Extended Warranties

[lizharbin]

Hey Folks,

I didn't get an extended warranty on the new iMac. There is a question as to the value of purchasing one. However, I just reviewed a report by Consumer Reports that states Apple computers and rear-projection TVs are exceptions. What would you TechSurvivors' recommend? and why?

[kbeartx]

Liz,

the General Rule of Thumb on Extended Applecare is this:

1. If the Mac is the first version of a new model, it's a good idea to purchase EA

2. If the Mac is a notebook,  it's a good idea to purchase EA

3. If neither 1 or 2 is true, but you prefer the secure feeling of knowing you're covered even in the unlikely event your Mac develops probs after a couple of years,  it's a good idea to purchase EA

 - KB

[RHPConsult]

Consumer's Reports (to which I have been a subscriber for several decades) has always displayed some interesting blindsides. Sure I know they don't advertise, but they cannot claim uniformly "unbiased" reporting because of the grudging way they finally had to recognize the qualitative differences Macs bring to the marketplace. Oh it was hard for them to admit it, in what must be an all-too-tyypical IT department's PeeCeeBias (one word!).

Heck (not the word I wanted to use) I remember when they had nice things to say about DOS, while simultaneously and virtually overlooking the Mac via the faintest of praise.

AppleCare is more, IMO, than an "extended warranty". It's access to (usually) great service and a real interest in the customer.

You have about a year, I believe, to decide if you want to extend your built-in guarantee. There are some machines (Pwr-books, for example) that are more prone to problems from time to time, and the relatively inexpensive price of 3 years of Apple Care makes it a no-brainer.

kBear had some excellent criteria. I'd follow them.

If you patronized some other sales outlet than Apple, and they want to sell you a "home grown", private, or credit card "extended warranty" (read: insurance policy then I'd be reluctant. But, NOT reluctant to buy AppleCare, however.

Hope this helps.

[RobW]

I agree with what kbear and RHP have posted. As RHP mentioned, be very careful not to buy the store extended warranty, but stick with the AppleCare plan.  It saved my dad a fair amount of money on his Mac Mini repair, and I really wish I'd had it for my older daughter's iBook.

BTW, in previous posts Mayo has recommended buying the AppleCare from the L.A. Computer Company. I'll second that recommendation. You can save a more than a few dollars buying the warranty from them online.

[Epaminondas]

QUOTE

the General Rule of Thumb on Extended Applecare is this:

1. If the Mac is the first version of a new model, it's a good idea to purchase EA

2. If the Mac is a notebook, it's a good idea to purchase EA

3. If neither 1 or 2 is true, but you prefer the secure feeling of knowing you're covered even in the unlikely event your Mac develops probs after a couple of years, it's a good idea to purchase EA

Variant on the above:

(1) Never buy the first version of a new Macintosh model, period.  That is just be asking for pain.

(2) Always purchase Applecare when buying a notebook.  You might as well buy it up front - if you procrastinate, you may forget to buy it before the year is up.

(3) You proably do not need to buy Applecare with a second or later generation Apple desktop - but prowl the bulletin boards, first, just to make sure.  If you hear about problems, don't buy Applecare then, either - just don't buy that particular machine.

[Gregg]

Aw, shucks! (not RHP's word either)

You're concerned about it, so just get it.

Easy for me to say.... :$:

[RHPConsult]

As long as the "it" is AppleCare and not some "warranty" glowingly issued by Shifting Sands Warranrty Corp. of Nowhere, NV.

[Parker]

QUOTE

1. If the Mac is the first version of a new model, it's a good idea to purchase EA

2. If the Mac is a notebook, it's a good idea to purchase EA

3. If neither 1 or 2 is true, but you prefer the secure feeling of knowing you're covered even in the unlikely event your Mac develops probs after a couple of years, it's a good idea to purchase EA

I have experienced 1 and 2 with my MacBook
all intel macs you NEED AppleCare for
Not so much PowerPC's

[kelly]

You have one year automatically Liz.

You have until the end of that year to add two more years.

Take your time.

[lizharbin]

QUOTE(kelly @ Jan 17 2007, 12:47 PM) [snapback]116307[/snapback]

You have one year automatically Liz.

You have until the end of that year to add two more years.

Take your time.

    to all for your input.  

I will wait and see what happens in the first year.

I don't believe either of kbear's "rule-of-thumb" applies to this iMac.

[Mayo]

Liz, in the past I would agree with you and skip AppleCare for your iMac. (I think that ALL extended warranties are rip-offs, particularly those sold by car dealers and places like Circuit City.  ALWAYS be sure to read the fine print if you find yourself tempted to buy...)

However, as a long-time Mac user I have witnessed the gradual decline of Apple hardware reliability.  In the not-so-distant past Apple won the hardware wars hands-down... Apple was expensive but Oh So Reliable, while PCs generally tended to exhibit the reliability of a Yugo.

But as Apple's prices have gone down, so has the quality of the hardware.     And while Consumer Reports claims that Apple is the most reliable computer hardware out there, relatively-speaking, Apple is keeping company with PC manufacturers that aren't very good themselves, quality-wise.  It's all relative, know what I mean?  Consumer Reports and others of its ilk are grading on a curve, so take those grades with a handful of Fleur de Sel.

Granted, LCD iMacs seem to be more reliable than Apple portables.  But consider this: replacing an LCD or mother board will run you around $500-$600 after your one-year warranty runs out.    Even replacing a dead drive will be upwards of $200, unless you happen to own one of the mid-generation G5 iMacs that have the easy-to-remove back.  In that case you are only out the cost of a bare drive and 10-15 minutes of your time...

I have been known to troll other Apple forums    and it is distressingly common for Macs of all types to suffer these kinds of hardware calamities at between 1-3 years of age.  Sometimes it is a design or hardware flaw and Apple will set-up an extended repair program for those "lucky" enough to own an affected Mac with a winning serial number.  But a lot of time time it is just Bad Luck... Have you ever looked inside your iMac?  How about a MacBook?  The parts are all crammed in there, making lots of heat and being made to work at incredibly close tolerances.  It's a jungle in there! (Minus the humidity, hopefully...) And sometimes Stuff Happens. (Hey, we're a family-friendly Apple forum, aren't we??? The scatologically-inclined among us will have to go elsewhere for their kicks...)

An AppleCare plan for an iMac at The L.A. Computer Company will run you $120 (the suggested retail price is $169.) That's ten dollars a month or 33 cents per day... or .0000456 cents per second. To put it in terms that some folks will better understand, it's the equivalent of two Starbuck's Crappuccinos a month.

What A Deal for a little Peace of Mind!  

Now, I may gripe and grumble when I pull those dirty, rumpled bills from my pocket, but I have come to consider AppleCare to be an essential component of the actual cost of purchasing a new Mac, along with extra RAM.

[Gary S]

I've always felt if something was wrong with the hardware on a Mac, it will usually show up in the 1st year. That includes refurbished units with a 1 year Apple warrantee.

[Paddy]

Regarding extended warranties: companies offer them not just to appease customers, but because they make the companies pots of money.

I've always subscribed to the extended-warranty-only-for-laptops theory...but we've had eight Macbooks/Powerbooks in this family (counting my parents and in-laws) and we've never made use of the extended warranty with a single one of them. My TiBook's drive died - a month after its three years of AppleCare expired. The replacement drive cost considerably less than the AppleCare. Didn't buy AppleCare for the last Powerbook purchased and the jury's got another 9 or 10 months or so to decide on the MacBook Pro. Touch wood.

So now, one wonders if taking the long view - amortizing the cost of a repair or two over the entire period of Mac ownership isn't more appropriate? And if you include our desktops in that rate of repair survey, then you're looking at another 7 Macs (at least) that have never needed any repairs either beyond the first year.

My G5 had thermal overruns in the first day I owned it - back to the Apple store it went for a replacement. (they couldn't argue with the system logs I printed and took with me!) Fine and dandy ever since. Our Lombard had a screwy keyboard in the first three days we owned that - it got returned and was back in our hands within three days and has been fine ever since, other than some age and wear and tear issues after 10 years of hard use. So, our experience would tend to bear out Gary's observations, though certainly your mileage may vary.

Bottom line - it's all about what makes you comfortable. If you're comfortable doing your own repairs (and I am - except when it comes to repairing things which require unsticking/regluing of fragile components, like the repair to our Powerbook screen and hinges after son # 1 dropped it!) then it's not quite as scary a proposition to forgo long warranties. If you're not, then extended warranties are more attractive.

[RHPConsult]

Gary and Paddy's last posts remind me of the following useful admonition, from a geek/guru friend of mine.

The first 30 days are often critical, so keep your new computer running 24/7 for at least 2-3 weeks. If that doesn 't produce any bugs, gremlins or poltergeists, you'll be less likely to suffer inconvenience(s) downstream with complex electronics going down unexpectedly, irrespective of who may be paying for what.

We're doing this with a new large screen TV, right now.



PS: Oh yes, Liz. Change your TS profile more precisely to describe your iMac for readers.

[Parker]

btw liz