Cheap applecare from ebay???

[armoguy94]

Sorry for bumping.

I have an iMac and the 1-year support is going to expire in about a month.

If purchasing Applecare from ebay, can I do it at any time? Even after that one month is over? Or does it have to be within the one month time period.

Also can someone recommend me any legit ebay sellers that they've dealt with on behalf of purchasing AppleCare?

Thanks.

 

[GeekGirl*]

Make sure you get a sealed box not a code from ebay...

 

[rgarjr]

u have to do it before the year expires.

 

[applebook]

Another eBay Applecare buyer here. Got it for almost half off retail on an iMac G5 awhile back.

 

[Cyclo0n]

Within the first year after you bought your MacBook.

On ebay i read at almost al the sellers: Applecare will work as long as it is within its 1 year warranty

I have my MacBook for almost a year and i am curious if i can get a code after my first year of waranty??

 

[caribiner23]

On ebay i read at almost al the sellers: Applecare will work as long as it is within its 1 year warranty

I have my MacBook for almost a year and i am curious if i can get a code after my first year of waranty??

No. If you go past your one-year anniversary of ownership, you can't apply AppleCare to the device. Go through the "check your warranty status" page at support.apple.com to see when your one-year warranty is up.

I've bought AppleCare (on eBay) on the last day of the one-year warranty and applied the code and the device was covered. I'll never buy AppleCare at full retail again.

A note about the coverage provided by credit cards: this is not the same as AppleCare. It's an insurance policy that will reimburse you for any repair costs that you incur if there's a problem with the item you purchased. The difference is that (a) you have to pay for the repairs up front; and (b) you're at the mercy of the coverage provider to agree that whatever problem you fixed was covered under the credit card's policy. And guess who's best interest the insurance provider usually has top of mind?

I went the "credit card" coverage route twice: once with American Express and once with a Citibank Visa. These were on electronic items (not Apple products). After months of paperwork, phone calls, and arguing I received only a portion of my outlay for repairs each time. Absolutely, positively not worth it.

I normally don't believe in extended warranties of any kind, but I've always had good luck with AppleCare. When I've needed it, it worked for me.

 

[Ras-x]

Applecare on Ebay

Well I guess the critical issue is from whom you purchase. I have just purchased applecare for my iMac, at a very discounted price ...and it worked. I can recommend macman812. The real problem I had was with the Apple web site - the *^%%$$%!! thing kept endlessly cycling and timing out. Tried connecting (on fast broadband) with my iMac and Macbook Pro using both Safari and Firefox. Kept trying for over 24 hrs, before in frustration I rang my friendly local Apple Store. They gave me a phone number (in Australia it is 1300321456), and registration literally took 3 minutes. Just have your machines seriel number and the applecare number ready.

So YES it can work, work cheaply and work well (just avoid the Apple site )

 

[calderone]

I say don't do it, unless you are getting the box. These codes don't seem to be legit, and it is only a matter of time before Apple catches them all.

 

[Ras-x]

Sorry, I must disagree. There was NO problem at all when i spoke with Apple Support. If there had been an issue with the number it would have come up immediately. Instead they confirmed the registration had been accepted, and that a confirmation letter was on its way.

Remember, if you purchase on ebay and use Paypal, you are covered against unscrupulous sellers financially. Always check their feedback. My man had sold almost 6,000 items (the majority are applecare warranties), and has a 99.9% favourable response. That gives a lot of confidence. But if you want to spend nearly $100 more for the box - go for it

 

[calderone]

Sorry, I must disagree. There was NO problem at all when i spoke with Apple Support. If there had been an issue with the number it would have come up immediately. Instead they confirmed the registration had been accepted, and that a confirmation letter was on its way.

Remember, if you purchase on ebay and use Paypal, you are covered against unscrupulous sellers financially. Always check their feedback. My man had sold almost 6,000 items (the majority are applecare warranties), and has a 99.9% favourable response. That gives a lot of confidence. But if you want to spend nearly $100 more for the box - go for it

You aren't covered if your code is revoked and past the one year original warranty and passed the time frame for a dispute. At which point you have left positive feedback and can't change it. And so you know, the problem with the codes are not immediately evident, at least to Apple Support. I do not know where the problems are detected, but I know that it happens months after it is registered. See the threads in the Buying Advice section.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/690859/

The positive feedback of these "code" sellers is not in anyway indicative of the long term satisfaction of their buyers. These problems have been happening months after the code was registered. If you are convinced that the feedback of these sellers is an indication of the legitimacy of these codes, your standard for trustworthiness is rather low.

I have no doubt that some make it through the system with their code. But no matter what the percent of successful codes, I don't want to take the chance of being in the percentage of users called out. Because when that happens they demand the serial number from the box, which of course you can't provide. It also leaves you, in most cases, unable to transfer the warranty in the event you sell your mac.

To close, your insinuation that I am somehow foolish for paying "nearly $100 more" for a box copy didn't go unnoticed. If you must know, I have never paid more than $40 over the cheapest "code," and I would much rather pay that than be left with no warranty.

And don't you find the marketing techniques of these sellers strange? They use a picture of 20+ applecare boxes (suggesting they have the boxes), but they only email you the code. And their reasoning for this is to be "green," or "you don't need the box" (which you actually do need). And when you email them to send you one of those 20+ boxes they have in the picture, they don't do it. Usually it is because they throw them out or whatever other excuse they have. Here are some examples from eBay sellers:


Here is costal_computing, a seller who asks you in his listing to send him a message if you need a box. A link to an example:http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123#ht_1562wt_1167

This is what he replies with when you email him asking for a box copy.

Hi, I send applecare agreement via email with all related information and instruction you would find in retail package. I stand behind everything I sell, guaranteed. One thing you should know is when you dont buy applecare directly from apple or other authorized seller, box or not, you cant transfer plan as easily or return to apple for refund because you didnt buy from an authorized seller. I dont do special requests at this time as with the amount of customers I deal with day in day out, it makes my job un-manageable. So sorry I will not be sending box to you. I hope we can do business, I like to think my feedback speaks for itself. I dont let customers down, period. Thanks, Corey

Here is another, this time ameenterprises.

I do not stock the boxes here... My supplier sends me the codes
then discards the boxes! Let me know! You should have zero
issues! If there are issues, I can refund or help you!

Thanks,

Adam

 

[Richard1028]

I say don't do it, unless you are getting the box.

Fully agree and most importantly - save the freaking box. If a code is stolen from inside the box then put back on a retail rack and passed along to you, it won't show up as a duplicate in Apple's system until somebody legitimately buys that original box.

Or, if there are illegal AppleCare code generators out there, chances are one of the codes they generate will actually be the same as one lurking inside a legitimate box. Again, a conflict won't surface until somebody buys that box.

Either way, your "code only" purchase will be invalidated by anyone holding the original box/receipt for that same code. And this could happen well outside your 1 year original warranty and now you're screwed.

Even the ebay seller will be surprised by this because he buys his codes from what he thinks are legitimate sources. There are no resellers of "codes" sanctioned by Apple to sell them other than Apple themselves. (And if there are, I'd like to see proof).

The bottom line is no matter where you buy it, keep the receipt and most importantly, the box. I don't care what the Apple registration page says about the status for you guys that bought just a code. Maybe 99.9% of you will get lucky and drift through your 2 year extended warranty without a hitch but it's no guarantee - which is what AppleCare is really about.

 

[Ras-x]

Box or No Box - we each make the call

You aren't covered if your code is revoked and past the one year original warranty and passed the time frame for a dispute. At which point you have left positive feedback and can't change it. And so you know, the problem with the codes are not immediately evident, at least to Apple Support. I do not know where the problems are detected, but I know that it happens months after it is registered. See the threads in the Buying Advice section.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/690859/

The positive feedback of these "code" sellers is not in anyway indicative of the long term satisfaction of their buyers. These problems have been happening months after the code was registered. If you are convinced that the feedback of these sellers is an indication of the legitimacy of these codes, your standard for trustworthiness is rather low.

I have no doubt that some make it through the system with their code. But no matter what the percent of successful codes, I don't want to take the chance of being in the percentage of users called out. Because when that happens they demand the serial number from the box, which of course you can't provide. It also leaves you, in most cases, unable to transfer the warranty in the event you sell your mac.

To close, your insinuation that I am somehow foolish for paying "nearly $100 more" for a box copy didn't go unnoticed. If you must know, I have never paid more than $40 over the cheapest "code," and I would much rather pay that than be left with no warranty.

And don't you find the marketing techniques of these sellers strange? They use a picture of 20+ applecare boxes (suggesting they have the boxes), but they only email you the code. And their reasoning for this is to be "green," or "you don't need the box" (which you actually do need). And when you email them to send you one of those 20+ boxes they have in the picture, they don't do it. Usually it is because they throw them out or whatever other excuse they have. Here are some examples from eBay sellers:


Here is costal_computing, a seller who asks you in his listing to send him a message if you need a box. A link to an example:http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123#ht_1562wt_1167

This is what he replies with when you email him asking for a box copy.



Here is another, this time ameenterprises.

"Hmmmm" Insinuations? Nope, not at all - i thought it was obvious and clear. Look, maybe it's different in your part of the world. I have done this on several occasions (bought without the box), it's never been an issue. I sold a Powerbook with 4 months left on the applecare warranty (bought without the box). The Apple guys said, that it can be transferred - they do NOT need the box, once it is registered it is registered to that machine; therefore it can be transferred - no problem!

Frankly I really don't care, I was just responding to the ? of whether it works or not, and can it be recommended. My opinion is no less/ no more valid than yours. Let the readers decide for themselves, some will go one way and others the other. So be it.

 

[budkid]

Exactly...find the one with the kost positive feedback and you shall be fine.