Does the 90-day regular phone support start when you first call them too?
Who calls phone support anyway? Is it for software problems? It seems worthless for experienced Mac users.
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Is Applecare worth it?
- Thread starter Dunmail
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Does the 90-day regular phone support start when you first call them too?
Who calls phone support anyway? Is it for software problems? It seems worthless for experienced Mac users.
Not sure
It"s really a tough call weather it's worth it or not. It may be best to decide based on what will make you feel best. I've never had to use it and I hope I don't but I do have it on my iMac. Being an all in one I just thought it may prove to be worth the money? Heck I don't know? It's like gambling, we all hope that we made the right choice and go home a winner.
It"s really a tough call weather it's worth it or not. It may be best to decide based on what will make you feel best. I've never had to use it and I hope I don't but I do have it on my iMac. Being an all in one I just thought it may prove to be worth the money? Heck I don't know? It's like gambling, we all hope that we made the right choice and go home a winner.
That's what I meant. They ask for a Mac serial number and nothing else that I can recall about when I bought it. For repairs they may demand more, but I'm not sure since this has happened to me only once.
I think I've called them twice in ten years. The last time was actually fairly recently, when Mail screwed up migrating from Tiger to Leopard and I thought all of my mail was lost. The solution was obscure but tech support walked me through it. All they requested was a Mac serial number. Now that I think of it, I should not even have required a serial number, since I'd just bought the Leopard upgrade and was calling for support on that, not the Mac.
In my (limited) experience, Apple is really flexible about providing tech support. They don't seem to charge if you can give them any good reason why they shouldn't.
I didn't realise quite what a contentious issue this was
Insurance of any kind is very, very similar to gambling. In effect you are saying "I'm laying odds against this event happening in the next year". So you could place a bet saying "I won't have a heart attack in the next year" and the bookie (don't know what the term is in the USA) will work out the odds, the cost to them should you have a heart attack and determine what stake you need to place.
Extended warranties are definitely a big money spinner, particularly on household electricals - my wife bought a Dyson vacuum cleaner from one of the major UK electrical chain stores, lots of pressure to buy an extended warranty "beyond the basic 12 months". We declined. Got home, opened the sealed plastic bag containing the instructions and warranty to find that Dyson have a standard 24 month warranty.
These days if I shop from one of these stores I make a habit of saying "If you mention extended warranties I'll walk out of the door without buying". A bit unfair on the member of staff concerned as they get a (significant) proportion of their wages from selling such schemes. The other thing to say is "so you don't expect this product to last more than a year?". Takes quite a bit of explaining
Anyway, still waiting for my iMac Seems to have been caught up in the glut of orders and the delivery has been put back by ten days.
Insurance of any kind is very, very similar to gambling. In effect you are saying "I'm laying odds against this event happening in the next year". So you could place a bet saying "I won't have a heart attack in the next year" and the bookie (don't know what the term is in the USA) will work out the odds, the cost to them should you have a heart attack and determine what stake you need to place.
Extended warranties are definitely a big money spinner, particularly on household electricals - my wife bought a Dyson vacuum cleaner from one of the major UK electrical chain stores, lots of pressure to buy an extended warranty "beyond the basic 12 months". We declined. Got home, opened the sealed plastic bag containing the instructions and warranty to find that Dyson have a standard 24 month warranty.
These days if I shop from one of these stores I make a habit of saying "If you mention extended warranties I'll walk out of the door without buying". A bit unfair on the member of staff concerned as they get a (significant) proportion of their wages from selling such schemes. The other thing to say is "so you don't expect this product to last more than a year?". Takes quite a bit of explaining
Anyway, still waiting for my iMac
Seems to have been caught up in the glut of orders and the delivery has been put back by ten days.
It is similar to gambling, but gambling in reverse. The insurance company is betting that the bad event won't occur; you as the insurance purchaser are betting that it will. Of course the insurance company knows the odds, and prices the bet accordingly. I understand why people buy life insurance, but that has to be one of the more peculiar wagers anyone can make.
Yes, "bookies" in this country too, but operating illegally here for the most part. (Except for insurance companies of course -- that kind of book-making is perfectly legal!)
I was looking all over the place for this, and yes, apparently it's a UK only thing.
After bad experiences with my last two laptops (£800+ Vaio and a £400 odd Acer) both lasting 13 months! I decided to go for Applecare with my macbook.
I qualify for the UK Higher Education but looking at it I thought the 36 month warranty was a bit sketchy seeing as the only reference I could find was one line of a terms and conditions thing.
Anyway I opted to pay extra and think it was worth it for the piece of mind even if it ran faultlessly for 3 years.
That would be peace of mind. But I have to agree. People here are trashing insurance and equating it to gambling. You get no peace of mind with gambling. And it's funny, everybody here couldn't do without insurance, whether for health, house, car, etc. Yes, those things are more important than a computer, but it's all insurance nevertheless, just a matter of degree. Some people want to insure more than just those basics, and for them it's worth it.
It's not a question of "importance," it's a question of whether you'd be able to handle the financial loss should it occur. This is why people insure their homes, their cars, and their health. Insuring against losses you could easily afford to pay yourself is over-insuring. It is not "trashing" the concept of insurance. But this has been explained several times already.
Why would you bet for something bad to happen? In Vegas, you bet for something good to happen. People who say it gives them "peace of mind" are too pessimistic. Are you really going to worry constantly about a computer? Even if you are struggling financially, losing $1000-$2000 is not the end of the world, especially when you are guaranteed at least 1 year of use (2 when paying by credit card). And especially on something that depreciates in value as fast as a computer.
This should give you even more reason NOT to get it. The odds of it happening 3 times in a row are extremely low. Let's say one out of every ten computers need repair. 1/10 x 1/10 x 1/10 = 1/1000 or .1%.
Even if you argue the odds are much higher, that 1 out of every 3 need repair. 1/3 x 1/3 x 1/3 = 1/27 or 3.7%.
Let's say that you buy a $2,000 computer and don't have the funds to immediately replace it if it were to have a catastrophic failure. Additionally you use said computer for real work and can't afford to go with no computer for 4-6 months while you accumulate the needed funds to replace the machine.
Suddenly $65 of insurance for said $2,000 computer is a not such a bad idea.
Similarly, I could replace my very expensive Audi A4 if something bad happened to it, but I probably wouldn't want to just write a check for something like that. Hence, it's fully insured.
You keep missing the point. It IS a question of what's important to you, in protecting against loss. If you can't do without a computer and don't want the risk of shelling out to fix it during years 2-3, Applecare is worth it. If a computer's not that important, at least not as important as health insurance, then you take the risk.
Although paying $500 to fix a $1200 computer may be affordable, that's not always the point with insurance. What value do you get (if that happens) out of your original $1200 investment to get hit with a $500 repair bill? Pretty poor value. Applecare reduces the risk, if you don't want to take that risk.
How many times is this going to go back and forth? Everyone's repeating the same thing, just using different wording. It's as if one side always wants to get the last word in, even though it won't convince the other side.
The $65 mentioned before is for Mac Mini. You're not going to find $65 AppleCare for a $2000 computer.
If you don't have the funds to replace it, you probably shouldn't be buying a $2000 computer in the first place. No one should spend their life savings on a computer or have to save 4-6 months to buy one. No wonder so many people are in debt. People should stop buying things they can't afford.
Statistics have no memory. Whether it's your first computer, or your 100th, you still have a 10% chance that it needs to be repaired. The odds of it happening 3 times in a row BEFORE you get that first computer is 0.1%; the odds that is happens AGAIN after buying two that fail, or two that don't fail, is STILL 1/10.
You're starting to sound like a zealot, and discounting all opinions except your own. Give it a rest. If someone can insure an $1800 machine for $75 for three years (which will still be worth $1000 based on current eBay auctions and Craigslist postings) why are you so adamant that it's a cut and dried bad deal? You are making the blanket statement that ALL service contracts are a bad deal regardless of their cost and what they are protecting. How can you be so black and white?
No, but you'll find $77 Applecare for up to a $2,200 (sorry, I meant $2,199) computer...
http://cgi.ebay.com/Applecare-Warra...QQptZLHQ5fDefaultDomainQ5f0QQsalenotsupported
What's wrong with saving 4-6 months to buy something? Better than putting it on plastic. What's the problem - if you have to save up to drop $2000 on a computer then you don't deserve to get one? Sounds a bit elitist to me... take your snobbery somewhere else.
So where do you draw the line? If you don't have enough cash to pay for a new car without financing it you should not get one of those either?
I pay cash for most of my purchases, even large ones, but I did have to finance my home as I didn't have hundreds of thousands of dollars lying around.
Sounds a bit as though you feel that those who can't afford to pay for a $2000 computer and self insure it (have another $2000 lying around to replace said computer if it breaks a day after warranty) that they don't deserve one.
I wasn't trying to sound elitist and I apologize if that's how I came off. I just don't think people should sacrifice the quality of their life for a computer.
Everything we do is ultimately to improve the quality of our life. We only have one life and we want the best life possible.
If people are saving 4-6 months for a computer, how are they doing it? Are they going out with friends less? Are they eating lower quality food (Ramen, McDonalds)? Are they working longer hours? Are they traveling less? There is a hierarchy of needs and food, sleep, friendship/intimacy, financial security, all rank higher than material things. If you need to save 4-6 months, most likely you are sacrificing at least one of the most essential needs.
Back in college, I saved for big electronics purchases all the time. Looking back, I regretted it. I wished I ate better and had more fun. Now, I only get electronics/computers that I afford to buy on impulse. If I need to think a long time about the purchase financially, then I'll probably sacrificing my quality of life if I get it.
The point of insurance is to pay for losses you could not otherwise afford to pay if they occurred. That has always been the point of insurance, at least for people who understand the financial side of it. But I've said this several times. I don't care about the last word. In fact, I'm done.
I think you fail to appreciate that with an average income of around $30K a year the typical family can't afford to pay for any computer purchase as an impulse. Spending $1000-$2000 on a computer that the family can use for the next 3-5 years will likely take planning and saving but this does not make it a non-worthwhile investment.
A family who does have to save and make sacrifices to get a computer is often doing it because they want their kids to do better in school, be more competitive for job skills, etc.
For such people $70 for insurance on a $1000-$2000 purchase is almost a no brainer.
While I'm thankful that I can pay for such a toy purchase with cash funds and no real pain, I also appreciate that 99% of individuals who need a computer cannot do so.
Maybe I'm just financially conservative but I don't think any $30k/year family needs a $1000-$2000 computer. A cheap Dell is fine. People obsess over specs here but unless you're gaming or editing video/photos professionally, any new PC will fulfill your needs. Every PC handles the internet, which is what you need for your child to do better in school, etc.
My friend has a $300 netbook as his only PC and he even does occasional video encoding on it. He has a good job and could definitely afford better, but he likes that it's cheap and he can toss it around. Fear/worry also lowers the quality of your life. I remember when I was younger, I saved a long time for a very expensive high-end laptop. I babied that thing, always trying to make sure it was perfect, using it very carefully. This made the experience much less enjoyable than it should've been. There was a lot of fear/worry because I knew if something happened to it, I'd be screwed.
OS X is great and all but I don't have a problem with Windows either. I admit, the main reason I buy macs is because they look good. It fulfills my aesthetics needs but that's less important than essential needs. These days, there is a good computer for every income bracket and it does not need to be a huge investment.
C'mon, most people that save for expensive macs are not families. They are the people that watch Steve's keynotes and go "Oh my god, I must have that even though I probably don't need it and need to eat ramen every day for three months" If you are one of these people, go and spring for AppleCare. Otherwise, you might have to eat ramen for three more months.
Yes, statistics have no memory but if three of your last laptops failed at 13 months, wouldn't you still think "I have the worst luck"?
How am I discounting all opinions when I respond to all of them? The reason I make such a blanket statement is because if it were a good deal, they wouldn't be offering it. Period. It's a business. Apple allows reselling on eBay so even at $75, it is still profitable and remember that the resellers get a cut of that too. Also, for $75, you are only buying 2 years not 3 (1 year if your credit card covers the second year).
I have no problems with people wanting it for "peace of mind" but it's not financially wise and it won't save them money if they keep buying it. That is a fact, not an opinion.
The biggest problem I have is the profit margin. Personally, I think AppleCare should be non-profit. Apple should charge enough for them to break even. This is different from, let's say, Best Buy or Circuit City's extended warranties. They are insuring a third party product. Apple is insuring their own product. They make something, they sell it to you, then they sell you a service contract with a huge profit margin, and they will only service the product if the problem was their fault in the first place (they don't cover accidental damage or anything you do to your machine).
Who else sees something wrong with that?
You get one year of AppleCare as standard with every new machine, right?
The AppleCare you buy seperate adds another two years onto your existing "supplied" year?
And, am I right in that you have until one year from purchase to extend/buy AppleCare?
The AppleCare you buy seperate adds another two years onto your existing "supplied" year?
And, am I right in that you have until one year from purchase to extend/buy AppleCare?
Well I bought Apple Care for my Mac Pro and MBP for a third of the price on ebay, only to learn that here in Norway all electrical equipment bought from any retailer in Norway, including the Apple Online store has to be guaranteed for FIVE years. Yes five years. Apparantly the Norwegian consumer dept. has given Apple a very hard time over the years, even causing them to change the way they sell iTunes in Europe.
I friend of mine with a 3 year old iMac which broke down just took it into an Apple store the other month and was given a brand new one in exchange. So it does work.
Live and learn
I friend of mine with a 3 year old iMac which broke down just took it into an Apple store the other month and was given a brand new one in exchange. So it does work.
Live and learn