Who Bought Apple Care?

So on purchasing your new MB/MBP did you guys go with or without apple care?

 

I went ahead and got it...its only $240 with the student discount I think. The first MBP I bought turned out to be a lemon...and AppleCare was really good about calling the store manager and letting me exchange it for a completely new MBP machine. If you're going to get tech support, you can't go wrong with Apple's.

 

I don't buy Applecare, but, I also play it differently.

Apple care is $350 for the notebook computers. That a lot of cheese.

So, I bought the 2.16 MBP for $2000. It comes with a 1 year warranty. If it gets through the one year fine, I keep it 6 months past the warranty. A calculated risk, but most problems will show up right away.

At 18 months or so, I sell the notebook and buy a new one.

How does this work?

I bought my 2.16 MBP for $2000. I'll sell it in 18 months (about 12 months from now in my case at this point) for let's say, $1400. I never got the Apple care, so, in some weird way, it's like having an extra $1750 ($1400+$350) in the game. I'll buy whatever they got for $2000. So, I spend $250 adjusted dollars, am under warranty most of the time, and get a new laptop every 18 months or so.

I essentially treat the $350 Applecare as a voucher for a future purchase and never really buy it. As long as I buy a new notebook, I get back under warranty.

Ok, the theory is full of flaws, but it works for me, ok? lol

 

Purchased AppleCare from a third party vendor, paid about half retail price.

 

I bought it.

My first laptop, a Sony something (this was years ago) died under the extended warranty. When they tried to fix it, parts kept failing, and so I got a new Toshiba out of the deal. Bought an extended warranty for that, and it needed a new motherboard while under warranty.

I hope I don't have that big a problem with my MacBook, but I'd rather be safe than sorry when it comes to my computer. Especially since I seem to jinx them.

 

I purchased my MBP with my credit card which has a benefit that extends the manufacturer's warranty an extra year. Two year warranty without paying anything extra. I usually sell my computer within that two years so I don't buy apple care.

 

I didn't bother purchasing it because i bought through the educational site and here in the UK apple give a 3 year warranty with educational purchases of macs.

 

I bought it, just for emergencies, if my screen broke, or waterspills.

 

I'm planning to buy AppleCare for my iMac in a couple of weeks. Its not nearly as expensive as it is for the notebooks though ($170, but I get university discount down to $120).

 

It doesn't cover accidental damages.

 

Same here .

 

mind telling us which 3rd party vendor?

 

I am going to get it. Notebooks go through so much that things tend to break down over time. It is not too much, especially considering I don't sell old computers. Too much hassle and I can use them around here. Although if you do sell it remember that AppleCare follows the computer, so it could add a little value to it.

 

I used one of the suppliers on ebay. I just made sure they had positive feedback. Received the retail AppleCare box, registered online, and just received my "official" paperwork from Apple.

 

I bought it.. I had to replace my hard drive and keyboard recently, but I think those are the only problems that I'll have with this computer, and I've had it for about 3 years now. So I don't think the apple care was actually worth it, since the repairs would actually be cheaper than that.

 

-_- dang...I thought it did...Oh well, lol

 

And accidential damage (or any evidence thereof) will likely void the entire extended warranty.

 

We just purchased a MBP today and decided not to go with the Apple Care option. I've really haven't had any major problems with my old Dell or HP PCs in years two or three, so I figured Apple had to be at least the same quality. Now I'm getting worried if many of the Apple veterans on this forum are buying AppleCare. I would like to see a poll of how many folks have actually had to use their AppleCare warranty. How do I set up a poll?

 

I had a dual G5 blow a video card that was fixed under the original 12 month warranty.

The thing with the laptop is, ANY repair will probably cost what AppleCare costs.

But at $350 for what is essentially a 2 year warranty, I just elect to sell the laptop after 18 or so months. About 6 months after the OEM warranty expires. If the first year goes well, the next 6 months seem like a decent calculated gamble.

Buy MacBook Pro $2000
Use 18 months, sell for $1400.

Never bought AppleCare +$350 (money saved/never spent).

Buy new MacBook Pro "for essentially $250", start new OEM warranty.

Shady but it works for me.

 

Umm bad idea. It's not logical to compare other manufacturers good history to your new computer. Since the other manufacturers didn't break my new Apple shouldn't either? Uh, I don't think so.

At any rate, I have purchased AppleCare on all of my Macs rather notebook or desktop. Now I have never had issues with the desktops and that's probably why the Applecare is cheaper but my Apple notebooks have definitely taken advantage of it.
My issues were not about the notebooks just taking a dive on their own they were from wear and tear. Here's my list:

Screen hinge getting loose over time. Applecare fixed it.
Dead pixels accruing. Apple replaced the screen.
Trackpad becoming wobbly and uneven. Apple repaired it.
Keys popping of keyboard and keyboard no longer sitting even. Apple replaced the whole keyboard.
Phone support for weird stuff I just couldn't figure out while I'm on the go. Not to knock getting help from the forums but sometimes responses aren't fast enough for emergencies.

One last thing, Apple will never come out and say it but they will bend over backwards for you for the smallest things when you have Applecare. I mentioned about the dead pixel earlier, it was only one stuck pixel and when the genius saw I had Applecare he said it was covered and my screen was replaced.

 

thats genius right there. and after 18 months, your mbp is way ahead of the other guys that is still on his 3 year plan. I like it

 

Brilliant! I'm with you.

I just bought a new MBP which is overpriced already. The last thing I'm going to do is give Apple $350 cash for a warranty that I will most likely never use. Why? because like you I replace my laptop every 12 to 18 months. And in the event that I should encounter a repair expense just after the warranty expires, no problem. I would much rather take my chances and pay for repairs if needed, than to contribute to the already outrageous cash reserves of Apple.

Don't get me wrong, I love Apple laptops and have been using them for years, so I'm not bashing Apple. However the way they offer Apple care and it's pricing is unacceptable.

I would probably be a little more flexible in my position on this but I must admit that I cannot stand their overall arrogance and corp culture. Yes, they build some great products, but so what? So do a lot of other companies and they do not act like the Arrogant Apple Team.

When I take my new Mercedes in for service they are very courteous and appreciate my business. When I take my Rolex in for service they are very courteous, professional and appreciate my business.

Conversely, when I deal with Apple they are snobs. Why do they feel compelled to act so superior?

I don't know, I don't care, I don't have time for it, and I vote with my wallet.

 

I've never been particularly keen on Desktop computer warranties, although I do purchase them. Desktops (at least under my care) rarely fail. Now notebooks, oh lord notebooks are so much more volatile. All of my laptops have needed warranty service at one point or another. My dell had the hard drive fail, the screen fail, and the processor fail. All were replaced by dell at no charge to me. My Alienware ran fine until the heatsink temp sensor failed and starting killing all of the other parts due to overheating. Over time, Alienware has replaced 2 video cards, 1 processor, 2 motherboards, and 1 heatsink for me at no charge to me. Heh, I told them all they needed to get was the heatsink, but its their money.

Anyway, Laptop warranties have always been worth it for me, so I got Applecare for my MBP...which will be here soon.

*excited*

 

One question:

I see that I can purchase the Apple Care on ebay for 180-200; but when can I purchase it? I mean, If I buy my MBP today, can I buy the Apple Care say 12 months from now? Or should it be done within the first x months?

Regards

 

before your 12 months is up u can buy the apple care. Didnt know about ebay for applecare, gonna have to check that out.

 

Or, save the $350, use your computer 6 more months, sell your computer and get a new one.

 

Does AppleCare allow you to bring your laptop to the Apple Store for repair or is it only for their desktops?

 

after some more thought and research on this topic, I may just wait and buy apple care off ebay. I have been watching some, and it seems like it can be had for as little as $150.

any negatives to this?

 

Any recommendations to buy it off ebay? Any trustworty vendors?

 

I have AppleCare with my MacBook (which I'm going to sell soon), as it only cost me £60, because of a student discount. Can I transfer this over to the MacBook Pro I want to purchase? If not, can I transfer it to the new owner of the MacBook?

 

you can transfer it to the new owner, but not your new MBP

the applecare for MBP is more expensive and I ampretty sure the apple care is tied to the system once its registered

 

That's still useful, because it can mean I can (hopefully) sell my Macbook with Applecare for a higher price