Apple Care

[iphoneguy123]

I don't understand why anybody would buy AppleCare for the iPhone. If you need a warranty, go with SquareTrade or one of the other choices that have accidental damage policies.

It's an absolute complete waste of money and that's not my opinion, it's a fact.

 

[nicegoogly]

Apple Care is transferrable.

I would buy it at Best Buy and get their incidentalmdamage insurance. I got my iPad there and it cost $140.00 and I can throw it down my stairs and they will fix it or more likely replace it.

 

[emaja]

Apple Care is transferrable.

I would buy it at Best Buy and get their incidentalmdamage insurance. I got my iPad there and it cost $140.00 and I can throw it down my stairs and they will fix it or more likely replace it.

SquareTrade is still cheaper for the same coverage.

 

[millerb7]

Squaretrade is a toss up it seems to me.

I've never broken a phone due to "user error"... they always fail on me if at all.

I'd then have to pay $50 with squaretrade to have it replace, where applecare would be free. Medium difference.

but... if I do break it due to user error, then squaretrade is $50, applecare is $199.... big difference.


I dunno, I'll look into squaretrade

 

[Willie5566]

Who knew this was such a heated argument? Square Trade seems like something to look into. Can someone post the 35% off link. That certainly would help some people.

The one thing that I think Apple Care has the advantage on is The Genius Bar/Apple Store. If it is just a software issue they can have you up and running again in minutes.

Anyone know how long it takes to get paid by Square Trade? I would hate to wait a week for a check to show up and be out a phone.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

Squaretrade is a toss up it seems to me.

I've never broken a phone due to "user error"... they always fail on me if at all.

I'd then have to pay $50 with squaretrade to have it replace, where applecare would be free. Medium difference.

but... if I do break it due to user error, then squaretrade is $50, applecare is $199.... big difference.


I dunno, I'll look into squaretrade

If you purchased it using a credit card that doubles the warranty, it'll mirror Applecare in terms of coverage for the 2nd year and would be free. This is of course only in the case of failure, not breaking due to user error. This makes self-insuring with $199 in the bank more sense IMO.

 

[OlgaJ]

I don't understand why anybody would buy AppleCare for the iPhone. If you need a warranty, go with SquareTrade or one of the other choices that have accidental damage policies.

It's an absolute complete waste of money and that's not my opinion, it's a fact.

AppleCare replaced my 3G iphone twice. First time because I could not hear the people calling me, the second when my wifi stopped working. I was able to do it from the comfort of my home. They sent replacement first, I sent defective phone back.

There are a lot more phone defects that would show up than accidents. AppleCare takes care of the defects and assures me that I will have a replacement for anything that goes wrong with the phone.

I dropped my 3G 5 times but never damaged it.

 

[Willie5566]

Upon further review:

It looks like Apple Care only covers software issues or phone malfunctions. It does not cover damage.

Square Trade covers damage and extends the manufacturer warranty to 2 years.

Unfortunately, neither cover theft. That sucks.

It kind of sucks that you cannot get traditional phone insurance to cover everything.

Here is what square trade's coverage is per their website:


What is Covered?

* 2 years of coverage: The SquareTrade iPhone warranty covers your iPhone for 2 years, starting on the date of purchase.

* Accidental Damage from Handling (ADH): 80% of all iPhone failures reported to SquareTrade are caused by accidents. The SquareTrade iPhone warranty is the only coverage option that protects against drops, spills, and other accidents!
o Deductible: There is a $50 deductible when claiming on an accidentally damaged item (e.g. drops, spills). If your issue falls under the standard warranty terms (i.e., a mechanical or electrical failure), no deductible applies.
o Exclusions: If your warranty is bought on the same day as your iPhone, then your coverage begins immediately, if you buy your warranty on a later date than your iPhone, then accidents occurring in the first 30 days are not covered. ADH does not include loss, willful damage or damage occurring through gross misuse of the item. The damage must have occurred unintentionally while the item was being used as intended.

* Extended coverage of the manufacturer's warranty: The SquareTrade iPhone warranty also extends the same coverage as the manufacturer's warranty. This covers all mechanical and electrical problems that arise out of normal use. This includes most hardware failures and power/charging failures.
o No deductible: If your iPhone fails because of a mechanical or electrical problem during normal use, there is NO deductible to claim.
o Battery: If the iPhone battery life drops below 50% of the original, it's eligible for a replacement.

* All warranties sold by SquareTrade are covered by AmTrust Financial Services, a company rated A- by A.M. Best.

 

[pepar]

Seems that both are needed .. or at least good to have. Warranty for software/hardware and insurance for physical damage.

Jeff

 

[Vertigo50]

AppleCare is definitely transferable. It goes with the device, not the user. You get one year of AppleCare with the device, and you can add a second year any time within the first year, so don't worry.

Second, if you buy AppleCare, you can get it on Amazon or Ebay for about half the price. Just find a good seller with positive feedback and you'll save a lot of money.

After having a few issues with my Macbook Pro and previous iPhone out of warranty, I have to say that AppleCare would have paid for itself and been totally worth it for both. Combine that with the fact that I now know I can get AppleCare for half price, and I will NEVER go without it again.

That being said, if you think you won't keep the phone more than a year, it may not be worth getting the extra year.