AppleCare - Do I need it?

[Eenuh]

Okay, so I have finally (almost) saved up enough to buy myself a new laptop. More specifically a MacBook Pro, which will be a nice upgrade from my 6/7 year old MacBook (running on a whopping 60 GB capacity haha).

 

So now that I am almost ready to order it, I am given the option to buy the AppleCare Protection Plan with the laptop... and I honestly have no clue if it is worth it or not. Basically with my old laptop I was covered for 3 or 4 years by an insurance through my school, but of course I won't have that now.

 

Does anyone here have experience with it?

And would you recommend it or not?

 

Basically it would cost me about £200 extra to get the AppleCare thing, but I'm not sure it is necessary and what I would get with it. It is not really clear to me what you get in return. =P

 

So can anyone give me some advice on this? If I do need it, it means I will have to save up for another month haha.

But then I also don't want to buy a laptop only to have it break on me a year later with nothing to fall back onto, hmm...

 

 

Also, please don't tell me to just buy something other than Apple. I know what I want and why I want it, so no flaming in here. Keep that for the Apple vs Samsung thread. =P

[Magnus]

Apparently you can buy AppleCare separately and from somewhere else (so you may not need to pay £200), so you could buy your MacBook Pro now and then buy AppleCare before your warranty runs out if you still want it.

 

So says the mighty Google, at least.

 

The mighty Google also says that yes, AppleCare is good to have, and no, you don't really need AppleCare.

[Tales]

Can't you just get a regular home insurance that protects everything in your home including your laptop?

 

I assume the Apple thing covers the same thing the electronic stores do over here, accidental stuff like spilling water on the keyboard or dropping the computer on the ground. But that may or may not be covered by regular insurance.

[nightwolf]

http://www.apple.com/support/products/

 

Basically its the same as any other insurance you would get with electronics, if the laptop breaks, you can get them to fix it and if you need help with software you can ring them for support.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AppleCare

 

Little more in-depth information, but its basically the same thing, it just means if anything goes wrong, Apple will cover it.

[Eenuh]

Thanks for the replies guys.

 

I didn't know the AppleCare Protection Plan could be bought during the first year. It wasn't very clear to me from the text I read before. So that's good to know I don't need to buy it instantly.

 

Though now I'm wondering which would be best, the Apple care plan or a gadget insurance. I have no experience with insurances but they cover accidental damage, which the Apple care plan does not... But then the insurance plans seem to cost quite a bit more and I don't know if I will need it. I never dropped or spilled anything on my current laptop for example.

 

But now that I work for a smartphone company and see how they deal with the warranty and damage, I am a bit wary about it all and how easy it is for a company to class something as accidental damage... Hmm.

 

 

*undecided*

[Cube]

I never dropped or spilled anything on my current laptop for example.

 

You also didn't have a Flink living with you.

[Rummy]

Tbh I'd only ever get an extended warranty if it was cheaper than £50-100(probs not even then) or I knew I would be putting my product at risk. There's a reason the insurance business makes so much money, and it's because people are suckers! Can you trust yourself? Will you be taking it around? Are you sure you don't want windows instead? Admittedly the latter probably isn't in the warranty, but ykno.

 

Essentially, if you think you can trust yourself on the whole, then just don't bother; but as someone's mentioned check if it can be covered by house insurance etc, just in case.

[Eenuh]

You also didn't have a Flink living with you.

 

This is very true. =P

 

Tbh I'd only ever get an extended warranty if it was cheaper than £50-100(probs not even then) or I knew I would be putting my product at risk. There's a reason the insurance business makes so much money, and it's because people are suckers! Can you trust yourself? Will you be taking it around? Are you sure you don't want windows instead? Admittedly the latter probably isn't in the warranty, but ykno.

 

Essentially, if you think you can trust yourself on the whole, then just don't bother; but as someone's mentioned check if it can be covered by house insurance etc, just in case.

 

The extended warranty from Apple is not the same as an insurance though. It doesn't cover accidental damage, but it's there in case there is a hardware fault or something. For example if the screen were to completely die on me (without it being caused by me).

 

I'm not sure I need insurance for accidental damage as I have never had any problems like that with my old laptop. I did have to get it fixed twice for cracks in the casing (caused by a design flaw, it's actually cracking for the 3rd time now), but I think back then it was fixed under warranty. So I think it would be good for stuff like that...

 

 

Though at the moment I'll have to delay buying the laptop anyway due to our car breaking down and the repairs costing lots of monies, boooh.

Maybe next month...

[MoogleViper]

There's a reason the insurance business makes so much money, and it's because people are suckers!

 

That's the way I see it. They've calculated that the amount they're charging you is sufficiently high to cover their costs, outweigh the risk, and generate a profit. The flipside of course is that you're paying way more than the risk x value.

 

The extended warranty from Apple is not the same as an insurance though. It doesn't cover accidental damage, but it's there in case there is a hardware fault or something. For example if the screen were to completely die on me (without it being caused by me).

 

That would be covered by the warranty anyway.

[Eenuh]

That would be covered by the warranty anyway.

 

But the normal warranty is only one year. The extended warranty I would buy extends it for another 2 years. One year of warranty really isn't long enough.

[Rummy]

Ahhh, the old crackbook problem, I have heard of it before. I also hadn't taken in what you said properly. Still, £200 is a bit pricey, how long does the AppleCare cover it for? Do you really think it's likely it's going to break in that period? IF it did break, what would you really be looking at to possibly fix it? For me, £200 would probably be too much unless it was going to cover it for a good few years.

 

EDIT: Seeing that it's an additional two years on the original...hmmm. I don't know, I think I wouldn't, but then...what if?

[MoogleViper]

But the normal warranty is only one year. The extended warranty I would buy extends it for another 2 years. One year of warranty really isn't long enough.

 

Apple are trying to con you. You get a 2 year warranty by law.

 

http://www.macworld.co.uk/mac/news/?newsid=3348755

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-04/03/apple-eu-warranty

 

Even Apple themselves have been legally obligated to state it. Although they've hidden it away as best they can.

 

http://www.apple.com/uk/legal/statutory-warranty/

[Eenuh]

I know you are supposed to get 2 years (I have to deal with this warranty stuff every day in my work haha), but Apple are weaselling out of that by saying you can only use that warranty in the second year if the defect was there when you received the product. Which is ridiculous of course and pretty much impossible to prove. =/

[Fierce_LiNk]

Yeah, it's this part in particular which seems to be causing confusion:

 

Under EU law Apple now offers to repair or replace a product within two years if “Defects present when customer takes delivery”.

 

Under the company’s own one-year limited warranty it will repair or replace a product if “Defects arising after customer takes delivery”. This is available for one year from the date of purchase.

 

And under the AppleCare Protection Plan, Apple will repair or replace a product if “Defects arising after customer takes delivery”. This is available within three years of delivery of a Mac or Apple display, or two years after delivery of a Apple TV, iPad, iPhone or iPod.

 

It is the distinction between when and after that is causing concern, with many pointing to the fact that many issues arise some time after delivery but are not caused by the user.

 

So, from what I gather, if you can prove that the fault is there from the start, then you should be ok for up to 2 years. How you can do that, I do not know. Seems pretty shitty to me.

 

It's a lot of money, but then it's there to help you if things do go wrong (the AppleCare). Still, can't help but think this is extortion and quite dodgy in terms of business practice.

[MoogleViper]

Yeah, it's this part in particular which seems to be causing confusion:

 

 

 

So, from what I gather, if you can prove that the fault is there from the start, then you should be ok for up to 2 years. How you can do that, I do not know. Seems pretty shitty to me.

 

It's a lot of money, but then it's there to help you if things do go wrong (the AppleCare). Still, can't help but think this is extortion and quite dodgy in terms of business practice.

 

You might be able to still get the two years thing if you argue your case enough and threaten to take it further.

 

I agree though it's terrible business practice.

[Fierce_LiNk]

You might be able to still get the two years thing if you argue your case enough and threaten to take it further.

 

I agree though it's terrible business practice.

 

Yeah, it seems like you'd have to really put up a fight to get something out of them if a problem did occur. But even then, how exactly do you go about proving that a mistake was part of the manufacturing process and not one of your own? Especially if almost 2 years have passed since you received the machine. It's taking advantage out of consumers who don't really know a great deal about these sorts of things, forcing them to pay even more.

[MoogleViper]

Yeah, it seems like you'd have to really put up a fight to get something out of them if a problem did occur. But even then, how exactly do you go about proving that a mistake was part of the manufacturing process and not one of your own?

 

Well you could argue that they couldn't prove that it wasn't.

 

As for the original question. Nobody can really say whether or not you should get it, that's up to you. I personally wouldn't get it. Because I'm usually careful with things that I own, and as me and Rummy have stated, they're covering enough risk and cost to make a profit out of it, so they're clearly overcharging you in terms of risk/loss.

 

 

As a side note, protect your bubble will insure a Macbook Pro 13" 2.5GHz for £6.99 p/m. This works out at £168 for two years. So you could get it just before the 1 year runs out (insurance has to be purchased within 12 months of buying the product) and still work out cheaper.

 

Other models of the Pro are more expensive (£15 or £20 p/m), however you could consider the fact that you would only pay it up until you needed it (so if it broke after 8 months you would only pay for the 8 months, not the full 2 years). And it also covers accidental damage and theft and more.

 

Again though, I personally wouldn't get either, though it's up to you what you would do. Also try to access how likely you are to get it broken/stolen, i.e. will you be taken it to work or travelling a lot with it, or will it never move from your desk etc.

[Eenuh]

I'm getting a 15 inch 2.6GHz MacBook Pro. I checked before on Protect your Bubble and it would come to £15 per month, which would end up being more than the Apple care thing.

 

Because I'm usually careful with things that I own, and as me and Rummy have stated, they're covering enough risk and cost to make a profit out of it, so they're clearly overcharging you in terms of risk/loss.

 

I'm not too worried about accidental damage, but there is nothing I can do about things like the laptop breaking down all of a sudden, or the screen not working anymore, or some of the other components suddenly breaking down. And to get any of those fixed on an Apple laptop when you don't have a warranty will cost a small fortune...

 

 

I was mainly asking here to see if anyone has any experience with laptops and warranty/insurance, as I am pretty new to it myself and I'm not sure how likely it is the machine will stop working or have a defect in the first years...

[david.dakota]

Most people I know with Apple goods highly recommend AppleCare. A work colleague walked in with a broken iPad 2 (it fell out of the garden hammock, apparently), and swiftly walked out with a New iPad (although that bit, that might have been a mistake on the advisors part).

 

But the normal warranty is only one year. The extended warranty I would buy extends it for another 2 years. One year of warranty really isn't long enough.

 

I usually end up buying stuff that has a long warranty as standard. Kitchen appliances have 5 years, my TV has 5 years, 24 months on my phone. I have no need for extended warranties. The exception is our dishwasher where the guy knocked the price down of the washer, if we added the £99 ex warranty (we ended up paying £20 more in total).

 

However, I believe consumer rights actually state that what you buy should last for its intended life time; ie if you buy a brand new car which should reasonably last 5 years the seller is liable for repairs during that time. I'm a little vague on the exact phrasing.

 

Personally, I would go into the Apple shop willing to walk out if they don't include Apple Care for free, say to them if they're confident in their product, they'll include it FOC - it shouldn't need to be used. Look around at other PC manufacturers, other extended warranties and compare - do not walk in there in a trance as the sales agent will walk all over you.

[MoogleViper]

However, I believe consumer rights actually state that what you buy should last for its intended life time; ie if you buy a brand new car which should reasonably last 5 years the seller is liable for repairs during that time. I'm a little vague on the exact phrasing.

 

It's up to six years, but that's dependent on the product. It seems the EU have decided that it's 2 years for laptops (or the Macbook at least). But as Eenuh has stated they're trying to weasel out of it by stating that the defect has to be present when bought.

[Cube]

You might be able to still get the two years thing if you argue your case enough and threaten to take it further.

 

That's probably not a good idea.

 

Short story of the link: It was a defect known from the start (it was a graphics card), Apple said that if it failed within four years they would fix it. After 3 years the product broke for the reason described. Apple said no. He threatened to take them to court. They ignored it, thinking he wouldn't bother. So he did.

 

Apple sent two lawyers to the court. They lied throughout the entire thing, making up reasons as to why they didn't replace it. The customer argued back with facts, and he had an understanding of the technology. The customer won.

 

Here's the kicker: The judge asked the Apple lawyers how much it would have cost them to repair it in the first place. The answer: nothing. Nvidia would have covered the costs of the repair.

 

So that's how much they're willing to do to get out of a repair that another company would have paid for. They realise that the vast majority of people wouldn't want the hassle of taking it that far.

[Caris]

I havent read through this thread so maybe this has all been said but...

 

You can buy AppleCare anytime in the first year so you can have a think about it.

 

It's only a warranty, not an insurance so if you have any accidental damage on your product it's not covered.

 

And also you might be able to get it cheaper from somewhere other than Apple.

 

Hope that helps.

[Mr-Paul]

I got AppleCare for just £40 thanks to student discount, but there is no way I would have bought it for £200.

Seeing Flink works as a teacher, could you see if you could get it cheaper through his school?

[Eenuh]

I got AppleCare for just £40 thanks to student discount, but there is no way I would have bought it for £200.

Seeing Flink works as a teacher, could you see if you could get it cheaper through his school?

 

The £200 (or £195.60 to be exact) is with the teaching discount. =P

 

If I didn't use Jim's teacher status, it actually would be £279 haha.

Actually not sure how it works with the teaching discount, but I think I can just buy it on Jim's name or something... Hope I don't need anything else heh.

[Nintendohnut]

I got AppleCare on the iMac I bought when I was a student. I haven't used it yet but I'm about to (a tiny backlight problem with the screen after 2 3/4 years) so I'll let you know what they say. To be honest I've only heard good things about it - the vast majority of stories are 'something went wrong, I took it in, they fixed/replaced it immediately'. Apple are known for having some of the best customer service records of any company.

 

That said £200 is a LOT of money. I got mine with epic student discount (sounds similar to mr-paul) so it wasn't too much, and I'm only using it because it's coming up to the end of my 3 years. It's more difficult to break an iMac than a MacBook however.

 

It really depends on what you know about insurers. I have never really had to deal with them before but I assume they'll do their upmost to make it hard for you to claim (that's their business I suppose). If you think you can find one that will cover you for less than Apple in a similar way then definitely go for it

 

I would mention that if there is a fault that is 'known' in the laptop Apple will almost always fix it for free. A good example is the old white MacBooks - the font of the casing where the lid closed would crack and break off. It was a fault with the build, and you can still take MacBooks into Apple Stores and get them fixed. I also had a power cable that melted slightly(!) after about 4-5 years. Took it to an Apple Store, they apologised for the fault and replaced it for free. I didn't have AppleCare for it or anything.

 

(Sorry if this has gone wildly off topic)

 

I'll report my experience back when I take in my iMac next week