Apple Care - Worth it?

[sagarich]

It's time to replace my trusty MBP with a new MBP retina.

Unsure if I should tick the £199 Apple Care protection... When things have gone wrong, what have your experiences of the protection plan been?

PS. I assume Yosemite is now shipping out of the box and I won't need to download when it arrives?

TIA

[Durzel]

Not had to use AppleCare, but have always bought it. Peace of mind is worth the money when you consider how much the things cost to begin with.

That said, save yourself a load of money and buy it & the rMBP through the Higher Education store.

[jogon]

I took it out two years ago for my new MBPr. It developed the retina burn with slight white lines on the screen noticeable on start up and white web pages and also the track pad seem to lose sensitivity and didn't click correctly on one side.

I tried to get an appt at either Regent St or Covent Garden but none available so apple advised I take it to my local approved apple repair centre. Wasn't so keen but in the end I got it back 6 days later with brand new screen and also replaced keyboard, trackpad and entire surrounding case. All free of charge.

So imo it is worth it.

[sagarich]

Thanks all, going to go for it.

I'm sure I will only regret it if I don't.

[megaphone]

If you buy from the edu store (linked above) your warranty is extended for 2 years for free. Not full Applecare but good enough if it goes wrong.

[SlidingSideways]

And if you buy from John Lewis, you get a three year warranty

[Leithen]

SlidingSideways said:

And if you buy from John Lewis, you get a three year warranty

Isn't it two years from John Lewis, unless it's their own brand electricals, when it's three?

[sagarich]

megaphone said:

If you buy from the edu store (linked above) your warranty is extended for 2 years for free. Not full Applecare but good enough if it goes wrong.

Thanks, will look into this. I'm buying through my business, so I may not be eligible.

[tim0409]

This page explains Apple's approach to warranties - http://www.apple.com/uk/legal/statutory-warranty

Having spoken with an Apple Genius, in practice they tend to offer a minimum 2 year warranty without much quibbling if you purchase the goods from them, but obviously if you come back between 2-6 years you will more than likely have to prove that the phone/ipad etc was not of satisfactory quality. The difference between EU 2 year legislation and your UK statutory rights is discussed here - http://www.theguardian.com/money/2011/feb/05/how-l...

I tend to buy directly from Apple as they are normally very good at replacing/fixing stuff, as are John Lewis. I have never bothered with Apple care as I look after my stuff and tend not to keep it beyond 2 years.