Applecare

[pdjudd]

I just bought a iPhone 4 that was refurbished through AT&T and I was thinking of getting Applecare on it (yes I know there might be a new iPhone coming down the pipe) - anyway, I am thinking ahead of any potential problems down the pipe. Two questions:

1) Can I still get AppleCare on a refurb and at least get one year of support?
2) AT&T was never clear on how long support I would get just for purchasing the thing I got 1 month and three months as answers. Anybody can comment further?

Thanks!

 

[JamesMB]

I just bought a iPhone 4 that was refurbished through AT&T and I was thinking of getting Applecare on it (yes I know there might be a new iPhone coming down the pipe) - anyway, I am thinking ahead of any potential problems down the pipe. Two questions:

1) Can I still get AppleCare on a refurb and at least get one year of support?
2) AT&T was never clear on how long support I would get just for purchasing the thing I got 1 month and three months as answers. Anybody can comment further?

Thanks!

You get a one year warranty, included, when you purchase your phone.
EDIT: I just saw that it was a refurb. So I am not sure. What does your paperwork say?

 

[pdjudd]

You get a one year warranty, when you purchase your phone.

That’s good to know. Can I still get AppleCare if I wanted to?

 

[JamesMB]

That’s good to know. Can I still get AppleCare if I wanted to?

I edited my post., But I'm pretty sure that you get the same warranty on a refurb, that you do a new one. You don't need to worry about Applecare until the 1 year warranty is about to expire.

 

[JediMeister]

You can get AppleCare on Apple-refurbished computers, which grants you a total of 3 years from the date of purchase. For iPhones, its 2 years from the original date of purchase. The iPhone 4 has only been out since June 2010, so you are still covered under the 1 year limited warranty. The iPhone 4 comes with 90 days of complimentary support, which is rolled into the cost of the phone and your contract. As long as you are under the 1 year you are still eligible for the AppleCare.

 

[pdjudd]

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That's what I figured. Thanks.

 

[pdjudd]

EDIT: I just saw that it was a refurb. So I am not sure. What does your paperwork say?

Can’t tell you - I haven’t gotten it quite yet (still shipping). I was hoping that somebody has done what I did and could speak from experience since I was never able to get a firm answer from AT&T stores since they don’t deal with refurbs and the website only talked about returns.

Can’t tell you much beyond that i’m afraid.

 

[nukem170]

In my personal opinion it's not worth it. Mind you I don't buy extended warranties on anything. My 3GS battery totally died on me after 16 months of it and I replaced it myself for $15 in total cost. So much cheaper than apple care.

 

[iceterminal]

I do not buy, ever, any extended warranties on anything. However the exception being AppleCare on all of our iPhones and my MBP.
Out of 3 iPod Touches, 4 iPhones, and my MBP, I've used applecare 3 times and I was thankful I had it.
Each time I had to use it, the equipment was outside of the original 1 year warranty. So having Applecare saved me a few hundred.

My iPhone 4 does not have it yet, but I will probably get it within the next few months before the original warranty expires.

 

[pdjudd]

The only reason I ask is sheer paranoia - I had an original 3g that died completely about 3 months after the one year warranty expired and getting a refurbished one was not a happy experience. I can also tell you that my girlfriend at the time was not too happy since it would fail when we were on the phone all the time.

I want to make sure I can have some peace of mind here is all. Especially since I am buying refurbished.

 

[Nicksd84]

I don't think applecare is particulary worth it on the iphone. More of a cost/risk calc from my end. You might end up losing some cash if ur phone dies of natural causes out of warranty. However, when factoring in the cost of the phone on the secondary market vs. the cost of applecare I think it's worth the risk when applecare is a sunk cost if not used.

Just a personal decision though. I don't think it's a universal decision unlike applecare for a macbook, which I think is more than worth it and should be purchased by everyone.

 

[kuebby]

I've heard different things about warranties on refurbs, since I didn't think Apple sold refurb iPhones, only AT&T. If it actually is from Apple then it is has a 1-year warranty, assuming you bought it as a refurb and are not getting it for a replacement. If you're getting it from AT&T, which is more likely, I've heard the warranty is either 90-days or the remainder of the original year, whichever is longer. And you can purchase the additional 1-year of Applecare on either.

As for whether to buy it it's really a personal choice. I've never bought AC for my iPhones and never had a problem, but I did have it for my first MB and MBP and was glad I had it for each (they were both Gen 1 though). The only Apple iDevice I've ever had die on me was my first iPod, a 3rd gen. It died 1 week before the end of the 1-year warranty, then I got a replacement with the 90-day warranty and it died after about 120-days. For some reason that didn't turn me off Apple.