Is extended warranty worth it?

Since I'm pretty much sold on the 1.8 GHz single Power Mac G5 at this point, but waiting for the Tiger OS before I order it, I thought I'd ask about whether extended warranty would be worth the extra few hundred dollars to get. Although the included 1-year free parts & labor is pretty standard, I'll admit that the 90 days of free phone support sounds pretty cheap on Apple's part when you're shelling out so much for this system. This makes the 3-years-for-both extended warranty sound much more appealing (and comforting to a Mac newbie). Perhaps some testimonies of it being a complete waste or a total blessing will make my decision easier.

applecare is 100% worth it.. you dont have to buy it right away, but just make sure you do before the 1 year warranty is up.

The reason why everyone sells extended warranties is that the profit margins on them are something like 80-90%, especially for electronics. Sales people will ask you at least 5 times if you want it, because they will make more commission on the warranty than on any merchandise.

If you need it, it's totally worth it. Odds are you won't need it and it's just money down the drain.

In three years your computer will only be worth 30% of what you paid new.

Also, read the fine print. There are often deductibles and fees associated with making claims.

the applecare has no deductibles, and is definately worth it. After the 90 days of phone support are gone, youll have to either throw your 40 pound computer in your car and go to the applestore, or use the useless online support system. Also, statistics show that the majority of computer problems occur after the 1st year of ownership. Applecare also includes Techtool Deluxe, a good software program for finding errors on your computer.

for something like this a power mac id say ya if it was cheaper then maybe not but fora power mav that will last you for 3 years i say yes

Its better if you just buy it at a store and get an extended warranty witht eh store, rather than Apple. It's easier and less of a hassle if you need to use it. Then you dotn need to call apple to tell them that you need an exchange. They will hassle you and the people are the phone are total idiots.

Applecare is definitely worth it.

My roommate is living proof of how good applecare is.

My roommate bought the single 1.8 G5(previous version) with the applecare. Six-seven months later. It started acting up, the grey start-up screen would become pixelated and it would lock up. He took it to the apple store and they fixed it. But it happened again and again. After the third problem Apple replaced his computer with the closest equivalent G5 in their current line-up. So the lowest end PM G5, at that time, was the dual 1.8 and that's what he got.

Moral- applecare definitely pays for itself in some instances.

Check your credit card terms. Some cards include a warranty extension on electronic goods when you buy with the card. Otherwise, as mentioned above, you have up to the expiration of the original warranty to purchase Applecare. On the other hand, in 15 years of owning Macs I've never had to use any warranty service.

I think it's worth it because you can never tell what will happen down the road.

Even though you may NEVER need it..it's worth the money if something does happen..you actually feel better when you have it..

It is worth it. I think Applecare is overpriced and not as good as the warranty you get from Tier 1 PC makers like IBM but it is all that is available.

Computers, particularly laptops, are expensive to repair and failure rate in 3 years is high enough to consider the warranty an investment. I would rather pay $300 out of pocket to mitigate the risk of having to pay more should my motherboard fail or what have you. If you get an LCD monitor it is definitely worth it. Failure rates for LCD monitors are extremely high (around 10% in 2 years as I recall) and Applecare for the monitor does not cost anything additional when bought with a system.

another useful part of applecare is that it raises resale value. say 1.5 years down the road you want to sell your computer. it will be worth more if its still under warranty (applecare is transferable) than it would be otherwise

Definitely worth it

I've had the missfortune of using my Apple Care protection to have the logic board replaced on my '03 tower. The audio amp on the board went out. Called Apple Care, they suggested I take it to a local authorized repair center. Talked to them(the repair place), it would take at least a week. The computer was working fine otherwise and I did not want to part with it for just an audio problem. Called Apple again and requested they send someone out to replace the board. No problem, we'll send someone out. At no additional cost to me, the tech came out at my convenience and did the repair.
I doubt it that any local retailer can perform service that well, on my schedule.

menace3054 said:

... Applecare also includes Techtool Deluxe, a good software program for finding errors on your computer.

Click to expand...

I was actually going to ask about what kind of maintenance and security software a person might need for a Mac in a new thread, but I guess I'll ask now since this reply got me on the topic.

So first of all, is Techtool Deluxe like the Norton Systemworks I use on my PC, and is a program like this needed on a Mac if I don't get the extended warranty? Also, I'm assuming that anti-virus software is a waste since Macs supposedly don't fall victim to virus attacks - am I correct? Lastly, is a firewall needed? I recall reading somewhere that Macs have a built-in firewall - again, am I correct?

If I bought an extended warranty on all the products I have bought that offer it... I would be out of pocket thousands. In recent memory I have had zero products that have failed beyond the normal warranty. In fact I end up throwing out or selling countless products because they just won't die and I want a new one! Some people enjoy the fuzzy feeling they get when they buy the extended warranty. The way I look at it is the odds are REALLY good that if your electronic item (Mac for example), makes it past the normal warranty it will last anyway until you tire of it. There are always examples of how a warranty saved your butt, sure, but do the math over purchasing ten years of extended warranties. The fact is (as stated above) that companies make huge profits on the extended warranties, not only becuase the products tend to last anyway, but that many people just lose the receipt and/or forget about the warranty 3 years down the line anyway, or will just go out and buy a new one, because they just want a shiny new model instead.

There have been such ridiculous warranties that have been offered to me in the past, for example:

I bought a vacuum cleaner. Part of the exented warranty "feature" was I could bring it in once a year for a "free" cleaning where they would just take the motor housing off and blow it out, and no doubt tell me that I need to buy a new belt at the same time. First of all, who on earth would drag there dusty vacuum back to the store on a Saturday and then have to pick it up a couple days later?

Same with a reciever I bought from an electronics store, I could bring it back for a cleaning. Like I was about the disconnect the dozens of cables and drag it out of my entertainment centre.

An extended warranty that included a "stain warranty" on a new expensive mattress I bought. I don't want anyone knowing about my mattress stains, thanks.

The ridiculous warranties offered by radio shack, I bought a small digital camera case for $15 and they offered an extended warranty for $4. What? What can go wrong with a Lowe Pro camera case? The camera inside would have to be destroyed and the case would still be ok.

Cars? Don't even get me started. Telling you that they won't warranty a claim because you didn't keep every receipt of maintainance and supply them with copies.

Bottom line is, take care of your stuff, do the math over five or ten years. Just remember, they aren't offering you the warranty for your own benefit, they do make huge profits on this stuff.

It's kinda like Clint Eastwood says, "Do you feel lucky punk"

How's your luck, i personally never buy extended warranties and so far have never regretted it, but who knows, this might be the time i should have... if you have had bad luck in the past, a little added insurance could be a good thing...

I always buy compusa's replacement plans.

Its got nothing to do with luck. To go back to what I said earlier. Be your own insurance. If it makes you feel better, take all the money you save not buying an extended warranty and put it into a high interest bank account. You will end up with a couple grand not before long. When your Powerbook fails early, use that money to repair it. After many years you buy a top of the line Powerbook with what will be left over. Think about it people. Its like what they say about the financial services industry, it exsists to funnel money out of the pockets of everyday people. So do extended warranties.

I get extended warranties on items that have a high failure rate (LCDs) and things I use for business purposes. As an example for an additional $150 I got a 3 year replacement plan on my $1300 monitor. Perhaps it will never fail but if it does that saves me quite a bit of heartburn. I also have next business day warranties on all my IBM equipment. If something breaks, I call it in and the next day a tech is there to get it back in operation, thus minimizing my downtime. I have multiple laptops so the loss of one of them for a few days is not critical but it is inconvenient.

Now for the PB it was a more open question. Yes I could "be my own insurance" but by getting AppleCare the cost is fixed and known and thus can be put in a budget. I do not gamble, I take the warranty as an expense. Is my PB likely to fail after the first year? Perhaps not, but now I do not need to worry about it either. What I am paying for is convenience and peace of mind.

And a high interest bank account sure as heck is not going to yield a couple grand from the seven to eight hundred I have spent on warranties. Having used my warranty on 1 LCD and my ThinkPad (multiple times), the cost of all the warranties I currently have (3 LCDs, my ThinkPad, and my PB) is less than the replacement cost for the equipment in question. My experience may not be typical, but it is not rare either. Remember the warranties cover the manufacturers cost to replace, not the consumers.

djmitch said:

Since I'm pretty much sold on the 1.8 GHz single Power Mac G5 at this point, but waiting for the Tiger OS before I order it, I thought I'd ask about whether extended warranty would be worth the extra few hundred dollars to get. Although the included 1-year free parts & labor is pretty standard, I'll admit that the 90 days of free phone support sounds pretty cheap on Apple's part when you're shelling out so much for this system. This makes the 3-years-for-both extended warranty sound much more appealing (and comforting to a Mac newbie). Perhaps some testimonies of it being a complete waste or a total blessing will make my decision easier.

Click to expand...

IMO, well worth it. I just purchased a Dual 1.8 with the Apple Care. It was the best extra cash I've ever spent. It'll be very helpful when the 90 day tech support is up and when the 1year limited warranty is up as well.