I hate Applecare!

[Colonel]

So I'm moving my iMac and it falls off my desk and cracks the LCD, the front and back panels. I take it to CompUSA to have the Apple guy fix it and he calls me and tells me that I would have to pay $1000 to get it fixed. I thought Applecare was supposed to cover that. WTF did I get Applecare for then? What's the point of it if it doesn't fix my stuff. Never again will I buy Applecare. Sorry about the rant, but they treated me like

[arvster]

Intresting. I thought Applecare is something similar to extended warranty. I recently got a new Acer Aspire laptop and in addition to its normal warranty I paid to get extra 2 years covered. There also is a point that says

Physical Damage Protection (Break, Spill or any Damage) included

. Maybe Applecare does not mention that in theirs. I know that the normal Acer warranty (non-extended) states that it does not work in a case of misuse or abuse.

[Colonel]

I might just stop using Apple hardware if other companys give that kind of warranty. At least they cover breaks. I could build another Hackintosh. you Apple.

[kernalzero]

AppleCare Protection Plan

b. Limitations The Plan does not cover:

(ii) Damage to the Covered Equipment caused by accident, abuse, neglect, misuse (including faulty installation, repair, or maintenance by anyone other than

Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider), unauthorized modification, extreme environment (including extreme temperature or humidity), extreme

physical or electrical stress or interference, fluctuation or surges of electrical power, lightning, static electricity, fire, acts of God or other external causes;

 

A big one for laptop users:

(ix) Consumable parts, such as batteries, except in respect of battery coverage under APP for iPod or unless failure has occurred due to a defect in materials

and workmanship;

 

Sorry man, I didn't realize this until you mentioned it, i guess it's not really worth buying it if they do this kind of {censored}. apple should have put a magsafe adapter on the imac too not just the macbook

 

I have coverage on my crappy dell laptop like what arvster is talking about on his acer. Someone in my class threw a jolly rancher and cracked my lcd, had it replaced within 3 days. that might be part of my univerisities coverage though.

[arvster]

Are these really the real conditions for Applecare? I'm just not familiar with it. Well, in that case they can just put any fault under the "acts of God" excuse Does not look like it's really worth the money.

[9mmCensor]

Applecare does not cover accidental damage. Apple didn't break your iMac, you did.

[Colonel]

well, i guess that's $2000 down the toilet. I guess I'd better start saving for a new computer. Dells are looking very nice right now.

[Swad]

That's horrible, colonels1020.

 

I'm so sorry. Perhaps you should call a few other people a few other times - usually you can get one kind soul who will help. Any excuses you could come up with might help too.

 

EDIT: Here's a story from a Genius - maybe it'll clear some things up.

http://www.macgeekery.com/column/pure_geni...cidental_damage

[gooki]

Why not claim it under your personal contents insurance?

[bigboss]

Thats terrible colones1020.. you'd think that with the exorbitant cost of a mac + applecare, accidental damage would be covered...

[anorris]

Sad as it is, don't curse Apple because you didn't even look at what you were buying. Its not their fault you didn't read what Applecare was when you paid for it, and its not their fault you broke it. While it would be nice to have a warranty on such things, don't curse them for doing exactly what they told you upfront they would.

[hcoe]

Intresting. I thought Applecare is something similar to extended warranty. I recently got a new Acer Aspire laptop and in addition to its normal warranty I paid to get extra 2 years covered. There also is a point that says . Maybe Applecare does not mention that in theirs. I know that the normal Acer warranty (non-extended) states that it does not work in a case of misuse or abuse.

 

You might want to check up on that before you drop your Acer to get a new one.

 

 

 

 

Extended warranties are there to cover the manufacturer's goof ups, not the consumer's. If you drop it, i hope you had it separately insured. I specifically pay my insurer to cover my laptop in case i drive over it, drown it, etc.

[bpeugh]

I work at an Apple Authorized Repair Center and I can't tell you how many people bring in laptops that they have dropped and then try to pass it off as a manufacturing defect. I don't think they realize that Apple often has you send in replaced parts. Stuff like the MacBookPro and iMac are delicate pieces of equipment and should be treated as such which what a lot of people do not do. If you want to get something that is bulletproof and that you do not have to worry about, get a PowerMac or a Mini. We have dropped old G4 400MHz from over our heads and still have the things work just fine but with slight damage to the case. And the G5s, forget about it. You can pretty much do a hammer toss with those and they will still work although the case might be bent up.

 

And if you want, I will buy your broken iMac off of you.

[Swad]

Yeah, you might be able to sell it for parts, colonels.

[arvster]

You might want to check up on that before you drop your Acer to get a new one.

Extended warranties are there to cover the manufacturer's goof ups, not the consumer's. If you drop it, i hope you had it separately insured. I specifically pay my insurer to cover my laptop in case i drive over it, drown it, etc.

That is true. However, there is also Acer Advantage (that's how they call extended warranty) program that includes accidental damage. Maybe their offers change depending on your location, but in Czech Republic I bought a extension plan that seems to be identical to the following british plan:

http://www.acernotebooks.co.uk/Acer_Laptop...E03/version.asp

They specifically state in the papers that came together with the package:

If you opt for the Notebook warranty extension including accidental damage repair without charge, please note that only damage that causes the product to be unusable is covered. Minor damage that occurs normal usage such as scratches or dents is not covered. In case of display breakage, the repair is subject to a fixed charge of EUR 100,00 +VAT or equivalent local currency.

Paying 100 EUR for a broken display instead of 600-800 EUR is good enough for me. Sure, the warranty was more expensive, but then what is extra 100 quid compared to all the horror that can happen to a laptop in 3 year use. Sure, they can interpret dropping a laptop as negligance or careless use, but I know that similar plans for similar companies dont do that. My friend had Toshiba (i think) laptop with a similar extended warranty and accidental damage protection. He dropped it from a table and as a result the hard drive died. The guys in the service sure could tell that there was some kind of mechanical damage, however they still replaced the HDD for free.

[crypto55]

A friend of mine who currently owns a macbook pro (which is fracked up too) had a 17" G4 Powerbook. She dropped it, and the screen got damaged in a few places, resulting in some permanent blackness over the screen.

I read that you can get it repaired/replaced for about 650 (DIY)/750 with pro installation. THat's pretty expensive for an IBM model. Try getting a monitor and just using it as a desktop.

[hcoe]

That is true. However, there is also Acer Advantage (that's how they call extended warranty) program that includes accidental damage. Maybe their offers change depending on your location, but in Czech Republic I bought a extension plan that seems to be identical to the following british plan:

http://www.acernotebooks.co.uk/Acer_Laptop...E03/version.asp

They specifically state in the papers that came together with the package:

 

Paying 100 EUR for a broken display instead of 600-800 EUR is good enough for me. Sure, the warranty was more expensive, but then what is extra 100 quid compared to all the horror that can happen to a laptop in 3 year use. Sure, they can interpret dropping a laptop as negligance or careless use, but I know that similar plans for similar companies dont do that. My friend had Toshiba (i think) laptop with a similar extended warranty and accidental damage protection. He dropped it from a table and as a result the hard drive died. The guys in the service sure could tell that there was some kind of mechanical damage, however they still replaced the HDD for free.

 

 

Well it sounds like you have a good deal. Sadly i think it's the exception rather than the rule.

[DrJägermeister]

Why not claim it under your personal contents insurance?

That's you have to do: search someone with a young child and such an insurance. If it was (officially) the child, you'll get the money back.

[Ouch]

I never buy extended warranties, the idea of paying for insurance against a product failing after only 12 months seems quite exploitative - but they're all at it so what can you do!?

 

You can't really complain about AppleCare if you bought it without checking what it covered (i mean you wouldn't buy an insurance policy without checking your liability), to be honest i reckon any warantee that covers accidental damage is fairly exceptional.

[rogabean]

at worst.. the machine still works connected to an external monitor right?

 

sorry about applecare not covering the damage though. that really sucks.

[MarcusAurelius]

Why don't you take it to a third party Apple repair specialist. They usually charge half of what apple does for out of warranty repairs.

[Baal]

Come on guys, incidents because of mishandling isn't covered by most companies. It's your fault that you were reckless and those actions have consequences. Granted accidents happen but in most cases these things can be avoided with a little more care.

[rogabean]

Come on guys, incidents because of mishandling isn't covered by most companies. It's your fault that you were reckless and those actions have consequences. Granted accidents happen but in most cases these things can be avoided with a little more care.

 

 

Dell will repair/replace my laptop even if I walk outside, drive over it and tell them that. Made sure of it.

[Colonel]

Thanks for your support, everyone. I argued and argued with the Apple repair guy at CompUSA, but he wouldn't budge. I even called Applecare's help number and they turned me down. I should have gotten a dell. I'm going to save now for a Mini, so that I won't have to worry about that happening again.

 

And if you want, I will buy your broken iMac off of you.

 

You would do that? PM me an we can discuss pricing.

[gooki]

the idea of paying for insurance against a product failing after only 12 months seems quite exploitative - but they're all at it so what can you do!?

 

Agreed. Thankfully in the country I live in, the waranty period is determined by the cost of the product vs expected useful life.

 

I.e. if a $500 laptop comes with a 1 year waranty, and a $2000 laptop also comes with a 1 year waranty, even if the $2000 laptop becomes faulty after 3 years you can still force them to fix it under waranty as 1) a laptop should last more than 3 years (they're not disposeable goods) and 2) you paid a premium for a better product.

 

However if after 3 years the $500 laptop was no longer functioning properly you may not be able to force a waranty claim as you specifically chose to get the cheapest laptop available, therefore accepted it may not be of the best quality.