Customer Reviews

AppleCare Protection Plan (iMac/eMac) OLD VERSION

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

My parents bought me an iBook for high school graduation a couple years ago. Thank God they bought Apple Care to go with it. My generation of iBook seemed to be plagued with issues. I took it in to the Apple Store and had it repaired several times (for free because of Apple Care). These repairs alone would have cost me several hundred dollars. A couple months ago, I took it in because it was still having problems. They proceeded to tell me that because they had repaired it too many times, they were going to replace it...just like that. I got a brand new, better (G4 instead of G3) iBook for free because of Apple Care. It may seem expensive at first but it can save you some serious money in the long run.

I have now replaced my 4th Mac and after using everything from Packard Bell in the early 90's to NEC. Sony, Gateway, and Dell I am experenced with "everyday" use of computers, here are MY findings:

The price for Apple Care is 1st class service for those who want worry free ownership at a very fair price. Chances are you will never need it (I have yet to crash an Apple unlike PC's) however, it does add peace of mind.

The cost is far less then COMPUSA plans with far better support.

Apple does not try to blame everyone else IF there is a problem, they fix it, period!

One of the other reviews said it cost $450.00 to fix the CRT (Apple Paid) and that was a reason for one star...if you look at Consumer Reports it clearly states who is the leader in service, quality, and over all satisfaction---and that----addresses real world operations not some opinion of one consumer.

I buy Apples because I prefer spending my energy doing my computer thing rather than spending it trying to outsmart the internal workings of a plastic box. On those rare occassions when an Apple malfunctions or does something "outside the box" one phone call to the 800 number has generally resolved it. The time it didn't, I was sent a new DVD burner and over-the phone instructions even I couldn't mess up. AppleCare allows one to call that 800 number for three years. Besides the technical support of the internals widgets the support desk also helped me with my beginner "how to get out of this mess" problems. Well worth the price.

I'm struggling to understand the value of the Applecare product. When do do eventually get to speak to someone they end up giving you incorrect information that has left me out of pocket and more than a little hacked off.

With so many more smart phones coming on the market I think it's time Apple woke up and got off their high horse.

When I first bought
AppleCare, I did so begrudgingly because I had had some problem with the power cord and needed it replaced, but it turned out that the customer service call alone would have cost $50. Well, AppleCare has come in handy at least a few times since (is it because Apple products are mostly faulty? I don't know). They sent a replacement battery and a second new magsafe adapter (this is a horrible power cord!).

I bought my computer used and it had a few issues to begin with. When I went to the Apple Store to see if they would repair it under the warranty, they claimed that they couldn't do that because it was due to "abuse." However, recently I had a failure of my hard drive and called AppleCare. They sent a box express the next day. I packed the computer up, called Fedex and they picked it up from my house. Two days later the computer returned and the hard drive was replaced, and so were all of the major issues that I had tried to have repaired earlier. Essentially, I have a new computer. It's in better condition than when I bought it (I bought used 2 years ago) and the computer itself is going on 5 years old or older.

I'd really recommend Apple Care. You may run into some "snags" in trying to get the repair but I'm so impressed with the latest work that they've done. Their service has been very prompt and comprehensive.

AppleCare is always a smart buy, and my purchase, via an Amazon merchant, has proven to be a good deal.

I can tell you that this can come in extremely handy and is not a waste of money. The iMac's hard drive failed and needed replaced after the 1 year warranty. The hard drive replacement procedure requires removing the glass off the display and going in that way. Not an easy replacement. The repair wasn't cheap but luckily with AppleCare it didn't cost me anything.

Now the title is not totally fair ... the included diagnostics were useful and the peace-of-mind made it a worthwhile purchase. The iMac I covered is (right now) in use today and I never had to call for any service during the 3 years. Apple products, in 95% of the cases, JUST WORK and keep working.

The AppleCare Protection Plan is a wonderful thing for any Apple product. The best thing of all is that you have an ENTIRE YEAR to purchase it after you buy your Apple product. PC manufacturers usually REQUIRE you to purchase the warranty at the time of purchase or you don't get a warranty at all. Apple gets five stars for this AppleCare because it is a VERY good price for a three year warranty. Besides, when do Apples crash? HARDLY EVER! However, with all electronics, there is always the possibility of a fluke happening and in case you get one, AppleCare will get it taken care of and you have nothing to worry about. Yet again, Apple amazes me.

For whatever reason I was led to believe I would at least get a replacement battery from the applecare program when my first one ran out of juice. That's not the case though, only if its defective will they give you a new one.