Why doesn't Apple tell you this? (or their box) [AppleCare]

[HLdan]

You need to take some responsibility. You're finding too many ways to blame Apple. Anyone who's read the past few pages understands what you've said, as you've repeated it as if you have to convince us, we gotcha. What I am saying is that you bought your Applecare on Ebay for one main reason, to save money. You weren't saving $10-$20, you were saving about $100. You knew you weren't buying from an authorized reseller and you can keep on telling us how Apple screwed you but in essence they didn't. You accepted the risk buying a product on Ebay from a seller whom is not authorized by Apple to sell Apple products so you have to accept the blame on this and move on.

Just buy your next Applecare from either Apple, BB or a Mac reseller.

 

[DewGuy1999]

Even aside the idea that there's no specifications on the box,
Apple is the one who allowed it to go through and process for my U.S.A Macbook Pro.
I didn't read the terms and conditions, you are right. But it shouldn't be allowed to complete and then tell me that it's gone through and legit, working, blah blah.
It should tell me it's not compatible with my system, or my address.
I'm sure that Apple is not completely blind to the fact that people re-sell after they buy them, and that people aren't only going to buy from them directly.
It shouldn't tell me that my laptop is covered by this AppleCare if it's not.

There's two ways of looking at this though, you say this happened because I purchased it on e-Bay. If I bought it directly from them it wouldn't have happened. That's true. But at the same time, if they would list their region restriction on the box or somehow just make it known, then this wouldn't have happened either. A region restriction is definitely not something I would just assume to be on something like a Protection Plan, especially if it's for worldwide coverage.

Okay, we get it, the online registration process is flawed. Are you going to call and speak to Apple Customer Relations about this?

 

[tsubikiddo]

Last time I checked, if you don't agree to the terms you can get a full refund?

It's really pointless to argue here as we have established these terms...

1. AppleCare is worldwide coverage. You must register it in the country you purchased it from.

hmm... that's tricky, it doesn't say you cannot 'purchase' it from other places
yet the fact, at lease part of the problem for some of us users, is Apple isn't recognizing it, all the way upon the time when APP is the most needed.

'highest consumer satisfactory rate' heading south

 

[Rampant.A.I.]

Has the OP contacted Apple, spoken with someone, and recieved an answer yet?

Or is this just going to continue to be an ethical philosophy exercise for Apple apologists?

 

[iLog.Genius]

hmm... that's tricky, it doesn't say you cannot 'purchase' it from other places
yet the fact, at lease part of the problem for some of us users, is Apple isn't recognizing it, all the way upon the time when APP is the most needed.

'highest consumer satisfactory rate' heading south

Let's say you travel and you're not in the original country and you need to buy AppleCare, would the only way be to call the US AppleCare number and buy it over the phone? I've handled AppleCare purchases over the phone and it's pretty straight forward but I'd rather have box in hand. I just think it's troublesome to have to locate a specific AppleCare if you're travelling rather than going to a local Apple Store in that country.

 

[vant]

hmm... that's tricky, it doesn't say you cannot 'purchase' it from other places
yet the fact, at lease part of the problem for some of us users, is Apple isn't recognizing it, all the way upon the time when APP is the most needed.

'highest consumer satisfactory rate' heading south

If you bothered reading the thread, you would know that the ToS covers this in section 7d (UK).

 

[chrisrottan]

People are ignoring the fact that eBay is a kicker in this situation. Like repeated numerous times in the thread, if a customer were to buy it at an authorized reseller, chances of getting the wrong AppleCare is pretty much none and if by chance you do get one, that reseller will have no problem replacing it with the appropriate one. Why does Apple need to state the region if they have no intention of selling that particular AppleCare internationally?

It is not illegal to buy on eBay and it is a risk because you have no history of the item and this situation is the perfect example.

Should Apple help OP? Maybe but they are in no way obligated to do so. If it's something Apple can control, they might have a little sympathy but the fact is OP tried to save money and went the eBay route.

Because Apple is legally binded by the law of the United States of America to state the specifics of the products they are selling and their compatibility.

Well, yes I did, if you'd really like to know. And again, it was no problem for me, because my booklets were in Dutch, the user guide were in all the languages of the EU, and I bought it in a store, so that was a good first sign that the enrollment was meant for the EU. And within the terms, all of the countries were mentioned. I do understand it is a problem for people in English-speaking countries, and you skimp on reading the terms. Do AppleCare user guides in the US also have other languages other than English and Spanish?

By the way, I looked it up again, and I was right that within 30 days, you can cancel the plan and receive restitution, and after 30 days can receive a partial refund.

English and Spanish actually.
Yes, you can cancel it within 30 days. But the fact of the matter is that stores won't offer a full refund for open boxes regardless of what's inside. Get it now? Once the box says "Global", it gives you a sense of security.
Same as if you were to buy an ink cartridge. You buy it for the specific model of your printer but what if there is a hidden agreement that says it will only fit printers by regions?

 

[iLog.Genius]

Because Apple is legally binded by the law of the United States of America to state the specifics of the products they are selling and their compatibility.

Really? I guess someone should really call and file a lawsuit against Apple for not specifying since they introduced AppleCare then. (How are people still throwing around legalities yet Apple remains unscathed? I guess people are afraid of the big bad Apple.)

 

[vant]

Yes, you can cancel it within 30 days. But the fact of the matter is that stores won't offer a full refund for open boxes regardless of what's inside. Get it now? Once the box says "Global", it gives you a sense of security.
Same as if you were to buy an ink cartridge. You buy it for the specific model of your printer but what if there is a hidden agreement that says it will only fit printers by regions?

Not true. 100% refund.

 

[acfusion29]

Has the OP contacted Apple, spoken with someone, and recieved an answer yet?

Or is this just going to continue to be an ethical philosophy exercise for Apple apologists?

Doesn't seem like it.

The only thing it seems like people are talking about in this thread is eBay and the OP is talking about the damn box.

For ****s sakes, call Apple already. It's been 5 pages and you've repeated yourself more than enough times. Right now, you're being stubborn and no one can help you here, only Apple can.

If one rep can't help you, ask to be transferred to someone higher up in charge, and keep climbing the latter until you are satisfied.

 

[tsubikiddo]

If you bothered reading the thread, you would know that the ToS covers this in section 7d (UK).

Thanks vant for showing me the shortcut
okay, forgive me for I am no lawyer, have next-to-none understanding on how the consumer rights/liability/responsibility mechanism works and speak broken English

I am referring to Apple - Legal - Service Products - AppleCare Protection Plan Terms and Conditions (http://www.apple.com/legal/applecare/appgeos.html)

So, I'm in Australia, I bought a MBP in Australia.
And, if I buy an APP from, say Thailand, South Korea or even PRChina, during my overseas assignments,
well, these 3 places are classified under 'Asia/Pacific Countries',
will it be a reasonable assumption that I have a 'valid' APP? That is,

a. i.)if unfortunately, my MBP somehow managed to fail once I return from my assignment trips, am I covered?
a. ii.) does buying from an 'authorised reseller' in one of these places make a difference?

b.i. )In alternative, what if the MBP fails in one of these places and I have the APP successfully activated immediately after I bought them?
b.ii.) does buying from an 'authorised reseller' in one of these places make a difference?

Please in no ways interpret this as a challenge or a flaming post,
these are questions that I genuinely want to find out.
And I would really really appreciate to everyone and whoever that can lay everything on the table and completely de-complicate this whole inter-tangling legal and ruling stuff.

 

[feelthefire]

The part number for Applecare for 15" MacBook Pro in the USA is MB588LL/A.

The part number for Applecare for 15" MacBook Pro in the UK is MA515ZM/A.

If you didn't even bother to verify that the PART NUMBER of the item you were purchasing matched the item you were interested in, then there is no more accurate phrase than caveat emptor.

As far as the online registration process, the people in the other eBay thread will remind you that the web registration process simply checks the validity of the serial number. The registration is reviewed by hand after that which can take months, and that is where the fact that your computer's serial number has an American prefix while your Applecare serial number has a European prefix will be caught.

If you had purchased it from an authorized reseller, that reseller would have been contacted to provide Apple a part and serial number for the proper region and the distribution center would have credited them one region-correct applecare for replacement. Since you didn't, apple can't issue a credit to the reseller since by their books, the seller shouldn't even have any to sell.

If the person you bought it from really did "buy them in bulk" then he should be able to prove ownership of that serial number to apple through legitimate distribution. When we receive applecares, the serial number for each one is noted on the packing slip, invoice, and also on the customer's receipt. If the seller was legitimate, proving the applecare's origin and arranging for its replacement would be trivial.

My guess, given the source of the applecare (UK) and price (too low to be true) these are stolen items.

 

[tsubikiddo]

The part number for Applecare for 15" MacBook Pro in the USA is MB588LL/A.

The part number for Applecare for 15" MacBook Pro in the UK is MA515ZM/A.

If you didn't even bother to verify that the PART NUMBER of the item you were purchasing matched the item you were interested in, then there is no more accurate phrase than caveat emptor.

As far as the online registration process, the people in the other eBay thread will remind you that the web registration process simply checks the validity of the serial number. The registration is reviewed by hand after that which can take months, and that is where the fact that your computer's serial number has an American prefix while your Applecare serial number has a European prefix will be caught.

If you had purchased it from an authorized reseller, that reseller would have been contacted to provide Apple a part and serial number for the proper region and the distribution center would have credited them one region-correct applecare for replacement. Since you didn't, apple can't issue a credit to the reseller since by their books, the seller shouldn't even have any to sell.

If the person you bought it from really did "buy them in bulk" then he should be able to prove ownership of that serial number to apple through legitimate distribution. When we receive applecares, the serial number for each one is noted on the packing slip, invoice, and also on the customer's receipt. If the seller was legitimate, proving the applecare's origin and arranging for its replacement would be trivial.

My guess, given the source of the applecare (UK) and price (too low to be true) these are stolen items.

Caveat Emptor, what a brilliant expression
thank you for enlightening me

so basically, it doesn't matter what price the eBay sellers are selling,
the part no. has got to be matching to the machine's purchasing country's APP parts no.

Thanks, learned a lesson today
Apple has totally pushed me to a new level of consumer awareness (in a good way)

 

[chrisrottan]

Really? I guess someone should really call and file a lawsuit against Apple for not specifying since they introduced AppleCare then. (How are people still throwing around legalities yet Apple remains unscathed? I guess people are afraid of the big bad Apple.)

Because
a) there are many people like you or others who will excuse everything apple makes.
b) the inconclusive terms vary state by state.
c) There are many other threads like this. Google it.
d) It takes time and money to sue. Unless the case goes to the Court of Appeals, then Apple will keep postponing it. The more you postpone it, the more it will be forgotten
e) When a group of people voice their opinions, like they did with the nvidia GPU they didn't want to fix before but after many blogged about it they eventually listened, then Apple will do something about this. But as long as you have a way around to get money from consumers and deny coverage, they will do it.

Heck, that's happening right now with health insurers. Once you become part of "form fillout" for an insurance company, that will basically mean your claim will be denied.

 

[chrisrottan]

My guess, given the source of the applecare (UK) and price (too low to be true) these are stolen items.

No, it's called buying in bulk using your discount + credit card discounts + whatever other discount you have. If you sell them at MSRP, then they'd rather buy them at a retail store.
BTW, Caveat Emptor, that along deserves a standing ovation.

 

[iLog.Genius]

Because
a) there are many people like you or others who will excuse everything apple makes.
b) the inconclusive terms vary state by state.
c) There are many other threads like this. Google it.
d) It takes time and money to sue. Unless the case goes to the Court of Appeals, then Apple will keep postponing it. The more you postpone it, the more it will be forgotten
e) When a group of people voice their opinions, like they did with the nvidia GPU they didn't want to fix before but after many blogged about it they eventually listened, then Apple will do something about this. But as long as you have a way around to get money from consumers and deny coverage, they will do it.

Heck, that's happening right now with health insurers. Once you become part of "form fillout" for an insurance company, that will basically mean your claim will be denied.

Hah. Love how this guy is playing the Apple Fanboy card when it isn't Apple who is wrong. I seriously don't know how much clearer it can get. If you're buying something off eBay and or not from an authorized reseller, it's the buyers responsibility to make sure it's ok. How are you going to blame Apple for your mistake. People should sometimes take responsibilities for their own actions instead of putting the blame on others.

And if it was a big deal to put on region code or whatever, don't you think Apple would just do it if they saw that it's completely wrong? It's not that hard unless YOU think Apple is out there trying to get people. Please.

If OP needs to be mad at someone, it should be the eBay seller period.

It's really simple. If OP was the one who called me and explained to me the situation, I would tell him that's ok, send/fax in the receipt and we will make adjustments so that you're covered. If he can't do that, I can only assume that he didn't get it from an authorized reseller therefore Apple is in no way obligated to help him.

But who cares, Apple is wrong, next time when I'm on the phone with Agreement Admin, I'll be sure to notify them that it's against the law not to state the compatibility of AppleCare and they should make changes ASAP so people buying from eBay can save a few dollars.

 

[chrisrottan]

Hah. Love how this guy is playing the Apple Fanboy card when it isn't Apple who is wrong. I seriously don't know how much clearer it can get. If you're buying something off eBay and or not from an authorized reseller, it's the buyers responsibility to make sure it's ok. How are you going to blame Apple for your mistake. People should sometimes take responsibilities for their own actions instead of putting the blame on others.

And if it was a big deal to put on region code or whatever, don't you think Apple would just do it if they saw that it's completely wrong? It's not that hard unless YOU think Apple is out there trying to get people. Please.

If OP needs to be mad at someone, it should be the eBay seller period.

It's really simple. If OP was the one who called me and explained to me the situation, I would tell him that's ok, send/fax in the receipt and we will make adjustments so that you're covered. If he can't do that, I can only assume that he didn't get it from an authorized reseller therefore Apple is in no way obligated to help him.

But who cares, Apple is wrong, next time when I'm on the phone with Agreement Admin, I'll be sure to notify them that it's against the law not to state the compatibility of AppleCare and they should make changes ASAP so people buying from eBay can save a few dollars.

Again apple fanboi.
I don't make the rules. Go read the commerce law for each state then come back to me. Until then, your opinion is baseless and goes against what the law says. Why? Because laws are defined for each business to follow them and abide them so consumers, like you and I, could benefit from their products with a sense of security that if for any reason there is something wrong about it, it is covered. And if the company tries to pull something on us, we'd have the law on our side.
Again, let me remind you Nvidia's chipsets and the effort it took bloggers and consumers to get Apple and Nvidia to admit their chipset malfunctioning.

 

[JFreak]

^ If you're buying on eBay to save a $50-$100 bucks off the insurance coverage on your $2,000.00 laptop, knowing that it may or may not work, are you really saving money?

It depends. I for example saved tons of money buying from an eBay seller that seemed trustworthy. Paid 75USD for a Mac Pro protection plan and have a big smile every time I think about the price (299EUR) of the box had I bought it directly from Apple.

299 euros is about 450 dollars, which means 375 dollar savings. Or vice versa, 75 dollars is about 50 euros, which means 249 euros saved.

Apple has sent me confirmation emails and it's all good.

 

[iLog.Genius]

I would really love to see that. Really do. All the people complaining that their AppleCare doesn't work because they decided to save money and get it elsewhere.

The nVidia problem is completely different. That's something the customer COULD NOT control - if you purchased a MacBook Pro with that GPU, chances are it was going to fail and people complaining is completely justified. People are going to start flaming on forums and blogs because AppleCare doesn't work because Apple didn't state the region or country for which that AppleCare is intended for and because you chose to buy it from someone other than Apple? Regardless of how legit the product may seem, don't assume the product will work if not purchased from a reseller.

And I'm pretty sure you can find a law that enforces that there doesn't have to be a label if the product isn't meant for international export or something. The AppleCare that OP got had no business being sold here, only through eBay so how are you going to put the blame on Apple or pull out laws?

But keep throwing in legal terms in here. Maybe one day all that will become a BIG story and land on the front page of Engadget or Gizmodo: "Apple issues refunds for customers who were denied support for international AppleCare purchased on eBay."

 

[infernohellion]

I just don't get this. My old MBP, bought in Australia, bought an AppleCare in Thailand. Have it serviced in Australia no problem? My current MBP is also bought in Australia, bought an AppleCare from eBay shipped from Hong Kong and had it serviced in Switzerland no problem...

Weird.

 

[iLog.Genius]

Ok, I talked to Agreement Admin and this is what they said in regards to AppleCare/Internationally:

- it doesn't have to be purchased from the country where the computer was originally purchased

- phone support is phone support that can be done anywhere

- hardware support depends on the hardware in question. Usually the computer would be shipped back to original country unless it was some minor problem like HDD where it can be replaced at a local Apple Store

This is what's been told to me from an Agreement Admin so I can't argue with someone who solely deals with AppleCare daily regardless of how unreasonable it might sound (point no. 3, unless Apple has a fast and efficient way of getting your computer to NA and then back to Europe, as an example, I don't see how it helps the customer if time is an issue.) Someone else want to also make a 5-10 minute call to confirm what I've been told just to make sure?

 

[LedCop]

Hmm yeah, this is weird... just bizarre!

Everyone is in agreement that Applecare is worldwide. So it doesn't matter where you bought your Mac from or where you bought Applecare from. EXCEPT, apparently in the OP's case, when you buy an Applecare that is not from the same country that you reside.

So if a British customer with a "British Mac and British Applecare" walked into an Apple Store in the US, he'd have his Mac covered by the worldwide warranty just fine. But if the customer resides in the US (like the OP) but also has a British (or whatever) Mac and with British (or just non-US) Applecare, he or she would be refused warranty? That's basically what it comes down to for the OP - residence discrimination - he's an owner of a valid "non-native" Applecare but since he resides in the country where he wants to make use of the non-native Applecare, tough luck?!

Btw, the fact that he bought the Applecare from eBay is largely irrelevant. If the OP had bought his British Applecare from an Applestore in the UK wouldn't he still be in essentially the same position? This is of course assuming that the eBay Applecare was legit and wasn't cancelled by the seller. But the reason Apple have the OP for denying him Applecare was the origin of the Applecare, that's it.

 

[Richard1028]

Ok, I talked to Agreement Admin and this is what they said in regards to AppleCare/Internationally:

- it doesn't have to be purchased from the country where the computer was originally purchased

Well there we have it then. The OP got a knucklehead during his/her initial call.

Thread closed.

 

[chrisrottan]

Ok, I talked to Agreement Admin and this is what they said in regards to AppleCare/Internationally:

- it doesn't have to be purchased from the country where the computer was originally purchased

- phone support is phone support that can be done anywhere

- hardware support depends on the hardware in question. Usually the computer would be shipped back to original country unless it was some minor problem like HDD where it can be replaced at a local Apple Store

This is what's been told to me from an Agreement Admin so I can't argue with someone who solely deals with AppleCare daily regardless of how unreasonable it might sound (point no. 3, unless Apple has a fast and efficient way of getting your computer to NA and then back to Europe, as an example, I don't see how it helps the customer if time is an issue.) Someone else want to also make a 5-10 minute call to confirm what I've been told just to make sure?

In other words, your enthusiam for defending Apple backfired. The reason why they didn't put anything in their box means the coverage is not regional but in fact worldwide and it does not matter where you bought AppleCare from. Why? Laws prohibit ludicrous business(unless you're in wall street of course) to protect consumers and businesses.
This is a case of uninformed Customer Service. Which, if the thread starter had followed your suggestion, he would've spent a huge chunk of money to buy another AC from Apple for the same coverage they denied him before.
Makes sense now?

 

[iLog.Genius]

In other words, your enthusiam for defending Apple backfired. The reason why they didn't put anything in their box means the coverage is not regional but in fact worldwide and it does not matter where you bought AppleCare from. Why? Laws prohibit ludicrous business(unless you're in wall street of course) to protect consumers and businesses.
This is a case of uninformed Customer Service. Which, if the thread starter had followed your suggestion, he would've spent a huge chunk of money to buy another AC from Apple for the same coverage they denied him before.
Makes sense now?

LOL no one is defending Apple. We were merely saying that people shouldn't cry if you purchased something off eBay and it didn't work regardless if it's legit or not. The argument was never Apple is always right and the customer isn't. I guess you were too blind to see the REAL argument. Look at the first page, I already stated it makes no sense that they put a region on it and it would mean more trouble for the customer if they were abroad internationally.

I guess the in thing to do is to cry to Apple when something doesn't go right because they have amazing CS and people like to take advantage of it - they never like to take responsibility for their actions like HLdan said. It's not even my problem but I still made a 5-10 min call to AppleCare to confirm which the OP should've done himself instead of coming in here and complaining.

It's amazing how people like to play the Apple fanboy argument instead of thinking rationally. After 7 pages, this wasn't even something OP should've blamed Apple for. He should've made the call himself like many told him to do and he didn't.