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Applecare protection plan???

R

RedQueen

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 25, 2007
7
0
New to this forum, and also just bought my first mac computer: Macbook pro 2.4GHz, 160GB 7200rpm, 2GB etc with the student special of a 8G iPod Nano.

My question is this: Some people have advised me not to bother getting the extra protection plan (extends service to 3 yrs) for my Macbook pro.

What do you recommend? What has your experience been?

I did get the protection plan with my Ipod Mini and ended up using it twice (battery both times) and was overall satisfied with it. If I'll have similar problems with my MBP it would be worth it, but what is the general opinion?

I am hoping this computer to last me 4-5 years, since even my piece of **** Dell PC notebook lasted over 5 years.....
 
I think you should buy it. You never know what could happen to it. You have 12 months from date of purchase to buy it, so you have a year to think about it.
 
I'd say buy it simply because you bought a MBP. If it were a desktop it might not be as important, but I would always rather be safe than sorry. And you do have almost a year to add it.
 
Applecare

I would also recommend buying Applecare for a laptop. Laptops are just more likely to have problems than desktops in my opinion. I bought an iBook about 4 years ago and bought the Applecare about 6 months later after my bank account recovered a little :) It was definately worth it because in year 3 I had to get my motherboard replaced and it didn't cost me a dime.
 
If you can't get a good price on ebay you may want to check out:

LA COMPUTER COMPANY

I just bought my Applecare for my Macbook from them on Friday. I didn't have them ship it to me since their B&M store is like 4 miles from my house, but regardless, they are legit and they have great prices. You should check them out.

Cheers,
Mike
 
If you are the type of person who changes computer quite frequently, i.e. every year or what not then apple care is not worth it.

But 3 year for me is a good time span for a computer, I usually change every 3 years, that means Apple care is really worth it.

For that extra money, you will be covered for any issues, i.e. motherboard, LCD, CD Drives etc.

Laptop drives fail quite often so its really worth it. Get it!
 
Followup...

Thanks guys! You're confirming my suspicions...better safe than sorry. But I'm really enticed by the half-price possibility on eBay so I will definitely check it out.

Followup question....what about applecare for the Ipod Nano? I guess it's only $50 but if anyone has opinions on that I'd be interested to know....
 
RedQueen said:
Thanks guys! You're confirming my suspicions...better safe than sorry. But I'm really enticed by the half-price possibility on eBay so I will definitely check it out.

Followup question....what about applecare for the Ipod Nano? I guess it's only $50 but if anyone has opinions on that I'd be interested to know....
Click to expand...

I believe when you purchase the MBP at the retail store they also offer $100 off applecare, but I'm still not sure if that beats ebay price.

Anyways, I advise you get the applecare protection plan, especially if you intend on keeping it for the next 3 years.
 
Like others have said, I think it would be a good idea to buy AppleCare for the MacBook Pro. It's a laptop, and they're much more prone to damage than a desktop (hard drive damage, among other things), and being protected for three years rather than one, assuming you plan to have the computer for that long, is a very good thing. (In fact, I'd recommend it for a desktop too, especially since I got burned with a $300 repair on my iMac G5 a year and a half into owning it.)

The good news is, you don't have to buy it right away ... you have any time within the first year, as long as you're still covered by the original warrany. :)

As for whether or not to get it for the iPod nano, it's up to you. It's flash memory (rather than a hard drive, which would probably be the most likely thing to break in a regular iPod), and flash is much less prone to damange since there are no moving parts. But, of course, other things could break, or your battery could die on day 366 of ownership. Another thing to consider is that iPod AppleCare only extends your warranty to two years rather than three, so you have to decide if it's worth it for a year (rather than two) of extra coverage. Maybe by that time there will even be a new iPod model out that you're drooling to have. :) (And also, at least at the moment, you can by refurbished iPod nanos for not very much in the online Apple outlet store, and when you send your iPod in for "fixing," a refurbished model is most likely what you'll get back anyway rather than your actual unit.) So this one is a tougher call. :) (Personally I wish I would have gotten it on my regular iPod, only because my hard drive has failed twice--luckily still under standard warranty the first time--but for a nano, I'd have to think a bit more.)
 
I am debating this as well. I have purchaed my MBP in Febuary, and I currently do not have the funds to purchase AppleCare, and I also want my MBP to last at least 4-5 years..and I had an old Compaq PC laptop that is 7 years old and still works, so I hope the MBP can live up to my expectations.
 
I just got my AppleCare for my MBP on ebay for $166 shipped...god I love JBidWatcher and it's sniping utility!

Anyways, I bought my laptop at the end of November 06 so the deadline for me was coming up in a couple of months. Buying it now gives me peace of mind and I don't have to scour eBay everyday looking for a good auction for it :D
 
How can Applecare off eBay be so cheap? What;s the catch?

Thanks for all these suggestions. I think I've decided that it's without a doubt worth it for the MBP. For the Nano, I don't think so....someone mentioned that it's a Flash drive, so no worry about a HD breaking. I figure that since it's almost free to begin with, I might as well save my $50 and when this nano craps out I can probably buy something equivalent or likely better by then for similar price.

But....I'm wondering HOW can someone sell these Applecare protection plans online for so much less? What's the catch?
 
Apple Not Cooperative When AppleCare Bought Elsewhere

I have to relay what happened to me & Apples Apparent attitude change in customer care. I had a home break-in on the 2nd. & as I had applecare on one of the notebooks that was stolen, a 4 month old MBP, I wanted to stop the coverage on this notebook & move my applecare to a new MBP I planned on buying.. Apple's helpdesk was very friendly until they found out I had bought my applecare from a non-authorized reseller..!!!! First, if I had given my MBP away or sold it they had no problem what so ever, but since it was stolen they for some reason only offer a refund on the unused portion.. Here's the snag, you are required to send them a receipt proving you bought it from Apple or an authorized reseller.. Any other type of purchase & you're out of luck, no refund for any amount.. After dealing with the side effects of someone breaking into my home, dealing with the police, talking with the detectives, being forced to personally obtain a copy of the police report, spending 2 days getting the sheriff's office to call apple security since apple security won't take stolen reports directly from a customer (they require that you have an officer call) & dealing with all that's involved with my home owners I'm really not in the mood for any issue with something as simple as my apple care coverage. Apple's attempt to discourage me from buying apple products from anywhere other than places they authorize & the apparent out of pocket expense associated with Apples failure to transfer or offer a refund has really ate at me, especially since I'm an Apple Tech.
So beware, if you buy an applecare product from a non-apple authorized seller & you have a thief you'll probably be out of luck receiving a credit, warranty transfer, or refund.. I had planned on buying an iphone this month but now I've had 2nd thoughts & will probably not buy one at all as a form of protect.. The profit they'll lose from this non-sale I hope equals the value of the applecare..Plus, I'll most likely buy a used MBP & not a new one..
~Apple This Is NO Way To Treat People, Especially Those Already Suffering~
 
New Imac A Real Headache To Work On..Get Applecare.!

Tech's I know are pulling their hair out just adding ram or changing a HDD on the new form factor Imac.. I'd not buy one of these if you don't plan on buying applecare for it..Food For Thought..
 
Lancelot9201 said:
I have to relay what happened to me & Apples Apparent attitude change in customer care. I had a home break-in on the 2nd. & as I had applecare on one of the notebooks that was stolen, a 4 month old MBP, I wanted to stop the coverage on this notebook & move my applecare to a new MBP I planned on buying.. Apple's helpdesk was very friendly until they found out I had bought my applecare from a non-authorized reseller..!!!! First, if I had given my MBP away or sold it they had no problem what so ever, but since it was stolen they for some reason only offer a refund on the unused portion.. Here's the snag, you are required to send them a receipt proving you bought it from Apple or an authorized reseller.. Any other type of purchase & you're out of luck, no refund for any amount.. After dealing with the side effects of someone breaking into my home, dealing with the police, talking with the detectives, being forced to personally obtain a copy of the police report, spending 2 days getting the sheriff's office to call apple security since apple security won't take stolen reports directly from a customer (they require that you have an officer call) & dealing with all that's involved with my home owners I'm really not in the mood for any issue with something as simple as my apple care coverage. Apple's attempt to discourage me from buying apple products from anywhere other than places they authorize & the apparent out of pocket expense associated with Apples failure to transfer or offer a refund has really ate at me, especially since I'm an Apple Tech.
So beware, if you buy an applecare product from a non-apple authorized seller & you have a thief you'll probably be out of luck receiving a credit, warranty transfer, or refund.. I had planned on buying an iphone this month but now I've had 2nd thoughts & will probably not buy one at all as a form of protect.. The profit they'll lose from this non-sale I hope equals the value of the applecare..Plus, I'll most likely buy a used MBP & not a new one..
~Apple This Is NO Way To Treat People, Especially Those Already Suffering~
Click to expand...

that is awesome that you can get a refund for a stolen mac / sold mac.
 
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