Extended laptop warranties/accidental damage protection: Are they worth it?

Hey guys,

I have decided to bite the bullet and get a 15" MacBook Pro. I figure the no virus OS, great screen quality, solid build, and US-based tech support is worth the extra $450 over a comparable HP or Dell.

But I'm getting it at Best Buy, since there's no Apple Store near me. I have the option to get a $349 2-year Accidental Coverage Warranty, which covers drop/spill/electrical surge damage; Best Buy will either repair the unit or if unable will replace it.

My intended use for the laptop will be: home use for using MS Office 2011, organizing music, internet research, and watching Netflix/DVDs; I will also be using this daily at my school (Word/PPT 2011), which is about a 15 minute car commute from my house.

Do you all think the Accidental Warranty would be worth it? Why or why not?I chose not to get Apple Care, since it doesn't cover accidents.

Thanks for your advice

 

Howdy bradleywalters,

I just faced this issue this weekend. I purchased my new 13" MBP at Best Buy and was given the speil on the Best Buy "Black Tie Protection." If you get the 2 year support with tech enhanced tech support (compariable to Apple Care), it is actually $420. The $349 is just extended warranty and accidental damage, if you need software support they will charge you. I look at these type of things as insurance. For the 13" MBP paying over $400 for warrant is almost 50% of the cost and not worth it to me. However, the 15" costs almost twice as much as the base model MBP, and the waranty is the same price, and makes at almost 25% which is more acceptiable to me. On the other hand, I went to an Apple Store on Sunday and purchased AppleCare for $180 (using student discount) to extend telephone support and warranty for 3 years and seemed like a better option to me. The sales guy said that they do offer a Best Buy plan without accidental damage (which would be the same as AppleCare), for a lower price. It all really matters what you are comfortable with. Good luck!

Rich S.

 

Big Box stores make a humongous profit on their extended warranties/accident coverage. As such, logic then dictates then that purchasers of such are not getting such a great deal, when take as a whole..

However, if it were not for the fact that some users actually get more out of it, than they put in, then the longevity of sales of said protection, would have long gone by the wayside.

That being said, only YOU can realistically decide whether your lifestyle dictates that such relatively expensive coverage is worth the "peace of mind" it is supposed to deliver. (Emphasis on " SUPPOSED")

Myself, I have long lost any faith in Best Buy's policies. They have often used subjective wording in their policies that permits interpretation in their favor, when they opt to do so. I would not trust them at all on such a plan.

 

they must be making a killing, my 5 year NBD/accidental on my Elitebook was less than that ..... much less.

but on the flip side I would say applecare IS a good idea as parts and repairs on the 15 and 17" are purely insane in cost. but I have never seen ANYONE with a good accidental protection for Apple computers without too much BS or fine print.

 

Agreed. I have AppleCare for my MBP, but my MBA is not yet a year old,..so I have a little time to decide on that one. If I still have it on its "birthday", I'll probably get AppleCare beforehand.

 

good idea, my Niece trashed the mainboard on her MBA 13 and they wanted $785 CDN for a replacement and repair. got her something different with the repair costs needless to say.

 

Just from personal experience, I would suggest getting AppleCare or some sort of *reliable* warranty if you plan on using the laptop for longer than one year. Sadly, the last machine that I kept for longer than a year started running into problems pretty much on an annual basis after the first year.

But the great thing about AppleCare is that you can always buy it on day 364 (usually), so why not just wait a year-minus-a-day and see?

Also look into whether your credit card has any sort of warranty extension program.