Do I need to register Apple Care before warranty ends?

[TraceyS/FL]

WHile it sounds like you might be out of luck - you might have laws depending on where you live - your state might protect you.

Products don't have to be registered in CA to have the warranty, it's a law in the state.

It's worth calling - call a store and ask about Apple Care and you will get transfered to them.

 

[MacDann]

WHile it sounds like you might be out of luck - you might have laws depending on where you live - your state might protect you.

Products don't have to be registered in CA to have the warranty, it's a law in the state.

It's worth calling - call a store and ask about Apple Care and you will get transfered to them.

The Magnuson-Moss Act (which covers consumer warranties, guarantees, etc.) provides consumer protects that do not require one to register a warranty to receive the benefits. Essentially, the law states that if you purchased a product from the manufacturer or their representatives and that manufacturer offers a warranty or guarantee of some sort, you automatically receive those benefits upon purchase.

However, it is up to you to provide proof of purchase to receive protection under the M-MA.

As far as I know this only covers the original warranty offered with the product, not extended warranties.

So when you see that little card in the package that says you have to return it to the manufacturer, you can toss it - as long as you hang on to your sales receipt. If you read it closely, you'll probably find a disclaimer stating that you don't have to send it in to receive warranty benefits. Most of the time the cards are just a ploy to gather marketing information.

Some states have laws that modify the M-MA, so be an informed consumer and check them out. For example, AppleCare cannot be sold for a consumer product in Florida. Why? Because it's considered a form of insurance, and Apple is not licensed to sell insurance in Florida.

Yeah, it sounds stupid, but Florida is not the only state. Interestingly enough, Apple will still sell and ship to Florida through the Apple Store online, but if you do it over the phone or in an Apple (retail) Store in Florida, they won't. At least they didn't used to.

MD

 

[jng]

You're probably stuck with the apple care. Just sell it, if you didn't open it. Check out the trade/sell forum here.

And next time, remember registration is key with pretty much any product you buy these days. Most people ignore them, but with pricier items, 5 minutes saves a hell of a lot of hell later.

 

[TraceyS/FL]

...snip (great info - thanks!!)...

Some states have laws that modify the M-MA, so be an informed consumer and check them out. For example, AppleCare cannot be sold for a consumer product in Florida. Why? Because it's considered a form of insurance, and Apple is not licensed to sell insurance in Florida.

Yeah, it sounds stupid, but Florida is not the only state. Interestingly enough, Apple will still sell and ship to Florida through the Apple Store online, but if you do it over the phone or in an Apple (retail) Store in Florida, they won't. At least they didn't used to.

Apple Care can now be sold and bought in Florida. That is why my iBook didn't have it, but when my parents bought the kids eMac in Dec 2004 it had just that week been able to sell it.

We were told that the FL issue was that there wasn't an insurance policy to BACK the AppleCare should Apple go out of business. FL won't allow policies to be sold that will leave the customer hanging should someone go out of biz.

ANYWAY, luckily they have worked whatever the true reason was out and it can indeed be bought and registered with a FL address.

 

[ieani]

Well I decided to resell it. I need the money since I quit my job(they were inflexible in my needs to get days off so I can make meetings for the service organizations I am apart of).

 

[mklos]

I'll offer you $150 for it. You may get an offer higher than $150, but don't expect anything higher than $300.

 

[MacDann]

Apple Care can now be sold and bought in Florida. That is why my iBook didn't have it, but when my parents bought the kids eMac in Dec 2004 it had just that week been able to sell it.

We were told that the FL issue was that there wasn't an insurance policy to BACK the AppleCare should Apple go out of business. FL won't allow policies to be sold that will leave the customer hanging should someone go out of biz.

ANYWAY, luckily they have worked whatever the true reason was out and it can indeed be bought and registered with a FL address.

Cool. I was just circumventing Apple and buying it from an out-of-state vendor (SmallDog) which made it perfectly legal.

When it was an issue Apple wouldn't sell AC through the online or retail stores if you were a Florida resident.

MD

 

[yojitani]

As a few people have pointed out, it is entirely incorrect to state that apple will not honor the extended warranty bought within the warranty period. You will need a receipt to prove that it was purchased within that period - it helps if you purchased from apple - but they will honor it. I always buy my extended apple care at the end of the first year because I have no need for phone support and that allows me to space out my purchases. On at least three occasions now I have bought my ac like the day before my warranty is up and then called in up to a week after it expired. It's not a good practice, but you CAN do it.