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AppleCare for iPod

What LinuxGigilo said. It's from date of purchase of the iPod, not date of purchase of Applecare. It will never cover your iPod for more than one extra year. Apple obviously did some number crunching and trending and realized that they couldn't offer the standard three-year coverage that they offer on other products, because two years is probably the average lifespan of the batteries. With three years they could pretty much count on having to replace it.

All extended warranties are based on the fact that most people never claim anything. They make 50 cents on the dollar or better.
 
Originally posted by ITR 81
If your like me this is pretty good deal because my iPod is only like 2 months old...so 8 months later and then buy AppleCare which give me 2 more yrs of extended warranty. So basically I'm covered for 3 yrs.
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Umm, no, its more like 2yrs, this begins from the time of purchase so thats makes it 2yrs.....he was trying to be all slick and said "but this includes two years of phone support" and I was like, does this change the fact that its still only two years of actual coverage and he was like, umm no. So what the **** does it matter, I'm still only getting two years!. This policy sucks. And the people that I spoke with were n00bs.
 
Either way it doesn't matter to me.
I've never bought an extend warranty on anything soo if I do one extra yr is good enough for me.

I really don't think Apple cares where you buy your insurance because I think they only are offering this plan to give people that want to deal directly with Apple that option and no more or less.

Either way Apple makes money. For every BB or CC iPod thats replaced Apple just gets profit from more sales to BB and CC and then they get the damage unit. Which they can refurb it and still sell it again. To me Apple as work this out to an tee.
 
If Best Buy returns a broken iPod to Apple, they get full credit back. Apple is now back where they were before, but instead of holding a sellable fresh iPod, they have one that they need to refurb. There is no benefit for them, there is a cost.

Apple offers Applecare because they make money on it. Period. All Apple salesmen are pushed to achieve high Applecare "attach rates" because it greatly increases their profit margin. Apple didn't offer three-year Applecare because it wouldn't be as cost-effective. Why else would they stray from their standard 3-year Applecare formula?

I'm certain though that Best Buy eats the cost of any iPod not under Apple's warranty. If they replace your 18-month-old 3G iPod with a new 4G, Apple is not going to give them a replacement. Why would they honor someone else's warranty? Best Buy would be getting money for the warranty while Apple has to pay for the replacement/repair. Not going to happen. Apple is going to stick by the letter of their policy, meaning if you can't get it fixed by Apple, Best Buy can't, unless they worked out some crazy deal and are reimbursing them somehow.

Consumers: extended warranties are the biggest "caveat emptor" thing out there now. Read carefully, and think critically. They aren't offering it out of the goodness of their hearts...
 
Originally posted by sethypoo
Does anyone know if the FireWire cable that comes with a Mac version iPod is covered under the one year warranty? Mine is defective.....thanks.
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From Apple's site:

Service coverage is available only for the iPod and its original included accessories (excluding the carrying case) that are defective in materials or workmanship or for battery depletion of 50 percent or more from original specification. Equipment returned for service may be repaired or replaced with functionally equivalent new, used, or refurbished equipment.


So I'd say, yes, the cable is covered.
 
Originally posted by KLFloyd
Well, I just used my .Mac renewal discount and got the warranty for $40. Still seems a little steep but after all the iPod failure stories I thought it was worth it.

Only problems live in FLORIDA. And After reading the information for the second time (after purchasing) I realize that I'm not eligible.

What do I do? After all Apple did sell me the warranty? I could always use the excuse: "Hey, you sold it to me knowing I lived in Florida." But I don't want to push my luck.

Any thoughts?
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Florida regulates extended warranties which is why it's not avalable there. Just tell Apple you moved there is you ever need to use it.
 
Originally posted by Mr.Hey
This comprehensive plan is available for all iPod models within their one-year limited warranty that connect to either Macintosh computers or Windows PCs.

I just called to order ACPP for my little buddy 😀 and was told that because my iPod had exceeded the 1yr limited warranty that I was not legible to purchase the coverage 😕 . This also applies to all portables and desktop systems 😕 . So this means that if you are unable to buy before the 1yr limited warranty expires you'll be unable to afterwards?.

The last time I talked with one of these "people" j/k, I was told that even if the 1yr limited expires your still able to purchase the extended warranty.

How can this be, please tell me the rep was wrong.
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You can buy AppleCare at any time during the warranty period. No chance Apple will be inheriting a pre-existing condition as they are already on the hook. After the warranty expires, no sale on AppleCare. Too many people would buy it after a failure occured.
 
free extended warranty

I'm not sure what the standard warranty period for the iPod is. Seems like 1 yr from the messages here.

If it is 1 year, you can get a free year of warranty by buying it with your gold or platinum credit card. All the credit cards I have, and I assume most other gold or platinum Mastercards and Visa credit cards, automatically double the OEM warranty up to a period of 1 extra year of coverage when you purchase it with the credit card.

Furthermore they cover accidental damage which Apple does not (remember those credit card commercials where a kid shoves oatmeal into a VCR or a newly purchased hat blows off a woman's head into the ocean?).

If you are going to buy a warranty, there is no doubt that the warranties from Best Buy are the best. As others have noted, they are extremely liberal about replacing rather than repairing.

Glen
 
Originally posted by arnette
Wasn't the first generation iPod battery a Li-Polymer?

Why is Apple using a Li-Ion now? Is it cheaper?
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the 1st and 2nd gen ipods used li-poly. The new ones are much thinner, thus needing a new battery. Obvioulsy, a li-ion one was needed to be fit into the smaller package.


BTW....people, just wait on the warrenty. Buy the ipod. Use it for one year. THEN buy the 2 year extended plan. This will give you a full 3 years of coverage. The ipod already comes with a standard one year warrenty. This is what im doing, and i recommend that everyone else do the same.
 
Originally posted by theipodgod16

BTW....people, just wait on the warrenty. Buy the ipod. Use it for one year. THEN buy the 2 year extended plan. This will give you a full 3 years of coverage. The ipod already comes with a standard one year warrenty. This is what im doing, and i recommend that everyone else do the same.
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That's not how it works. It's is TWO (2) years total from date of purchase. NOT 2 years from when you buy AppleCare. In essence, it only adds 1 year to the base warranty.
 
my ipod was bought in jan 2003. replaced in july 2003. If i bought the warrenty today, when would it expire. Apparently, i dont seem to understand why people should pay for a year's worth of protection when they still have a perfectly good warrenty going....
 
Originally posted by theipodgod16
my ipod was bought in jan 2003. replaced in july 2003. If i bought the warrenty today, when would it expire. Apparently, i dont seem to understand why people should pay for a year's worth of protection when they still have a perfectly good warrenty going....
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You're not. You're paying for 1 year extra; you're not paying for the first year over again. Following your example, if you bought applecare on that iPod, it would expire Jan 2005. You would have to buy it at the latest Jan 2004, before the original warranty expires.

I, honestly, don't see what is so hard to understand about this. This is just like every single AppleCare policy except only 2 years (which is 1 year extra) instead of the 3 years (which is only 2 years extra) found on computers. The only thing it adds in the first year is a full year of phone support vs 90 days
(which if you really need with an iPod, you need more help that can be provided over the phone 🙄 )
 
What about the support

Look at it this way people. $59 really isn't that much, considering what you're getting. To fix an iPod out of warranty, it costs over $250. You get that covered for a whole additional year! And even forgetting the hardware coverage, if you call Apple for tech support after your first 90 days, it costs $49 per incident to receive support. That's also covered until 2 years from the purchase date of the iPod. So basically, for regular customers, if you call in twice after your 90 days, it's already way more than paid for itself, and for education customers, it's CHEAPER than the per-incident agreement. Look at the big picture, people.
 
I wonder if this mpeg had anything to do with it.

http://www.ipodsdirtysecret.com/

Another solution is to do what I did. Before your year is up, go to the Apple store and tell them something like the firewire port isn't working right, or whatever. (Turned out the problem waqs with my CPU.) They just hand you a brand new replacement. They don't even check to make sure you know what you're talking about.
 
Actually, even before the APP, Apple had a battery replacement program for $99. And for a $60 battery, three-way overnight shipping, and labor, also isn't a bad deal. That video is just ignorant. I know people that have had iPods for 2 years (original 5 GB's) and they are still working just fine on the original battery. I'm not saying his didn't die, but it was probably defective or it was abused.
 
Reaction to website film.

Why do people spend money on items and services that they don't understand? On the day the iPod was released, one could reasonably assume that, studying the case and knowing Apple's tendencies and history, that the battery wouldn't be user replaceable.

Furthermore, the warranty fairly clearly states that the product is guaranteed against manufacturer defects for one year from date of purchase.

If the individual in the video expected Apple to replace the battery in a well-out-of-warranty iPod, when the documentation included with the iPod when he bought it, is it Apple's fault? I hardly see how that could be the case.

The cost of AppleCare (or other extended warranty, service plan, or replacement plan) on any item is really measured in opportunity cost. Computer repairs (or similar equipment) is almost inconceivably expensive. The value contained in these optional plans has to be weighed against potential or likely scenerios.

Whether you opt to purchase optional coverage or not, the consequences, either way are what they are. The time to put emotional energy into such a decision is at time of purchase (or within the period of eligibility), not, say, when a battery dies on an un-covered piece of equipment.

Painting signs over advertisements isn't productive. Maybe it makes the individual feel better temporarily, but it, itself, is an advertisement. It tells us that this individual is an uneducated consumer.

-Dan
 
Re: Reaction to website film.

Originally posted by Kinsella217
Why do people spend money on items and services that they don't understand? On the day the iPod was released, one could reasonably assume that, studying the case and knowing Apple's tendencies and history, that the battery wouldn't be user replaceable.
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Umm...Why would one assume that the battery would not be replaceable? What other products does apple sell with unreplaceable batteries? Heck, how many other products exist that have batteries that cannot be replaced without sending the entire device in for repair??? The guy had obviously not investigated all of his options, or he would of known that it is possible to take the old iPods apart and put in a new battery yourself (apparently this is much more difficult with the new iPods), but I don't know about calling the video bogus...If that sound track wasn't an actual apple support call, it sure was a good fake 😉.

I know I've said this before, but THE IPOD NEEDS A USER-REPLACEABLE BATTERY.
 
The question is asked, what other items does Apple sell, that doesn't feature warranty-covered, user replaceable batteries and the answer is, of course, every computer Apple sells. The PRAM batteries are replaceable (in some cases, easily so), of course, but doing so does void your Apple warranty. Now this is almost never an issue, because PRAM batteries typically last an exceedingly long time.

Asking what other popular products have non user replaceable batteries, the most popular example would be the entire catalog of all current and some previous Palm handhelds. From the Zire 21 to the Tungsten C, all of Palm's handhelds have non user replaceable batteries. If your unit is out of it's warranty period, Palm will, for a rather substantial fee, replace the internal rechargeable batteries, if you send the unit back with an RMA number.

Now can you pull almost any device apart and attempt to repair it yourself? Of course you can and if you're an experienced technician with access to parts, you stand a fair chance.

That being said, that doesn't obligate a company to cover something that it says, loudly and clearly in print, it doesn't cover.

What could Apple have done differently to educate this consumer of the terms of the product's fairly standard warranty?

I'm afraid this all only exposes the film's subject as a poor consumer.

-Dan
 
The fact remains that a battery (even a rechargeable battery) is to some degree a consumable product. An 18 month - 2 year lifespan is respectable for a battery; it is not a respectable lifespan for an electronic device. Including an internal battery is a design flaw, because it introduces an unnecessary, easily avoidable flaw into the product. And it is misleading, since prior to the introduction of the iPod, mp3 players all had replaceable batteries.

Also, I know from experience that the battery on my iBook is replaceable, and I would have been quite pissed off had I gotten my iBook and the battery was irreplaceable, regardless of whether I had checked to see if it had a replaceable battery. It is an expectation that the battery on a laptop is replaceable. Since the vast majority of mp3 players on the market have replaceable batteries, and this was even more true 18 months ago when the guy in the video bought an iPod, it was reasonable for the guy to assume that the battery was replaceable. Today, that fact has circulated relatively widely (partly due to complaints from guys like the one in the video) that the iPod needs to be repaired once the battery dies, and so I think you could reasonably expect today's iPod buyers to know about the iPod battery problems, and, in fact, that is the reason I will not buy an iPod -- it's battery is a design flaw that causes the product to break prematurely.
 
I can certainly understand why it'd be desirable for the iPod to have a warranty-friendly user-replacable battery.

I certainly respect individuals who make purchasing decisions based on research of a product's features, capabilities, and limitations.

Consumerism based on assumptions... any assumptions at all, are fraught with peril. It isn't reasonable, necessarily, to assume anything about a product, particularly when it's a big-ticket item.

That is, more or less, a large part of my point.

Why do people exchange hundreds of dollars or more for products (or services) they don't understand? People do this at all price points, it seems.

But in this particular case, an individual has chosen to publicly take his case to the public by spray-painting advertisements. His case, it seems, is that Apple has wronged him.

Instead, the message that he's putting out is that he didn't understand the product he bought and also that he didn't understand, or maybe completely ignored, his warranty information.

I'm not sure that I'd want to publicly acknowledge that.
 
The bulk of his case, it seems to me, is not that "apple has wronged him", but rather that the iPod has battery problems. The information about his iPod battery is useful. The fact that he publicized the fact that he bought an iPod in spite of the battery problems is what screams that he isn't a careful consumer, but that seems to be a sort of "side effect" of the intended message. His basic message is "don't buy an iPod".
 
Re: Reaction to website film.

Originally posted by Kinsella217
Painting signs over advertisements isn't productive. Maybe it makes the individual feel better temporarily, but it, itself, is an advertisement. It tells us that this individual is an uneducated consumer.

-Dan
Click to expand...

Well said, I do not feel that this individuals actions are correct, and could be seen as aggressive and barbaric. We have two iPods, one will be a year old as of Christmas, neither have shown any signs of age, specifically battery. Upon buying the iPod, I knew that this, the battery, would not last forever, I mean come on, it is a battery and batteries die.
 
Re: Re: Reaction to website film.

Originally posted by zim
...the battery, would not last forever, I mean come on, it is a battery and batteries die.
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This seems like a compelling reason to have an easily replaceable battery, no?
 
Originally posted by KLFloyd
Only problem is live in FLORIDA. And After reading the information for the second time (after purchasing) I realize that I'm not eligible.

What do I do? After all Apple did sell me the warranty? I could always use the excuse: "Hey, you sold it to me knowing I lived in Florida." But I don't want to push my luck.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

Just as a follow up...my AppleCare arrived today and just as I feared, Apple wouldn't let me activate it. They were very nice about it, promptly refunded my money. I realize it's not their fault and I was trying to skate under the radar, but still it's frustrating.
 
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