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T9000 · 12:34 AM

I just received my new 15" pb. I am loving it so far. It is my first mac. If I do ever have a problem (which I hope I don't), since I only have the standard warrenty, do I only get 90 days of free calls to Applecare? I know that for 1 year I can get it fixed, but I noticed that the telephone service is only for 90 days. So, after those 90 days if it messes up and I need to talk to them about sending it back does it cost me $49. If that is how it is then that is rediculous. If mine does mess up within 90 days I am thinking about just telling them to keep the thing and give me my money back.

anaphora68 · Nov 10, 2003, 08:25 AM

You only get 90 days phone support, if you get the extended warranty you get full phone support for the term of the warranty. It sucks, but if you went to an Apple Store that's something they should have told you before ou finalized your purchase.

mainemanx · Nov 10, 2003, 08:32 AM

I've owned Macs since 1984 and I've never called AppleCare for advice. Having said that, I've had to send in machines half a dozen times or so, always under warranty or extended AppleCare warranty ... never had to pay anything.

Any questions you have can be more effectively answered right here on MacNN, Apple's own discussion groups, xlr8yourmac, etc.

All IMVHO.

T9000 · Nov 10, 2003, 09:38 AM

I would never call them for tech support question. I can get all my answers right here online. I was just worried about having a problem that required it to be returned to apple after 90 days. And I know you have to talk to them so that they send you a box and whatever. I am just not going to pay 50 dollars after 90 days to tell someone that I need a box because my screen is screwed up. I have spent 2 grand on a pb and I don't have lots of money.

dreilly1 · Nov 10, 2003, 10:02 AM

I've called Apple after the 90-day phone support expired, but before the 1-year warranty expired, and have recieved warranty service with no problems. As long as your call is about something that is obviously a hardware issue, you shouldn't be charged for a tech support call.

If there is any doubt as to what the cause of your problems are, all bets are off, so I'd do whatever it takes to prove its a hardware issue before calling Apple.

I'll second the notion to search here first, regardless. I've recieved a lot of good and timely debugging and troubleshooting information from these forums. You shouldn't have to ever call Apple about a software issue, any issues you have will likely have been encountered by someone else here before.

mainemanx · Nov 10, 2003, 01:13 PM

Oops ... now I see what you're asking ... and yes, I recently took in my wife's flat panel iMac under AppleCare to the Apple Store at NorthShore Mall in Peabody Mass.

The same jerk, I think his name was Chris, who had amazed me a year earlier with his abusive treatment of others was still there! We had an obvious hardware problem ... the system was stone dead ... no question mark, no sad face, no disk spinning sound ... nothing! Well, this "genius" insisted that I sign a credit card charge for $50 " ... just in case it's a software problem."

I politely picked up her iMac and brought it back to Maine where the local ValCom replaced the internal memory ... no muss, no fuss, no $50. Bottom line, I guess it just depends on who you get ...

P.S. I do not plan to revisit Apple NorthShore with my presence. Is Chris still there? Is the Apple store still there? Don't know, don't care.

P.P. Galleria in Cambridge, Mass has been cordial, patient, informed, helpful, etc., etc.