How good is Apple Care?? Is this story true? Pls help!

Crunch

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I'm asking because a lot of people I know with Mac's say Apple Care is the gold standard in servicing your Apple products.

One friend who's had Apple notebooks for a while, and even briefly worked as a "Mac Genius" said that I could walk into any Apple store if I had any problem with my iPhone 3G, and they would simply hand me a new one, no questions asked, no receipts necessary...I said "Wow, hard to believe. Is this for real?", to which he replied "yes, even though he beats up on his notebooks quite a bit, they still, while under warranty, exchange it".

I want to hear your opinions, folks. Sounds too good to be true as far as I'm concerned. Would be great, and if true, I'd seriously consider a Macbook, as well as another iPhone 3G for a present for a good friend. I work in IT, and co-workers as well as friends come to me quite often to seek advice as to what to buy and what to stay away from, so Apple would benefit quite a bit if Apple Care really is that "good" and "generous"...

Thanks everyone! :)
 

Leanna Lofte

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Yes, AppleCare is amazing. It will make the difference between you getting a product repaired/replaced or not, even if you are under warranty. The first thing a genius does when you walk up to the counter is check if you have AppleCare. If you don't, something that can be blamed on you likely will be. But if you have AppleCare, you'll be taken care of. I think this is part of the reason Apple doesn't refer to it as an extended warrenty, because it really is more than that. It's like a special membership to a club, lol..

My brother is a genius adminstrator for Apple. This is what he's told me.
 

Crunch

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That's good to know. Is it true, however, that I am able to walk into an Apple store, and do what my friend said not only that it is possible but that he has done this himself, and that being simply wanting a new iPhone.

For example, I'd like to get the 16GB iPhone 3G, and I would love the white one. In other words, I sort of want to spend more money with Apple.

Thanks again! :)
 

cbramsey5898

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Thank you all for that information that Apple Care is worth the $$ it costs. I will be getting an iPhone in a couple of weeks and was debating whether to get Apple Care or not.

Thank you again. :)
 

Jeremy

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If you plan on keeping your iPhone longer than a year, I'd say get it. If not, there is no point since you have a year of coverage to begin with. Personally I would never get it for the simple fact I never keep a phone long enough to need the extra coverage.
 

JustinHorn

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If you plan on keeping your iPhone longer than a year, I'd say get it. If not, there is no point since you have a year of coverage to begin with. Personally I would never get it for the simple fact I never keep a phone long enough to need the extra coverage.

Yeah, not going to get it for my iPhone, but going to add it to my MacBook shortly
 

sting7k

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AppleCare just adds another 2 years of coverage. That's pretty much it as far as I've ever heard.

You don't have to get it right away, you can buy it at any time during your first year so I would think about it before you get it.

IMO it's not worth it. It only covers defects in the iPhone, not any type of damage it may suffer. You can add a floater or rider policy to your home owners or renter's insurance that WILL cover any type of damage. I added one to mine through Statefarm, it's $22 a year and if my iPhone is dropped, burned, gets wet, or what ever Statefarm will replace it (in the form of giving me a check to buy a new one). My iPhone 3G is covered for $500.
 

Crunch

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Isn't Apple Care included with the purchase of an iPhone for one year. and then you have the option to pay for an extra year of Apple Care?
 

Jeremy

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Isn't Apple Care included with the purchase of an iPhone for one year. and then you have the option to pay for an extra year of Apple Care?

Correct, that's why I asked how long you planned on keeping the phone. If you don't plan on keeping the device for over a year why bother buying it. You can also wait until the last day of that year to be able to get the Applecare plan.
 

vanishingvision7

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When I bought my iPhone in AT&T store, they offered me, Screen Protector x 3, Holster, and the Apple Care package for 99$. I ended up not getting the care package because I know how I am when I handle any electronics and that is "CAREFUL". Can accidents happen? Of course, but I don't see myself ever needing it personally.
 

Leanna Lofte

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Isn't Apple Care included with the purchase of an iPhone for one year. and then you have the option to pay for an extra year of Apple Care?

No, the warranty and AppleCare are different.

The warranty include 90 days of technical support and 1 year of hardware coverage. AppleCare extends both of these to 2 years. Also, AppleCare "unofficially" gives you better service and more of a "no questions asked" type of attitude. Here's an example of what I mean. Yes, this is a true story.

A guy comes to the Genius bar because he doesn't like how the plastic casing on his 10 month old white MacBook meets on the sides. The Genius has to almost pull out a magnifying glass to see what the customer is talking about. Before telling the customer that this "problem" isn't really a problem, the Genius looks up the account. Oh look! He has AppleCare! "No problem sir, we will replace the casing for you. It should be ready for you at the end of the day to pick up".

If this is the type of service you are looking for, get AppleCare. If not, don't get it unless you plan to keep your phone for more than a year. Personally, I only have AppleCare for my MacBook, not my iPhone.
 

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