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Why does everyone recommend AppleCare? It seems very expensive for 3 yrs of warranty
- Thread starter DblEGT
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I don't buy extended warranties and AppleCare is no exception. Even if the logic board failed in my current MBP, paying for it out of pocket would still keep me way ahead than if I had paid for AppleCare (or other warranties on non-Apple products) every time I bought something. Heck, I could completely replace it and still be ahead.
i hear you - i did notice that you put + so i suspected as much. like i said, my sister swears by it...i can't talk her out of it, and in her case the proof is in the pudding
i just don't personally think it's a good investment - but i totally understand why people do it
You have been very lucky, very lucky!!! One of my side businesses is repairing Windows based PC's and I can tell you from experience that more often than not eventually something goes wrong. I have also been fairly lucky but that's due to the fact that I upgrade my Windows machine approximately every 18 months or so.
Just got my 2010 MBA back - LCD had a bunch of stuck pixels, repairs would have cost upwards of $500 out of pocket. That already amounts to AppleCare paying for itself and AppleCare for the next Mac I buy.
Took it in, was told it might take 1-3 days, got an email a few hours later that it was ready, screen is all perfect now. Looking at used prices, I could still be looking at $700-ish for my 2010 13" MBA when I get rid of it later this year (AppleCare was running out so I decided to get it fixed, still waiting on rMBP refresh).
Took it in, was told it might take 1-3 days, got an email a few hours later that it was ready, screen is all perfect now. Looking at used prices, I could still be looking at $700-ish for my 2010 13" MBA when I get rid of it later this year (AppleCare was running out so I decided to get it fixed, still waiting on rMBP refresh).
I bought it from LA Computer company too. Worth it for $170 and since I always have the latest model I can pass the Applecare warranty on to the new buyer.
Also totally recommend buying with an Amex card as they provide great service and double the warranty.
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I would not compare Windows PC's with their highly varying hardware mix and quality and outdated OS with anything from Apple. I've been buying Macs since 1984, and have had an issue with one of them which Apple replaced with a new one by shipping it overnight and paying for return shipping.
No need to purchase apple care Use a mastercard world card or amex with the extended warranty benefit. This extends the normal standard care to two years. I used this benefit to repair my mba after the bluetooth module died after 15 months.
Applecare worth every cent you pay for it. Only ever had to use it once in all my years of owning Apple products. But that one time payed me back. iMac was real problem for 21 months. 5 weeks in total in for repairs. Was finally replaced with new iMac after owning 21 months. Applecare was a small price to pay for peace of mind.
Extended warranties are designed to make money for the offering company. Often *lots*. Therefore the company knows that the *average* customer will be paying a lot more for the warranty than the *typical* cost of repairs over the coverage period.
Thus extended warranties and AppleCare are only a good bet if you can't afford to lose a bet even with winning odds in your favor (no savings account, etc.), or if the product is a *much* bigger dud that the company expected (thus they priced their warranty too low). My old PowerBook Duo AppleCare payed off because I found out it was a serious dud in time to cover it with the warranty before it had to go back for repairs 4 or 5 times. Haven't had any other Apple lemons, so never purchased AppleCare again. Some needed repairs, but the cost totalled less than the coverage for everything would have been. I win.
Thus extended warranties and AppleCare are only a good bet if you can't afford to lose a bet even with winning odds in your favor (no savings account, etc.), or if the product is a *much* bigger dud that the company expected (thus they priced their warranty too low). My old PowerBook Duo AppleCare payed off because I found out it was a serious dud in time to cover it with the warranty before it had to go back for repairs 4 or 5 times. Haven't had any other Apple lemons, so never purchased AppleCare again. Some needed repairs, but the cost totalled less than the coverage for everything would have been. I win.
I think AppleCare has a place.. If you use the computer professionally or if you keep it for a long time.
I usually don't bother with it, and I especially don't get it out when I buy a laptop - if you drop it in the first year you've bought it for nothing. So usually what I do is after the first year is up I consider how long I'll keep the machine. If this is near enough 2 years I may get it out. But in most cases I'm already thinking about getting a new one, and I just sell the old one while it's still worth something.
I usually don't bother with it, and I especially don't get it out when I buy a laptop - if you drop it in the first year you've bought it for nothing. So usually what I do is after the first year is up I consider how long I'll keep the machine. If this is near enough 2 years I may get it out. But in most cases I'm already thinking about getting a new one, and I just sell the old one while it's still worth something.
AppleCare is not just an extended warranty. It also gives you Apple tech support (over the phone and at the Genius Bar) for the length of the coverage. There are plenty of problems that are software/settings-related, and those are not covered by warranty.
Some folks (everyone on this forum, right?) can handle all or most of their troubleshooting on their own - they read the help files, search the web for tech support documents, ask questions on forums, etc. Or they have a helpful friend/relative. They may never need to phone Apple.
There are people who are qualified to work on a help desk, and there are others who call the help desk. Their interest in AppleCare may vary accordingly.
Some folks (everyone on this forum, right?) can handle all or most of their troubleshooting on their own - they read the help files, search the web for tech support documents, ask questions on forums, etc. Or they have a helpful friend/relative. They may never need to phone Apple.
There are people who are qualified to work on a help desk, and there are others who call the help desk. Their interest in AppleCare may vary accordingly.
Good point. When we bought our first Mac it came with lifetime phone support. I never used a computer before so I called countless times. I usually got up very early to play with it before work.
Cupertino time was was 2:00 AM. Support staff answered on the second ring. A few staffers knew my voice and greeted me by name. The support made us lifetime Apple customers. Repair service is gravy in that case.
Years later I bought my first Windows machine. Hardware was defective and the support was poor with the maker. That was a baptism by fire
If you need the phone support Apple Care is worth the cost especially if purchased at a discount.
Apple Care = a joke ! it's only for those fanboys that will literally open their machines with a screwdriver...don't waste your money on it...even if you are getting a student one 183$
Discover cards have The best purchase warranty. While MasterCard Amex and a few Visas only cover you if the warranty does not exceed 12 months, discover doubles or adds 12 months depending if you bought extended warranty.
So in this case AppleCare with the original warranty is 36 months(3 years) discover adds 12 more months for a total of 48 months(4 years).
https://www.discover.com/credit-cards/member-benefits/extended-warranty.html
So in this case AppleCare with the original warranty is 36 months(3 years) discover adds 12 more months for a total of 48 months(4 years).
https://www.discover.com/credit-cards/member-benefits/extended-warranty.html
this is the best way ive heard it said so far. odds are you wont need it, but if you do happen to need it and dont have it, with apple its likely going to cost you enough to feel some pain.
That's not how it works. Unless it's some extreme, catastrophic failure or the same issue cropping up repeatedly after multiple repair attempts, you will get the same machine back that you dropped off.
I can't find this written anywhere easily, but I've had it explained to me several times at the Apple store: If the model mac you have is relatively new (less than 3ish years old), and it doesn't have physical or water damage, then they offer a flat-rate repair service. They will repair everything wrong with it at the time for a relatively small fee.
I recently had the SSD, Logic Board, and some random cables replaced in my out-of-warrantee 2011 MBA replaced. The flat-fee for for a MBA they said was $280. The components they replaced alone would have added up to $1500. I could have bought AC a year ago for $180, but decided not to.
I'm down only $100, but it was a small risk. Odds were I wouldn't have needed it, and I probably still won't be buying AC in the future.
I recently had the SSD, Logic Board, and some random cables replaced in my out-of-warrantee 2011 MBA replaced. The flat-fee for for a MBA they said was $280. The components they replaced alone would have added up to $1500. I could have bought AC a year ago for $180, but decided not to.
I'm down only $100, but it was a small risk. Odds were I wouldn't have needed it, and I probably still won't be buying AC in the future.
$280 is a relatively small fee compared to the $1000+ cost of your computer, its just a bit more than Apple Care. So even if something goes wrong out of the first year I can still get it all fixed through Apple without paying a ridiculous fee.
That's right, as far as I understand. I don't know if Apple does things different on your side of border though.
Also, when I looked, I wasn't able to find this flat-rate repair written down anywhere. Lots of forum posts discuss it, but I think it's up to Apple to offer this to you when you bring in the computer for repair. What they told me was they only offer it to computers that are new enough to have potentially had AppleCare had the owner bought it, and only to computers in good physical condition.
For iPhones though I know one thing. No matter how old it is or what has happened to it, if you bring in your iPhone they will give you a refurbished (essentially new) unit of the exact same specs (locked to the same carrier/unlocked, same bands, same colour and capacity) for $149.
By the way, yes I do live in Canada but I live in a border city, my nearest Apple store is half an hour away in the States. So I go there
Honestly I usually don't go for the warranties... but given Apple's track record for 1st gen machines... and the Air being the first Haswell line... I'm thinking it might be worth the $183 for me (education discount)
--rob
--rob
No such thing in Australia anyway. I recently had to pay $500 to replace just the logicboard on my 2011 MBA which died after only 18 months and hence out of warranty. The machine was kept in perfect condition externally
Logicboard failures seem to have a disturbingly high failure rate
That's because they have so many components and functions on them. Lots of different things that might fail, only one way to replace any of them.
If you don't purchase AppleCare when you buy the laptop, can you still purchase it online or do you have to do it by phone or in the store?