[daniel999]

Just curious. I want to know how many people actually buy their PB without applecare.

[killer_735]

I did...I'm planning on picking it up when the included warranty is close to running out.

Looking into it, though...it's freakin expensive as hell. I don't know what Apple's markup is on their products, but applecare is pure profit from probably 75% of the people who buy it. Does it really need to be 300$ or whatever to be financially viable to them? I'd be more inclined to pay 60-80$us a year for laptop insurance, and if it has a real serious problem...

"He fell down some stairs"
-Tyler Durden

[gametime10]

Someone posted this on another thread on Applecare. TheNerds.net has Powerbook Applecare for $263 + shipping:

http://www.thenerds.net/productpage....769348&s=1

It was out of stock for awhile, but it's back in stock (94 left last time I checked)

[Mastrap]

I bought my PB in Germany. 2 years warranty by law so I didn't buy any Applecare on top of that.

[schwank]

I didnt on my G3 but should have, I had a processor die... on my new ti ghz I havent yet, but probably will.......

[donny31]

Originally posted by gametime10:
Someone posted this on another thread on Applecare. TheNerds.net has Powerbook Applecare for $263 + shipping:

http://www.thenerds.net/productpage....769348&s=1

It was out of stock for awhile, but it's back in stock (94 left last time I checked)

is this a reputable company --has anyone bought from them yet --and is this the same program for sale on apple.com?

[schuey100]

I didn't buy it on either my 800mhz 15" Ti or the 17" Albook. Didn't see any need for it. I called the insurance company and spoke to them about it. For an extra £4 or $9 a month I'm covered for all damage inside and outside..also theft. I claimed for my old Ti under the cover and had no problems with them. Can't see any reason as to why I would need applecare??

[SubGeniux]

Me either, paid cash for a new pismo, not even with a credit card (don't have one), but thought about the applecare, but a year went by and just completely forgot about it. Warranty was only for a year but thankfully I've never had a days trouble with it. I would get it though with the next PB I buy.

[Powaqqatsi]

I didn't buy AppleCare. For 3 reasons: 1. The same as Mastrap, it's a European law. 2.It's too expensive. and 3.I never had a problem with an Apple product so I just take my chances on this one too

[Freeflyer]

I didn't buy it. My powerbook went back to apple after 3 months for a broken hinge replacement.

Worth checking is whether your credit card offers additional warranty. My card allows me an extra year of any warranty offered. Therefore for no extra cost, i get 2 years of apple warranty. Doesn't look as though apple care is worth it. $300 for an extra 1 year is expensive.

I also pay an extra $10 per year on my house insurance for all the cover I need, including theft, breakage etc. If I drop the laptop, they replace it, no questions asked.

J.

[daniel999]

Originally posted by Powaqqatsi:
I didn't buy AppleCare. For 3 reasons: 1. The same as Mastrap, it's a European law. 2.It's too expensive. and 3.I never had a problem with an Apple product so I just take my chances on this one too

Does the European law you apply to UK? i.e. come with 2 years warranty?

[mrgaskell]

I just sent my TiBook in for a failing LCD and to replace my case due to excessive chipping. Cost me nothing, would of cost me over $715 w/o AppleCare. I always suggest buying extended warranties for laptops. Just my $.02!

[Angus_D]

Originally posted by mrgaskell:
would of

would HAVE

[schuey100]

Originally posted by Angus_D:
would HAVE

That really reminded me of my English teacher

[mosch]

Originally posted by daniel999:
Just curious. I want to know how many people actually buy their PB without applecare.

I didn't buy AppleCare, and I can't imagine that I'd ever buy it.

Computers tend to either be close to DOA, or to last for a very long time before dying a natural (and thus covered) death. If it's dead within the first month or two, it's covered anyway, so I don't need AppleCare. If it dies after a long time, then I'll likely want a new machine by then anyway.

Basically, by never buying AppleCare, I'm betting that fewer than 1 out of every 5 PowerBooks I buy will experience catastrophic failure in a warranted fashion, during a time where I don't want a new one anyway. I'd like to think that's a safe bet.

[daniel999]

Originally posted by mosch:
I didn't buy AppleCare, and I can't imagine that I'd ever buy it.

Computers tend to either be close to DOA, or to last for a very long time before dying a natural (and thus covered) death. If it's dead within the first month or two, it's covered anyway, so I don't need AppleCare. If it dies after a long time, then I'll likely want a new machine by then anyway.

Basically, by never buying AppleCare, I'm betting that fewer than 1 out of every 5 PowerBooks I buy will experience catastrophic failure in a warranted fashion, during a time where I don't want a new one anyway. I'd like to think that's a safe bet.

I have never use a Mac, but as I have seen from the forum, there seems to have many problems with powerbook e.g. hinges, dvd drive, etc... and these make me worry.
If powerbook have so much problems and the repair cost is so high($715 for replacing a monitor!), I think a PC laptop would be better.

[schuey100]

Originally posted by daniel999:
I have never use a Mac, but as I have seen from the forum, there seems to have many problems with powerbook e.g. hinges, dvd drive, etc... and these make me worry.
If powerbook have so much problems and the repair cost is so high($715 for replacing a monitor!), I think a PC laptop would be better.

Well, using that logic, maybe a gameboy would be even better still.

[urrl5201]

I did not have Applecare on any of my Ti's or my 17". I figure if something goes really wrong it will probably be in the first year. Besides, I have a history of upgrading before the third year anyway. My paint peeled on my last 667 DVI about 8 months after purchasing it and Apple repaired it under the 1 year warranty, hinges and all, so that it looked brand new.

[romeosc]

Not Me! I didn't buy on any of the PBs I have owned!

I always just buy insurance from http://www.safeware.com/ or
a rider on your homeowners.


It covers much more than AppleCare! ..... and is much cheeper!

[chabig]

I haven't bought Applecare on any of my three iBooks. I always sell them before the factory warranty expires. Take the proceeds from the sale, add what you would have spent on Applecare, and you can have the latest model instead.

[ranga]

I didn't buy AppleCare on my Pismo; however I did buy a 2 year Fry's Performance Guarantee on my Pismo. I chose Fry's over AppleCare since they were cheaper and offered instant exchange and/or a loaner. I used the Performance Guarantee once when my Pismo stopped charging the battery properly.

I'll probably get AppleCare on my next PB since I'm planning to buy it online.

--ranga

[MusicalTone]

Extended warranties area a SCAM. If the product is that bad that you should have to buy one then the product is not worth buying. Any decent manufacturer should ensure they produce quality products. Beyond that they should offer a standard 2 year warranty for all their products. For me that is all there is too it. Protection rackets are just that: rackets.

[daniel999]

Originally posted by chabig:
I haven't bought Applecare on any of my three iBooks. I always sell them before the factory warranty expires. Take the proceeds from the sale, add what you would have spent on Applecare, and you can have the latest model instead.

wow... nice

Does anyone know what insurance I can get in UK? Coz I think safeware is only for US. I cannot get home insurance to cover my PB as I will be living in university next year

[Paul Guyot]

Originally posted by daniel999:
Does the European law you apply to UK? i.e. come with 2 years warranty?

This is actually a European directive (1999/44/CE). It applies to items sold after January, 2002. It has to be transposed by laws in various countries.

It only has been transposed in Germany, Finland, Austria and Italy (although theoretically all countries, including UK, must have transposed it before Jan, 2002).

In theory, you can (and you'll win) sue your state if it refuses (and it shall) to arbitrate in your favor against the Apple Store (please note that the seller is responsible, not the producer).

BTW, I bought the AppleCare because (a) France didn't transpose the directive (b) I cannot be sure I will be able to afford a new PowerBook if this one dies after 12-36 months, and it's my only computer.

Paul

[lau_lau_lau]

Originally posted by daniel999:
wow... nice

Does anyone know what insurance I can get in UK? Coz I think safeware is only for US. I cannot get home insurance to cover my PB as I will be living in university next year

what uni are you going to? some include cover for your room, including laptops, and if not, it is possible to put it on your parent's house insurance for a little extra every month. i'm going to nottingham hopefully (if i achieve their grades ) and they say that you are covered for a value of up to £1000, and if you need more you can take out a policy with them in your own name. then you have to see if their rates are better than on the house insurance.

[euphras]

Quote: originally posted by Mastrap
"I bought my PB in Germany. 2 years warranty by law so I didn't buy any Applecare on top of that."

Auszug aus einem Informationsblatt, das ich beim Kauf des Tibooks bekommen hatte:
"...Was passiert nun in den Monaten 13-24 nach dem Kauf?
Nach neuer Rechtssprechung ist der Kunde verpflichtet, bei Anzeige eines Sachmangels einen vollständig dokumentierten Nachweis darüber zu erbringen, dass der Fehler von Beginn an vorhanden war. Diese Nachweise werden leider oftmals schwer zu erbringen sein."

How do you want to document that your harddisk that suddenly died after 20 months had the damage causing this at the purchase day??? Impossible...This 2year warranty is Augenwischerei (B*llshit)

Pat

[Angus_D]

I didn't buy AppleCare because the only time my Mac has gone wrong (iMac 333 had faulty analogue board which neede replacement about 3 months out of warranty grr) it cost me less than AppleCare would have cost anyway.

[schuey100]

Originally posted by lau_lau_lau:
what uni are you going to? some include cover for your room, including laptops, and if not, it is possible to put it on your parent's house insurance for a little extra every month. i'm going to nottingham hopefully (if i achieve their grades ) and they say that you are covered for a value of up to £1000, and if you need more you can take out a policy with them in your own name. then you have to see if their rates are better than on the house insurance.

Good luck for Nottingham. Not Trent I presume? Probably wouldn't be worrying about grades if it was Trent

Anyway, be very careful about thinking that parents house cover can include your possesions at Uni. I made the same mistake. Even though we paid more to cover it they didn't pay up a penny.

The same goes for the Uni. When I checked, this was a few years ago, the terms of the insurance were awful. Basically, they would replace the laptop with a laptop of their choosing. It had to be the same make but they weren't specific about the model.

Just check it out carefully. The best thing to do is get personal possesion insurance for your laptop from Nationwide. It's really cheap and the best that I found. Depending on the area that you living, you're looking at around £30 for cover of up to £5000 for items in your possesion outside of the house (this covers my IPod, Laptop and watch) and £10,000 for all other possesions.

I'd say always go for your own insurance.

[DekuDekuplex]

Originally posted by schuey100:
That really reminded me of my English teacher

Actually, I work as one . In fact, I also double as a Japanese teacher, too .

E-mail me for rates, etc., if you want to start taking lessons .

DekuDekuplex
DekuDekuplex@yahoo.com

[djjava]

i bought applecare for those possible quick fixes and such that Apple will take care of... and it's on my renter's insurance for the stuff Apple doesn't cover... $3300 for a machine, I ain't taking chances.

[DekuDekuplex]

Originally posted by romeosc:
Not Me! I didn't buy on any of the PBs I have owned!

I always just buy insurance from http://www.safeware.com/ or
a rider on your homeowners.


It covers much more than AppleCare! ..... and is much cheeper!

How has your experience been with them?

Are they trustworthy?

DekuDekuplex

[AppleCello]

me. i didnt buy it at first. then i realized that it was well worth its money. so i got it.

[iWrite]

We get it for every single system.

Apple treats us well as a result.

I think it's worth every dime and heck, it helps Apple out too.

[schuey100]

Originally posted by DekuDekuplex:
Actually, I work as one . In fact, I also double as a Japanese teacher, too .

E-mail me for rates, etc., if you want to start taking lessons .

DekuDekuplex
DekuDekuplex@yahoo.com

As an English Graduate from the UK I think I'm okay but I've always wanted to learn Japanese. However, travelling to NY for lessons could prove to be slightly beyong my budget

[daniel999]

Originally posted by lau_lau_lau:
what uni are you going to? some include cover for your room, including laptops, and if not, it is possible to put it on your parent's house insurance for a little extra every month. i'm going to nottingham hopefully (if i achieve their grades ) and they say that you are covered for a value of up to ?000, and if you need more you can take out a policy with them in your own name. then you have to see if their rates are better than on the house insurance.

I am going to southampton next year The insurancer is Saxon Insurance and I think they only cover stolen laptop

Nottingham is a nice uni I have been to their open day

[schuey100]

Originally posted by daniel999:
I am going to southampton next year The insurancer is Saxon Insurance and I think they only cover stolen laptop

Nottingham is a nice uni I have been to their open day

Doesn't cover laptops for outside use though:

Personal possessions
Wearing apparel, personal furnishings, kitchen accessories, linen and soft furnishings, photographic or audio/visual equipment and similar items of personal use or adornment, including books and similar university property on loan all belonging to you or for which you are responsible but excluding:
- credit cards, personal money, deeds, bonds, securities or certificates
- collections of stamps, coins or medals
- motor vehicles, caravans, aircraft, watercraft or trailers or their respective accessories
- pets and livestock
- property more specifically insured
- computing equipment, sports equipment, musical instruments or pedal cycles
- mobile telephones or contact lenses


Be carefull who you use. Also, remember that owning a Mac is difficult. It's easy for them to understand the ins and outs of PC's and to replace them but if you have a 1 gig AlBook would you be happy with a 1 gig Ti Book ads a replacement??

One insurance company I contacted:

me "What is your Apple Mac replacement policy"?

them "We don't have one"

Me "What"?

Them "We only do computers mate"!

Seriously! It was very funny though

[daniel999]

Originally posted by schuey100:

me "What is your Apple Mac replacement policy"?

them "We don't have one"

Me "What"?

Them "We only do computers mate"!

Seriously! It was very funny though

Lol.... what were they thinking? Apple as a fruit? buy insurance for my apple in case someone ate it "Accidentally"

[daniel999]

Section 4 - Computers (Including Laptop and Palmtop Computers)
We will indemnify You by repair or replacement in respect to accidental loss of or damage to computing equipment (including software) occurring during the Period of Insurance whilst in the Location, subject to the Single Article Limit and to the deduction of the policy Excess.

GENERAL EXCEPTIONS
The certificate does not cover:
.
.
.
E. Loss or damage caused by wear, tear, repairing, restoring, renovating, cleaning, dyeing, faulty workmanship, defective design or use of defective materials
F. Loss of or damage caused by scratching, denting, depreciation, rot, fungus, insects, vermin, pests, pets, atmospheric or climatic conditions, electrical or mechanical breakdown, any gradually operating cause or failure of any equipment to recognise a date as a true calendar date

What do they mean by that? Are they going to repair my PB if it is damaged? Do they cover things that the warranty (or applecare) would normally cover?
Does anyone know, by chance?

[schuey100]

Originally posted by daniel999:
Section 4 - Computers (Including Laptop and Palmtop Computers)
We will indemnify You by repair or replacement in respect to accidental loss of or damage to computing equipment (including software) occurring during the Period of Insurance whilst in the Location, subject to the Single Article Limit and to the deduction of the policy Excess.

GENERAL EXCEPTIONS
The certificate does not cover:
.
.
.
E. Loss or damage caused by wear, tear, repairing, restoring, renovating, cleaning, dyeing, faulty workmanship, defective design or use of defective materials
F. Loss of or damage caused by scratching, denting, depreciation, rot, fungus, insects, vermin, pests, pets, atmospheric or climatic conditions, electrical or mechanical breakdown, any gradually operating cause or failure of any equipment to recognise a date as a true calendar date

What do they mean by that? Are they going to repair my PB if it is damaged? Do they cover things that the warranty (or applecare) would normally cover?
Does anyone know, by chance?

Firstly, the single article limit refers to the maximum value that a single item is insured for. In the uk this is normally around £1,500. If you want to insure something more expensive then it must be listed with them and they must have a receipt. They will normally ask for you to pay slightly more. Furthermore the excess may also increase. This can be £100 to £300 or so. (ie for a £1000 item, damage that costs £500 to repair, you will need to pay the first £100 of the repair)

I believe with that policy they ask for you to pay the first £100 on any repair.

The first part of the clause is important. It states:

"faulty workmanship, defective design or use of defective materials"

Therefore, they have a get out clause. If the hinge snaps then they can say that it's the material or the design and thus they are able not to pay out. Applecare would pay out for this.

The second part of the clause is also interesting:

"electrical or mechanical breakdown,"

I believe they're saying that if the HD fails then that's also NOT something they'd cover.

Personally I wouldn't go for that policy. YOu'd be better off going for Applecare. This policy is really only to cover theft or loss of your computer.

[daniel999]

Originally posted by schuey100:
Firstly, the single article limit refers to the maximum value that a single item is insured for. In the uk this is normally around ?,500. If you want to insure something more expensive then it must be listed with them and they must have a receipt. They will normally ask for you to pay slightly more. Furthermore the excess may also increase. This can be ?00 to ?00 or so. (ie for a ?000 item, damage that costs ?00 to repair, you will need to pay the first ?00 of the repair)

I believe with that policy they ask for you to pay the first ?00 on any repair.

The first part of the clause is important. It states:

"faulty workmanship, defective design or use of defective materials"

Therefore, they have a get out clause. If the hinge snaps then they can say that it's the material or the design and thus they are able not to pay out. Applecare would pay out for this.

The second part of the clause is also interesting:

"electrical or mechanical breakdown,"

I believe they're saying that if the HD fails then that's also NOT something they'd cover.

Personally I wouldn't go for that policy. YOu'd be better off going for Applecare. This policy is really only to cover theft or loss of your computer.

Thanks!
I think I will try Nationwide before I go for applecare because it is really too expensive and I don't know if I can affort it

[moofman]

I didn't when I got my Pismo 500 and I regret it dearly. I had several problems with it that AppleCare could've fixed: 1. My audio port's soldering came loose from the motherboard. 2. My CD-drive failed. 3. My processor died. All in all, that's about a thousand dollars in repair, if I wanted to keep it.

Now I'm just waiting to see if Apple comes out with any updates for the 12" or 15" before August (when I go to school), and then I'll be ordering whatever's out.

[mixtup]

It came bundled with my TiBook, which was a good price already.

They're even cheaper now with the price drops but oh well.

[ngrundy]

came default with my laptop for free, yay for that educational purchase

[BigDaddy]

Originally posted by MusicalTone:
Extended warranties area a SCAM. If the product is that bad that you should have to buy one then the product is not worth buying. Any decent manufacturer should ensure they produce quality products. Beyond that they should offer a standard 2 year warranty for all their products. For me that is all there is too it. Protection rackets are just that: rackets.

One could say the same thing about car insurance. I dont think it is a scam it is all about peace of mind.

[prodigy1387]

i didnt with my powerbook g4 15" 1ghz purchase - i figure in about 6 months to a year i can just buy it then since i get one year free standard.