Clumsy wife makes strong case for Apple Care+ for Apple Watch

[iConnected]

Extended manufacturer warranty isn't the same thing as a car insurance policy. Your car insurance company isn't also the manufacturer of your car. Replacing your car costs the insurance company a lot of money. It's not like Apple gives you a brand new watch anyway. They recycle all the insides they can from watches that have been returned on warranty and put a new case on them and assign them a new serial number. It really doesn't have much of an impact on their bottom line and they count on that anyway when selling Applecare+.

I suspect you were just being flippant with your original comment, but didn't want to waste the reaction.

In any case, there's no merit in anyone trying to justify or rationalise fraud or abuse of the AppleCare+ system, whether by guessing at the likely financial impact on the defrauded party (or parties) or any other method.

Fraud is fraud. And unless you have no moral compass, you know perfectly well where the line is drawn.

In Europe, the accidental damage element of AppleCare+ is provided by an insurance company. Intentional abuse of this constitutes insurance fraud, which is a criminal offence.

 

[Dyspareunia]

You're forgetting about that time when the watch is moved from the stand to the wrist.

Until such a time as Apple make their watches out of neutrinos, your 'golden rule' isn't that simple.

OP - how much was the watch that got smashed?

The watch was the 42mm Stainless Steel Space Black, so the $1099 turned into $1,186.92 after taxes.

 

[iBlazed]

Yesss!!! The "thread starter" label is finally back. I'm so happy. Sorry that was totally unrelated.

 

[Dyspareunia]

How do you drop a watch. It never leaves my wrist except when I go to bed or I'm changing bands, and when that's happening it is sitting on top of something where it can't fall off.

Well in defense of the wife, she had just come back from working a double-shift (16 hours straight), so fatigue was potentially an issue, on top of her genetic predisposition of poor proprioception (klutzy). I tease her quite a bit over how frequent she is with bumping/bruising herself and the dropping/knocking-over of non-applecare, non-apple related products. Combine that with the fact that she works in healthcare, so one of the first things on arriving home, is her habitual decontamination protocol (washing of hands and forearms), before any contact with our young kids. I did tell her that the watch was water resistant and can be worn even in the shower without any need for removal. She still likes to clean up the skin parts in contact with the watch, so she removed it to put on the counter next to the sink. It was when she went to gather up her watch, phone and wallet to take over to the nightstand apple watch charge stand/station that it "slipped" out of her grasp or something and the rest is in the photos.

 

[Mildredop]

The watch was the 42mm Stainless Steel Space Black, so the $1099 turned into $1,186.92 after taxes.

Wow. I have a watch that was £1020. I've dropped it numerous times over the last six years and it's not even scratched. I thought Apple were using super strong glass?

 

[dhlizard]

The band was defective? I'm guessing the locking mechanism? To be honest that is the only aspect of the physical makeup of the watch that has me worried over the long term. The actual part that catches the watch inside the grove is so small and for people who change band regularly, has me wondering if it will eventually wear with being obvious and lead to a dropped\lost watch.

In order to stay closed, there are 2 magnets inside the leather band, one magnet must sit on top of the other for maximum effectiveness. In my case, the band was recommended and fitted for me in Apple Store. Since my wrist is larger, the magnets do not sit on top of each other, which allowed the band to come loose and the watch fell off my wrist several times. Upon returning to the Apple Store, the management advised me I should never have been fitted for that band as it doesn't fit me properly.

 

[Skoal]

How do you drop a watch. It never leaves my wrist except when I go to bed or I'm changing bands, and when that's happening it is sitting on top of something where it can't fall off.

There's this little period of time between the watch being on your wrist and it making it to the charger. Accidents can happen to anyone.

 

[Skoal]

People have been wearing watches for years and have managed not to damage their watches of many years. I can't tell you how many times I banged my other watches and thought for sure I damaged the crystal but there was no scratch to be found. I'm sure newbie watch wearers would conclude that their case has protected the watch when it would not make a difference, leading to the false assumption.

However, the OP is regarding dropping the watch and that's simply not possible unless you are careless enough to leave it lying around in random places where it gets knocked off, etc.

Or it slips out of your hand while putting it on/taking it off.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

Or it slips out of your hand while putting it on/taking it off.

I've gotten into the habit of doing it over the bed, but it's really a non-issue with the link bracelet which you must insert your hand through before clasping.

 

[MartyCan]

So follow the golden rule and leave it on the charging stand (or in some safe place if away from the house) and it'll be safe. Bet you that all these damaged watches (except the one with defective band) were the result of leaving them in random places.

I see people leaving their iPhones in random places all the time and they of course get knocked off or stolen. Mine goes back in my pocket and I've never damaged any of my iPhones since 2007.

Who exactly wrote this so-called "Golden rule?"

Reality says that at some time you will need to take it off and not always with a "charging stand" at the ready. I don't own a charging stand.

 

[MaulRx]

In order to stay closed, there are 2 magnets inside the leather band, one magnet must sit on top of the other for maximum effectiveness. In my case, the band was recommended and fitted for me in Apple Store. Since my wrist is larger, the magnets do not sit on top of each other, which allowed the band to come loose and the watch fell off my wrist several times. Upon returning to the Apple Store, the management advised me I should never have been fitted for that band as it doesn't fit me properly.

Ah makes sense. I thought you meant the band was coming separate from the watch itself. I have the leather band as well so had me worried

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

Who exactly wrote this so-called "Golden rule?"

Reality says that at some time you will need to take it off and not always with a "charging stand" at the ready. I don't own a charging stand.

I've adopted it after the golden rule that some people in the iPhone forum follow (to prevent theft and the risk of dropping it by leaving it in random places): If it's not in your hand, it's in your pocket and if it's not in your pocket, it's in your hand.

Having the charging stand is really beside the point. The OP's wife dropped her watch by leaving it in a random place.

 

[soya]

There's this little period of time between the watch being on your wrist and it making it to the charger. Accidents can happen to anyone.

Simple (as far as dropping goes):

Charger or stand is on a table.
1) Place your wrist over the table or any surface (or try to minimize the height / non hard surface even better)
2) Gently remove your watch from your wrist
3) Put your watch on the stand/charger.

To put your watch back on your wrist follow rule from 3 to 1.
I can guarantee you that with those steps you will greatly decrease the probability of damaging your watch from drop.. Simple physics.

I can understand that you could drop your iPhone because it is not bound to your wrist and you often have to take it off your pocket (even so I haven't dropped nor damage my iPhones since 2007). But the Watch? Most people put it on/take it off at most 2-3 times a day. Is it this hard to take the time to carefully remove your watch?

Again, I'm not anti-AppleCare because you could still bang your watch against walls and such. I'm just pointing out to the fact that so many people are careless with their iDevices. More than clumsy I would say. It's about minimizing the risks and if you don't take proper measures, you can only blame it on yourself.

 

[MartyCan]

I've adopted it after the golden rule that some people in the iPhone forum follow (to prevent theft and the risk of dropping it by leaving it in random places): If it's not in your hand, it's in your pocket and if it's not in your pocket, it's in your hand.

Having the charging stand is really beside the point. The OP's wife dropped her watch by leaving it in a random place.

"sh-- happens." - Forrest Gump