If anyone is considering buying an Apple Watch or has recently bought one, go ahead and bite the bullet to pick up AppleCare+.
I gave my wife an Apple Watch 4 for her birthday last week and decided to pass on AppleCare+. Four days after recieving her watch, she accidentally dropped it on a tile floor and cracked the screen.
Without AppleCare+, the repair cost is $299. UBreakIFix and other third party repair shops are not setup to handle the Apple Watch 4 and one hole-in-the-wall repair shop said they'd fix it for $399.
We opted to send it to Apple for repairs, mainly to avoid any warranty issues and because they seemed to be the only game in town. But here's the kicker. I asked if we could go ahead and get AppleCare+ on the repaired watch and was told AppleCare+ was not available for replacement watches. I don't agree with this policy, especially when Apple does the repairs, but it's not like my dislike will motivate Apple to change things.
Since buying my wife's watch, I have also bought a watch for myself and my son (he made the Dean's List and deserved something nice), but at the time opted out of AppleCare+. After learning the cost of repairs, I didn't hesitate and went to the Apple Store to pick-up the extended warranty for these watches.
I wish Apple employees would tell customers the cost of repairs if they didn't purchase AppleCare+. Had I known that it cost $299 to replace such a tiny piece of glass, I would have gladly spend the $70 for AppleCare+. Add the $80 to replace a broken watch under AppleCare+ and I would have been well below the cost without the extended coverage.
While many extended warranties are not worth the price, I have discovered the hard way that AppleCare+, for at least the watch, is well worth the price. I just wish Apple would sell it harder in the stores. I also wish they allowed you to pick up the coverage when Apple does the repairs.
I gave my wife an Apple Watch 4 for her birthday last week and decided to pass on AppleCare+. Four days after recieving her watch, she accidentally dropped it on a tile floor and cracked the screen.
Without AppleCare+, the repair cost is $299. UBreakIFix and other third party repair shops are not setup to handle the Apple Watch 4 and one hole-in-the-wall repair shop said they'd fix it for $399.
We opted to send it to Apple for repairs, mainly to avoid any warranty issues and because they seemed to be the only game in town. But here's the kicker. I asked if we could go ahead and get AppleCare+ on the repaired watch and was told AppleCare+ was not available for replacement watches. I don't agree with this policy, especially when Apple does the repairs, but it's not like my dislike will motivate Apple to change things.
Since buying my wife's watch, I have also bought a watch for myself and my son (he made the Dean's List and deserved something nice), but at the time opted out of AppleCare+. After learning the cost of repairs, I didn't hesitate and went to the Apple Store to pick-up the extended warranty for these watches.
I wish Apple employees would tell customers the cost of repairs if they didn't purchase AppleCare+. Had I known that it cost $299 to replace such a tiny piece of glass, I would have gladly spend the $70 for AppleCare+. Add the $80 to replace a broken watch under AppleCare+ and I would have been well below the cost without the extended coverage.
While many extended warranties are not worth the price, I have discovered the hard way that AppleCare+, for at least the watch, is well worth the price. I just wish Apple would sell it harder in the stores. I also wish they allowed you to pick up the coverage when Apple does the repairs.
I got it on my XS & my Watch.
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