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I've bought Applecare on eBay in the past, registered it fine and taken my Mac into the AppleStore to have repairs done on it. Same with AppleCare for my iPhone.

I'm pretty sure it's all FUD.

ditto, no problems here. 1 Mac I got the box, the other I didn't and didn't have problems with either of them.
 
I put 4 bullets in a six shooter once and spun the tumbler, placed it to my head and pulled the trigger.

It didn't go off, must be safe...
 
I put 4 bullets in a six shooter once and spun the tumbler, placed it to my head and pulled the trigger.

It didn't go off, must be safe...

How do we know it wasn't an issue with their Mac, and not the AppleCare?

There seems to be a plethora of satisfied eBay AppleCare "code-only" customers.
 
This seriously seems like a thread to "flame" on individuals who make a living off AppleCare

My thoughts exactly. There have been numerous "code-only" AppleCare customers who have posted their input on these threads, citing no problems whatsoever. There have even been a few who did run into problems, but Apple later fully activated their warranty. Just seems like a bunch of scaremongering to me, started by a few Apple resellers on these forums with a chip on their shoulders.
 
Ok so for all the people that said they bought it from ebay and register fine on their mac and even got apple to repair their computer, could you all give me the ebay seller id? Also while researching, i've seen ppl saying that sometimes (randomly) Apple ask for the serial on the box before servicing the computer, if you bought it from ebay and never got the serial in the first place....How do you get Apple to fix your computer?
 
Thanks, I saw one of their auction listing for applecare for 227 but they stated they will not ship me the retail box. Did you buy from them? How much did you pay?

They DO ship the box. Take a look at their store
http://www.mac-pro.com/Mac-Pro-Online-Store?search=applecare
There are plans stating "electronic delivery" - those are just codes via email.
All the other plans not stating this come with box.
I bought all my Apple Care from them and all came in the retail packaging including invoice.
Contact them via eBay or on their website and ask for the box, they will happily ship it to you.
 
Re the post:
"They DO ship the box. Take a look at their store
http://www.mac-pro.com/Mac-Pro-Onlin...arch=applecare"

This seller has nothing to do with the other "ebay applecare sellers" that are scamming.

Obiviously, the seller YOU posted a link for sells AppleCare boxes (box and all) at a _slightly_ discounted price. There are other places, such as L.A. Computer Company, doing exactly the same thing. Totally legitimate.

It is the ebay sellers who sell you the code only, and WHO WILL REFUSE TO SHIP THE BOX THE APPLECARE POLICY COMES IN (shouting intentional), who are the scammers. They won't send the box because they HAVE NO box to send, because their codes are fakes.

Think about this:
Of 100 AppleCare packages, what is it specifically that makes each one unique?

Nothing INSIDE the box. All that information is THE SAME.

The ONE THING that makes an AppleCare policy UNIQUE and registerable as such is the serial number that comes PRINTED ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE BOX.

Nothing else.

If you don't have the box -- where did you obtain the serial number?

If you HAVE the box, and the legitimate serial number - WHY DO YOU REFUSE TO SEND IT?
 
I find it quite interesting, that "Lovemacs" is a new user account, that seems to only have been engaged in threads about ebay scams.

Perhaps (s)he's one of the eBay sellers in question, and wish to improve the odds of selling bogus AppleCare numbers?

Ie. a quote like this:

"I have, however, seen a post where the person talked to Apple about one of these codes and was assured that there was no way a code could be randomly generated and activated in their system. In order to do that, Apple said, they would need access to their AppleCare system (impossible)."

It total BS. That's the same as saying "It's impossible to calculate serial numbers for Windows, without access to Microsoft's system (impossible)", when we all know that such generators exists and are quite readily available (the same goes for most kinds of software depending on serial numbers).
 
I find it quite interesting, that "Lovemacs" is a new user account, that seems to only have been engaged in threads about ebay scams.

Perhaps (s)he's one of the eBay sellers in question, and wish to improve the odds of selling bogus AppleCare numbers?

Haha, no :p

I've been a long time MacRumors reader, but this discussion intrigued me enough to post on the subject. I'd like to get to the bottom of it just as much as the rest of you. The several posters in this thread who have said they had their Macs serviced multiple times with no issues, from eBay purchased AppleCare, makes me wonder if it actually is on the up-and-up.

I'd like to hear from the people who had bad experiences with their eBay, no-box purchased AppleCare. What happened, and who did you buy from?
 
Haha, .....The several posters in this thread who have said they had their Macs serviced multiple times with no issues, from eBay purchased AppleCare, makes me wonder if it actually is on the up-and-up......

if counterfeit codes weren't good enough to fool apple a fair bit of the time, then nobody would be buying them in the first place :D
 
Well I emailed Mac-Pro System on ebay and asked about the box, apparently they have 2 auctions, one is for the code only, the other one is for the code+the box. The price is about 50 dollars different. Now I'm not questioning about their authenticity, it just seem strange to me that they would have an auction with no box in the first place. Dont you need a serial on the box when your mac does need repair? I thought I've read on here that some ppl said apple required the serial from the box before servicing.
 
Well I emailed Mac-Pro System on ebay and asked about the box, apparently they have 2 auctions, one is for the code only, the other one is for the code+the box. The price is about 50 dollars different. Now I'm not questioning about their authenticity, it just seem strange to me that they would have an auction with no box in the first place. Dont you need a serial on the box when your mac does need repair? I thought I've read on here that some ppl said apple required the serial from the box before servicing.

Some times they do, some times they don't.....and that's the potential problem with these "code only" deals because if they do ask, well, there goes your money.
 
if you use a student discount at the Apple Store, it is $239 for AC for the MacBook Pro.
 
Some times they do, some times they don't.....and that's the potential problem with these "code only" deals because if they do ask, well, there goes your money.

Well thats not cool, if I'm gonna shell out 200 bucks for a discount applecare on ebay, I better have some assurance. Man I think I'm just gonna try to some friends that are student to buy for me. $239 is still better than 350
 
What Fishrrman says is such a pie of missinformation it's even not funny.

Of course there are scammers on Ebay, granted.

But I bought 3 codes during the last several years and did not want to deal with shipping the box (THERE IS NO SERIAL NUMBER ON THE BOX APPLE WILL NEED). Got the emails, registered them ok, got my machines services internationally without issues ....

So making a blanket statement like you do is just something you made up.

There are a lot of shop going bankrupt, complete chains of them sometimes as you know, and those Ebay people are buying massive amounts of boxes sold under the regular price during liquidations.
 
There are a lot of shop going bankrupt, complete chains of them sometimes as you know, and those Ebay people are buying massive amounts of boxes sold under the regular price during liquidations.

I can't really remember any Apple resellers going bankrupt. Even then the only place that sells Applecare in my area is Apple since the other resellers push their own warranty. All the major apple retailers are still in business and the smaller retailers shouldn't have the thousands of Applecare on hand to match the number I've seen sold on ebay.
 
Just because a few people here have bought AppleCare from code-only auctions, registered it and even had their computers repaired under that AppleCare plan, doesn't mean that there isn't a good chance of you getting screwed.
 
There are a lot of shop going bankrupt, complete chains of them sometimes as you know, and those Ebay people are buying massive amounts of boxes sold under the regular price during liquidations.

Right. They are buying them from I guess legit stores but then again, why can they not include the box.

I would never take a chance with AppleCare on ebay. I have with mobileme, and that's worked out fine for two years. One with a box, one without.

But either an Apple receipt or an original store receipt that shows the AppleCare plan and serial number for your machine purchased together will serve as proof that you bought it from a legitimate source. If you buy it after, then the little serial number card that comes in the box serves as proof. It also looks likes the there is a unique serial number on the box itself , along with the UPC and part number. I'd want to have this also incase any issues arised. It's pretty certain that at the very least they can track the boxes and know what's where.
 
They DO ship the box. Take a look at their store
http://www.mac-pro.com/Mac-Pro-Online-Store?search=applecare
There are plans stating "electronic delivery" - those are just codes via email.
All the other plans not stating this come with box.
I bought all my Apple Care from them and all came in the retail packaging including invoice.
Contact them via eBay or on their website and ask for the box, they will happily ship it to you.

FYI.....Here Is Their Reseller Rating
 
Wow, like that's not illegal. If they found out that you're not a student and used the student discount, I think that's pretty serious.

well, i bought my AC in the store, as i have a student ID. I am just pointing out that Apple allows you to use a student discount online.
 
well, i bought my AC in the store, as i have a student ID. I am just pointing out that Apple allows you to use a student discount online.

Actually, no, you weren't just pointing that out. You were saying that anyone could go and buy it online using a student discount, which is illegal. See the string of quotes below. I'm surprised to see this coming from you, HBOC, considering you are one of the bigger proponents of not buying box-less AppleCare because of the gray line.


Problem is you have to be a student to get that discount. :(
not if you order online ;)
 
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