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AppleCare Worth It?
- Thread starter MurkyAssassin
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Yeah, I agree, sorry. Its my way of not thinking about the election.
You bring up a good point. I don't think that high a percentage of Macs are falling apart in the first three years, but these "should I buy AppleCare" threads are almost always full of people who had a claim. I do wonder how many people never have claims.
I never buy AppleCare as I generally don't believe in extended warranties, and can in effect "self insure." Since 2003 I have probably bought eight or nine Macs and not one of those has ever required a repair. Even if my current MacBook up and died, I could toss it in the trash and pay cash for a new one, and still be ahead with all the money I have saved by not buying AppleCare.
I do have redundancy in the form of two other usable backup computers, in addition to time machine. I just can't/won't be without the computer for weeks or troubleshooting an issue for days. Not efficient to keep switching workstations and always preferred to fix issues on your primary computer. Applecare provides really good service when you have an issue.
Not going to pretend I have the most important job in the world, but a couple hundred bucks for the company vs. hours of my time is not even a debate. But this philosophy may not be the same at all companies.
I don't understand why some people are so strongly "against" AppleCare. Just providing one case for it. Really the only case against it is the value of $249/$349 3 years later. If you don't run into trouble with your MBP and turned that money into $10k, than you win. Like I've said, I don't always get it and sleep at night with whatever I choose. It's an individual answer and no wrong answer.
Apple Care is like car warranties. It's for the peace of mind. There are probably people that don't have claims, but the whole "worth" debate is subjective. It's "worth" it to me because I can afford it, and I want to have the peace of mind for 3 years. I've bought warranties in the past that I never claimed, and I have also not bought warranties as well. I would say that in my sample pool, I probably spent more on warranties than actual fixes. However, the time and peace of mind is worth it to me.
Regarding macs, I used Applecare twice to replace the battery in my 2011 MBP. I do not have Applecare for anything else.
Regarding macs, I used Applecare twice to replace the battery in my 2011 MBP. I do not have Applecare for anything else.
Another thing to consider is your credit card's extended warranty. As far as I know Citi has the most generous extra two years while others usually offer an extra year on most one-year warranty. Also I heard AMEX is the easiest to file a claim. Just FYI.
Amex is definitely easy to work with - used them several times in the past on a TV, phone and laptop that needed repair (out of manufacturer warranty)
If I buy a used computer under warranty by Apple for the remaining 3 months of its initial 12 months warranty, and I charge to my Discover Card, how long will Discover extend the warranty.
If I extend the warranty with AppleCare, at the end of the remaining 3 months. I think I will just get two years more from the original purchase date Right?
If I extend the warranty with AppleCare, at the end of the remaining 3 months. I think I will just get two years more from the original purchase date Right?
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Nope, with AppleCare you get 2 full years more, so total of 3 years from your original date of purchase.
I am a big supporter of AppleCare for laptops, just so many things can go wrong with them that is completely out of your control no matter how careful you are. Through the years apple has decreased the amount of moving parts inside them but as someone above has said, it's really about if you can afford to do it, I would. The peace of mind is really what I get out of it.
Especially now tip the TB (if you have it)... just more pieces to break.
Discover indicated to me that the existing (transferred from the prior owner) warranty of 3 months would be extended for one year.
Keep in mind that what they are extending isn't the same as AppleCare. Their extended warranty is through a 3rd party, Sedgwick claims. If you have an issue, there is an extended claims process that you will need to go through. It won't just be an easy in and out, like you will get with AppleCare. If you have an issue and submit a claim, you will get a response such as this...
Dear *************:
Thank you for your interest in the Discover® Card Extended Warranty program. As noted in the Discover Card Summary of Coverage, it is imperative that the claim form (included in this email) and the following required documents are received in our office within 180 days from the date of the incident. We will begin to handle your claim when we receive these documents:
Claim Form. Signed by Cardmember.
Discover Card billing statement showing Cardmember name, account number and transaction charge
Itemized charge receipt from retailer/other showing purchase transaction billed to Discover Card.
Original manufacturer's warranty (complete warranty)
Itemized repair estimate from a service provider such as the manufacturer, retailer or repair shop
Please submit the required documents by either:
Email: Benefitsassistancecenter@ufac-claims.com
Fax: 1-216-617-2910
Mail: Benefits Assistance Center
PO Box 89405
Cleveland, OH 44101-6405
Please write your claim number on each page of the documents you submit to us.
Should you have any questions, or if we can be of assistance, please don't hesitate to contact us at our toll free number 1-866-933-1813. For coverage information, please refer to the financial institution that issued your card. Thank you for choosing Discover Card.
Sincerely,
Benefits Assistance Center
Claims Administrator on behalf of Federal Insurance Company
For your protection California law requires the following to appear on this form:
Any person who knowingly presents false or fraudulent claim for the payment of a loss is guilty of a crime and may be subject to fines and confinement in state prison. False representations made on the signed claim form by the insured subject the insured to a penalty of perjury.
Thank you for your time and insight. It does seem quite cumbersome. Definitely will not be as long in time coverage as with AppleCare.
It is at no additional cost as a card member, which is nice, but they don't really have your best interests in mind. They make it as cumbersome as possible to make a claim, hoping that you will forget to dot an "i" or cross a "t". If you play the game according to their rules, they will eventually pay out, but maybe not as quickly as you would like. Amex does a far better job, in this regard, from my personal experience.
If turn around time from when you have a problem with your computer, getting your computer repaired, and getting it returned to you ASAP, is important to you, you may want to look at AppleCare. If you can live without it while you go through an extended claim process to get it repaired, Discover Card Extended warranty may be OK.
Agree with the consensus. Credit card warranties are great, but they do make you jump through hoops. They are not trying to foster goodwill with the defective product's brand, so it's in their best interest to make it challenging to make a claim. That being said, it's pretty much free. And insurance is supposed to cover disastrous failures which should be rare.
Applecare gives the benefit of nicer tech support if you purchased if that's what you want. If you just want to cover failures financially, the credit card benefit is good enough (and free). I got AC for the tech support and assumed nicer care (assumed decreased downtime), not necessarily for financial insurance even though that's always nice. Don't get it if you're just interested in CYA on an expensive repair if you have a credit card extended warranty.
The general prudent advice is that warranties are never a good financial decision. There's a reason that companies are very aggressive in selling them, they are profitable. But don't subscribe to this as a blanket statement for everything. It depends on what your tolerances are, your financial situation, benefits of specific warranties from item to item, and dumb luck.
Applecare gives the benefit of nicer tech support if you purchased if that's what you want. If you just want to cover failures financially, the credit card benefit is good enough (and free). I got AC for the tech support and assumed nicer care (assumed decreased downtime), not necessarily for financial insurance even though that's always nice. Don't get it if you're just interested in CYA on an expensive repair if you have a credit card extended warranty.
The general prudent advice is that warranties are never a good financial decision. There's a reason that companies are very aggressive in selling them, they are profitable. But don't subscribe to this as a blanket statement for everything. It depends on what your tolerances are, your financial situation, benefits of specific warranties from item to item, and dumb luck.
If you have these kinds of issue, you definitely need it
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...high-pitched-keyboard-clicking-sound.2022399/
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...high-pitched-keyboard-clicking-sound.2022399/
My experience with American Express extended warranty has been nothing but great. If I have an issue with an electronic device, I go to their claims portal, create a claim. They then send me an email telling me what documents they need (usually the sales receipt and an estimate from an authorized repair facility). I've had cases where they gave me credit outright, without needing any paperwork. They review the estimate and then issue credit. In the case when I needed to expedite the process, I paid the repair facilitybto do the repair and submitted that to Amex - they have always paid for the claim (and if they didn't, I still needed to get the item working)
Amex has definitely been doing it longer and in my experience better than other cards. They also have return protection, which extends your return period up to 90 days. It only has a $1,000/yr cap, so not good for extending a MBP purchase, but good to have on less expensive purchases.