Apple Care?

I

Icarus

Guest
Now, i never get extended anything in terms of service and protection. I feel for about 99% of the time it's a sham, and it shouldn't be like, taken seriously. However I hear a lot of people say that you need it. Any thoughts?
 
Joined
Jun 25, 2004
Messages
1,779
Reaction score
65
Points
48
Location
Luxemburg, Europe
Your Mac's Specs
PowerMac G5 Dual 2GHz (June 2004), 2.5GB, Airport, black 5G iPod 30GB, white MacBook 2.0 2GB
Well, personnally, I never extended any warranty either, and, until know (knock on wood) never had to regret it...

But on the other hand, I know people who always buy extended warranty for expensive stuff, because they had some bad experiences in the past.

I guess there's no general answer if you should or shouldn't go for Apple Care, it's an additional security, just in case.
I mean, it can happen to everyone to have a bad Apple, just like it can happen to get a bad BMW or Mercedes, even if, at their high prices, it shouldn't happen. It's always just a piece of hardware, be it electronic or mechanic.
Doesn't matter if it costs 100,-$ or a 1000,-$ if it breaks, it's useless...and there is no 100% quality warranty.
 
OP
A

adiliegro

Guest
But doesnt the Mac come with a 1 year warranty? I called Apple the other day for a noob question and the guy asked me about Apple Care. He said i could add it anytime before the year is up on my warranty. This way, you are covered for the first year and you can decide then if the Apple Care is worth it or not.
 
Joined
Aug 5, 2003
Messages
1,246
Reaction score
0
Points
36
Location
I'm slowly sinking in the posts of Mac-forums
Your Mac's Specs
PowerBook 12" Combo Drive/867 MHz/256 MB RAM/40 GB hard drive/Mac OS X 10.3.5/AirPort Extreme it sux
Dude, GET IT! Its a savior, and probably the only reason why I'm still on the Mac. My 3 hard drive and logic boards were covered, thank the LORD that they were. Without the warranty, they wouldn't have been, and I would have been banned sooner...
 
OP
M

m1k

Guest
Yeah, I just got AppleCare when I bought my PowerBook 4 months ago. It hasn't done anything for me yet, but I'm sure it will in the future. It's all about peace of mind. I seriously suggest getting it.
 
Joined
Mar 30, 2004
Messages
4,744
Reaction score
381
Points
83
Location
USA
Your Mac's Specs
12" Apple PowerBook G4 (1.5GHz)
If you buy using an American Express card, Gold/Platinum MasterCard, or many other credit cards, you'll get another year of warranty coverage free. (Check your card agreement)

Secondly, you can buy AppleCare at any time in the first year of ownership. So unless your original 1-year warranty is running out, there's no rush.
 
OP
B

benmueller

Guest
maybe someone on these boards could share an actual experience they've had with sending back a machine under AppleCare? Good or Bad?

I'm at the point in my first year with my PB where I need to decide to extend the warranty ASAP - I like the peace of mind, but the cost involved ($350) is 1/3 of the cost for me to go out and buy a whole new machine on Ebay. If I knew they'd cover some of the more cosmetic problems I'm having with my PB, then I'd totally do it, but from what I hear they won't.
 
OP
M

m1k

Guest
Well, I've read numerous stories about reviewers who say that the turnaround time was like 3 days or something crazily fast like that...

But I've had no personal experience with it.
 
OP
C

Cloudane

Guest
It's hideously expensive, though. It's like buying another half of a Powerbook!

Usually if something's going to fail, it will fail within the first year.
 
Joined
Aug 5, 2003
Messages
1,246
Reaction score
0
Points
36
Location
I'm slowly sinking in the posts of Mac-forums
Your Mac's Specs
PowerBook 12" Combo Drive/867 MHz/256 MB RAM/40 GB hard drive/Mac OS X 10.3.5/AirPort Extreme it sux
Cloudane said:
Usually if something's going to fail, it will fail within the first year.
I laughed when reading that, because one of the 3 hard drives I went through died the night I got it.
 
Joined
Jun 25, 2004
Messages
1,779
Reaction score
65
Points
48
Location
Luxemburg, Europe
Your Mac's Specs
PowerMac G5 Dual 2GHz (June 2004), 2.5GB, Airport, black 5G iPod 30GB, white MacBook 2.0 2GB
Absolute Zero said:
I laughed when reading that, because one of the 3 hard drives I went through died the night I got it.

Well, Abs, it seems that you really god a Bad Apple...my experience matches what Cloudane said, if it doesn't break during the first year, it will work fine for years...

As yours did break right from the beginning, well, that was already a bad sign...

One thing's for sure, quality control isn't anymore what it was, short development time usually makes the first customers becoming the test dummies... I work in the automotive industrie, and believe me, if you'd know how bad quality car manufacturers quality checks are, you wouldn't buy any car anymore. It applies to ANY car brand, no matter if it's a FIAT or a Mercedes...NEVER buy the first series of a car model!
 
OP
M

Matt

Guest
If I were you Absolute Zero, I would have demanded another PB when the HDD failed on the first **** night. You should actually have a talk to Apple now before it's too late since you have had 3 Hard drive failures and every time your hard drive beeps you have to reformat it.
 
OP
V

VastDeathmaster

Guest
When I got the iBook, I was happy to shell out the 300+ for the Applecare. That was until I accidentally dropped the laptop and cracked the NIC port. The Apple Store and Apple support would not cover it. Yet recently DELL has been pushing its extended warranty that covers accidental damage.

I'm wondering if Apple will pick up the ball and do the same for AppleCare.

(Apple's refusal to fix the laptop caused me to get an airport card and a wireless router. I refused AppleCare when I got my eMac)
 
Joined
Jun 25, 2004
Messages
1,779
Reaction score
65
Points
48
Location
Luxemburg, Europe
Your Mac's Specs
PowerMac G5 Dual 2GHz (June 2004), 2.5GB, Airport, black 5G iPod 30GB, white MacBook 2.0 2GB
Well, it is not common at all to cover accidental damage...that's the job of an insurance. If Dell does that, they are pretty much the only company I know that do cover such damage. :confused:
 
Joined
Aug 5, 2003
Messages
1,246
Reaction score
0
Points
36
Location
I'm slowly sinking in the posts of Mac-forums
Your Mac's Specs
PowerBook 12" Combo Drive/867 MHz/256 MB RAM/40 GB hard drive/Mac OS X 10.3.5/AirPort Extreme it sux
You know what, I really don't care anymore. I'm pretty much done with Apple when the warranty on this thing is up and it dies again, or when I can get the money to buy a PC.

My Performa had a dead floppy drive. My iMac has a dead graphics card, which is on the logic board, which costs more than an eMac to repair. My PowerBook had 3 hard drive failures and a logic board failure all in a month. If you know what your doing, you can protect your computer from viruses and spyware, and its as easy as repairing permissions.
 
OP
C

Cloudane

Guest
Wow, you pay those prices and it's not to cover accidental damage? I shudder to think how much that would cost then!

I'm pretty sure if you buy your Apple at PC World (who ironically are one of the only big retailers in the UK who deal with Apple stuff) and get their own "PC" cover, it covers accidental damage, theft, gives you free checkups in-store etc. It was still too expensive to afford on top of the PB, but I've used it on a palmtop before, dropped it and got a newer model as a replacement with no questions asked.

I'm glad there are at least one or two here who, although we're all keen to pay that little more for quality (hence we're here), don't go so far as to happily fork out an extra 50% or so of their purchase in case Apple's manufacturing or choice of components aren't up to scratch. That's borderline extortion IMO.

I love my Mac and what Apple do, but they really do have some silly ideas when it comes to the prices they charge for repairing faults or extending the warranty.
 
Joined
Aug 5, 2003
Messages
1,246
Reaction score
0
Points
36
Location
I'm slowly sinking in the posts of Mac-forums
Your Mac's Specs
PowerBook 12" Combo Drive/867 MHz/256 MB RAM/40 GB hard drive/Mac OS X 10.3.5/AirPort Extreme it sux
That gives me another reason to hate the United States...
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top