Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Isn't Applecare a huge rip-off for consumers?
- Thread starter yoyoma1992
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Now you are assuming that the 139 extra is only to cover the Applecare .. well wrong ... Apple needs to pay more just to be in business here this includes paying its employees more including health care & pension funds and also they need to pay more rent, rates and TAX ... even if they try to hide it all away in Ireland ...which they then ask congress to allow them to bring back without paying the high taxes in the USA (Tax Holiday ?), this is called the cost of sale ... which is simply higher in the EU.. ;(
But strange how they can do all this extra and need to give 2 years free* coverage ... but in the USA they ask you simply for more money .. the original poster asked are they ripping you off ... yep ... seems they are
* Free they can't ask you for a dime ....
In my own case, Applecare has been beyond the call of duty. Bought my 2010 through the student discount so got two years warranty, cracked the screen in the first year by closing the laptop on the earphone plug, my fault but they replaced the screen FOC.
Today the Apple Shop replaced the battery FOC because it had dropped to 70% after 474 cycles, which is below the 1,000 cycles at 80% that the battery should achieve.
That is what I call service.
tut
Today the Apple Shop replaced the battery FOC because it had dropped to 70% after 474 cycles, which is below the 1,000 cycles at 80% that the battery should achieve.
That is what I call service.
tut
With the amount of money I've saved by not buying extended warranties, any "what if" scenarios that may come to fruition will have easily been paid for.
----------
That's what I call honoring the warranty that you paid for.
Which is what annoys me when Europeans claim that Apple is ripping them off because they charge more than the US price x the $/ exchange rate (adjusted for VAT). It's as if they expect Apple to offer all that for free. Anyway, I thought the issue in Italy is that standard EU warranties cover 2 years, so the AppleCare extends the warranty only by 1 year.
As for the healthcare and other "freebies" you get there, remember you also pay for it in higher income taxes, lower wages, etc.
I always purchase Applecare on portable Macs. It's come in very handy a number of times. I usually don't buy it until the end of the first year though. No sense in Apple using my money for a year.
Interestingly, I put Applecare on a Mac Mini more or less on a whim. Near the end of the first year, the optical drive failed. I took the machine to my local Apple store whi discovered that couldn't obtain a replacement optical drive. They stepped up and replaced the machine with a brand new one. I didn't even ask. They acted like it was the obvious solution. Not a refurb... new stock. And since my original machine had been a "top of the line" one when I'd purchased it nearly three years earlier, they gave me a current top-of-the-line model. Plus the new machine had a new one year warranty on it.
Extraordinary customer service I think.
Interestingly, I put Applecare on a Mac Mini more or less on a whim. Near the end of the first year, the optical drive failed. I took the machine to my local Apple store whi discovered that couldn't obtain a replacement optical drive. They stepped up and replaced the machine with a brand new one. I didn't even ask. They acted like it was the obvious solution. Not a refurb... new stock. And since my original machine had been a "top of the line" one when I'd purchased it nearly three years earlier, they gave me a current top-of-the-line model. Plus the new machine had a new one year warranty on it.
Extraordinary customer service I think.
This is a bit different than other warranties because of the additional phone support. If you utilize that, then you stand a better chance of finding value in Applecare.
If you don't care about the support, then it's like any other kind of insurance. It's a "waste" until you need it. Perhaps you do, perhaps you don't..
Since so many of Apple's mobile parts are expensive to replace, I like to have Applecare on my notebooks. Now that Applecare+ covers accidental damage on iPad / iPhone, I find value in it. That being said, I may wind up switching my homeowner's insurance around soon because my current provider doesn't have any favorable provisions for these items.
I'd also note that I try to find good deals on Applecare. It's certainly possible if you shop around a bit.
If you don't care about the support, then it's like any other kind of insurance. It's a "waste" until you need it. Perhaps you do, perhaps you don't..
Since so many of Apple's mobile parts are expensive to replace, I like to have Applecare on my notebooks. Now that Applecare+ covers accidental damage on iPad / iPhone, I find value in it. That being said, I may wind up switching my homeowner's insurance around soon because my current provider doesn't have any favorable provisions for these items.
I'd also note that I try to find good deals on Applecare. It's certainly possible if you shop around a bit.
3 year Applecare is free if you can purchase via the Education Store
That's a UK thing from what we can tell here.
3 year Applecare is free if you can purchase via the Education Store
It's not that way in America. I just got my Air with an education discount and I had to pay for AppleCare. I got a little over $100 off the regular price, but still had to pay extra.
I tried to check via UK edu Store, it still showed 139GBP or so. Where can I find this?
Actually wages are higher here hence the higher cost of sale
... The issue is 2 years are by law and apple still pretends that it does not exist and still want you to pay for year 2 & 3 !!!
one change just happen Apple is now stating the correct information here http://www.apple.com/uk/legal/statutory-warranty/
This is the just the UK one as in english !!
But again they are tricking the consumer ... if you buy it directly from apple and it was sold via the internet then another european law kicks in and the below is included free
Who to contact to make a claim
Apple telephone technical support, Apple Retail Store or Apple-Authorised Service Provider
Included service options
Carry-in or postal service at their cost
Overseas coverage
Yes .. is standard even for walk n !!!
Telephone technical support
2 years from date of purchase for Mac or Apple display
2 years from date of purchase for Apple TV, iPad, iPhone or iPod
Strange also the LAW here is not limited to residents ... it just states any one buying it ... Apple seems to think this 2 year period is only for residents !! again wrong.. !!
So now you can see why they are being asked to stop ripping customers in the EU off by asking to be paid again for the service that is free and also hiding these facts away on the web page ... Two screens away from the "Select Apple care"
Only advantage would be for iPad, iPhone and iPod ... express replacement !!
but then again most problems are with cracked screens and in germany at least that is not covered by apple care and its a €90 (Care Costs €69*) flat fee for a replacement device (3GS) iPad 2 (€210... care costs €79*) ... so no real advantage there ;(
So for a cracked screen 3gs repair + apple care here you paid in total €159 and have no better experience than some one who has no apple care and only paid €90 for the replacment .. no moving to the front of the line just because of apple care ...
... and its the same cost and better experience ... no need to book to see a "Genius" and wait 5 days before getting it with or with out apple care !!! ... even via a reseller here
*2 years i.e. same as consumer law
This is the ideal way to go. No sense in getting Apple Care within the first year because they have one year free service. So if you got an Apple Care along with your purchase you let the ripping off happen by yourself.
Come to think of it, I realized it's one month past the first year for my MBP
Have just checked (via the Official Apple Education store, coming in via Oxford University: http://store.apple.com/uk_edu_5000754 not sure you'll be able to access this directly).
When configuring a MBA under Applecare it says:
"Every new Mac purchased from the Apple Store for Higher Education comes with complimentary telephone technical support for one year from your Mac purchase date and three years of repair coverage. With the AppleCare Protection Plan Uplift (AdditionalTelephone Technical Support), you can extend your telephone technical support to three years from the computer's purchase date. You can call Apple's award-winning experts as often as you like and get your questions answered."
All the "AppleCare Protection Plan Uplift" seems to do, though, is to extend the telephone support for 3 years, as the repair coverage is already for three years and to do this costs £48:
APPLECARE PROTECTION PLAN UPLIFT MACBOOK/MACBOOK AIR/MACBOOK PRO 13" (HE CONTRACT) [+ £48.00]
When I buy a 600$ Acer laptop, I dont take the extended warranty. When I buy a 3000$ Apple Laptop, I take the extended warranty. Not because it cost more but because I know by experience that my Apple laptop will almost certainly break inside 3 years. Listen to everyone here saying how AppleCare come handy... that's because their laptops broke.
My view on it, if I can't repair it myself a extended warranty is a good thing to have.. same goes for new cars which have been made less serviceable by the consumer.
I like old cars because I can tinker with them and do allot of of the service myself in my garage. Apple is following suit of the motor companies by creating a closed system because they can make huge profits on extended warranties and people who will just buy the latest model if their last product failed..
I like old cars because I can tinker with them and do allot of of the service myself in my garage. Apple is following suit of the motor companies by creating a closed system because they can make huge profits on extended warranties and people who will just buy the latest model if their last product failed..
There is so much incorrect with this sentence it's hard to know where to start.
Auto manufacturers - Technology has advanced to a point (largely driven by govt mandated mpg and emissions requirements) where the consumer is not qualified to maintain them nor is there much to maintain.
Apple - To meet their design criteria, they couldn't use sockets for the CPU and memory.
Of course, no amount of explanation will matter to the black helicopter crowd.
OK, thanks. That seems to be for UK only tho. For my country's edu Store it's still only one year limited without Apple Care (which cost 175 euros w/ edu pricing).
The battery is not actually covered under the warranty, there is an exclusion clause.
However a friendly chat at the Genius Bar worked wonders, and 15 mins later I left with a new battery.
Now back to 4.5 hours as opposed to the less than 2.0 that it had dropped to.
tut
However a friendly chat at the Genius Bar worked wonders, and 15 mins later I left with a new battery.
Now back to 4.5 hours as opposed to the less than 2.0 that it had dropped to.
tut
Yeah, but battery losing some of it's charge is kinda given, so it's pretty obvious that losing some of the power is not a reason for warranty replacement.
But that "tinkering" you speak of is no longer necessary in today's cars. My car needs no tune ups. The spark plug replacement interval is over 100,000 miles. No points or carb or even belts. Couldn't be much simpler. There are mechanics who learn how to diagnose and repair the complex systems, it's just a matter of learning how it works.