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AppleCare+
- Thread starter TheLondonFella
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you would have to be an idiot to not get apple care on a $1000 phone
I would take issue with assuming that people who do not take Apple Care are "idiots."
First, I think you are implying that people who do not take "any" insurance are idiots. I took AT&T insurance for $6.99 per month for full piece of mind that I have coverage for loss or theft.
However, your premise about not taking any insurance, if that is correct what you said, does not really make objective sense. As we all know, Apple or any other seller of insurance are in business to make a profit. They are not doing out of the goodness of their hearts. What that means is that if you take insurance throughout the life of your phones, there is a strong likelihood that you would have wasted your money. The money that you saved by never taking insurance is, in essence, self insurance. This would be the wisest economic decision but would not give you piece of mind.
So, the decision is whether or not should you "pay' for piece of mind. If you are unwilling to pay for piece of mind, then you have made the smart economic decision in the long run and you will have more money in your pocket at the end of the day.
That is how insurance companies work. They use actuary tables and are smarter than we think.
Having said that, I bought insurance strictly for the psychological piece of mind.
i have it on my 6. On my 5, at about 1 yr 50 weeks, they replaced my battery (even though it wasn't eligible through the replacement program). The guy who checked me in at the Apple store actually told me what to say to the genius about how my phone was behaving so they'd replace the battery. They told me at the time that if the battery replacement didn't help the battery life, they'd replace the phone. It didn't and they did. So, for $99, I have a brand new iPhone 5 after 2 years. Not a bad deal.
I get Applecare+ just not for protection but also resale value. I sold my Iphone 5 with AC+. Tons of interest and sold it for about $50 more than others that were available. Didn't recover the full cost of the warranty but I did have piece of mind while I owned the phone.
If you need to have it replaced, $178 ($99 up front and a $79 service fee) is less than $250?
And if you manage to damage it twice, you can replace it twice for a total of $257 ($99 up front, and 2 x $79 per replacement), as opposed to $500+?
If you don't damage it, it's better not to get it (obviously). But that is the point of insurance.
I've never bought AC/AC+ on prior iPhones, and I've never had any issues (on the iPhones or Androids I've had) but: (1) the fact that I plan not to use a case on the 6, (2) an 18-month old around the house who is attracted to our iPhones like moths to flames, and (3) the good word of mouth I've read regarding actually having to deal with Apple on getting a replacement, all lead me to go ahead and get AC+ this time around.
Plus, if I upgrade to the 6S next year, I can get a refund for the second year, and basically have only paid $50 for the peace of mind.
With your math, if you need to use Apple Care once, you risked $100 to save $70.00. That is a bad bet in my humble opinion. Furthermore, this is the sweet spot for Apple Care (one incident during the two year term). Apple Care is making a lot of money with this risk/loss differentiation. If you break it twice, then yes the value of Apple Care slides towards the consumer. So, since most people who even have an incident will have it just once, Apple Care is not the best economical choice. It really is a psychological choice for piece of mind. That value is an intangible so who knows what that is worth. I can say it is worth what the buyer of the insurance "feels" it is worth.
I am one that has insurance (ATT type) so I deem the piece of mind value is worth it to me because I know my personality and worrying about a breakage or a loss is worth $84.00 a year
I agree. That's why I "self-insure" for accidental damage by putting away $100 in the bank for each new iPhone I buy, and any warranty-type defects within the 2nd year are covered by Amex's extended warranty. So far, I have more than enough in the bank from self-insuring for two incidents of accidental damage if necessary.
Yup $329 to be exact on the plus. but $299 on the 6 (non plus).
6 plus
screen repair from apple is $129 plus $6.95 if you ship it.
device replacement from apple is $329 plus $6.95 if you ship it.
battery $79 plus $6.95 if you ship it.
Not sure about the rest, buttons maybe??
6 (non plus)
screen repair from apple is $109 plus $6.95 if you ship it.
device replacement from apple is $299 plus $6.95 if you ship it.
battery $79 plus $6.95 if you ship it.
Not sure about the rest, buttons maybe??
I have it for 6 plus, but my wife does not have any, her choice, but she made me keep the verizon plan also for me only, she seems to think I will lose it
link from apple site
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I have AT&T and used to have the $9.99 mobile insurance through them. Then I figured that I was spending $240 for the 2 years I keep the phone and $199.99 for the deductible if something happens. Then I realized that AppleCare is the better value by far. I never leave my phone out of sight and I'm very careful with my device, but just for the peace of mind I love that if I did something I would just have to pay $79 and walk out with a new unit. Totally worth it over the carrier insurance unless you live or work in an area where you have to worry about theft a little more.
I got it also for my 6 Plus.
Im planning on keeping it for 2 years so at least I know I'm covered even for accidental damage and not just manufacturer defects.
Im planning on keeping it for 2 years so at least I know I'm covered even for accidental damage and not just manufacturer defects.
Yup $329 to be exact on the plus. but $299 on the 6 (non plus).
6 plus
screen repair from apple is $129 plus $6.95 if you ship it.
device replacement from apple is $329 plus $6.95 if you ship it.
battery $79 plus $6.95 if you ship it.
Not sure about the rest, buttons maybe??
6 (non plus)
screen repair from apple is $109 plus $6.95 if you ship it.
device replacement from apple is $299 plus $6.95 if you ship it.
battery $79 plus $6.95 if you ship it.
Not sure about the rest, buttons maybe??
I have it for 6 plus, but my wife does not have any, her choice, but she made me keep the verizon plan also for me only, she seems to think I will lose it
link from apple site
Yes, Amex will cover warranty defects within the 2nd year as they'll make us whole if we buy at least the 64 GB on contract (which is also $299 plus tax, same as the out of warranty replacement price). It's the better route for those of us who've had iPhones since 2007 and never had accidental damage. If you're the clumsy type who tends to drop your iPhone several times a year, then, yes, AC+ is the way to go.
I don't buy there's an increased risk of accidental damage with the 6/6+ as it's just as slippery as the original iPhone.
With your math, if you need to use Apple Care once, you risked $100 to save $70.00. That is a bad bet in my humble opinion. Furthermore, this is the sweet spot for Apple Care (one incident during the two year term). Apple Care is making a lot of money with this risk/loss differentiation. If you break it twice, then yes the value of Apple Care slides towards the consumer. So, since most people who even have an incident will have it just once, Apple Care is not the best economical choice. It really is a psychological choice for piece of mind. That value is an intangible so who knows what that is worth. I can say it is worth what the buyer of the insurance "feels" it is worth.
I am one that has insurance (ATT type) so I deem the piece of mind value is worth it to me because I know my personality and worrying about a breakage or a loss is worth $84.00 a year
The math is what it is, but all insurance is a "bet," as you put it. And in general, it is a "bet" you hope you DON'T win.
At the end of the day, this is the first time I've ever bought AC/AC+ on a phone, and in all honesty, the main reason is because I have an 18-month old and I can see her throwing it across the room if she happened to get her hands on it, etc. Is it likely to happen? No, as I generally have it with me, or out of her reach, but for $100, it seems with it from the "peace of mind" vantage point.
I can more than self-insure, but should something happen to it, I would rather walk into Apple, give them $79 and walk out with a new phone vs. paying off the rest of a broken phone on AT&T Next and then have to buy a new phone.
Insurance is rarely "worth it" to the consumer from a purely financial point of view, since the entire basis of insurance is that you pay the company money and realistically hope that you never see a dime of that money returned to you because that generally means that something bad has happened. Insurance companies make tons of money because they pay out less than they take it. To a certain extent, insurance sucks, but the time(s) you need it, you're glad you have it.
On a phone - eh, it's more for the "peace of mind" and ease of dealing with Apple should an accident happen than anything else (at least for me) - as I said, I could self-insure without issue, but I would rather just get to walk into Apple with a broken/damaged phone and likely walk out with a new (refurb) phone, as opposed to having to deal with AT&T's insurance or a credit card's extended coverage, but to each his/her own.
And, the way I look at it, if I upgrade every 12-14 month I'm actually betting about $50-$60 (roughly half of the $100 for two years of coverage) to save potentially between $100 and $200 (or more) with replacement/repair, etc. (depending on what it is), which isn't that bad of a "bet."
Overall, AC+ is insurance, which, more often than not, is going to be better for the insurance company (in this case, Apple) than for the consumer. That is the nature of insurance and it is what it is. AC+ is no different - Apple is going to make money off it or they wouldn't offer it (at least not at the $99 price). As long as you know that going in, then it can more than serve its purpose.
I agree with your analysis that it is more of a psychological issue as I mentioned and not a "value economical issue." However, if you are on the NEXT program like I am on, then doesn't it make sense to have the AT&T insurance (if taking insurance at all), so if you lose your phone or if stolen, then you are covered and not have to pay for a new phone?
Definitely got the apple care+ on the 6 Plus this time. Bought it on both the 4 and 5 series. Dropped the iPhone 4 the most. Pleased to get a new phone for only $50. Now, I think I am just more careful.
Disappointed that they now charge $79 for replacement but I suppose $50 was not enough for how many people probably swap out for a new phone. We should add a poll of how many people bought the insurance and did not utilize the replacement fee.
I didn't initially buy it for the iPad 3 but then I dropped that on carpeting which was fine, except that it also hit the corner of my laptop table metal leg which was what caused the damage. Luckily they only charged me a replacement fee which was a little less than half the price of the iPad and included apple care for the next time.
Disappointed that they now charge $79 for replacement but I suppose $50 was not enough for how many people probably swap out for a new phone. We should add a poll of how many people bought the insurance and did not utilize the replacement fee.
I didn't initially buy it for the iPad 3 but then I dropped that on carpeting which was fine, except that it also hit the corner of my laptop table metal leg which was what caused the damage. Luckily they only charged me a replacement fee which was a little less than half the price of the iPad and included apple care for the next time.
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The battery replacement is no guarantee. It used to be the way in the past, these days they check out the battery and let you know if the battery needs to be swapped out or not and further change it.
I never use to going from contract to contract because in my mind it was only a $200 phone if it broke I would bite my lip and use my previous phone for the remainder of that contract
the 6 was the first time I bought the phone outright so I feel like there are more real dollars invested in it so I got applecare+ to make it last atleast 2 years
the 6 was the first time I bought the phone outright so I feel like there are more real dollars invested in it so I got applecare+ to make it last atleast 2 years
The thing about insurance is that you dont know what you will need the insurance for until something happens so you have to make a decision based off what you THINK you may need based on how you use your phone because there are pros and cons to both carrier & applecare plans.
Apple care would be the best choice imo if they covered lost/stolen.
but then you have to pay a extra 100 upfront for an already expensive device.
Carrier plans are good because they cover lost/stolen but you will have to come out of pocket 200+ if you need a replacement and if nothing happens you end up paying more in the long run.
i usually end up needing a replacement soon after my 1st year with a device but its always for a shattered screen (usually have a case that protects the rest of the phone) so it really would have been cheaper to not have insurance at all and pay the 100 for screen replacement even though i always have insurance anyway.
Apple care would be the best choice imo if they covered lost/stolen.
but then you have to pay a extra 100 upfront for an already expensive device.
Carrier plans are good because they cover lost/stolen but you will have to come out of pocket 200+ if you need a replacement and if nothing happens you end up paying more in the long run.
i usually end up needing a replacement soon after my 1st year with a device but its always for a shattered screen (usually have a case that protects the rest of the phone) so it really would have been cheaper to not have insurance at all and pay the 100 for screen replacement even though i always have insurance anyway.
I got it this time with the 6plus, I like the peace of mind. Never got it before.
I have owned every iphone since the beginning, and never broke one...then with my 5S i dropped it and chipped it, then 15 later I fell into a river...what are the odds of that, never had an episode, then I have 2 in 15 min
I have owned every iphone since the beginning, and never broke one...then with my 5S i dropped it and chipped it, then 15 later I fell into a river...what are the odds of that, never had an episode, then I have 2 in 15 min
My experience was new, but that was also under 1 year warranty, not AppleCare, even though I have it as well. No questions asked replacement. I feel like you do have to pick better Apple stores though. In LA we're lucky to have 4 or 5 within reasonable driving distance. I know some of those stores would've given me problems.