AppleCare or Nah?

[DanGoh]

What's good everybody.

The limited one year warranty on my 2013 13" MBPr will expire April 10th, 2015. I put it off 355 days, but now I need to decide if I should get AppleCare through B&H for $174 or through my local Apple Store if it's better.

My Macbook has never given me problems, except recently it's been getting hotter than usual while doing simple things such as streaming 1080p video and light photo editing, but I image some software bugs are the culprits .

Most importantly, what are y'all experiences with AppleCare services, Macbook failure or lack thereof? Is it worth the investment? Can I replace the battery towards the end of my warranty at my choosing?

I'm also considering selling it in about a year or two and getting a newer one, so that's on the table.

 

[GGJstudios]

AppleCare

​

AppleCare Protection Plan for Mac or Apple Display

• You can buy AppleCare any time during the first year warranty period, so you don't have to buy it at time of purchase.
• You can check your remaining warranty and/or AppleCare coverage here
• AppleCare will extend the 1 year warranty for an additional 2 years, for a total of 3 years coverage from the date of your Mac purchase. It also extends telephone support from 90 days, which is included with your original warranty, to a total of 3 years.
• AppleCare follows the device, not the owner. When a Mac changes hands, the AppleCare coverage still applies to the computer. There is no need to "register" the new owner in order to receive coverage.
• You cannot buy AppleCare again for the same device or renew it.
• Neither the Apple Warranty nor AppleCare will cover damage from accidents, spills, etc. They only cover manufacturing defects.
• AppleCare+ provides some coverage for accidental damage, but is only available for the iPad and iPhone, not for Apple computers.
• Neither the Apple Warranty nor AppleCare will cover batteries that have worn out. They only cover defective batteries.
• You can buy AppleCare from Apple or from other sources, such as Amazon, B&H Photo Video, L.A. Computer Company and others. Exercise caution when buying from sites such as eBay, as some AppleCare offers have been scams.
• For more detailed questions, read the AppleCare Protection Plan Terms & Conditions.
• Apple to Update AppleCare with Subscription Service and In-Store Repair Options

As to whether AppleCare is worth it or not, that's a matter of opinion. You'll find lots of opinions on both sides, with roughly 75% saying it's worth it. You really need to decide if it's worth it to you. If you want more information, you can search the forum, where you'll find dozens, if not hundreds of threads asking "is AppleCare worth it?" The overall consensus seems to be about 75% in favor of it.

 

[newellj]

I'm about three weeks behind you. I'm on the fence but will probably buy it. The coverage is probably not a bad value anyway, but with the current brouhaha over the display coating, it seems like a good thing to have on the computer. I'm not saying that Apple shouldn't be solving this problem for free when it occurs, but I don't want to have to have that argument with Apple. By the way, my display so far (knock on wood) is perfect.

 

[Natzoo]

I would buy it. Something is wrong with my mac but my apple care is expired. And i most likely will have to buy a new fan but I'm waiting on a response on the forum to make sure

 

[glenthompson]

If you decide to sell it before the Applecare expires, it will add to the value. May not add much to the price but will make a buyer much more willing to buy.

We haven't needed any Applecare services on my MBP or my wife's iMac but I have used Applecare+ twice, once on an iPhone and on an iPad.

 

[Hieveryone]

What's good everybody.

The limited one year warranty on my 2013 13" MBPr will expire April 10th, 2015. I put it off 355 days, but now I need to decide if I should get AppleCare through B&H for $174 or through my local Apple Store if it's better.

My Macbook has never given me problems, except recently it's been getting hotter than usual while doing simple things such as streaming 1080p video and light photo editing, but I image some software bugs are the culprits .

Most importantly, what are y'all experiences with AppleCare services, Macbook failure or lack thereof? Is it worth the investment? Can I replace the battery towards the end of my warranty at my choosing?

I'm also considering selling it in about a year or two and getting a newer one, so that's on the table.

Dont get AppleCare! It only covers something if something breaks on its own and even then I've heard stories where the genius will look for dents to just to cheat you.

Seriously, it's just free money for Apple. I returned mine.

 

[matreya]

Don't listen to this one^^.. the cost of AppleCare is less than the cost of a single repair job for any fault in a MacBookPro..

It's essentially a warranty extension, and IMHO well worth the expense. 3 years instead of 12 months.

hieveryone fiddled with his MBP and probably voided the warranty with his shoddy efforts... that's why he's so pissed off at Apple...

 

[Hieveryone]

Don't listen to this one^^.. the cost of AppleCare is less than the cost of a single repair job for any fault in a MacBookPro..

It's essentially a warranty extension, and IMHO well worth the expense. 3 years instead of 12 months.

hieveryone fiddled with his MBP and probably voided the warranty with his shoddy efforts... that's why he's so pissed off at Apple...

If something goes wrong with Apple products they will never blame Apple for it even if it's apples fault. They blame the consumer for Apples faults & think Apple is perfect and nothing can possibly be wrong with Apple.

Save your money. AppleCare is truly a waste of your hard earned money.

 

[Android300zx]

I just bought it today for my 3 week old Macbook Pro. I got it on Amazon for $174.

 

[Agent-P]

My one year warranty expires this June so I'm getting close to that point where I need to consider buying it. I'm thinking I will since third party retailers seem to offer good discounts on it fairly often.

 

[Hieveryone]

I just bought it today for my 3 week old Macbook Pro. I got it on Amazon for $174.

If you do buy it, get it from Amazon for 174 like this guy. I did the same thing.

Regarding returns, if you choose to do so like I did, you would have to contact Apple not Amazon.

But no worries they'll wire it to your account or give you a gift card.

 

[yukyuklee]

if you plan on keeping the laptop long term I would advise on getting Applecare only because these laptops aren't serviceable since everything is soldered on lol

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Apple doesn't sell parts for 3rd party repair, so if anything breaks, you end up having to pay for Apple's over-inflated prices. What would be a $50 repair on a Dell becomes a $350 repair on a mac.

That's the only reason you should buy AppleCare. Because if something breaks, and you don't have AppleCare, you'll be out somewhere between $200-$500 to fix it yourself.

 

[GGJstudios]

If something goes wrong with Apple products they will never blame Apple for it even if it's apples fault. They blame the consumer for Apples faults & think Apple is perfect and nothing can possibly be wrong with Apple.

This is a false, misleading and irresponsible post. There are certainly some occasions when the warranty process fails due to an individual Apple representative making the wrong judgement. However, in the vast majority of cases, AppleCare saves consumers significant money when manufacturing defects occur. There are countless stories in this forum alone, describing excellent service and coverage provided by AppleCare. You are certainly entitled to your opinion about whether or not you think it's worth buying, but it is misleading to make such false allegations about AppleCare overall.

 

[Kendo]

If you pay with a credit card, most include an automatic 1 year extra warranty.

 

[TechZeke]

AppleCare saved me atleast $800 in repairs and brand new display on my old 2012 15" cMBP. So yea totally worth it. Id personally get an accidental damage insurance policy, to protect against accidents. You may get a nice genius that fixes it anyway, but I wouldnt gamble and a dent in $2000 machine would just annoy me too much.

 

[DanGoh]

That's the only reason you should buy AppleCare. Because if something breaks, and you don't have AppleCare, you'll be out somewhere between $200-$500 to fix it yourself.

$200-500 sounds scary. Especially for something that isn't my fault, as I baby my Macbook.

 

[Harthag]

If you pay with a credit card, most include an automatic 1 year extra warranty.

This is true, but getting AppleCare is easier for support after year 1. I forgot where I was reading about this, it may have been in the iPhone section here re: AC+. You'll have to deal with the credit card company for warranty issues and it can be a real hassle and can take a very long time. Much longer than just walking into an Apple store if you have one by you, or even shipping to Apple. I could be wrong and maybe you can deal with Apple through the CC company's extended warranty, not sure.

 

[Queen6]

Personally I have never bought Apple care, as I feel it`s a limited product same as most extended warranty plans, equally I have never had an reason to use it and I've owned lot of Mac`s.

If you feel that you need such a product, your far better to get one that also covers accidental damage, if your going to sell in the near future I would forget it.

Q-6

 

[Allograft]

nothing is built to last anymore. I just consider the extended warranty as part of the purchase price. I'd rather not replace my stuff every two years. Craftsmanship is dead and planned obsolescence is here to stay, sadly

 

[winkosmosis]

I just bought a 2012 Retina 15 from eBay with a few months of Applecare left. I paid about $100 more than I would have for one with no Applecare.

When I got it, it had 4 dead pixels all next to each other. I went to the local Apple authorized service place and they're replacing my screen under warranty.

So IMO it makes financial sense if you a) plan to sell it before 3 years or b) plan to keep it for a long time

 

[Android300zx]

I just bought a 2012 Retina 15 from eBay with a few months of Applecare left. I paid about $100 more than I would have for one with no Applecare.

When I got it, it had 4 dead pixels all next to each other. I went to the local Apple authorized service place and they're replacing my screen under warranty.

So IMO it makes financial sense if you a) plan to sell it before 3 years or b) plan to keep it for a long time

I purchased a secondhand 2011 Macbook Air 11 inch from some [dishonest] dude on Craigslist [got it for a good price though]. The screen had light spots on it noticable when viewing a white background (website, movies, etc). The reason why I bought it was because it had Apple Care until March 31st 2015. Apple replaced the whole top half of the laptop which ended up costing under $400. Yes, it's worth it for the piece of mind.

 

[cjmillsnun]

If something goes wrong with Apple products they will never blame Apple for it even if it's apples fault. They blame the consumer for Apples faults & think Apple is perfect and nothing can possibly be wrong with Apple.

Save your money. AppleCare is truly a waste of your hard earned money.

Bullcrap.

AppleCare got me a brand new Mac because Apple admitted mine was faulty because of a manufacturing problem, but they couldn't fix it.

 

[DanGoh]

It seems like more people believe in Applecare protection than they believe that it's free money for Apple.

I ended up going to the Apple got it for for $183 flat (US education discount). I'm covered till April 11, 2017

I feel less nervous about working it hard and taxing the hardware. But I definitely feel like I need to protect it physically to avoid arguments should I need to being it in one day.

 

[GoofyCyborg]

I took delivery of my very first macbook pro today, 13" model and at a cost of £1399 I decided to take out applecare and just purchased it online. Saying that though, at these prices if this macbook pro don't stand the test of time I will not be buying another.