To those considering apple care

and whether its worth the $240 after already forking $1800 for a MBP. Well I just got my macbook pro back from repair (they keyboard and trackpad were giving me problems). It would have cost me $1414.82 if it was not under warranty and thats not including the 1st time I sent it in to replace the top case assembly. The break down: parts (replacement logic board, 2nd top case assembly, and a left fan) $1248.57 and labor $166.25.

So to those feeling like risking it, after a year prepare to bend over if anything goes wrong...

Speaking of which, I only have 4 months left... applecare sales +1

 

I think it's most definitely worth it.

I mean, my keyboard, ONE key was broken (the casing for the key didn't fit properly, so it slipped off constantly), and they said they would have to replace the entire keyboard ($100 CAD), PLUS charge me another $60CAD just for labour! That's only for a keyboard! And my superdrive wasn't working properly - that would have been another $200.

That's the thing - laptops are portable, and so they get bashed up a lot faster - even if you take extremely good care of it. I would definitely recommend Apple care to anyone even thinking about getting it...

 

balls...

I keep the $350 and sell the laptop and buy another one after 18 months or so.

I get a new laptop (under warranty) every 18 months and never fork out the $350 for Applecare, so I don't really "lose" that much money. Especially with the $1999 MBP.

 

Same here. My visa doubles the orignal warranty, and I'll likely upgrade before that runs out.

 

For those who intend to keep it it's a great plan though. Also helps keep Murphy and his annoying laws off of my computer equipment too, when it's under warranty.

Ie; I bought a brand new G4 sawtooth in March of 2000, and bought applecare later that year. It never had a single problem and I owned it until October of 2007. I'm sure if I didn't buy the Applecare, my power supply would have blown up just to spite me.

 

I've always wondered about the Visa warranty. How does that work? Do you take it to Apple and pay them and then submit to Visa?

I have Applecare on a number of iMacs, 3 of which have needed repair and I found Apple terrible to deal with. If I could just pay them and claim from Visa that would be preferable.

 

I have not had to use the visa option. From what I uderstand, they work through a third-party insurer. It would depend on a case by case basis. If its gonna be a huge bill, they will likely buy you out. If its not, they will have it repaired by an authorized apple place.

Its probably best to call visa and actually ask, though.

 

If AppleCare also covered accidents...that'd be awesome . But yeah, AppleCare is great! I have not personally had to use it for my iPod or MacBook, but I've always heard great stories of it.

 

If you're going to be keeping your notebook for any extended period of time AppleCare is most definitely worth it. I personally have it (my MBP is my 'college' notebook, so to speak), but if you're like a lot of people here that upgrade every 1-1.5 years it's not so big of a deal if your laptop dies a month or two early.

I have a question for those of you that upgrade on a regular basis: how would the extra two years of warranty effect the resale value?

 

I think it's well worth it especially now that it's so widely available at half price in North America. I got it for my MBP and it cost me $199. Also remember that the included phone support is great at resolving most minor issues.

While I'm a huge fan of the credit card 1 year warranty extension and have used it before, in this case the insurer will most likely contract a general third party notebook repair shop instead of apple and that can be a little risky IMO. I've heard some horror stories from friends who've had their Vaio notebooks repaired under credit card insurance. But YMMV.

 

I recently bought the macbook for my wife and then we saw the Apple Care being sold for $125 at our local CompUsa store which is closing down. Great deal for 50% off!

 

i haven't bought apple care, in aussie it costs roughly $550 i believe. i think thats alotta mola for warranty

 

I'll just say that if I ever have to call Applecare on the phone again i'll kill myself. I talked to the most ignorant jerk i could have gotten. Not to mention he was an idiot.

 

Apple called me yesterday, telling me that my 3-month tech support has expired. Basically, they wanted me to purchase AppleCare over the phone...

If the person on the phone had more social skills, I might have bought it. Too bad he was somewhat rude...

 

Sorry to hear that. I've had to call them on two occasions and so far when talking to a "product specialist" (I think that's what they called them) they were really friendly and quite knowledgeable. They even followed up on a small issue which I thought was really nice. That was part of the reason for me to getting applecare.

 

When I plan to keep my Apple notebooks for 3 years, I've found AppleCare invariably pays for itself. If LenovoCare existed, I'd be first in line, too. Even the most robust laptops fail.

Extended warranties for anything with a motor, keyboard, or LCD. I've never lost money.

 

yes plus the 30-day phone support is downright cruel and inhumane! grrr!!! they seems to treat you better if you have applecare, such as getting the laptop exchanged easier...

 

I am dealing with a credit card warranty on my television atm, and while it is decent it leaves a lot to be desired. In my case, I have to fork out the money and then they send a me a check for the reimbursement. Also, they will only buy me out if it is not fixed after the third try (it is in for the second time in a couple of weeks). Lastly, my warranty is up on March 4, and if the same problem persists after that, I am out of luck unless I pay Visa $199 to extend my warranty.

Needless to say, while the cc warranty is a nice little life preserver, it is no replacement for a good warranty such as AppleCare which I have had good success with.

 

Get Apple care from eBay brand new. It's a lot cheaper