Do YOU Use Your Applecare?

[AvSRoCkCO1067]

Poll takers, please distinguish between actual AppleCare use and warranty service during the first year of ownership. Otherwise, this poll is pretty meaningless.

Thanks. Everyone needs to be specific - don't follow iGary's "My God, Yes" response...

 

[IJ Reilly]

Thanks. Everyone needs to be specific - don't follow iGary's "My God, Yes" response...

My God, no. 😉

 

[bloodycape]

Pft, I paid out the nose for it, and I'll use it, dangit! 😀

got a HD replaced, the top plate of the case replaced, and probably more in the coming years.

may I ask what went wrong that you got your top plate of the case replace? I would like to get the bottom of my case replace but Apple store told me since it wear and tear issue(low fall) that I will have to pay even though I purchased Apple Care.

 

[Passante]

My powerbook G4's hard drive started to make light saber noises 2 months after apple care would have expired had I purchased it. Ended up spending less that apple care would have cost to replace the original 80 gig drive with 120 gig drive. Got lucky.

 

[Nermal]

Norwegian law should give us "reklamasjonsrett" - right to complaint, literally - against any errors on computer equipment, that should not occur due to "normal use"

Same here, which is what I was alluding to above.

 

[LastLine]

I didn't on my first Mac purchase as I simply didn't have the money to get it at the time.

On my more recent iMac and Macbook purchases I still haven't as I buy through the UK HE Store which gives me a 3 year warranty as standard so all Applecare gives me is the phone support.

 

[gauchogolfer]

Thanks. Everyone needs to be specific - don't follow iGary's "My God, Yes" response...

If you've been around awhile, you'll know exactly what he's talking about, though. He's an AppleCare Legend™.😀

 

[rdowns]

What, specifically, did you purchase it on - and how did you end up using it??? 😕

My dear boy. You have earned an F in MR History 101. Here's a good place to start.

 

[n8236]

I seriously would consider AppleCare if they had a flat fee all across their machines. An extra 70 bux from a macbook to macbook pro AppleCare, hmmm, lets see the difference.....video card, enclosure, and that's all I can think of. I guess that goes hand in hand w/ auto insurance, SCAM!

 

[AvSRoCkCO1067]

My dear boy. You have earned an F in MR History 101.

Well I knew iGary had some problems on his Powermacs or something like that - I just didn't want everyone else responding the same way he did.

Although you're right - me asking iGary to run through his problems could take ages...😱

 

[bearbo]

No. I think it is too expensive. I got a warantee from the store I bought my iBook at a fraction of the cost of Applecare (About $20) It is a 3 years warantee and the store will replace it if anything happens to it such as dropping it, spilling water on it, etc... Does Applecare do that? 🙄

are you sure they are gonna replace it when you drop it, spill water on it? have you ever gotten it replaced that way?

i bought a laptop at a local computer store years ago, and got the so-called replacement warrenty, but it turns out when i brought it back, they find all sorts of excuses to not replace it, nor repair it for free(not that i think they know how to repair it)... now THOSE would be scam

to another poster, the reason for laptop warrenty to be more expensive.

well, it's obvious, laptop is more integrated, problem with part one may require the replacement of part one two three and eight... where as in desk top the problem with part one only require replacement of part one

p.s. i know how to count

 

[Kirbdog]

I would use applecare more if I wasn't on hold for 20+ minutes everytime I tried to use it.

 

[semicharmed]

Bought it and used it on a G4 Powerbook.
One of the RAM slots failed and the MB had to be replaced, this was already after my one year of support was up.
So just for that, it was worth it.

 

[~Shard~]

If I was in the market for a new 24" iMac, I think I probably would. With that size of an investment in an AIO which I can't re-use the monitor on if something fails, etc., I think I'd want as much insurance as possible. 😉 😎

 

[apachie2k]

i use/abuse pro care, if something is not right...i get it fixed! i don't deal with crap...pro care rocks!!!

 

[~Shard~]

i use/abuse pro care, if something is not right...i get it fixed! i don't deal with crap...pro care rocks!!!

Yeah, if you're paying for it, might as well get your money's worth! 😀

 

[OnceUGoMac]

Got my G3 iBook's hard drive replaced three times, logic board replaced three times, and got it upgraded to my current G4 iBook. The G4 iBook has had the hard drive replaced twice and the optical drive replaced once.

 

[jessep28]

Warranties are a cash cow for computer manufacturers and retailers.

Here's an interesting article I found via our friend Google:

http://www.warrantyweek.com/archive/ww20051025.html

Here's my take. Before you buy, ask yourself the following questions:

1) Will my use/care of the machine cause it to fail prematurely
2) Does the system I am going to buy have known problems

Even with #2, most problems are going to crop up in the first year or so, hence most computers carry a 1yr warranty.

Since I believe you can still get applecare up to 1yr after purcase, I would wait, check before your 3 month anniversary for any problems and again at 1 yr. If major issues are present with your system by then get applecare.

If not, then you just saved yourself $120 or more.

 

[Shotgun Pete]

well most companies provide a 1 yr warrenty because most problems will occur during the second year.

And ALL companies including apple will do everything in their power to find some way you voided the warrenty.

 

[brightlights]

Never bought it. I have needed a repair though, but it was less than the cost of applecare. My plan for the future is to sell my computer each year after the standard warranty runs out and then buy a new one. Macs seem to hold their value pretty well.

 

[Maxiseller]

Whatever you decide to do it will be the wrong choice.

If you don't get it, you'll wish you did.
If you do, you won't need it!

I've purchased it for my recent macbook of which I've since had two replacements and am thanking god I brought it as I can't see it being a faithful computer for the next three years.

So; rev A - yeh get it. I wouldn't have purchased it if I had to pay full price though. I got it at £50 as I'm a student.

 

[2ndPath]

I bought Apple Care the first time, when my iPod broke beeing about 11 Months old. I did this in the first place, because it was $99 and the replacement of the old one, even though it was under warrenty, would have cost me $50 without having Apple Care. So I thought for $50 I get 1 year of warrenty on a new product of the same type of a product that broke after less than a year. So I thought that was a good idea.

For my first Mac (the first Powerbook G4) I didn't buy it and when it was close to three years old, the Firewire port broke. A repair shop even discouraged me from getting it fixed, because the necessary logic board exchange would have been several hundred dollars. So risking to break it myself I fixed it for a couple of dollars. If I had had it, I would probably have used it, but am not sure, whether exchanging the hard disk, which I did twice, would have voided the Apple Care warrenty anyhow.

Now I have a MacBook Pro with Apple Care, but did not have to use it yet.

 

[kondspi]

I didn't purchase AC. My nano broke once and they charged me less than the AppleCare cost to fix it. I tend to count on the reliability of Macintosh. I suppose if I ever bought5 anything over $500 at the Mac store, I would go for AC. Someone posted on the SF bay Craigslist today: They had a macbook and they spilled orange juice on it and now it's screwed.

 

[eva01]

Have bought AC for all of my apple computers.

Used it on the iBook twice. (when i had it)

So i am grateful that I have it.

 

[bousozoku]

I've bought AppleCare for the last two computers, a PowerMac dual G4/800 and a 15.2 inch 1.33 GHz PowerBook and never used it. The PowerMac's processor card failed after the coverage was gone, of course.

I bought CompUSA T.A.P. on the prior machine, a PowerMac G3/400, and never needed service on it.

However, my dad's iMac G3/350 slot loader, had CompUSA T.A.P. and had to be serviced several times, part of which came from CompUSA's refusal to replace parts.