Another Applecare thread

[rye9]

Yes I did search before I posted this.. before I get yelled at. Well I am posting this because I recieved a call from Apple earlier regarding Applecare. First of all, what is the 90 days of phone support? Isn't that just tech help I could recieve on these forums? I'll post more questions when this one is answered.

 

[liketom]

when you buy a Mac you will get 90 days of phone support with apple like a taster to what apple care is all about , they will try and cold call you once in a while with an offer of apple care. Somethings they can drop the price of apple care off the RRP

what you got and how much you been quoted ? for Apple Care

EDIT i see iBook

 

[Macky-Mac]

...First of all, what is the 90 days of phone support?....

it's for questions you may have about setting up and using your new Mac.....it isnt restricted to warranty repairs if that's what you're wondering.

 

[rye9]

Actually, I'll just ask all the questions right here...

1) Isn't the phone support pretty much what I have right here on these forums?

2) Is it reccomended I get AppleCare, like is there a good chance in the next three years my iBook will have problems? (remember, i do have like 9-10 months left before my warranty expires, so I can wait a while before i make any decisions)

3) If I do have a hardware problem and I call Apple, that doesn't mean phone support right because I might have to send it in.

4) Is this correct: 90 days of phone support (used for software problems)... 1 year warranty (hardware problems) So i have a year of hardware support and 90 days software support? (which i could get here)

Sorry for so many questions and such a common thread, I like many others arent sure. I know Apple makes great products but I just don't know if I should extend my warranty because I heard about iBook logic board problems and various other iBook related problems. (also scratches on the nano) which make me feel Apple has an excellent OS but not so great hardware....

 

[Macky-Mac]

Actually, I'll just ask all the questions right here...

1) Isn't the phone support pretty much what I have right here on these forums?

2) Is it reccomended I get AppleCare, like is there a good chance in the next three years my iBook will have problems? (remember, i do have like 9-10 months left before my warranty expires, so I can wait a while before i make any decisions)

3) If I do have a hardware problem and I call Apple, that doesn't mean phone support right because I might have to send it in.

4) Is this correct: 90 days of phone support (used for software problems)... 1 year warranty (hardware problems) So i have a year of hardware support and 90 days software support? (which i could get here)....

1. yes, no, maybe.......some people who really know a lot will give you good advice here but you'll find plenty of threads where people are giving contradictory responses......in theory, Apple's own tech support should be well trained to give you good support and help...in theory

2. a lot of people recommend applecare for portables, I've had my ibook for 5 years and didnt buy it, didnt need it either

3. if you have a hardware failure that's covered by the warranty then you wont pay for phone support.....if it's really a hardware failure. Of course sometimes people are convinced they have a hardware problem and it turns out not to be a hardware failure, in which case it might be nice to have bought applecare cuz you would be covered for the telephone support charge

4. pretty much, but dont confuse "hardware problems" with "hardware failure".....you can have trouble getting all of your hardware working without it being a "hardware failure"

 

[WildCowboy]

1) Pretty much. You'll be getting official Apple answers to your questions, but the folks around here are pretty good. It's free, so who cares what it is?

2) Most people recommend that you do get AppleCare for laptops. They're more prone to failures due to their complex, compact design and movement. They're also much more difficult to service on your own, and it's expensive to have others service them.

3) Correct. A hardware warranty issue isn't really phone support. The catch is that if you have a problem after 90 days is up and you call Apple thinking that it's a hardware problem, they'll charge you for phone support if it ends up not being a hardware problem. (Did that make sense?)

4) More or less. 90 days phone support is for both hardware and software. The warranty is different...that covers you against a defect or prematurely failing component. Hardware phone support would be something like you wanting to know how to install an Airport card or more RAM in your computer. It's not a warranty issue, but it is support.

One more note...if there are widespread problems with an aspect of a product (like the logic board problem you cite), you don't need AppleCare. Apple will fix it for free anyway.

 

[rye9]

One more note...if there are widespread problems with an aspect of a product (like the logic board problem you cite), you don't need AppleCare. Apple will fix it for free anyway.

Thats only for older iBook models.. so Im out of luck with that. Well... I have a few months so hopefully I'll see what others with the newest model iBooks say. Hopefully, the new models are OK bc I dont want to have to spend money on AppleCare. But this is my first Mac so i dont know how reliable they are. Do they tend to be good or is it reccomended I get AppleCare? What normally goes wrong with iBooks or any mac i might need repairing?

 

[WildCowboy]

Thats only for older iBook models.. so Im out of luck with that.

Right...I just meant that as an example of an instance in which a widespread defect can be covered even out of warranty or AppleCare.

Honestly, I would absolutely go for AppleCare on any laptop. Any number of things can happen...logic boards do go, hard drives die, optical drives stop spinning, screen cables break. In general, Apple gets good marks for quality and support, but it sucks if something happens to you and you aren't covered.

That's what insurance is all about...trade an uncertain risk of a large repair bill for a known smaller bill. If nothing happens to your machine, you've wasted your money. But if it dies, you've saved yourself a bundle of money. There isn't any way of knowing beforehand what the outcome is going to be.

 

[Macky-Mac]

....That's what insurance is all about...trade an uncertain risk of a large repair bill for a known smaller bill. If nothing happens to your machine, you've wasted your money. But if it dies, you've saved yourself a bundle of money. There isn't any way of knowing beforehand what the outcome is going to be.

as he says, there's no way of knowing beforehand.......but then at $249 you're paying an extra 25% on top of the price of the basic ibook and that's a pretty hefty percentage to pay

I've had 7 new Macs between work and home. The price of applecare would have been a total of something like $1500 if I had bought it for all of those computers. For those 7 computers I've had only one repair that would have been covered by the warranty extension and that was a CD burner that died after 2 years and 10 months, so not an expensive repair. I figure I'm "self-insured" these days.

But others will tell you how relieved they were to have applecare when their logic board or their screen went out in years 2 or 3

so it's a gamble.......

 

[Aramis]

New Mac user...

If I am not mistaken, there is 90 day free phone support and also a 1 yr parts warranty - correct? So I would be able to purchase Applecare anytime in the 1st year - right?

My apologies if this has already been answered.

 

[WildCowboy]

If I am not mistaken, there is 90 day free phone support and also a 1 yr parts warranty - correct? So I would be able to purchase Applecare anytime in the 1st year - right?

My apologies if this has already been answered.

That is 100% correct.