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Don't buy AppleCare on Ebay

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feelthefire said:
If someone paid for something, got a code, registered it, and then was told that they bought nothing with it with no recourse to the seller or to Apple, then yes, that is a lot more than a little bit of bad luck.

If you sold me a bad code and kept my money, you can bet I'd try to assault your business.
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The problem of this thread is not that someone was sold a bad code on ebay, it's the assumption that ALL CODES ON EBAY ARE BAD! that this thread in title and for the most part portrays.

The reality is the OP got stung. Yep sorry for him.

But for the myriad others who have subsequently posted and said they have bought AppleCare codes on ebay, and have made valid claims with Apple without any problems whatsoever - it does seem very confusing and if anything misleading.

Just because one person gets scammed does not necessitate a blanket response for all. I have been scammed on ebay with a powermac G5 and lost a lot of money, I do not automatically assume everyone who buys similar is going to have the same problem. I have also bought all my applecare's in the last few years on ebay without hassle from the seller or Apple in the event of a claim, and the same for things such as PSN Sony Store coupons and Xbox Live Marketplace points.....
 
MacRumorUser said:
The problem of this thread is not that someone was sold a bad code on ebay, it's the assumption that ALL CODES ON EBAY ARE BAD! that this thread in title and for the most part portrays.
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I concur, I mean just because the OP got scammed doesn't mean everyone is bound to get the same results if AC is bought thru ebay using e-mail coding.
 
"MemoryMate"/"App.Holdings" Concern

Gotta admit my stomach is in knots right now.

I purchased AC for my MBP last nite via "App.Holdings" aka "MemoryMate". I registered my code after receiving it via email, and now have a protection plan email from Apple.

The problem is after reading every single thread here, this really does appear to be a scam. People are rushing to give "App.Holdings" positive feedback after receiving their codes and registering their new AC. Problem is this seller can return AC we purchased and the Ebay buyer gets scammed. The other related problem is that buyers can't leave negative feedback after 3 months of purchase from Ebay. So this seller can (and probably is) returning the AC you purchased after this time period so you can't leave them negative feedback.

The little details of this being shady are there. The seller is listed as USA for location but is really in Austraila. Also the 2 emails sent to the Ebay buyer upon purchase are extremely condescending in tone. Those things don't scream "guilt" but they are very fishy.

I have a question now that I just registered my AC: is there anyway I can "unregister" my AC? I would like to request a refund directly from "App.Holdings" but am I screwed now that I already registered the code he sent me? Ideally I'd like to unregister my AC, get my money back from "App.Holdings", and then purchase AC again from Amazon.

Also, I will say this about Apple: if they can email me a protection plan, then they sure as hell should email me once this AC has been altered in any way. You can say it's not their responsibility to do so, but if my AC is altered in any way (even if it is my doing) then an official email stating this alteration should be sent to us. Similar to how if you cancel some sort of online subscription (say to IMDB PRO) then you are emailed a confirmation number stating that your membership is canceled and no longer valid.

If I can't unregister my AC then I'm not only potentially open to be scammed by this ebay seller but also unable to purchase new AC once I realize I have been "had" since my MBP was originally purchased in October of 2008.
 
rgarjr said:
I concur, I mean just because the OP got scammed doesn't mean everyone is bound to get the same results if AC is bought thru ebay using e-mail coding.
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Agreed. But it IS raising awareness about those few who are running a scam, creating a more educated buyer, and ideally leading to the end of business for the scammers.
 
rgarjr said:
I concur, I mean just because the OP got scammed doesn't mean everyone is bound to get the same results if AC is bought thru ebay using e-mail coding.
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However, it is only fair to warn those who do go this route that even if the seller is legitimate, they may be denied a claim based on the fact that they have nothing to show that they actually bought a real applecare.

Without a box and receipt, Apple can say it isn't real. I worked at a reseller, and in the past 6 months they have been bouncing serial numbers frequently from the online system and we were often asked to fax proof of purchase to Apple on behalf of a customer. If that happens to anyone who bought on eBay...too bad, so sad.

And people who don't know, deserve to know that can happen.
 
As you all know I sell applecare on ebay, I also know several of the big sellers of applecare codes on eBay, and none of them are returning codes. These sellers sell 30 to 40 codes a day and if someone was going to return codes, the logistics of returning 900 to 1200 codes a month is ridiculous. I am not saying that someone, somewhere didn't returne a code that was sold, but that is not the case here. Millions of codes are sold a year on eBay, literally. This forum probably caught 50% of all people that lost coverage for some reason, if I had to count I would say there are about 10 to 15 people on these 18 pages that have had an issue with lost coverage. So lets say that 20 times the amount of people writing on this thread have had problems, even 100 times, that is still such a small percentage, well under 1%. Isn't it possible that the mistake is on apples side or a server or computer glitch for that small amount. I mean most sellers are good, honest people. Computer glitches happen and records get disturbed. It doesn't mean someone is scamming. I do understand that those people who have had issues should not be ignored by the seller and should receive help resolving the issue or a refund if the buyer so chooses and that is how I run my business as anyone will know who has dealt with me, and so do many of the other sellers on ebay.

I know many people are going to reply to this and say my numbers are inaccurate, and I completely agree, there is no way to know the exact amount of people having trouble, but even if it is 1000 times what I am guessing at, it is still a very low percentage.
 
i just bought apple care on ebay today for my iPhone, as it is going to be out of warranty on 8/05. So far so good. The guy i bought it from has 99.9 feedback and has 1000 feedback. He said he was going to be out until later this evening. Ill update when i get the code and when i register it.
 
MacMan812,

Do you know the Ebay seller "App.Holdings" personally? He used to go by the username "Memorymate". I purchased Apple Care for my MBP from him on Saturday night. Received a legit code that I registered Sunday afternoon. Also received my Protection Plan certificate via email from Apple shortly after registering.

Concerns have arisen for me given the AC code scam that has been explained in previous threads on this topic. "App.Holdings" can easily return the AC he purchased from me 90 days after my auction has ended. This way I cannot leave negative feedback for him. Also, he clearly can build up positive feedback by getting his excited customers to quickly leave positive feedback once they receive the Protection Plan certificate via email.

It kills me to think that I could be scammed out of not only my money from purchasing AC from him, but also from the chance to add "legit" AC to my MBP in the future given my warranty will be past one year come this October (and any canceled AC plan after October means I'm s*it out of luck regarding AC).

Please let me know what you think and if you know this seller.
 
So lets say that 20 times the amount of people writing on this thread have had problems, even 100 times, that is still such a small percentage, well under 1%.
Click to expand...

that might be true, but let's not forget:
this is what insurances are all about! Not to become part of those tiny percentages that might be unlucky with an unfunctional apple product.

Of course, only those who had to make use of their ACPP do get aware if their code was faulty or not. The rest of them "sleeps" without any notice of possible problems.


The figures might be something like this:


  • 10000 People buy questionable ACPP and activate it.

    100 of those do later have a hardware problem and want to rely on their ACPP.

    10 out of these hundred are confronted with problems, because of fraud from the seller, "computer mistakes", or simply because of further questioning from apple.

    1 of these ten will later come to macrumors.com to write about this.

--> I do not want to be this one, and also not one of the ten. Thats why I want to rely on a working insurance / guarantee.
(In fact, I do not want to be one of the hundred in the first place :)).

Good luck to all of you with your amazing machines.
Let's hope the best for us all (even those with a nvidia 8600M like myself :eek:)
 
Having skimmed through this thread it would seem that buying a legit code off Ebay is not a problem per se, and you should be able to register and use it like retail Applecare. However if you unwittingly buy a stolen/generated code off Ebay, Apple reserve the right to ask to see a receipt if they have doubts as to its authenticity. The confusing factor here is that Apple initially seem to accept bad codes, thus giving the illusion of warranty cover.

Personally I still plan to buy my Applecare off Ebay, however my 1st choice will be boxed and sealed and failing that I will probably go for a reputable seller e.g. Macman who at least has a forum presence and is willing to answer questions.

Cheers
 
My solution to the problem was selling my 9 moths old unibody macbook and adding what applecare costs here + 50% and bought a new MBP 13", same thing I did last year. I will most likely continue doing this since I dont want to use AppleCare off ebay if theres a chance I cant use it if my computer breaks, and since AppleCare at Apple is expensive.
 
Buaya00 said:
Not sure if this posted before but buyer beware. Decided to go with Amazon instead.

http://reviews.ebay.com/FAKE-APPLECARE-APPLE-CARE-A-warning-to-buyers_W0QQugidZ10000000011731235
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The link that you posted is from an eBayer who used to sell applecare and was put out of business because his prices were too high compared to the codes. I contacted him and he very nicely said that his post was his opinion and were not based on any facts, he also said he had intention of slandering anyone, although as it turned out he did try to hurt peoples sales.

I also thought I would let everyone know that for the first week I listed boxed applecare for a mere $20 more then the codes (still over 40% off of retail in most cases) I did not sell a single boxed applecare. Not sure what that means, but people are still buying the codes and are very happy with them because they work!!!
 
Macman812 said:
The link that you posted is from an eBayer who used to sell applecare and was put out of business because his prices were too high compared to the codes. I contacted him and he very nicely said that his post was his opinion and were not based on any facts, he also said he had intention of slandering anyone, although as it turned out he did try to hurt peoples sales.

I also thought I would let everyone know that for the first week I listed boxed applecare for a mere $20 more then the codes (still over 40% off of retail in most cases) I did not sell a single boxed applecare. Not sure what that means, but people are still buying the codes and are very happy with them because they work!!!
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Well, the risk is still the same, because Apple does not consider eBay to be a valid purchase avenue. If they request proof of purchase, an eBay receipt isn't considered a valid purchase receipt, even if you have the serial no. from the box.
 
I bought the Apple care from ebay from a seller on ebay.

I registered the code 4 months ago and I believe it is still active by looking at the agreement for the apple care plan, it shows that my plan expires in November 2011.

Can it still be canceled? I only recived the code and no box. Ebay has removed all listings from the seller and the seller's user name is no longer active.

Can you buy another apple care plan even if one is active?
 
Astrophys said:
Can you buy another apple care plan even if one is active?
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Contact Applecare. Get them to look at your status, if it's still active then you may be ok.

However there shouldn't be an issue buying another Applecare and pairing it to your product, again I'd do this over the phone with Applecare themselves this time as they will be able to remove the earlier - if it is indeed still active. Just explain to them your situation.
 
Because "so much codes" aren't fake. These are really isolated cases, which if you read the thread you would see.
 
Macman812 said:
To be honest, no one who has bought a code from me and enrolled it has ever asked for a refund (as far as I know) as they received what they paid for. I didn't realize that an enrolled code can be returned to apple (it would seem that would cause huge problems). My codes are the same as what apple sells, so if you can do that with a code you buy from apple directly, then you can do it with a code you buy from me.
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Well then seems like I will be the first to ask for a refund and MORE (since the macbook is now out of warranty and can not be applecared anylonger) , since Apple refused to register the code you sold me on Ebay. Do you have any of the following documents requested to complete the registration?
:

Thank you for your recent purchase of an AppleCare Protection Plan. We will be happy to complete your plan's registration process, but we need additional information from you. Please provide either of the following two items:

1. The serial number of your AppleCare Protection Plan. You will find the serial number on a sticker on the bottom of the AppleCare Protection Plan box. Please email the serial number as well as the AppleCare registration number and Case ID shown above to acaa@apple.com.

OR

2. A proof of purchase for your AppleCare Protection Plan. You could scan the proof of purchase and email it to acaa@apple.com, or you could fax it to (916) 399-7337 using the attached cover sheet. Either way, be sure to include the AppleCare registration number and Case ID shown above. Please note the following:

- A valid proof of purchase for your AppleCare Protection Plan would be the document that you were issued when you purchased the plan, such as a sales receipt. It should show these items: 1) The date you purchased the plan, 2) the itemized product information, 3) the total price, and 4) information about the Apple Store or Apple Authorized Reseller from which you purchased the plan. If you no longer have the sales receipt, please ask the place of purchase if they can issue you a duplicate sales receipt.

- We cannot accept the following items as proof of purchase: 1) An order-status document, 2) a shipping notification, or 3) an email-based sales receipt that can be edited.

Please send us the AppleCare Protection Plan serial number or proof of purchase by 9/16/2009. We'll complete the registration process and send you a confirmation email.

If we do not receive your plan's serial number or proof of purchase by 9/16/2009, we will not be able to complete the registration process, and your product will not be covered by the AppleCare Protection Plan.

Sincerely,
AppleCare Agreement Administration
 
LSalander said:
Well then seems like I will be the first to ask for a refund and MORE (since the macbook is now out of warranty and can not be applecared anylonger) , since Apple refused to register the code you sold me on Ebay. Do you have any of the following documents requested to complete the registration?
:

Thank you for your recent purchase of an AppleCare Protection Plan. We will be happy to complete your plan's registration process, but we need additional information from you. Please provide either of the following two items:

1. The serial number of your AppleCare Protection Plan. You will find the serial number on a sticker on the bottom of the AppleCare Protection Plan box. Please email the serial number as well as the AppleCare registration number and Case ID shown above to acaa@apple.com.

OR

2. A proof of purchase for your AppleCare Protection Plan. You could scan the proof of purchase and email it to acaa@apple.com, or you could fax it to (916) 399-7337 using the attached cover sheet. Either way, be sure to include the AppleCare registration number and Case ID shown above. Please note the following:

- A valid proof of purchase for your AppleCare Protection Plan would be the document that you were issued when you purchased the plan, such as a sales receipt. It should show these items: 1) The date you purchased the plan, 2) the itemized product information, 3) the total price, and 4) information about the Apple Store or Apple Authorized Reseller from which you purchased the plan. If you no longer have the sales receipt, please ask the place of purchase if they can issue you a duplicate sales receipt.

- We cannot accept the following items as proof of purchase: 1) An order-status document, 2) a shipping notification, or 3) an email-based sales receipt that can be edited.

Please send us the AppleCare Protection Plan serial number or proof of purchase by 9/16/2009. We'll complete the registration process and send you a confirmation email.

If we do not receive your plan's serial number or proof of purchase by 9/16/2009, we will not be able to complete the registration process, and your product will not be covered by the AppleCare Protection Plan.

Sincerely,
AppleCare Agreement Administration
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when you registered it?
 
LSalander said:
I bought it on AUgust 12th, never got the confirmation, called Apple, they said it was ok and now this.....
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What precipitated Apple asking for more info? You entered the code and it said it was invalid? Because unless that happened, I can't figure why they would ask you at all.
 
LSalander said:
I bought it on AUgust 12th, never got the confirmation, called Apple, they said it was ok and now this.....
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Its true, this is the first time this has happened to anyone I sold to, I just found this out because Lsalander filed a paypal dispute, I never received an email from him/her to ask for help.
I am still happy to help, but the buyer needs to contact me.
 
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