DizzyV6P said:
I went with squaretrade for my iPad2. But based on their new deductibles, I'll go for the Apple Care+. Sorry Squaretrade, even at $79, I'd rather deal with the convenience at this point since your advantage over Apple has fizzled.
Click to expand...

I was expecting a better discount as well.
 
ovrlrd said:
With SquareTrade, all they do is have you go to an Apple Store, get an estimate, and then they will pay for the bill.
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Not always. There are plenty of Apple stores near me, and they had me ship my iPad off to IResQ when I cracked the screen. I just sent it out, but I am happy with the service so far.
 
So reading everyones post, Applecare is better if you have an Apple store around, but if the closest Apple store is 6 hours away, then go with square trade. Got it.
 
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