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Is AppleCare worth it for refurb 27" iMacs?
- Thread starter fabian43
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i used my gift card for one you don't wanna end up losing a 1 k plus machine over no warranty down the line.
An extended warranty for less (way less!) than 10% of the original price is pretty good compared to most consumer goods.
Not really. When you consider shipping costs (since they do ship you a box), the pricing from B&H vs student discount is about the same. Though of course if you can't get a student discount, B&H is the way to go.
Also: if you're on the fence about buying Applecare now, just remember you've got a year to decide. As long as the Mac is under warranty, you can still buy Applecare to cover it for the additional two years.
If you do decide to buy it though, you might want to buy it at least a month before the warranty runs out, just to make sure the registration process goes through with time to spare (it can take a few days).
In my opinion, I think all iMac owners should have Apple Care considering it's almost impossible to repair anything and the failure rate is pretty high. Such as dust inside the screen or hard drive failure.
I think it's worth getting one
I think it's worth getting one
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In my opinion, I think all iMac owners should have Apple Care considering it's almost impossible to repair anything and the failure rate is pretty high. Such as dust inside the screen or hard drive failure.
I think it's worth getting one
What do you mean when you say 'the failure rate is pretty high'? Also what do you mean 'it's almost impossible to repair anything'?
People have upgraded and repaired iMac's themselves, iFixit has steps one can follow to disassemble iMac's and upgrade/repair them.
You have one year from the date of purchase, even for a refurb, to purchase AppleCare.
If I have any problems whatsoever during that year, I buy AppleCare. If I have no issues at the one year point, then I skip it.
If I have any problems whatsoever during that year, I buy AppleCare. If I have no issues at the one year point, then I skip it.
Interesting logic. I would think that a Mac that had problems within the one year limited warranty period and was repaired would have, if anything, less of a chance of a subsequent failure.
I always buy AppleCare for every Mac I purchase and while I used to put it off since it can, as mentioned, be purchased any time within the one year warranty from date of purchase, I just buy it at the same time as the machine now. In my opinion there's no point in putting it off.
I got the AppleCare for my current Late 2013 iMac from a retailer here used, meaning the package had been opened for some reason but the code wasn't registered. I paid $93.
In the states I recommend LA Computer for excellent service and great prices on AppleCare.
I would say the AC is worth it.
I got the entry level Late 2012 iMac with 1TB Fusion Drive and I chose AC because the current iMac's are not that easy to open and repair yourself.
If you use AC once for a repair, you will most likely have got more than your money back for cost of the AC.
I got the entry level Late 2012 iMac with 1TB Fusion Drive and I chose AC because the current iMac's are not that easy to open and repair yourself.
If you use AC once for a repair, you will most likely have got more than your money back for cost of the AC.
Thx everyone. I just ordered my 27" maxed out iMac and I got the AC. For $119 it's worth it to me. I will need tech support several times and now I know it's covered. I'm spending $2,400 on a machine...an extra $119 isn't gonna kill me. At least now I'm covered for 3 years
curious how did you get that price maxed out?
with mines 8 gb which i added 32 gb myself and 512 gb ssd 27 inch i7 maxed out was 2993
After having several repairs and whole system replacements, I can't say enough for the investment. If nothing else, it's worth it for the peace of mind.
Definitely go with B&H -- great price!
Definitely go with B&H -- great price!
I'm not usually one for extended warranties however I made an exception with my iMac. Its not one of those shady third party companies and the warranty is well documented as you can just type in the serial number of the device and it will show you all the AC info.
An iMac is a pretty large investment and I'm ok with "wasting" that money for the peace of mind over the next few years knowing it won't cost me anything if this thing breaks. And if it does break then it will actually save me money. Thats a win win for me.
An iMac is a pretty large investment and I'm ok with "wasting" that money for the peace of mind over the next few years knowing it won't cost me anything if this thing breaks. And if it does break then it will actually save me money. Thats a win win for me.
Repairing a non-refurbished Mac and a refurbished Mac costs exactly the same. So for your decision, it shouldn't make any difference whether you buy refurbished or not.
Personally, I recommend making the decision in 10 or 11 months time. With every product, some items will need more repairs, some will need fewer. May depend on the item that you bought (your iMac and my iMac are not built the same) or how you treat it. Anyway, if you had repairs under warranty in the first 10 or 11 months, I'd really buy AppleCare. If all went fine, maybe not.
Check Consumer Reports. Even on fairly expensive electronics they are a bad bet (remember, you're betting it will fail and Apple, with more info, is betting it won't).
Also, check your credit card. Mine extends the warranty a year; why pay twice for that same year of coverage?
The failure rate with iMacs after a year just isn't that high. And I suspect a bunch of returns aren't really hardware issues. And the Apple warranty doesn't cover theft, dropping it, etc.
The rather unfortunate thing about iMacs, however, is that probably the more failure prone item is the hard drive, and they are ridiculously difficult to replace internally. However, with today's Tbolt you could operate with an external SSD at almost the same speed; most users wouldn't see a difference.
I dunno what your financial priorities are, but I'd put the money to some other use. We used the money we saved for a backup machine. I dunno if you just use it for play, but for us the loss of use while it sat at Apple repair was more of a money loser than the hardware itself.
Also, check your credit card. Mine extends the warranty a year; why pay twice for that same year of coverage?
The failure rate with iMacs after a year just isn't that high. And I suspect a bunch of returns aren't really hardware issues. And the Apple warranty doesn't cover theft, dropping it, etc.
The rather unfortunate thing about iMacs, however, is that probably the more failure prone item is the hard drive, and they are ridiculously difficult to replace internally. However, with today's Tbolt you could operate with an external SSD at almost the same speed; most users wouldn't see a difference.
I dunno what your financial priorities are, but I'd put the money to some other use. We used the money we saved for a backup machine. I dunno if you just use it for play, but for us the loss of use while it sat at Apple repair was more of a money loser than the hardware itself.
It's insurance. You're paying for the peace of mind that comes in knowing you're covered if anything does go wrong. It's not a bet that you lose if nothing does.
I haven't owned a Mac yet that I didn't end up making claims for under AppleCare. For my last iMac, I had the LCD panel replaced twice for separate issues. In fact, the LCD panel on my current Late 2013 iMac was replaced recently. I've had HDD replacements and other issues.
The only time I didn't invest in AppleCare was on the first Mac I ever bought back in 2006. 6 weeks out of the one year warranty the logic board failed. It ended up setting me back $550.
For the ridiculously small investment that AppleCare is (usually $5 per month or less over the course of coverage), it is a no brainer.
At least here in Japan, the service is also incredibly thorough and prompt.
I look at AppleCare as insurance:
$139 + tax on my son's $2000 iMac (BTO 21.5") seemed like a good deal
$199 + tax on my daughter's $1000 MacBook Air (refurb) not so much especially since I understand the battery is covered for the three years anyways
I realize the MacBook may be subject to more abuse than the iMac and this is the rationale for the price difference, but I could live with spending $1000 to replace it outside of the two years warranty (extended by credit card company as mentioned previously), it does not have a spinning HDD and AppleCare does nothing for me if it is stolen.
I also find it interesting that AppleCare price is the same for lowest / base model as for BTO with all the options!
$139 + tax on my son's $2000 iMac (BTO 21.5") seemed like a good deal
$199 + tax on my daughter's $1000 MacBook Air (refurb) not so much especially since I understand the battery is covered for the three years anyways
I realize the MacBook may be subject to more abuse than the iMac and this is the rationale for the price difference, but I could live with spending $1000 to replace it outside of the two years warranty (extended by credit card company as mentioned previously), it does not have a spinning HDD and AppleCare does nothing for me if it is stolen.
I also find it interesting that AppleCare price is the same for lowest / base model as for BTO with all the options!