Applecare+ is NOT what they advertise regarding accidental damage

[drvelocity]

I recently dropped my Macbook Pro on the concrete and put some rather severe dents and scuffs on the case itself. Luckily I had Applecare+ which covers accidental drop damage to the external enclosure! No, apparently it doesn't cover "cosmetic damage", which is a BS cop out considering how they describe the coverage on their sales page:

This is the fine print from the Applecare+ web site:

"...up to two incidents of accidental damage from handling of your Mac, each incident being subject to a service fee of $99 for screen damage or external enclosure damage, or $299 for other damage, plus applicable tax."

"Accidental damage from the handling of your mac, $99 for external enclosure damage". That is literally what happened!

Essentially the problem is I didn't drop it hard enough?

 

[DarkKnight1968]

I guess I’m missing your point. Why would they cover cosmetic damage? I have Apple Care + on all my Apple devices and wouldn’t expect that they would fix scratches, dents, etc. unless it was impacting the operation of the device.

 

[drvelocity]

Because they explicitly say that it covers "accidental damage from the handling of your mac", specifically "external enclosure damage". I had always assumed this included..er accidental damage from dropping my macbook, which is the primary reason I bought Applecare+ in the first place.

Damage is the word they use, not "loss of functionality". If they want to cover loss of functionality due to damage then they should use those words.

 

[mightyjabba]

I feel like I've heard of a lot of examples of people getting replacements for things that did not actually affect functionality. Is it possible to try again at a different store?

 

[drvelocity]

I feel like I've heard of a lot of examples of people getting replacements for things that did not actually affect functionality. Is it possible to try again at a different store?

I wish I could, unfortunately there's just one Apple store in my city. I'll probably have to call Apple to attempt an appeal but I just wanted people like me who are in the dark on this policy to know what isn't covered.

 

[DarkKnight1968]

Take a look at the terms in the actual agreement:


“2.2 Services for Accidental Damage from Handling (“ADH Service”)

If during the Plan Term you submit a valid claim notifying Apple that the Covered Device has failed due to accidental damage from handling resulting from an unexpected and unintentional external event (e.g., drops and damages caused by liquid contact from spills) (“ADH”), Apple will, at its discretion and subject to the service fee described below, either (i) repair the defect using new or refurbished parts that are equivalent to new in performance and reliability, or (ii) exchange the Covered Device with a replacement product that is new or equivalent to new in performance and reliability. Each time you receive services for ADH is a “Service Event”. Exclusions apply as described below. Further, services for ADH expire and all of Apple’s obligations to you under this Section are discharged and fulfilled in their entirety once Apple has provided to you two (2) Service Events. “

The damage needs to cause the device to fail in order to be covered.

 

[drvelocity]

Take a look at the terms in the actual agreement:


“2.2 Services for Accidental Damage from Handling (“ADH Service”)

If during the Plan Term you submit a valid claim notifying Apple that the Covered Device has failed due to accidental damage from handling resulting from an unexpected and unintentional external event (e.g., drops and damages caused by liquid contact from spills) (“ADH”), Apple will, at its discretion and subject to the service fee described below, either (i) repair the defect using new or refurbished parts that are equivalent to new in performance and reliability, or (ii) exchange the Covered Device with a replacement product that is new or equivalent to new in performance and reliability. Each time you receive services for ADH is a “Service Event”. Exclusions apply as described below. Further, services for ADH expire and all of Apple’s obligations to you under this Section are discharged and fulfilled in their entirety once Apple has provided to you two (2) Service Events. “

The damage needs to cause the device to fail in order to be covered.

You're 100% correct that this is certainly what the policy states (and now I know), but it's not at ALL what Apple implies with their language on the sales portion of the Applecare page. Nowhere on the sales page do they state that the device has to "fail due to accidental damage". Just that "accidental damage" is covered. That is disingenuous at best.

 

[chabig]

You might get lucky by shopping it around, but expecting Apple to essentially give you a new machine for $99 seems like too much. AppleCare terms and conditions exclude cosmetic damage that doesn’t affect functionality.

You might have personal property or home owner’s insurance that covers it.

 

[DarkKnight1968]

You're 100% correct that this is certainly what the policy states (and now I know), but it's not at ALL what Apple implies with their language on the sales portion of the Applecare page. Nowhere on the sales page do they state that the device has to "fail due to accidental damage". Just that "accidental damage" is covered. That is disingenuous at best.

I would disagree that it is disingenuous. All I had to do was click the link on the sales page for the terms and conditions. You can’t really go back and complain after the fact if you didn’t read the terms of what you were actually agreeing to. I don’t think I’ve encountered a product sold by any company that puts the entirety of the terms of an agreement on their sales page. They make the terms easily accessible with a link, your choice whether to read those or not.

 

[kingtj]

Over the years, I've learned the best insurance against scratches and dents on a Mac is buying a plastic clamshell type case that snaps over the top and bottom. Yeah, they tend to make the computer look "cheap" with all that plastic on them ... but you can buy those covers for about $10-12 on Amazon or eBay from many Asian manufacturers, and they'll keep your machine looking brand new when you take them off of it.

 

[mouthster]

"accidentally" run it over with your car, then it won't be functional...

 

[-narcan-]

Just drop it again

 

[drvelocity]

"accidentally" run it over with your car, then it won't be functional...

Exactly, this is what they are essentially requiring. Ridiculous. I'm not going to do that but a more unscrupulous person certainly could.

 

[burgman]

I would disagree that it is disingenuous. All I had to do was click the link on the sales page for the terms and conditions. You can’t really go back and complain after the fact if you didn’t read the terms of what you were actually agreeing to. I don’t think I’ve encountered a product sold by any company that puts the entirety of the terms of an agreement on their sales page. They make the terms easily accessible with a link, your choice whether to read those or not.

Misleading/dishonest Ad copy seems to go against Apple’s strutting about proclaiming how different they are. Plenty of examples of them doing it over the years, just like every other company.
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Exactly, this is what they are essentially requiring. Ridiculous. I'm not going to do that but a more unscrupulous person certainly could.

Mine fell down the stairs...twice. Bad dog

 

[tlaw81]

Keep dropping it over and over until it breaks. Then ask them to fix it.

 

[mouthster]

Exactly, this is what they are essentially requiring. Ridiculous. I'm not going to do that but a more unscrupulous person certainly could.

I miss the old Apple. I had a 3 month old iPhone 4 and was showing it to a friend on an 8th floor balcony and it slipped out of her fingers and crashed to the ground. Frame was warped, glass shattered, but it still worked! I took it to the Apple store the next day and asked how much to fix. He went in the back and just grabbed a new phone! No charge. That would never happen today.

 

[DarkKnight1968]

Misleading/dishonest Ad copy seems to go against Apple’s strutting about proclaiming how different they are. Plenty of examples of them doing it over the years, just like every other company.
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Mine fell down the stairs...twice. Bad dog

How is it misleading? It states damage and then defines damage. Laziness or failing to know what you are agreeing to is not a valid complaint. It’s not like they hid the link to the terms and conditions. If there was no way to find the terms or they didn’t provide them until after you signed up, that would be different.

 

[maflynn]

but it's not at ALL what Apple implies

If doesn't matter what is implied, what matters is the actual agreement.

 

[Ma2k5]

This is how insurance generally works - so although I agree you can argue the wording is ambiguous, it isn’t common for policies to cover cosmetic damage in general so you shouldn’t expect it.

Considering the high excess fee and limit of 2 repairs, maybe best not to use it until you really need to.

 

[akash.nu]

I miss the old Apple. I had a 3 month old iPhone 4 and was showing it to a friend on an 8th floor balcony and it slipped out of her fingers and crashed to the ground. Frame was warped, glass shattered, but it still worked! I took it to the Apple store the next day and asked how much to fix. He went in the back and just grabbed a new phone! No charge. That would never happen today.

Simply because too many people took advantage of Apple being generous with their replacements.

 

[Psyclism]

What they're doing is incentivizing people to make what would be an otherwise relatively inexpensive fix into something truly catastrophic and costly. Won't fix my dented and scratched up lid? Ok, I'll drop it from a third story balcony and make sure it fits within their "requirements".

 

[akash.nu]

What they're doing is incentivizing people to make what would be an otherwise relatively inexpensive fix into something truly catastrophic and costly. Won't fix my dented and scratched up lid? Ok, I'll drop it from a third story balcony and make sure it fits within their "requirements".

I’m not sure majority of people are like that.

 

[junkw]

it isn’t common for policies to cover cosmetic damage in general so you shouldn’t expect it.

I would argue that marketing is based on differentiation so I could expect it

 

[mouthster]

Simply because too many people took advantage of Apple being generous with their replacements.

I think it's Tim Apple. Remember when MacBook chargers used to come with the long cord?

 

[Ma2k5]

I think it's Tim Apple. Remember when MacBook chargers used to come with the long cord?

So we wouldn’t get that electric current feeling when charging our MacBooks, yes I remember!