Is Apple Care really worth it?

Benchmob31

Benchmob31

macrumors member
I recently purchased a refurbished MacBook Pro. Even though I have had it less then a month, I know that time will fly by and my protection will run out. In researching for Apple's coverage plan I saw that Apple Care for the MacBook Pro is $349.

My question is, Is it really worth it?

$349 is third of what I payed for the MacBook Pro to start with. I wanted to get your opinions and see what you think. Thanks.
 
Check Amazon You may be able to get it about $100.00 cheaper. and yes after reading the boards I am going to get apple care when I purchase my MBP in a month or two. GOOD LUCK !!! :)
 
it is worth it when something goes wrong on your logic board and it will cost you 1200 to replace it
 
Yes definitely.

So far I have had the superdrive replaced because it would only burn on the most expensive media and not all discs, the logic board replaced, and 2 new batteries because the old ones couldn't get past 150 cycles without losing 80% of their capacity.

All without any fuss, all repairs down with 24 hours, batteries delivered the next day via FEDEX.

So I have probably had $1500+ worth of repairs done all under apple care, and I still have a year to go....

Mind you, I did buy this when MBP were way more expensive so the $300 wasn't as large a percentage on the price.....but still, for the peace of mind it is probably worthwhile, unless you plan on upgrading every 2 years regardless....
 
Hold of from buying it now, and wait until the last week of your 1-year warranty.
 
Based on the 1,248 previous threads on the same topic, 624 of them say no while 624 say yes. YMMV. :rolleyes:
 
is it worth it? yes, def!

i had a 15" mbp 2.4ghz, 256mb 8600gt. the santa rose 07 model.

i bought my applecare in the last week before my 1 year warranty expired.

the repairs i had on my machine-
2 logic board replacements- $1200*2= $2400
2 display replacements- should be around $300?
2 superdrive replacements- 250
1 fan replacement- $50?
2 battery replacements- $250?

so in short the cost of repairs is approx $3250. thats more than the price of a new machine!

and to top it off, a few weeks back, apple replaced this machine with a brand new umbp 2.66ghz 256mb 9600gt, 7 hours battery life with snow leopard preloaded!

so is it worth it? you decide ;)

you dont have to buy it now, buy it later ;)

you can get the applecare from ebay for $170 ;) i just bought it for my new umbp :) :D
 
Yes it's worth it. I had a MacPro with problems. Apple replaced the raid card, the graphics card, and the logic board--all at no charge. A week ago they sent me a brand new machine, the latest MacPro. I couldn't ask for better service and support. This was the first time I ever had a problem with an Apple computer and this is going back to the days of the original Apple 20+ years.
 
Macs are neither cheap nor easy to repair. If you have to use it once over the three years, you'll get your money back. You'll also get telephone tech support and coverage for all apple keyboards, mice, etc during that time.

I've had no problems buying applecare off of ebay, I just make sure I buy from a reputable seller and get an unopened box.

Applecare doesn't cover accidental damage, only manufacturing defects. Don't think you'll be covered if you drop your mbp or spill water on it.

You can spend the next two years praying your computer doesn't break every time you turn it on, or hoping that it will.
 
yes, defiantly worth it.

im a apple service tech and we see so many computer with failed logic boards, superdrives, etc within the 3 year APP. seriously, a logic board replacement is in the high $1000's if u dont have app

i regret not getting app on my imac at home. 2 years old and the superdrive died, app wouldve cost less then the repair
 
nebarik said:
yes, defiantly worth it.

im a apple service tech and we see so many computer with failed logic boards, superdrives, etc within the 3 year APP. seriously, a logic board replacement is in the high $1000's if u dont have app

i regret not getting app on my imac at home. 2 years old and the superdrive died, app wouldve cost less then the repair
Click to expand...

Gee, how can all the stuff fail? I've had bad luck with CDROM drives back in the days of x2, x3 speed ones, but since then I've yet to see a drive go bad. Similarly so with laptops, apart from batteries I've only ever had a Compaq Aero (with a 33MHz processor!) go bad, presumably some screen cable.
 
Benchmob31,

Consumer Reports research finds that extended warranties are not worth it. See here: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/resource-center/buying-electronics/overview/buying-electronics-ov.htm

Of course, there will always be people that have saved money by having an extended warranty like Apple Care when a big repair job pops up, but the fact is the majority of people either do not end up taking advantage of their extended warranty or, if they do, it the warranty cost more than the repairs.

Think about it: despite all the stories of people who saved 100s or 1000s of dollars because they had an extended warranty or Apple Care, if this happened to the majority of people then no companies would offer extended warranties because they would lose money on them. In other words, extended warranties are offered because they make the manufacturer gobs of cash and offer piece of mind to customers, not because they are needed by the majority of people.

My recommendation: purchase your computer with a credit card that comes with an automatic warranty extension. There are many cards nowadays that will automatically extend the warranty by a year if you put the full balance on the card.

Just my two cents.

Patrick
 
Yes.

Buy off Amazon or Ebay (from seller that has sold a lot in the past with 99%+ feedback).

It is the exception to the rule though - most other extended warranties I've dealt with are terrible.
 
Azathoth said:
Gee, how can all the stuff fail? I've had bad luck with CDROM drives back in the days of x2, x3 speed ones, but since then I've yet to see a drive go bad. Similarly so with laptops, apart from batteries I've only ever had a Compaq Aero (with a 33MHz processor!) go bad, presumably some screen cable.
Click to expand...

obviously i cant speak for all superdrives. but mine failed mechanically. just doesnt have enough strength in the eject to actually eject anymore. which i supose is a result of wear and tear as its a slot loader
 
ticho74 said:
Benchmob31,

Consumer Reports research finds that extended warranties are not worth it. See here: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/resource-center/buying-electronics/overview/buying-electronics-ov.htm
Click to expand...

This is actually incorrect as proven here...

As for opinion, mine is to get AppleCare. I bought it for each of my machines (except the PowerBook which was well beyond the warranty period when I bought it). I haven't had to use it for the laptops but I've used it twice for the iMac (once for new airport card and once for new hard drive and new screen). Money well spent.

Check around for deals on AppleCare. They can be found.

Regards,
m&c
 
I paid 149.99 on Ebay and definitely feel it was worth it. The lady mailed me the code within 30 minutes and I signed up for the service no problem. I then recieved the actual package, disk and serial number about a week later in the mail. I recently saw one sell for 99 bucks too. I just figure it into the cost of the machine everytime I buy one. Don't buy retail at the store though... it can be had much cheaper. Like someone said earlier Amazon has it about 100 less than Apple store.
 
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