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applecare good investment?
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from [URL="https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1009274/"]Buy AppleCare on eBay to save money
Apple Care is a good investment if one believes the hundreds of threads about that issue-
To get to what your post was really about...
If you plan on keeping your Mac longer than the 12 month original warranty, then yes it is worth it. You will find lots of people who have taken advantage of the coverage as their Mac's get older and parts break down.
Considering how expensive Mac's are.... they price of protection is pretty reasonable.
I wouldn't buy it on Ebay.... risky. Buy it from Apple direct.... and if you can take advantage of the "Education Discount" program to buy it.
If you plan on keeping your Mac longer than the 12 month original warranty, then yes it is worth it. You will find lots of people who have taken advantage of the coverage as their Mac's get older and parts break down.
Considering how expensive Mac's are.... they price of protection is pretty reasonable.
I wouldn't buy it on Ebay.... risky. Buy it from Apple direct.... and if you can take advantage of the "Education Discount" program to buy it.
Let me elaborate why I think buying it on eBay is risky....
1. Some people have had success. Some.
2. Many people have NOT had success. MANY.
I think people have had success because there ARE honest people out there... but there are others who are not honest and are using "Key Generators" to create codes... Do you want to roll the dice?
Also. I think a lot of people think they have been successful because they "Register" the code they get and it "Activates" with "Success!"... but they haven't had a claim yet to see if it actually comes up ok when it is "Game Time".
You will find a lot of posts from people saying they "Activated" with "Success" a code they bought on eBay... and then 2 years later tried to actually use the thing and had their claim "denied" because the AppleCare code they registered was "Invalid".
1. Some people have had success. Some.
2. Many people have NOT had success. MANY.
I think people have had success because there ARE honest people out there... but there are others who are not honest and are using "Key Generators" to create codes... Do you want to roll the dice?
Also. I think a lot of people think they have been successful because they "Register" the code they get and it "Activates" with "Success!"... but they haven't had a claim yet to see if it actually comes up ok when it is "Game Time".
You will find a lot of posts from people saying they "Activated" with "Success" a code they bought on eBay... and then 2 years later tried to actually use the thing and had their claim "denied" because the AppleCare code they registered was "Invalid".
i know tons of people who buy from ebay for apple care and mobile me, including me and have never had an issue.
i have never heard of a keygen for applecare....so ill assume your making that up, what i do know is people sell the keys on the boxes then return them for a refund and it deactivates the keys, which i believe has had a end put to it.
there are keygens made by the chineese to make itunes keys(giftcards), which will all be caught eventually.
Why would you say something like that? There are messages on THIS forum that discuss it. You never hearing of it does not = "made up".
Simple Google Search "Applecare Keygen" and you will find plenty of people talking about it.
AppleCare is ALWAYS a good investment when it's a laptop you're covering, just be cautious as to what you do with your system during it's life time. Apple have very strict policies as to what is and what's not covered. AppleCare only covers malfunctions due to manufacturing faults or hardware failure. It doesn't cover end user's accidental damage, spills, drops etc.
As for AppleCare on ebay... well.. for peace of mind I'd get them from Apple. That way if something does fail, you're covered. I've known some people having issues with their cheap ebay purchased counterpart. I dunno. At the end of the day, it's your dime mate, I can only advise.
Extended warranties, be it Apple Care or the ones you can buy for just about anything you get at BestBuy are NEVER a good investment.
If its good for the customer then its bad for the company selling it... and what company do you know that would do that? None. Apple and BestBuy et. all are out there to make money, not to loose it, this means that what they charge you for the extended warranty is on average more expensive than what it will cost them to fix the problems.
Bottom line, if your computer craps out and is repaired under the extended warranty then it seems like its a great deal because you spent less money on the warranty than the repair would have cost you... but chances are higher that nothing will go wrong with your computer and you would have spent money on the warranty you didn't need to spend.
If its good for the customer then its bad for the company selling it... and what company do you know that would do that? None. Apple and BestBuy et. all are out there to make money, not to loose it, this means that what they charge you for the extended warranty is on average more expensive than what it will cost them to fix the problems.
Bottom line, if your computer craps out and is repaired under the extended warranty then it seems like its a great deal because you spent less money on the warranty than the repair would have cost you... but chances are higher that nothing will go wrong with your computer and you would have spent money on the warranty you didn't need to spend.
imho paying for something you are already entitled to for free, just to make it easier to get a multikazillion-$$-company complying with the law really shouldn't be neccessary.
I had applecare on my santa rosa macbook pro. When it died several times within the last 2 to 3 months of the 3 year warrenty, Apple upgraded me for free to one of the new i5 15 in. hires antiglare macbook pros. Applecare is a good investment in my opionion
Hi,
I'm not a fan of Apple Care.
My buddy buys a G5 iMac with no Apple Care. It keeps dying from the capacitor issues they had. Apple ends up extending the warranty to three years, and in his case they give him a brand new Intel iMac last summer as his G5 died again.
I buy Apple Care for my iBook. My hdd goes after 2 years. "Great" I think. I'm getting a new hdd. But, Apple Care covers the replacement of the original hdd which is a 30GB drive. My $300 Apple Care covered a $30 hdd. So I end up paying an additional $100 to upgrade the hdd and get the install covered by Apple Care. I lost the gamble.
s.
I'm not a fan of Apple Care.
My buddy buys a G5 iMac with no Apple Care. It keeps dying from the capacitor issues they had. Apple ends up extending the warranty to three years, and in his case they give him a brand new Intel iMac last summer as his G5 died again.
I buy Apple Care for my iBook. My hdd goes after 2 years. "Great" I think. I'm getting a new hdd. But, Apple Care covers the replacement of the original hdd which is a 30GB drive. My $300 Apple Care covered a $30 hdd. So I end up paying an additional $100 to upgrade the hdd and get the install covered by Apple Care. I lost the gamble.
s.
AppleCare was a good investment, until Apple implemented the "all-damage repair" plan. I'm not sure of the official terminology, but in the most basic sense Apple now allows for all-encompasing repairs (even multiple jobs) to be done at a flat rate of ~$310 IIRC. I wasn't aware of this until I paid a visit to an Apple store with a fried logic board (out of warranty), and was given this estimate instead of the $1,000+ I was expecting.
Apparently they now send computers to be repaired under this plan to some sort of repair center in the US, as opposed to the in-store repairs of yesteryear. Nice for people who get (comparatively) cheap fixes, but with AppleCare at $250, I don't really see the point anymore, unless you anticipate a lemon.
Apparently they now send computers to be repaired under this plan to some sort of repair center in the US, as opposed to the in-store repairs of yesteryear. Nice for people who get (comparatively) cheap fixes, but with AppleCare at $250, I don't really see the point anymore, unless you anticipate a lemon.
You apparently don't understand economics and your Marxist tone demonstrates this. Yes, most people WILL NOT use their extended warranty policies but that does not mean the warranty is more expensive than what it will cost a company to fix much less you as a consumer. It all comes down to the numbers. If Apple estimates that 20% of macs will break down, then what do they need to charge for the insurance to at least break even or possibly come out a head after all said and done (labor, parts, taxes, overhead, etc)? This is why iMacs protection plan is cheaper than mac laptops. Laptops simply break down more than the iMac and this is easily researched by Consumer Reports, hence the macbook pros apple care is pricier.
The problem is with expensive toys, you as a consumer just don't know if your mac or whatever will malfunction and neither does Apple. All electronics DO at some point. It's just a fact. I skipped on the extra warranty with my 2nd gen blueberry iMac and my HD went out costing me $225 out of pocket. My parent's 60 inch screen TV had a bulb go out. Thankfully my dad bought Best Buys extra warranty and they fixed it for FREE. Otherwise it would have cost $500. The warranty was cheaper.
As a consumer, you need to know what your individual circumstances are. Is spending $X amount for an extended warranty a good investment for you considering your financial situation? The more expensive the toy, most likely the better decision it would be to get the extra warranty unless you make 6 figures or don't live paycheck to paycheck.
Again, you might not need it but if you did, you will be the sorry one if you choose not to get the warranty.
In general I think it's good for a portable device. In my experience, it hasn't helped me since anything that I've owned that has broken has done so after the warranty expired.
I took advantage of this plan with my '06 MBP. I never bought Apple Care for it, which turned out to be a mistake (I will never buy a first gen Apple product again), but I got lucky.
I walked in to the Apple Store with my dead machine six months ago, and because the Genius saw no "abuse" damage, he enrolled me in what he called the "Depot Repair" program. It was around $300; it may have been 310. I got a box in the mail, shipped it to them, and got it back in a week good as new. I looked at the repair invoice when I opened the box, and they replaced EVERY component in the case, including the logic board. For $300. I've done some more research, and while it seems to be hit and miss, you can generally get this repair if you've taken good care of your machine (I imagine that this is at the discretion of the in-store tech).
However, for those not willing to take the gamble on getting into that program, I would recommend Apple Care. I know plenty of others who have had good experiences with the coverage, and I highly suggest it for Apple's portable machines, which take a far greater beating than one sitting on a desk.
IMO, applecare aint that worth it. Just buy your laptop with a credit card that doubles warranties, I've got a TD gold elite card and they double my factory warranty, so a total of 2 years of standard apple warranty, good enough if you ask me. if stuff goes down with your laptop, just fix it with pieces from ifixit/ebay/craigs and nurse it for another year and upgrade on year 3.
I had a old 2k7 2.2 ghz macbook, never had an issue with it. friend's 2k7 2.0 ghz macbook had a motherboard issue, so she just used the 2 year warranty (this was back in 09) and got it fixed from apple.
That being said, if you bought the laptop from bestbuy, it's a whole new story, get their PSP (product service plan), and when you want a new computer just take the harddrive, and give it a gentle squeeze (with pliers + towel), and boot the macbook pro and it'll instantly die, and bestbuy will cover it, do it a few times and get your money back and do a nice little upgrade whenever you want.
I had a old 2k7 2.2 ghz macbook, never had an issue with it. friend's 2k7 2.0 ghz macbook had a motherboard issue, so she just used the 2 year warranty (this was back in 09) and got it fixed from apple.
That being said, if you bought the laptop from bestbuy, it's a whole new story, get their PSP (product service plan), and when you want a new computer just take the harddrive, and give it a gentle squeeze (with pliers + towel), and boot the macbook pro and it'll instantly die, and bestbuy will cover it, do it a few times and get your money back and do a nice little upgrade whenever you want
.I think Applecare is goldust, I bought my previous ones on eBay without a hitch, now I get it included free with Higher Education purchases it's brilliant. I'm not a fan of the repair work done but it's work done none the less. If you went with some cheap ass laptop that breaks, you lose the money completely, With Apple they make products to last (even though they won't as we'll buy the new one! )
)It's absolutely necessary.
Think about it this way, say your logic board goes at 18 months on a $2k+ machine, which runs around a grand to fix. At 18 months, the computer on one hand is still plenty worth fixing the logic board given how expensive the machine was, but on the other hand do you *really* want to sink $1k into a computer going on two years old? Your resale is completely shot if you don't fix it. So, neither option looks very attractive IMO. But with AppleCare, never worry.
My computer ran fine for about 10 months before it's first repair. Now that it's going on two years old I've had nothing but problems, and AppleCare has picked up the tab on each one (almost $2k in repairs last weekend), and now Apple is offering me a free replacement.
It's literally paid for itself like 20+ times over. Well worth it, and get it from Apple direct.
Think about it this way, say your logic board goes at 18 months on a $2k+ machine, which runs around a grand to fix. At 18 months, the computer on one hand is still plenty worth fixing the logic board given how expensive the machine was, but on the other hand do you *really* want to sink $1k into a computer going on two years old? Your resale is completely shot if you don't fix it. So, neither option looks very attractive IMO. But with AppleCare, never worry.
My computer ran fine for about 10 months before it's first repair. Now that it's going on two years old I've had nothing but problems, and AppleCare has picked up the tab on each one (almost $2k in repairs last weekend), and now Apple is offering me a free replacement.
It's literally paid for itself like 20+ times over. Well worth it, and get it from Apple direct.
There's a thread on the forums about a guy whose got applecare and is due for a repair, but then the applestore denies him of any repairs.
Think about it this way... nothing goes wrong for 3 years and then you get a new computer. You wasted $250 and got nothing out of it.
See, I can do that too.
Good investment is subjective. If you're keeping for less than a full year, it's not a good investment. It's would be 15-20% of the computer price and the loss after the year is probably 25-30% anyways assuming your machine is in good condition.
Yes AppleCare does boost resell prices, but it doesn't help the first year since you are paying $350 and it's unlikely anyone would pay you that full amount during a sale. ;)
If you're going to keep the machine and use it for 3 years and yes it's a great thing to have for your piece of mind. Yes a lot of credit card and charge cards offer extended warranties, but they don't offer Apple telephone support and compensation is often slow and/or tedious.
I have had mixed experiences with AppleCare. For my portables they have come in very handy over the years. I seem to have a higher rate of failure than my friends and family do because I'm very rough with my computers and demanding in use. I've had displays, motherboards, hinges, cases, drives replaced, and even gotten a few replacement machines. For my Mac Pro, except for a crappy Bluetooth card in the beginning (and now I'm sure the Bluetooth is just weak on this machine), I'm happy to say this has been trouble free, so you might say the AppleCare hasn't really helped yet. I'm content with the piece of mind enough. *knock on wood*
Yes AppleCare does boost resell prices, but it doesn't help the first year since you are paying $350 and it's unlikely anyone would pay you that full amount during a sale. ;)
If you're going to keep the machine and use it for 3 years and yes it's a great thing to have for your piece of mind. Yes a lot of credit card and charge cards offer extended warranties, but they don't offer Apple telephone support and compensation is often slow and/or tedious.
I have had mixed experiences with AppleCare. For my portables they have come in very handy over the years. I seem to have a higher rate of failure than my friends and family do because I'm very rough with my computers and demanding in use. I've had displays, motherboards, hinges, cases, drives replaced, and even gotten a few replacement machines. For my Mac Pro, except for a crappy Bluetooth card in the beginning (and now I'm sure the Bluetooth is just weak on this machine), I'm happy to say this has been trouble free, so you might say the AppleCare hasn't really helped yet. I'm content with the piece of mind enough. *knock on wood*