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Isn't Applecare a huge rip-off for consumers?

erialvzz805 said:
http://usa.visa.com/personal/visa-signature/benefits/warranty-manager.jsp#anchor_2

^^ This is through Visa's official site. There are plenty of third party sites that say the same thing. All you really need to do is pay for the item in full, keep the receipts and packaging and youre covered an extra year for free. Just for being a cardholder.
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And you get other perks as well. They price match within som many days as well as cover for theft/damage in the first 3 months(at least my cc)
 
erialvzz805 said:
I just bought a MBA 13" and I too thought about getting AC. Then I realized that if you use your credit card, you get an extra year of the manufacturer warranty through Visa.

The way I see it, the first full year is covered through Apple Warranty. The second year will be covered through Visa. It would totally suck if something happens on that last year though as it would have to be an out of pocket expense.

For me, and anyone else who pays with a Visa/Amex, we are gambling on that last year (and the years after that) to be problem free with our MBA's.
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Good idea...I think President Choice Mastercard (Canada) and Capital One (Canada) also has this!🙂
 
deeddawg said:
Careful, this seems to be a benefit only for Visa Signature cardholders:
http://usa.visa.com/personal/cards/benefits/index.html

Other Visa credit cards may not have that program available.
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That is the visa signature page, but ALL Visa purchases offer the same benefits. I bought my MBA with a Citi Forward Card that is not a Visa Signature. As I posted above, google "visa extended warranty" and you'll get a million hits explaining the same.

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Also to be clear, I'm not against Apple Care. I think if you want to be covered for that extra year, and know that you can walk into an apple store and get a new machine instead of submitting receipts, then you should go for apple care.
 
I have a disabled child who has damaged her iPad several times, and Apple has generously replaced it each time at no charge, even though they could have and I didn't expect them to. I don't know if this is really on-topic, but Apple has been really good to our family in this respect.
 
erialvzz805 said:
That is the visa signature page, but ALL Visa purchases offer the same benefits. I bought my MBA with a Citi Forward Card that is not a Visa Signature. As I posted above, google "visa extended warranty" and you'll get a million hits explaining the same.

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Also to be clear, I'm not against Apple Care. I think if you want to be covered for that extra year, and know that you can walk into an apple store and get a new machine instead of submitting receipts, then you should go for apple care.
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yeah, i looked at their website and it seems like all of the cards offer it. makes me happy b.c i bought with a chase freedom 🙂
 
Applecare for a Mac laptop is one of the few extended warranties that is truly worth it. The Apple support network of local Apple Stores and remote repair via UPS/Fedex is great. My daughter's faulty Macbook display was replaced with Applecare. A friend's entire Macbook Pro was replaced with Applecare. If you are away at college that is not close to a Apple Store, the quick remote repair is a life saver. Compare it to Dell, HP, Asus, etc... it doesn't even come close.

For a Mac laptop it's worth it due high failure components: display, battery, keyboard, hard/DVD drives, screen hinge.

By a refurb and put the money you save towards Applecare.
 
Answer is its about where you live and the risks you are willing to take ..

Apple is being hit hard by Italy as its the EU law that apple needs to give a full 2 years..

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-18688998

Italy is just ... as the americans call it ... the class action ... then they will need to do the same in the rest of the EU ....


So EU = Apple care wast of time ...

Also the policy that I was told at the German Apple Store last week that the cover was only for the country in the EU where it was purchased is also wrong..

We have strong consumer protection here ...


🙄
 
Not all Visas offer the warranty coverage so simply call the number on the back to find out. All AMEX cards come with warranty coverage.
 
nobackup said:
Answer is its about where you live and the risks you are willing to take ..

Apple is being hit hard by Italy as its the EU law that apple needs to give a full 2 years..

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-18688998

Italy is just ... as the americans call it ... the class action ... then they will need to do the same in the rest of the EU ....


So EU = Apple care wast of time ...

Also the policy that I was told at the German Apple Store last week that the cover was only for the country in the EU where it was purchased is also wrong..

We have strong consumer protection here ...


🙄
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Wish we had this...
 
It's a tough call on the MBAs, since the memory is soldered in. I don't have data, but I think the most common failures are logic board and memory, which are soldered together on a MBA, so it doubles the effective failure rate. So if either fails, you're looking at a $500-700 repair out of warranty. The equation comes down to what is the chance after one year that either will fail. It's probably well around 1-2%, so the expected value of a $600 repair with a 1.5% chance of occurring is minus $90. So paying $250 to insure against a $90 loss is a losing proposition in itself.
 
nobackup said:
We have strong consumer protection here ...
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yoyoma1992 said:
Wish we had this...
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Yes, but nothing's free. Companies will pass their costs on to consumers one way or another.

For example, the 2012 13" MBA with 256GB SSD & 4GB RAM is $1499 in the US, €1,579 in Italy, and €1,549 in Germany.

Considering that €1,549 is about US$1,950 today, I'll take the $450 savings and lesser consumer protection laws. 😀
 
Well extended warranties are how companies make their big bucks. It's 100% guaranteed up-front, paid sales and revenue for a company while not 100% of people who buy the warranties actually claim it. But doesn't mean it's useless. Something like a computer, having a 3 year extended warranty does help, especialy if they follow through on it.
A 10 year extended warranty on a mattress however, is completely useless. Esp when in the fine print it says warranty has to be due to manufacturer's defect and not wear and tear.
 
deeddawg said:
Yes, but nothing's free. Companies will pass their costs on to consumers one way or another.

For example, the 2012 13" MBA with 256GB SSD & 4GB RAM is $1499 in the US, €1,579 in Italy, and €1,549 in Germany.

Considering that €1,549 is about US$1,950 today, I'll take the $450 savings and lesser consumer protection laws. 😀
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The price here includes TAX !!!

1549 = 1302 Before Tax = $1,638.77 = $139 extra .. lets see Wages and other cost are high in the EU ... so where s the big difference .. What does applecare cost in the states $249.00 ??? So cheaper by at least $110 !!😱

So all in all that actually means its cheaper here in the EU !!! :roll eyes:

BTW silly to compare as corporate tax and additional pension, health care costs and employe protection in the EU change the cost of sale... (Were taking GErmany here not one of the countries that can't balance the books .. 😉 )

So I prefer it to be cheaper and regulated ... I don't have to rely on Apple being "kind" to me over the whole 2 years, I have the right to demand a full replacement and in some cases my money back (right up to the last day and beyond) ... also with each exchange/replacement that 2 year clock starts again .. so if in month 21 they exchange my device as they can not repair it ... they have to give me another 2 years free ...

and it actually goes beyond the 24 months (in the 24 months they have to prove that its not there fault), I need to just prove its a manufacturing defect and has only then come to light (Hidden Defect) ...

So all in all nothing compared to what a simple Apple care gives you in the US...

and BTW this is the same case for all purchases .. even cars etc ... any idea why the quality of some products from DE are so high .. so as to save on warranty costs ... its actually part of the design criteria!

So mapping this to apple they get the consumer to pay for their lack of care and defects, in the EU they need to pay for the problem and strange that they can do the whole thing with a more restrictive LAW for less than they are asking for in the US $139 v $249... does this mean its a rip off !

😎
 
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A former MacBook Pro had an issue with the display and they replaced the display. The charge was for $600 out-of-warranty; then there was problem with my motherboard. I think that repair was also billed for $600; good thing I had AppleCare!

That said, the value AppleCare is different for different folks. I like the peace of mind it provides even if I never use it (on my laptops I have been using it).
 
nobackup said:
The price here includes TAX !!!

1549 = 1302 Before Tax = $1,638.77 = $139 extra .. lets see Wages and other cost are high in the EU ... so where s the big difference .. What does applecare cost in the states $249.00 ??? So cheaper by at least $110 !!😱

So all in all that actually means its cheaper here in the EU !!! :roll eyes:

So mapping this to apple they get the consumer to pay for their lack of care and defects, in the EU they need to pay for the problem and strange that they can do the whole thing with a more restrictive LAW for less than they are asking for in the US $139 v $249... does this mean its a rip off !

😎
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No, what it means is that they charge everyone $139 more, even people who don't want the extra coverage. Most people here don't get AppleCare, and most people don't need it.
 
I have gotten it on all my purchases. Its worth it for sure. I got it with the educational discount so it only cost £50 for me on the new macbook I ordered.

Also it has a world wide warranty with apple care so thats the best benefit for it in my eyes as I travel sometimes.
 
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yoyoma1992 said:
Ok so please correct me if I am misunderstanding AppleCare...but it only covers manufacture defects right for an extended 2 years? Isn't that a huge rip-off for macbook air owners like us who pay 1000+ for laptop? From my point of view, if we are paying that much money for a premium laptop...there should be at least a guarantee that there is no manufacture defects and if there is (which is probably rare?), it should be replaced for free considering we are paying so much for a laptop...

I feel like AppleCare is basically saying: If we screw up our product, we are gonna make you pay more...

I mean I would understand if it it's for like up to 5 years or something...but three years....like seriously I feel like I shouldn't have to worry about a $1000+ laptop of having manufacture defects within the first three years.

Anyways this is just my opinion and whether AppleCare is worth it or not is a different discussion, I am just saying that Apple is totally ripping us off...😕
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But when you buy an Apple laptop you're buying a star of television and films. No other laptop has as many appearances in films and TV shows as the Macbook. The founder of the company is to be portrayed in a feature film by Demi Moore's boy toy and Twitter star Ashton Kutcher.

Alec Baldwin once used Kim Bassinger to enhance his star status, now he uses a Macbook.
 

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Applecare keeps you covered for 3 yrs.

Credit card buyer protection only 2 yrs.

Apple care give you phone support for 3 yrs
without it only 90 day.

Applecare also gives you
Choice of Mail-in repair using a prepaid shipping box provided by Apple.
Covers your accessories such as the power adapter, AirPort Base Station, Time Capsule, SuperDrive, power cord, ear buds, etc.
Global coverage, walk in and get it repaired, or replaced.

So is that worth the extra money?
 
Any one knows if credit card extended warranty for the 2nd year applies for refurbished Apple product? I can't find a definite answer for that.
 
SoIsays said:
Your credit card will do all that. You just pay costs up front and get reimbursed later.
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No your card will not provide phone support, a blanket on accessories, or stretch out any coverage to the critical third year.

Basically I've noticed the only value Apple care has is to the folks that have had to take advantage of it.

You can live large without it.
 
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