Do you know this about Apple Care?

I just bought a new 5k Retina iMac, including the three year Apple Care ($169). I ordered the machine online on Dec 18 but it did not arrive until late in the afternoon on the 30th. When I looked at the Apple Care contract it said that the expiration date is December 18, 2017. Apparently Apple starts the contract on the order date even though I ordered online and there is no way I could have received the computer the same day.

I thought this must be a mistake and called Apple but was told that this is their policy and they would adjust the date to December 23rd but no later. It's not a question of proof as they had even sent me an email saying the computer would not arrive until January 3 and they can check with UPS as to the delivery date.

I asked to speak to a supervisor and the person at the other end of the phone refused.

Did you know this and any ideas how to proceed? I feel like I'm being screwed out of a week's coverage.

PS If this is the wrong forum for this please tell me where to move the post.

Mark F said:

I ordered the machine online on Dec 18 but it did not arrive until late in the afternoon on the 30th. When I looked at the Apple Care contract it said that the expiration date is December 18, 2017. Apparently Apple starts the contract on the order date even though I ordered online and there is no way I could have received the computer the same day.

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I'm guessing that Applecare for online purchases and for in-store purchases starts on the date of purchase. For online orders that have a delivery period associated with it…it's probably very difficult for Apple to track & adjust Applecare dates…as to when the computer is actually received by its new owner.

I'm guessing that because of the various holidays this time of year (and heavy demands on the delivery system)…that delivery times are a bit longer. Plus…if a computer needs to be signed for when delivered (and someone isn't there to sign for it)…this can extend things too.

I would say try calling again (be nice)…and ask the person you speak with if the Applecare date can be adjusted. My first thought is you have 3 years of Applecare…so is this a battle that needs to be fought for 1 week of Applecare? But at the same time…you never know what can happen on the "back-end".

Good luck,

- Nick

I don't like defending Apple on something like this, but their policy of when a warranty starts or goes into effect is not any different than many other companies or sellers of goods. If they went halfway with you and extended the warranty date to Dec 23rd, I would accept that on good faith and go with it.

That is normal Mark and a disadvantage in buying in a single package. Have found the best way is to wait. Resellers sell the program. You have until the date of expiry of the twelve month contract to effect AppleCare. I would be ringing again and ask for a supervisor straight up, or take it up with where you bought it.

I do not know if this is standard practice but it seems to me that if you advertise a 3 year warranty and pay for a three year warranty that is what you should get. I can also understand the difficulty in knowing when the computer is actually received but do not understand why Apple wouldn't make an after the fact adjustment when the actual circumstances are known.

I was told that if I had waited to buy the Apple Care protection until later that the date would still be setback to the original purchase date.

I also am also very unhappy that the advisor I spoke to refused to allow me to speak to someone higher up..

I think the lesson here is not to order online if you want the full three year period you've paid for.

Don't know how they delivered it. Down Under I ordered iMac online and delivered by courier 500 klms (300 miles) away next day so no great problem.

Me neither. It took 12 days between order and delivery. I live on the East Coast and I assume it's assembled on the West Coast so I expected a longer delivery time. I didn't expect the Apple Care issue.

Mark F said:

Me neither. It took 12 days between order and delivery. I live on the East Coast and I assume it's assembled on the West Coast so I expected a longer delivery time. I didn't expect the Apple Care issue.

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I think that you have 14 days from the time you receive it to return it. If this situation is totally unacceptable…return it. Otherwise chalk it up to experience.

- Nick

From the AppleCare FAQ..

Your AppleCare Protection Plan and AppleCare+ coverage starts from your hardware purchase date. There are many benefits to registering your AppleCare Protection Plan as soon as you purchase it.

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Purchase it online or in store, the same policy applies. Buy AppleCare with the purchase of the hardware online or in store or later and the same policy applies. So if you order it online and it takes 2 weeks for thing to arrive and arrives broken for some reason, you're covered since that's part of the 1st year of AppleCare that is included in the purchase price of the Apple hardware.

What you are paying for is two additional years, again form the date of purchase, for the $169.

At the end of the day, what you are getting caught up on is the fact that you want the 3yr AppleCare to start from the date of delivery as opposed to purchase date. With the number of hardware that Apple sells, tracking each piece separately from the purchase date is just a ridiculous amount of overhead that will likely increase the overall cost of the hardware..

Now, yes, you go your iMac 2 weeks after you ordered it and so basically on Dec 18, 2017 your AppleCare will expire as opposed to Dec 30, 2017 and if something was going to break, it'd have to within that small timeframe to be a real issue for you..

The fact that they offered to move the date from 18th to 23rd means that your gap is now a week, I'd accept that and move on..

The fact that they offered to move the date from 18th to 23rd means that your gap is now a week, I'd accept that and move on..

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+1. Exactly what I told you above. My own experience with this: I purchased an iMac from my local Apple Store and took it home the same day. However, I did not purchase the extended Apple Care warranty until 2 months later and I didn't even purchase it from the same Apple store. When I look up my date of warranty, it's exactly 3 years from the date of purchase. In my situation, the advantage was I purchased it from a local Apple store and took it home the same day. Your situation is different. What "Raz0rEdge" stated and I also said above is the same policy of many other companies and re-sellers.

Great post Ashwin!

- Nick

The truth is that it is unlikely (but not impossible) that the lost week will be meaningful. But one of the reasons I posted was to see what the community's reaction was and to see if you were as offended by this as I am. But the concensus is clearly no, so I guess I'll just move on and enjoy the new toy.

Thanks to all for your opinions.

Hey, enjoy your new iMac! You have one fantastic machine... don't let the worry over a week of Apple care spoil it for you. Have fun and let us know how you like your new machine.

Hopefully that week won't matter when it comes time. Enjoy that iMac…the 5k model is awesome!

- Nick