Still a thing. Pretty pathetic that a multi billion dollar company has such poor communications that only retail staff know about it. The genius I got was pleasant and she knew exactly what I was talking about. How hard is it to train AppleCare “support” staff on this?
I don’t know why they require a physical inspection though. What if I managed to shatter my screen or trash my phone with in 60 days of purchase? No inspection required there.
I wa surprised that the warranty adds 2 years from today. I remember back in the day with old AppleCare plans, it extends the warranty from the original date of purchase. In other words, I would have expect this extended warranty to expire on 3/21/2022. Instead I have 2 full year So I’m happy about that. It seems like the smart decision is to wait until the 12 months is nearly up, and then buy the warranty so you’ll get nearly 2 years of coverage instead of 2 (like with the old AppleCare plan)
Last time I had AppleCare was with my iPhone 5S. Never needed it, so I haven’t bothered, but I broke my iPhone XS Max screen accidentally while hiking, so this takes the worry away for future incidents (probably will never use it though.)
I’m gonna answer of your points the best I can.
1. I’m sure the reason Apple Retail Store employees know more about it is because it directly relates to their job duties.
It’s not that it’s hard to train people is that it not related to the scope of support. An example would me calling my Honda dealership’s service department asking about a sales question. Sales questions are not in his scope of support so he/she may or may not know the answer.
2. Most likely the reason a visual inspection is needed is because of the amount of time that has lapsed since you purchased it. Here’s another example. You purchased a home and 6 months after buying it you call Terminix for termite control. Well, Terminix is going to come out and make sure there’s no existing damage prior to selling you preventive and insurance plan to cover termite damage.
3. If you had shattered your screen before getting the coverage you would have had to pay for the accidental damage yourself. Apple’s manufacturers warranty does not cover accidental damage.
If you just purchased a brand new car and didn’t get insurance against accidents and drive it around and it gets wreaked or stolen. Well, you’re on the hook for that. Same principal with AppleCare+. It’s an OPTIONAL insurance coverage that covers against accidental damage and extends the manufactures warranty until the end of the coverage plan.
If you had accidentally damaged your device before the 60 days and you purchased the coverage and the device didn’t detect the physical damage during its self diagnose. Then you got lucky.
4. AppleCare+ and AppleCare+ With Theft and Loss coverage have always started from the date of the coverage plan and NOT the date of the device.
The AppleCare Protection Plan has always started from the date of purchase of the device and NOT the date of purchase of the coverage.
5. Yes, it can be smart to wait until the two years are almost up before buying the coverage BUT with three exceptions.
• iPhones
• iPads
• Watches
The reason is because AppleCare+ or AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss is renewable.
Waiting to get coverage on all of the remaining device until a few days before the year is up is risking it. BUT if you know for sure that you won’t be damaging the device between day 61 and day 364, then go for it.
6. I’m glad they were able to get you covered.
