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hyperb0le · Jun 21, 2005, 04:30 PM

I convinced my mom to get a Mac mini to replace her aging PC a few months ago. Today, she informed me that throughout the day, she has gotten several calls from Sacramento, CA. She finally picked up, and it was an Apple representative calling to ask how she was enjoying her computer. She said she loved it, and appreciated the call. Then, the guy asked why she didn't buy AppleCare for the computer, and kept pushing her to buy it, despite her saying that she isn't interested. Eventually, she had to hang up on the guy because he wouldn't stop.

Has anyone else experienced this?

liquidtrance123 · Jun 22, 2005, 07:37 AM

Well if applecare was worth more than the paper it was printed on i might buy it. I hear horror stories of say someones lcd dying and applecare wont cover it b/c there is a small scratch or dent down by the trackpad or somewhere nowhere near the problem area. I have bought a mac mini and an ibook and i still haven't bought an applecare. I might end up getting one for my ibook just kuz i'm afraid to open it up if something happens to go wrong.

Agent69 · Jun 22, 2005, 07:46 AM

Every manufacturer has horror stories. I think, however, that most people have good experiences with Applecare.

I have dealt with Applecare twice myself. The first time was when my G4 Cube died in a puff of smoke. The second time was when I realized my MDD PMG4 had a bad RAM slot, which I only discovered because I decided to max out my RAM. In both cases, I was treated well by Applecare.

The fact is that you are more likely to hear about problems than you are about happy outcomes.

elvis2000 · Jun 22, 2005, 09:30 AM

Originally Posted by hyperb0le

I convinced my mom to get a Mac mini to replace her aging PC a few months ago. Today, she informed me that throughout the day, she has gotten several calls from Sacramento, CA. She finally picked up, and it was an Apple representative calling to ask how she was enjoying her computer. She said she loved it, and appreciated the call. Then, the guy asked why she didn't buy AppleCare for the computer, and kept pushing her to buy it, despite her saying that she isn't interested. Eventually, she had to hang up on the guy because he wouldn't stop.

Has anyone else experienced this?

Yes - I received this call also. But they person wasn't rude.

hyperb0le · Jun 22, 2005, 02:03 PM

Originally Posted by elvis2000

Yes - I received this call also. But they person wasn't rude.

I guess it just depends on who is calling. It's good to know that it's not a company policy to be so pushy, but more of a personal thing.

Big Mac · Jun 22, 2005, 02:12 PM

It's also unusual that they would be calling so many months before the expiration of the one year warranty. They usually do not call until a couple of weeks before it is set to expire.

hyperb0le · Jun 22, 2005, 02:57 PM

Isn't the warranty only valid for 90 days? If so, I suppose it has been close to 90 days since we bought the mini.

Big Mac · Jun 22, 2005, 03:00 PM

Most every piece of Apple hardware (including the mini) comes with a one year warranty. You may be thinking about the 90 days of technical support.

Wiskedjak · Jun 22, 2005, 03:23 PM

I used to work for an Apple reseller and was disappointed by the tactics suggested by Apple to be use to push AppleCare. Sony, Toshiba and LG were also sold in this shop and also offered extended warranties but did not talk to us about pushing it.

Macpilot · Jun 22, 2005, 03:36 PM

Apple is a business. If they did not tell you about AppleCare, how would you find out about it? The employees at the Apple Store are required to tell you about it if you buy a computer there. $149 is not a lot of money to basically have a replacement plan for your Mac mini and get 3 years of unlimited technical support. You can't scratch the LCD on a Mac mini because it does not have one!

As far as portables go, I have seen Apple replace and repair many iBooks and Powerbooks under AppleCare where there was visible abuse by the owner. They are very good about taking care of the customer as long as you are not a jerk about it.

hyperb0le · Jun 23, 2005, 10:53 AM

Originally Posted by Macpilot

Apple is a business. If they did not tell you about AppleCare, how would you find out about it? The employees at the Apple Store are required to tell you about it if you buy a computer there. $149 is not a lot of money to basically have a replacement plan for your Mac mini and get 3 years of unlimited technical support. You can't scratch the LCD on a Mac mini because it does not have one!

As far as portables go, I have seen Apple replace and repair many iBooks and Powerbooks under AppleCare where there was visible abuse by the owner. They are very good about taking care of the customer as long as you are not a jerk about it.

I would find out about it from either the Apple Store guy or from the Apple Store Online BTO page when I buy the machine. The thing that is strange/annoying about this situation is that the guy called several (I counted 7) times throughout the day, and when my mom finally picked up, he was forceful and rude.

And no, I'm not going to spend $150 to insure on a computer that only cost $600.

Wiskedjak · Jun 23, 2005, 11:36 AM

Originally Posted by hyperb0le

And no, I'm not going to spend $150 to insure on a computer that only cost $600.

The Apple suggested response to this is "But what if the computer dies after 13 months?"

hyperb0le · Jun 23, 2005, 01:14 PM

Originally Posted by Wiskedjak

The Apple suggested response to this is "But what if the computer dies after 13 months?"

Then we will have had 13 months of good use of the computer. We will then spend another $600 and get a faster, more up-to-date machine. That's not the ideal situation, but a total of $1200 to have an updated computer after a year is a lot more appealing the $750 to be able to keep the same, slower computer longer.

It's one thing to buy AppleCare for a $2000+ computer or display, but when AppleCare costs 1/4 of the price of a new computer, it just isn't worth it just for the off-chance that something does go wrong down the line. (and I DO have AppleCare for my G5)

buggsuperstar · Jun 23, 2005, 01:25 PM

Originally Posted by hyperb0le

It's one thing to buy AppleCare for a $2000+ computer or display, but when AppleCare costs 1/4 of the price of a new computer, it just isn't worth it just for the off-chance that something does go wrong down the line. (and I DO have AppleCare for my G5)

Well said. For the cost of the Mini vis-a-vis the cost of AppleCare for the Mini, it's not worth paying for the AppleCare. I would just take my chances that nothing goes wrong, and if anything does give up after the warranty period, I would just buy the latest Mini available at that particular time.