My AppleCare warranty "shipped" and I've been billed for it...

[amphibious]

So, I placed my PowerBook Pro (yeah, I'm joining that bandwagon too) order yesterday and added the AppleCare warranty. Without giving it any thought, I didn't change the "Ship upon availability" option in the process, and there was an email in my inbox saying that my AppleCare warranty had "shipped." I logged into my bank account and, indeed, the money is gone.

Does anyone else think this policy is utterly bizarre since the computer isn't going to be arriving for at least a month? What happens if I decide I want to cancel my order? Am I then saddled with still owning this warranty?

This is a bizarre and questionable practice at best...

 

[stoid]

IIRC, the AppleCare warranty is not activated until you register it with your PowerBook, so provided that you don't open it until you are sure you want to keep the PowerBook (you can activate the AppleCare extended warranty at any time during the first year of ownership) I would think that Apple would take it back if you changed your mind on the laptop. I would still call them though and see what they say.

 

[wako]

No, it is a very common practice for ALOT of e-retailers. Although in this case, it just works against you, many people order many different things and are willing to pay for extra shipping to get some items first before others.

Im sure you can still return AppleCare if you dont need it. Just as long as you dont register it...

 

[amphibious]

No, it is a very common practice for ALOT of e-retailers. Although in this case, it just works against you, many people order many different things and are willing to pay for extra shipping to get some items first before others.

If I bought an extra stick of RAM with my order would it make any sense to ship the RAM BEFORE they shipped the laptop? No... I understand when Amazon does it, when I order a bunch of books each book's functionality doesn't depend on any other book. However, the functionality of the RAM upgrade is heavily dependent on actually having the laptop to put it in. Likewise, the functionality of the warranty is contingent on having the laptop to insure.

It's not like I added the AppleCare warranty on a different, unrelated page... perhaps I was buying it for a different computer. But when you add it on the specific options page for an item not yet shipping that just doesn't even begin to make sense to me.

 

[SilentPanda]

If I bought an extra stick of RAM with my order would it make any sense to ship the RAM BEFORE they shipped the laptop? No...

You are correct. It does not make sense. But it is not Apple that did not make sense. You did not make sense since you chose to have them shipped as soon as available. Granted it was a mistake on your part but. Apple is doing as you requested. Imagine this...

You own a Powerbook. You need another one (let's say for a spouse). You order another one, add some RAM to it, plus purchase additional RAM for your current Powerbook. Wouldn't you want the additional RAM to ship as soon as possible? The same could happen with AppleCare. You might decide to get AppleCare for the "old" laptop instead of the new (since you can purchase AppleCare up to a year after you bought the laptop) and simply added it with your new Powerbook since it was on the page.

In your case Apple did what you asked and nothing more. You certainly can't blame them.

 

[amphibious]

You own a Powerbook. You need another one (let's say for a spouse). You order another one, add some RAM to it, plus purchase additional RAM for your current Powerbook. Wouldn't you want the additional RAM to ship as soon as possible? The same could happen with AppleCare. You might decide to get AppleCare for the "old" laptop instead of the new (since you can purchase AppleCare up to a year after you bought the laptop) and simply added it with your new Powerbook since it was on the page.

This would all make sense IF I was choosing all these options from different pages. But since the configuration page is a single page related to a single prodct, it certainly doesn't.

AppleCare warranties cost different amounts for different products and RAM that works in one system doesn't work in others. If I had ordered a computer, a warranty, and RAM seperately, on different pages then, of course I could understand them sending the stuff seperately since it would be conceivable that they are all for different purposes. But since the warranties, specifically, are different for each system your point doesn't make any sense at all.

Any other computer vendor on earth isn't going to ship and bill a warranty as a seperate product when you order it with a system on that systems configuration page.

I think I'm experiencing a little bit of the "Apple can do no wrong" garbage you fanboys are notorious for.

 

[SilentPanda]

This would all make sense IF I was choosing all these options from different pages. But since the configuration page is a single page related to a single prodct, it certainly doesn't.

Did you not read my example? There is a very valid reason for purchasing AppleCare for a different laptop when ordering a new laptop that is the exact same. You could order off two different pages but there's no reason the user couldn't order it off the same page.

AppleCare warranties cost different amounts for different products and RAM that works in one system doesn't work in others.

You are correct. However in my example (which is a very plausible example) everything is the same so it all works together.

If I had ordered a computer, a warranty, and RAM seperately, on different pages then, of course I could understand them sending the stuff seperately since it would be conceivable that they are all for different purposes. But since the warranties, specifically, are different for each system your point doesn't make any sense at all.

Most likely their system does not differentiate if you bought it from the same page or not. You can order a Powerbook and then select Applecare on the Applecare page and you will get the exact same order most likely.

Any other computer vendor on earth isn't going to ship and bill a warranty as a seperate product when you order it with a system on that systems configuration page.

Just because they do it different doesn't make it wrong... it doesn't make it right either necessarily.

I think I'm experiencing a little bit of the "Apple can do no wrong" garbage you fanboys are notorious for.

I think you're experiencing somebody telling you that you in fact selected for them to ship things as soon as possible to you and they did. I don't care what manufacturer it is. If I order from NewEgg and order every single part of a computer and tell them to ship them separate and they ship me every part except the motherboard until 2 weeks later... that is what I told them to do and they did. They have NO way of knowing what the users intentions are with their product. You told them your preference and they went by it. If you had ordered a laptop bag also off that page it would probably have shipped to you already also. Deal with your mistake which frankly... isn't as big a deal as you've made it to be.