I am about to buy a Macbook pro. I am debating on either buying applecare or a bestbuy service plan. Any suggestions?? Bestbuy does cover accidental damage, something that applecare does not.... But I would like to buy it from the company that makes it. Any suggestions?? Thanks, help is appreciated.
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BestBuy Service plan or AppleCare?
- Thread starter stovetop6872
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Anther issue to consider, do you travel out of the country? Will you be able to get BestBuy service if you do?
Neither! If you have one, buy it with your VISA card and you automatically get one free year of VISA coverage that covers the same things as the original hardware warranty. After that you can extend it for three more years for a fee that is less than $200. It comes with a no-lemon policy (three repairs and if something goes wrong after that, they replace the machine with a new one), battery replacement, and the freedom to choose any repair place you want, including Apple. I just had my mother's powerbook repaired and got the reimbursement within a week. Superb service and I've used it a lot. Never even a hint of hassle.
Check with your credit card issuer to see if you have it as not all cards do. It's called VISA performance guarantee.
Good luck!
Oh, and they will pay even if you need to have something fixed while you travel abroad - I asked.
Check with your credit card issuer to see if you have it as not all cards do. It's called VISA performance guarantee.
Good luck!
Oh, and they will pay even if you need to have something fixed while you travel abroad - I asked.
just to let you know, you can buy MBP applecare on ebay for less than half the price apple sells it for. I got mine for $170. Just make sure you buy the correct applecare. make sure it says macbookpro/powerbook. also remember that you are only eligible for applecare within 1 year of your purchase. after 1 year, you cannot buy it.
and, the Best Buy plan is a scam. in fact, i would avoid buying ANYTHING from them, let alone their scam service plans. do a search for it on the forums, i remember a thread where some ex-BB employees were talking about how they scammed people into buying the worthless plans.
and, the Best Buy plan is a scam. in fact, i would avoid buying ANYTHING from them, let alone their scam service plans. do a search for it on the forums, i remember a thread where some ex-BB employees were talking about how they scammed people into buying the worthless plans.
It's not a scam, its in fact better than most straight up extended warranties from the manufacturers (but costs more). You still get your broken stuff fixed.
The VISA one is good but they always need some sort of proof that something broke. So to get a repair you'll often need to pay for a diagnostic.
I've had powerbooks, ipods, printers and what not fixed through visa and they've never asked for anything except for the purchase receipt for the item, a copy of the statement that includes the purchase, a copy of the warranty statement and the receipt for the repair. Whenever I buy something I send in the first documents to VISA immediately and they register them for the future in case I need a repair. Last time I had my mother's powerbook repaired, I called VISA from the store and they said I could either send in the quote first for pre-approval, or just get it repaired and send in the receipt for reimbursement. I guess they prefer to approve it first, but I've never done that with any items. I just file a claim and send in the itemized receipt for the repair.
What I like so much about this is that nobody questions the problem. Apple often will tell you that something is 'within specifications' and then there's nothing you can do.
Um, I bought a 4-year plan on on HD LCD TV from BB for $300 (less than 10% of the price of the TV at the time I bought it). Last year a $1000 part broke on it and BB replaced it in-home within one week (it would have been less time if the technician had the part with him when he first came to our house, which was one day after I called). Of course, YMMV.
The BBY extended service plans are no better or worse than any other company's. Most products go through whatever authorized service center is closest to where you live. The quality of those service centers varies GREATLY. That said, for a proprietary hardware company like Apple I strongly recommend going directly through Apple unless you can get that Visa coverage already mentioned. The BBY service is 10000% better for in-home items vs. having it sent to a service center - the person is in your home, they know you're a real person, not just another number on their computer monitor. That said, I worked there for 4 years and bought it on every item I purchased, had to use it a couple times, ended up getting a replacement for a 23" LCD that got burn in from use as a computer monitor. No, that's not supposed to be possible if you listen to the LCD makers.. riiiiiight...
I had this proablem once, I complained, and they refunded my service plan, i used the money to buy AppleCare
JC7
While I often buy stuff from BB, the Apple and Apple Care came from the Apple Store. The best buy salesmen could give me no reason or advantage to buying from them, they didn't offer the education discount, and they traditionally are brutal to deal with when I've had problems.
And while I don't expect Best Buy to go out of business, I've purchased extended warranties from such stores in the past and they went in the toilet when they shuttered their doors.
Mark
And while I don't expect Best Buy to go out of business, I've purchased extended warranties from such stores in the past and they went in the toilet when they shuttered their doors.
Mark
Because these dealers buy Applecare plans wholesale and sell them at the price they choose.
This ought to give you some clue as to how much money Apple makes by selling these extended warranties.