Would you recommend Applecare with rMBP

[Freida]

Well, here is my confusion.
Even the Sale of Goods Act doesn't tell you that you have 2 years or so as the protection there says that you have to PROVE that the fault was there when you have purchased it. That is a difficult one to prove - ie. hard drive might fail 1.5 years after the purchase but you received the HDD working fine.
The reason why I am questioning this is because I used to work for Apple and they have instructed us to end every discussion as soon as someone started talking in legal terms. They did tell us to direct the customer to legal department of apple and we HAD TO end the conversation.
On the other hand, they also informed us that the Sale of Goods Act protects you for the faults that WERE present at the time of purchase. Not developed during the use so now that I dont' work for Apple I would love to know how do you then argue this case, please?

And for the OP - I have purchased Apple Care for my retina simply for few reasons - 1) peace in mind and hassle free treatment 2) aftersale value - THAT itself is huge for me as its so easy to sell product with warranty on it rather than one without it. That is usually my main reason to get it.

No I haven't. But I know what I'd do if I had to.

They operate in the UK so they need to abide by the consumer legislation that is in place. If you had no AppleCare and went to them after two years begging for a fix they'd say you have to pay. If you quoted the Sale of Goods Act they'd have to do something at no cost to you, and if they didn't you would take them to the small claims court. But they won't volunteer the information, you need to be armed with the knowledge. Unless you know the legislation they'll just say no.

They don't teach their 'geniuses' every single piece of consumer legislation, especially if it'll lose them money, and they're not obligated to present you with the information either.

The have a repair facility at most stores right? So I'm pretty sure that you could legal talk them into it. Trust me, it's there for this reason. Here's a link.

http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/sale-of-goods-act/

If they refused I'd speak to the manager. If he refused I'd call trading standards there and then and put them on the phone to them, if they still refused it would be a call to a higher manager with a complaint, a letter and an application to the small claims court.

Often companies make you fill in an out of warranty form, but they nearly always cough up before it goes to court. Again, if they have repair facilities I doubt it would take that much to get them to repair a faulty item. But still, you may have to wait if they ask you to fill some forms in whole they process it and it might take a couple of weeks.

It's better than paying though and it hasn't failed me yet.

 

[Classiclays]

I rather save my money. I read through the last two pages and didn't see any mention of the American Express warranty extender. After my AppleCare ends, I have another year added on so I'll take my chances.

 

[Harrycooke]

So you'd rather be screwed over and pay for something that you don't need to pay for?

Mostly companies abide by the legislation. Like I said, 90% of the time. Sometimes you just need to be assertive and insistent, they won't volunteer the information. If you want to pay for your issue to be fast tracked, whatever, but you don't need Apple Care if you're in the UK. I would go to the Apple Store armed with the knowledge I have on the legislation and most likely get a similar level of service that you would with your Apple Care.

I've done it many times over the years with many products from different retailers.

It's up to you, but it's a stupid waste of money.

It's on the Apple website! In the UK we get like 6 years covered by the lifetime of goods act or whatever.

 

[sofianito]

It's on the Apple website! In the UK we get like 6 years covered by the lifetime of goods act or whatever.

6 years??? Please provide the link, I won't believe it until I see it!

Although Apple says it offers only one year, in europe, it is minimum two years warranty like in Spain and France. Some nordic countries like Norway have more years (maybe 3 or 5??), but in those countries people pay maybe 40 or 50% income tax...

 

[Harrycooke]

6 years??? Please provide the link, I won't believe it until I see it!

Although Apple says it offers only one year, in europe, it is minimum two years warranty like in Spain and France. Some nordic countries like Norway have more years (maybe 3 or 5??), but in those countries people pay maybe 40 or 50% income tax...

http://www.apple.com/uk/legal/statutory-warranty/

 

[devilcm3]

6 years??? Please provide the link, I won't believe it until I see it!

Although Apple says it offers only one year, in europe, it is minimum two years warranty like in Spain and France. Some nordic countries like Norway have more years (maybe 3 or 5??), but in those countries people pay maybe 40 or 50% income tax...

well....i guess that explains why mac prices in UK are insane.

 

[GigabitEthernet]

The Sale of Goods Act is very useful.

However, it is not as easy to use as AppleCare. After 6 months, the consumer has to prove that the fault was not due to wear and tear and that the machine should have lasted longer. This is not impossible, but I don't believe you would just get a free repair with no evidence for the aforementioned evidence.

I have bought AppleCare several times, but I don't think I will again, just because of the Sale of Goods Act.

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http://www.apple.com/uk/legal/statutory-warranty/

Apple try to fob you off with that, for example: In most EU member states, consumers may only claim for defects that were present on delivery. That implies that you can only claim if the fault was there from the very beginning. That is not true! You can claim up to 6 years after, if the fault only materialises in the fifth year for example.

In addition, they do not put all your rights there. You also get the 'durability' right; i.e. how long the machine should reasonably last. If a Mac broke down after 18 months, you should be entitled to a free repair as the machine should last at least three years.

 

[Freida]

Could you please provide a link that would explain this more in details? Because so far everywhere I read it said that you DO have to proof that the fault was there when the product was delivered so where does it say on the consumer act otherwise, please?

The Sale of Goods Act is very useful.

However, it is not as easy to use as AppleCare. After 6 months, the consumer has to prove that the fault was not due to wear and tear and that the machine should have lasted longer. This is not impossible, but I don't believe you would just get a free repair with no evidence for the aforementioned evidence.

I have bought AppleCare several times, but I don't think I will again, just because of the Sale of Goods Act.

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Apple try to fob you off with that, for example: In most EU member states, consumers may only claim for defects that were present on delivery. That implies that you can only claim if the fault was there from the very beginning. That is not true! You can claim up to 6 years after, if the fault only materialises in the fifth year for example.

In addition, they do not put all your rights there. You also get the 'durability' right; i.e. how long the machine should reasonably last. If a Mac broke down after 18 months, you should be entitled to a free repair as the machine should last at least three years.

 

[jcpb]

I rather save my money. I read through the last two pages and didn't see any mention of the American Express warranty extender. After my AppleCare ends, I have another year added on so I'll take my chances.

Warranties are like the Russian Roulette - there's a certain amount of luck and risk-taking involved. Risk-adverse folks are more likely to buy extended warranties, while those who believe their lucky streaks will never end won't buy them. As with boom-bust cycles, lucky streaks aren't forever.

The way MBPR is constructed tilts the Roulette towards buying warranties. When repairing a single component can cost well over $500 apiece, not buying AppleCare is akin to playing the Roulette with half the bullet chambers loaded. Sure, you can save money in the short run, but if you're not upgrading in 1-2 years, can you stomach that risk? $500 these days can easily buy a desktop PC or an iPad...

Remember, only Chuck Norris can win a Roulette with all chambers loaded.

 

[wthomas86]

I purchased my rMBP the day that it was announced & purchased applecare with it. I am so happy that I did because the laptop completely stopped working yesterday, a little over 1 year old. Took it to the apple store today & they are going to be replacing the logic board. $700 repair avoided!

 

[fskywalker]

I purchased my rMBP the day that it was announced & purchased applecare with it. I am so happy that I did because the laptop completely stopped working yesterday, a little over 1 year old. Took it to the apple store today & they are going to be replacing the logic board. $700 repair avoided!

Nice, just there you recover the cost of the Apple Care, plus $350 !!!