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To Apple Care, or Not to Apple Care
- Thread starter Jacc Sparrow
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Well, you have to give them a deductible, but yeah.
And honestly, I've had excellent experience with the genius bar staff anyway and I can only imagine having Apple Care would increase the odds of having a favorable outcome (at least back in the day, they were pretty much able to do magic; if they liked you).
Example:
Many years ago, I was arrested and as the officers emptied my pockets onto the police car, they dropped my iPhone 4 and shattered it. Obviously, that part is relevant because there are literally no other circumstances where I'd be clumsy enough to drop or break my phone. Anyway, I went to the Apple Store the next day and told the genius exactly what had happened and impressed and amused by my tale, he gave me a new one for free.
Get the AppleCare+. CC 'Extended Warranties' are not the same as an Apple warranty. A technician will type in the serial number, not see AppleCare+, and it will immediately be an out-of-warranty service conversation in an Apple Store. After which, to use that "free" extended warranty, it will be a lot of red tape/fine print and/or require shipping out to a random third party company designated by the CC to get it fixed. None of these parts will be Apple authorized and the deductible will vary (meaning Apple technicians won't be able to touch it ever again down the road--imagine if there is a recall or other issues).
AppleCare+ is as much about certified service as it is convenience, and since it applies to everything in the box as well (charger and bands) it's a no-brainer. ThatTax we all know and love is Apple selling an experience, and your experience is only better when the company making your product is the one who is covering you.
Put simply: No CC company adds to APPLE coverage; they all have their own solution. Your normal 1-year manufacturer warranty through Apple ends after 1 year with the ONLY exception being AppleCare+
Please refrain from spreading false information. With Amex, all it requires is filing a claim over the phone (typically no paperwork required) and once approved, they'll reimburse you up to the price you paid for the device plus tax. You use that toward the out of warranty replacement cost at the Apple Store. You can even get it swapped out right away for the OOW replacement and file the claim after the fact.
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I can relate to that, i have two oriental cats whose mission in life is to destroy all the nice things i own.
The sport watch is the perfect size, texture and weight for them to consider it a fun plaything, i got Applecare+ so i don't have to worry when i see them throwing it around and dropping it from great heights.
Another reason i got Applecare+ is because i'm quite clumsy myself, i wear the watch on my right wrist and i'm right handed, i've banged it a couple of times already, my watches always end up getting scratched and scuffed (i don't mind, for me watches are tools, not jewellery), at least now i don't have to worry about the screen smashing if i bang it too hard.
The last reason is that i enjoy mountain biking, but i'm not very good at it, i have previously been thrown of my bike and my watch hit a rock and it shattered the screen, so being able to still wear my watch when mountain biking and not having to worry about the consequences is nice.
So basically, i bought Applecare+ so i don't have worry about my watch, i can get on with enjoying it.
Plus if I decide to shower with the watch, I'll have a bit more peace of mind
It's rated IPX7 for water resistance so any water ingress incurred within the scope of this rating (including showering) will be covered under the standard warranty and, by extension, the CC extended warranty.
I went with AC+ because I've worn a G-Shock for years and so I've become accustomed to not paying attention while I'm going about my everyday business and not even looking down when I bump it or knock it on a door frame.
It's become second nature not to worry about where I put my arm etc and how I move around, so AC+ @ £49 vs another Watch at £339 was a small price to pay for peace of mind.
I got it because I'm not sure what kind of update cycle the watch hardware is going to be on. Even if it's yearly, I probably won't update my watch yearly. So having the extended warranty gives me peace of mind.
How is that false information? What he's saying is correct. The warranty via Apple does NOT extend. If you try to get tech support over the phone, you will be charged.
I believe in AppleCare, it has served me very well over the years and the few times I've had to use it, the savings was substantial.
If I don't use it Apple wins and that's perfectly acceptable to me.
If I don't use it Apple wins and that's perfectly acceptable to me.
It's a given that the warranty via Apple does not extend and you're covered by the CC company in the 2nd year. What's false is the claim that there is a lot of red tape and you must ship the defective unit to the CC company to have it repaired. That might be true for some aftermarket warranty servicers, but certainly not Amex/Discover/VISA/etc.
With Amex/Discover, all you have to do is place a single phone call to them to file the claim. They'll reimburse you up to the price you paid for the device plus tax and you use that toward the OOW replacement at the Apple Store.
Several of us have done it before, including myself. The sleep/wake button on my wife's iPhone 4 failed in the 2nd year. I called Amex to file the claim and they reimbursed us the full $299 plus tax in the next billing cycle. I went ahead and paid for the OOW replacement for $199 plus tax at the Apple Store so yes, we actually came out ahead plus some.
Perhaps it's impractical if there's no Apple Store around where you live, in which case you should get AC+ so you're not charged for phone support. However, it's a no brainer to rely on the CC extended warranty if you have a local Apple Store as you can swap it out right away, even before you file the claim.
Main reason I got it, battery life. I won't upgrade my watch to the next gen if its released next year. I'll wait at least another year after that if they do yearly releases, I don't see that happening for this product. Anyway, I felt like if 2 years go by and something internally fails, Apple will issue me a fixed device or new device, so to me it's worth the 49 bucks.
As far as damage, I'm not wearing my watch until my case comes for it. I took my watch out and messed with the settings and have it all ready to go. Took it to the Apple store and got Apple Care the other day, in and out in under 5 minutes. Say what you will about cases, I'm by no means clumsy. But you can't control people around you and if someone were to bump me causing a drop or ding on the wall that would suck! I would hate to have my devices break like that.
As far as damage, I'm not wearing my watch until my case comes for it. I took my watch out and messed with the settings and have it all ready to go. Took it to the Apple store and got Apple Care the other day, in and out in under 5 minutes. Say what you will about cases, I'm by no means clumsy. But you can't control people around you and if someone were to bump me causing a drop or ding on the wall that would suck! I would hate to have my devices break like that.
How can you drop it if it's tethered to your wrist? People keep treating it as if it's as droppable as an iPhone. Either way, if you bang it and it suffered only cosmetic damage, AC+ won't cover it as it's in the terms and conditions that scratches/dents/etc. that do not otherwise affect the functionality of the device aren't covered. This is also confirmed in person by several Apple Store employees.
I don't understand the "on my wrist it will get broken" argument. I drop my iPhone way more than I'll ever damage something strapped to my wrist.
As far as bumping into things that's just par for the course with watches, but I've never broken one. Do you people work in brick factories?
I've actually dropped a watch while putting it on. Of course I was rushing. But yes, it happens other than being on your wrist.
The first couple times I put it on with the sport strap I felt like I could've almost dropped it but it's gotten very easy to do with one hand after a few times.
Yes, that's true. So simply get into the habit of putting it on over your bed or something. It should be a non-issue with the link bracelet though as you need to slip your wrist through it before clasping it.
Can we bump this? I'm thinking about buying the watch with a ship date in June, then getting AC+ when I actually get the watch, just to spread some of the expenses out on my credit card. Do I have 30 days from the time of order or from the time of delivery to buy AC+?
It's right in the AppleCare FAQ - you can buy it anytime within the warranty period.
Source: https://www.apple.com/asia/support/products/faqs.html
I know several people that didn't buy it until they had an accident.
But, then, you wait a day or two before making a claim. Oh, and on this topic - I will be picking up AppleCare+ for my 42mm Space Black SS with LB. At $1600CDN (taxes in), the $89 to protect it is well worth it!
It's right in the AppleCare FAQ - you can buy it anytime within the warranty period.
Source: https://www.apple.com/asia/support/products/faqs.html
I know several people that didn't buy it until they had an accident.
Oh, and on this topic - I will be picking up AppleCare+ for my 42mm Space Black SS with LB. At $1600CDN (taxes in), the $89 to protect it is well worth it!
Not in the United States. You have 60 days from the Watch purchase to add AC+.
It's right in the AppleCare FAQ - you can buy it anytime within the warranty period.
Source: https://www.apple.com/asia/support/products/faqs.html
I know several people that didn't buy it until they had an accident.
Oh, and on this topic - I will be picking up AppleCare+ for my 42mm Space Black SS with LB. At $1600CDN (taxes in), the $89 to protect it is well worth it!
applecare and applecare+ are two difference things. Applecare extends the manufacture warranty.
applecare+ is for accidental damage, which is not part of the manufacture warranty.
People also seem very confused about credit card warranties. That extends the manufacture warranty (not accidental damage) by a year.