Only $46 for a pro-rated AppleCare refund for over a year's worth of remaining AC?

[puma1552]

I had my computer replaced by Apple in September/October 2010, a late '08 MBP bought at the end of November, 2008. I bought AC at the same time, which would've covered me until the end of November, 2011.

So the machine was replaced with over a year's worth of AC remaining.

Looking back, I paid $240 for the AC at the time (edu discount).

If the AC extends the standard warranty by two years, I should've got over 120 bucks back, and even if the AC were for some reason split over three years, a prorated refund should've still netted me over $80.

I'm going to call AC next week, but the money just showed up in my bank account five minutes ago and I'm a bit disappointed, as I was certain it would be more.

FTR, the money should've been refunded long ago but it just never happened, and I only realized it last week and had to call AC to ask what the deal was.

Shouldn't my refund be a good bit more?

EDIT: Found this, but no replies: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/317167/ If that's what they really do, that makes no sense, because they would have to determine a dollar value for each visit, which also means there would have to somehow be an apparent finite limit to how many times you can take your computer in. If they prorate based on times you've had to have your pile repaired, then it seems the calculations would have to be awfully arbitrary. Anyone shed light on this?

 

[puma1552]

77 views and nothing? Nobody's ever received a pro-rated AC refund?

 

[G-Mo]

Not trying to be rude, but, why don't you call AppleCare and ask them??

 

[MartyF81]

Ugh I work for a service contract company and it drives me crazy that customers never actually READ the rules for what they purchase.

Here are the Terms and Conditions for Apple Care: http://images.apple.com/legal/applecare/docs/NA_APP_English_v5.3.pdf

There is a section in there called "Cancellations" that spells out exactly how it is prorated. I suspect these terms are the same or similar to what they were at the time you purchased it, but they may have changed since then.

I would say you should count your blessings that you are getting anything back at all... especially since you had the Machine replaced which basically means it was totally worth its cost.

 

[puma1552]

Ugh I work for a service contract company and it drives me crazy that customers never actually READ the rules for what they purchase.

Here are the Terms and Conditions for Apple Care: http://images.apple.com/legal/applecare/docs/NA_APP_English_v5.3.pdf

There is a section in there called "Cancellations" that spells out exactly how it is prorated. I suspect these terms are the same or similar to what they were at the time you purchased it, but they may have changed since then.

I would say you should count your blessings that you are getting anything back at all... especially since you had the Machine replaced which basically means it was totally worth its cost.

All I see is a generic, extremely arbitrary statement about pulling an arbitrary refund value out of their ass:

you will receive a pro rata refund of the original purchase price, based on the percentage of unexpired Coverage Period, less (a) a cancellation fee of twenty-five ($25 USD) dollars or ten percent (10%) of the pro-rata amount, whichever is less, and (b) the value of any service provided to you under the Plan.

Not sure how they arrived at the arbitrary sum of $46 when the computer was such a colossal pile of crap that took $10k in repairs before they finally replaced it after I had to push and fight for it.

Sorry, I don't feel so lucky and so fortunate that Apple replaced a garbage product on their dime--that's what they should've done anyway, same with any manufacturer. I do feel unlucky that I was the one that had a $3,000 pile of crap and lost a tremendous amount of productivity and had extreme downtime throughout the nearly two years I had it, and the colossal wastes of weekends it took me to make whole day trips to one of the country's five lousy Apple stores, which are always a zoo.

 

[MartyF81]

Well the good news is you have what's called "The Freedom of Choice". Which means you can take your $46 and go buy a Dell.

 

[jlc1978]

I would say you should count your blessings that you are getting anything back at all... especially since you had the Machine replaced which basically means it was totally worth its cost.

That is surprising, given that many service contracts state that replacement fulfills all obligations under the contract. Apple, though is pretty decent about customer service - when my iMac kept giving me kernel errors two weeks after purchase (open box demo about 9 months old) they not only replaced it with a newer model but transferred the full Apple care to the new machine.

Service contracts, in general, are a bad deal - the most common causes of loss - theft, accidental damage - can be covered for much less for by a separate insurance policy; and many credit cards extend the manufacturers warranty already.

 

[alphaod]

I actually got no money back at all for the time they replaced my computer and I asked for an AppleCare refund… so I think you did better.

 

[HBOC]

My Classic MBP was replaced Feb 24th with the new one, and I had until October of this year with AppleCare. I got $119.50 back in refund! I was without my computer for most of December. Dunno if that was a factor as well.