AppleCare and Consumer Law - In the UK

[ajo]

Hi

I am trying to decide if it is worth getting AppleCare for my MacBook Pro

Is there any comparison between AppleCare and Consumer Law?

I had my iPhone changed successfully under Consumer Law which is what made me think.

Would Consumer Law cover the same pretty much. If the screen or fans failed, would this be covered?

Thanks

 

[gnasher729]

Hi

I am trying to decide if it is worth getting AppleCare for my MacBook Pro

Is there any comparison between AppleCare and Consumer Law?

I had my iPhone changed successfully under Consumer Law which is what made me think.

Would Consumer Law cover the same pretty much. If the screen or fans failed, would this be covered?

Thanks

Your decision entirely, and depending on the situation. For example, AppleCare covers you while you take your MacBook on a holiday - an Apple Store in Spain or the USA will laugh at you if you want your UK MacBook Pro fixed. Apple Care protects you if the seller goes bankrupt. If you bought an iPhone from Phone 4u, your consumer rights are worth nothing.

For computers, UK consumer laws will likely stop covering you long before the 3 years of Apple Care. If you didn't buy from Apple, expect a fight to get your computer fixed. If you bought from Apple, expect a fight as well depending on the situation. The main problem is that after the 1 year warranty runs out, _you_ have to prove that the broken fan or screen is Apple's fault under consumer laws.

And of course if you are not a consumer, consumer protection laws may not apply.

On the other hand, check how much Apple Care costs. If your MBP is 35 months old and breaks, you don't lose much if you take the money you would have paid for Apple Care and add some of your own and buy a refurbished MBP, instead of having a 35 month old repaired MBP. For phones and iPads, in the worst case you can always get an "out of warranty repair" which basically means they replace your phone with a new one for about half the price of a new one. (The phone must be in one piece; if it isn't then neither Apple Care note consumer laws would help you anyway).

 

[Mikael H]

Hi

I am trying to decide if it is worth getting AppleCare for my MacBook Pro

Is there any comparison between AppleCare and Consumer Law?

I had my iPhone changed successfully under Consumer Law which is what made me think.

Would Consumer Law cover the same pretty much. If the screen or fans failed, would this be covered?

Thanks

I believe the rules are pretty similar in most of Europe:
The first year, you have pretty good chances of being covered by consumer law. The second year, you'd need to successfully prove that the issue you're having is a production problem rather than something you've caused.
Then you have individual countries that go beyond these two years - a Norwegian colleague of mine told me that they have 5 years consumer protection for products that "have an expected lifetime of considerably more than 5 years".

 

[Nordichund]

What a lot of retailers in the UK forget to tell their customers is that if a product is designed to last a certain length of time then you have a SIX years of statuary rights. See Apple link


http://www.apple.com/uk/legal/statutory-warranty/

However most shopkeepers and stores will try and deny that your statuary rights even exist, since they don't want to shell out.

Here in Norway it is five years. I took an almost 5 year old, dead 15" MBP into a store in 2013 and they replaced the logic card and suddenly it was like new again. They didn't even blink when I handed it in, just did the paperwork, sent it for repair and called me when it was ready.

Nokia took the 5 year law to the Norwegian courts and lost dramatically. I have also had a 2 year old iPhone replaced because the people on the other end of the phone could no longer here me when I talked (nothing new there).

Of course if you buy Apple Care then you can call Tech Support for 3 years if you have any problems.

 

[gnasher729]

What a lot of retailers in the UK forget to tell their customers is that if a product is designed to last a certain length of time then you have a SIX years of statuary rights. See Apple link


http://www.apple.com/uk/legal/statutory-warranty/

The six years is not any warranty period. It is a claims period, that is the point in time where you lose all rights you might have. What counts is how long the particular product can be required to last, and past two years for a computer you will have a problem.

See for example this website:

http://www.ehow.com/list_6561053_statute-limitations-laws-uk.html

Six years is the standard limitation period of the Limitations Act 1980. It's not just for warranties, it is for most contract cases, fraud cases, negligence cases etc. If you claim that the seller committed fraud against you after six years, a court will say "sorry, too late, after six years we have no chance of finding out what happened". If you claim that the seller sold you a defective product then after six years the court will again say "sorry, too late". This has nothing to do with how long the product should last, but with the court saying it's too late. After size years, the court might not even be able to determine whether you actually bought the product where you said you bought it.

After 5 years and 11 months, a court will accept the case. That's all. You still need to convince the court that the seller should fix your problem after that time. Now if your computer broke after 18 months, it was clear that it was the manufacturer's problem but the seller convinced you that they didn't have to fix it (because you didn't know the law), and four years later you find out about consumer laws, then you have a good chance in court afte 5 1/2 years.

 

[gnasher729]

The first year, you have pretty good chances of being covered by consumer law. The second year, you'd need to successfully prove that the issue you're having is a production problem rather than something you've caused.

First year, you don't even need consumer laws for Apple products because you have a manufacturer's warranty.

 

[Giev]

For computers, UK consumer laws will likely stop covering you long before the 3 years of Apple Care. If you didn't buy from Apple, expect a fight to get your computer fixed. If you bought from Apple, expect a fight as well depending on the situation. The main problem is that after the 1 year warranty runs out, _you_ have to prove that the broken fan or screen is Apple's fault under consumer laws.

I am not sure if that's the case for UK at least, as other people have had different experience. Apple sells high end laptops and the reasonable expectation is for them to last more than 1 year!

You don't have to prove anything as long as you haven't caused any harm/abuse. If it doesnt last that long its a manufacturing error (bad parts, bad assembley, etc.), period. User errors are usually physical damage (dent/scratch, broken glass, liquid, etc.) and easy enough to spot so there would be little to argue and are NOT covered by AppleCare either .

I guess AppleCare just make its easier becasue well almost no questions are asked, and there is also tech support which I personally dont care about.

 

[gnasher729]

I am not sure if that's the case for UK at least, as other people have had different experience. Apple sells high end laptops and the reasonable expectation is for them to last more than 1 year!

Yes, reasonable expectation is usually about two years. So problem after 15 months is likely to get fixed, 24 months will need some severe convincing, 35 months where Apple Care is about to run out will be very, very, very difficult.

That's why I say it's up to the individual what to do. Some people are unwilling or not capable of putting up a fight in a store if the seller refuses. And it depends on the seller, so what you say about Apple doesn't apply if you buy at PCWorld because Apple is not selling you the high end laptop that you buy from PCWorld.

 

[tdale]

You need to check the wording of the consumer law. In NZ, our law is based on acceptable quality. I could buy a cheap TV from a Walmart store, and get a 12 month manufacturer warranty. Consumer law may cover another year, maybe. Maybe not. I could buy a Panasonic well specced TV and the copnsumer law would cover that fopr at elats 5 years as the brand, price etc and the expexcted lifetime of a TV is very high. Computers have a low lifetime, but an Apple PC will get you at least 3 years in consumer law, a cheap plastic lappie costing $399, you'd be lucky to get past one year

Often the retailer (who is 100% responsible here in NZ), will say its out of warranty. mention CGA or Consumer Gurantees Act and they will play ball. If not threaten legal action, we have a cheap Disputes Tribunal here

"'Acceptable quality' means that goods must be:
fit for their normal purpose
safe
durable – last for a reasonable time
have no minor defects
acceptable in look and finish.

When deciding whether goods are of acceptable quality, the test is whether a reasonable person would find the goods acceptable taking into account:
the nature of the goods
the price paid
any information on the goods or the package
anything said by the manufacturer or retailer about the goods
all other relevant circumstances."