How to reg. used unopened Late 2011 MBP w/AppleCare.

[thefirstapex]

Hello,

I Just purchased a used (but sealed/brand-new) late 2011 MBP with AppleCare until late 2014 (checked coverage with the serial# online). It seems the AppleCare was purchased WITH the laptop (i.e.: registered automatically at time of original purchase) and then given to someone as a gift who didn't want the laptop for some reason.

Basically, since I bought it from an electronics trade-in shop, I'm not sure how to go about transferring it to my name since I don't know the previous owner. As I said, I assume the person received it as a gift (with AppleCare), ended up not wanting it and thus never even bothered opening it. Eventually, they decide to trade it in instead of dealing with selling it personally. And now I'm the proud new owner of this laptop.

~

My question is:

I read somewhere that the warranty and what have you is attached to the hardware and not the person.

So do I just "register" the MBP to my AppleID account or something and that's it? From that point on I can just walk into any Apple store for warranty repairs? Or will they want to see the original purchase receipt (I only have this random shops receipt .. good enough?)

Or should I track down the original owner and ask them to call up Apple to transfer something?

Or am I suppose to buy MORE AppleCare and add it to REPLACE the current AppleCare?

~

The thing is, I highly doubt it was ever even registered to anyone's AppleID since it was unopened/brand new. (Unless I guess someone added it before even opening the box and using it).

Basically, I'm just wondering since I bought it used with AppleCare how it all technically works out.

Again, I checked the serial number on the Apple Support site here, and it says AppleCare is active until 2014.

I searched online trying to find other's in a similar situation, but had little luck. So yeah, I decided to just post my question here.

Anyone with some advice?

Cheers!

 

[GGJstudios]

AppleCare follows the device, not the owner. You don't need to register anything.

 

[thefirstapex]

That's what I thought!

But what I don't understand then is this:

... can anyone just register random Apple serial numbers to their AppleID?

I mean, what if the original owner DID indeed register it for some reason (before even opening it). Would that cause any issues with my registration?

And then, what if some one else tries to register this serial, or any other Apple device I own. Can I block them from registering it? Or could THIS one somehow be blocked?

The whole thing just seems weird if there is no need to do any "transferring", you know?

Like as long as the AppleCare is "active", that's all that matters? If I take it in, they won't ask for the original receipt (which, again, I obviously don't have) - correct?

That's all there is to it?

Thanks!!!

 

[GGJstudios]

Like as long as the AppleCare is "active", that's all that matters? If I take it in, they won't ask for the original receipt (which, again, I obviously don't have) - correct?

That is correct. They don't need to see the original receipt (those who receive Macs as gifts wouldn't have the receipt, anyway), and they don't care what your name is. All they care is that the Mac they're working on is covered by AppleCare.

 

[thefirstapex]

If that's the case, why do so many people seem to not give a second thought about sharing their serial numbers online/in videos/forums/etc...

Heck, the serial number is on the outside of the box and NOT locked away inside.

So if AppleCare is on the hardware then it's on the hardware. It doesn't matter if 500 people associate the same serial number to 500 different AppleID's. Correct?

Or if I register it and some else does after me .. will I get a notification that my serial number was moved or something?

~

Basically, this is what I gather through your answer:

This whole "registering a device to my AppleID" is purely an independent/private end-user convenience thing and basically has NOTHING to do with Apple themselves. It's just for a personal product organizational thing. Correct? A central place to list all your devices. Nothing more?

 

[GGJstudios]

Whether a device is associated with your Apple ID or not has no bearing on warranty or AppleCare issues, which are tied to the device, not the Apple ID. No advantage is gained by registering a serial number of a device you don't own to your Apple ID. Warranty/AppleCare is tied to the device. Whoever has physical possession of the device has access to warranty services on that device.

 

[thefirstapex]

Hmm ... that's interesting. I was under the impression it would be more convoluted and less logical.

I guess it's very straightforward then.

So anyone can physically take in the laptop and get warranty work on it - correct? It doesn't matter who brings it in? They just look up the serial, see the coverage, fix it, give it back. Done. That's all they care about? No "warranty" transferring or anything. Right?

Just like that?

Sorry if I seem to be banging on seemingly about the same thing. It just seems too simple. And kudos to you for being so quick in responding and being so helpful!

Cheers!

 

[GGJstudios]

So anyone can physically take in the laptop and get warranty work on it - correct? It doesn't matter who brings it in? They just look up the serial, see the coverage, fix it, give it back. Done. That's all they care about? No "warranty" transferring or anything. Right?

Right. It's that simple.

 

[Medic278]

As everyone has said AppleCare is tied to the Hardware not person. You won't have any problems registering it, and if you are having difficulty just make an appointment at the genius bar and bring your receipt from the electronics shop this way you can prove you purchased it and it wasn't stolen. The Genius bar will be able to help you do all you want if you can figure it out for yourself. Congrats on your purchase enjoy it!

Cheers

 

[thefirstapex]

Wow. Brilliant. Understood.

Thanks, my friend!

PS: Hopefully other people in similar situations will find this thread in the future. Strangely enough, I couldn't find anyone else with the same question online anywhere. So it's all good.

 

[GGJstudios]

Wow. Brilliant. Understood.

Thanks, my friend!

Enjoy your Mac!

Helpful Information for Any Mac User
Portables Fast Start: The New User's Guide to Apple Notebooks

 

[thefirstapex]

As everyone has said AppleCare is tied to the Hardware not person. You won't have any problems registering it, and if you are having difficulty just make an appointment at the genius bar and bring your receipt from the electronics shop this way you can prove you purchased it and it wasn't stolen. The Genius bar will be able to help you do all you want if you can figure it out for yourself. Congrats on your purchase enjoy it!

Cheers

Enjoy your Mac!

Thanks, guys! I've definitely been enjoying it! Wonderful experience so far (minus the loss of the old Expose) .. but I've been slowly getting use to it's "double expose" type mindset. Where I swipe one way for an old type Expose but only for the specific app I'm in, then swiping the other way to move among ALL apps (albeit not tiled but stacked). A little bit more cumbersome, but I'll manage.

So yeah, it's going good!

 

[Medic278]

The new gestures are bit confusing at first but once you get used to them you'll realize how fluid they really are. I really like the gestures it makes switching between desktops a breeze, I have 5 desktops and a full view safari and swipe between them like butter! Plus the two finger swipe is great on the web, I can't remember the last time I hit the back button.

 

[thefirstapex]

[Problem solved ... read last edit)

Well .. I registered, but my MBP is not showing up under "My Products" on the Apple Express Lane page here. Nor am I getting the supposed "confirmation email" that it says I'm suppose to get after registering. And NOR is anything listed under my AppleCare Agreements here either. Strange.

EDIT: Also not showing up under My Products on the My Support Profile page here. And upon trying to RE-register it a THIRD time, I'm now getting the following message when I press submit:

We could not validate the information you provided for this product. Please click the button below to register a new product.

... guess I jammed the system or something.


~

Anyway ... I assumed it was just a matter of waiting a little while ... but it's been about 7 hours now and still no confirmation email nor a visibly registered product listed under my account. Oh well. I guess I'll just wait and see. (EDIT: I've since tried re-registering 2 more times.)

Interestingly enough, if I pretend to have a technical support issue and go through the motions of setting a call back time, it DOES say it's registered with a green checkmark in the first column.

I don't actually have any issues, but I still would't mind seeing it listed under my registered products. Hmm.

I guess I'll wait a couple more days and wait it out. If all else fails, I could just give Apple a call and do a quick "what's up" over the phone.

Thanks again guys!

EDIT: Just noticed I accidentally posted this in the Macbook sub-forum. My bad. But I guess it doesn't really matter as it's just a general Macbook issue. Peace!

FINAL EDIT: Got it working by registering through the My Support Profile Page here! Nice! It worked immediately and I even received a confirmation email ONE SECOND after registering! Now it's showing up EVERYWHERE! Perfect! Hopefully this thread will help others! Peace!