Is Applecare worth buying for iPhone 4S?

jap200

I was just about to buy my first iphone from the Apple store online and am now presented with the option of adding a 2nd year protection plan for £61.

Is it worth buying?

Kingsd316

Personally, my answer would be yes, apple have the best customer service ive ever known, but there will be the "fit for purpose" police coming along soon saying its not needed as it should last longer than a year etc, but for piece of mind and ease of getting replacements its a must

jap200

It's because of their great customer service that I wonder if it is worth it. My son's ipod touch camera stopped working and we booked an appointment at the Genius bar of our local apple store. They ended up replacing it on the spot with a new ipod even though we had originally bought his in Argos. That's why I am wondering what the extra protection plan will do above an beyond what they would do without it.

Lifeforms

The problem is that when it's out of warrantee you run the risk of getting some idiots on the Genius bars. It's common to get good service, but there have been tails of service which basically asks people to pay (and rightly so when it's things like iphone screens etc deliberately broken, left in pockets etc.) I don't know if accidental damages are covered either.

The extra phone support you get for two years isnt worth it IMO. Google is your friend for almost every apple problem/query you have.

Take a good look through it to find out just what is covered, and ask, if necessary, specific questions. If by 18 months old, you've got poor battery use, will they replace the battery? If The screen breaks for any reason, what will they do? etc

Also you don't need to buy now. You have 1 year from Purchase date to go back and buy the coverage.

I'm still undecided about buying an Ipad one, got 6 months to decide.

jap200

It isn't clear at all what is covered until you look at the details.
http://images.apple.com/legal/applecare/docs/081811_APP_iPhone_EMEA_English_v5.4.pdf

It seems that accidental damage is not covered, but only faulty workmanship etc. The battery is covered if it doesn't hold its charge by more than 50% of the original specification.

For me personally I think accidental damage is the most likely scenario - probably by one of my kids - so on balance it is probably not worth it for me. Now I know that I could always add it on in the first year anyway, then I will go ahead and buy the phone without it.

wba31

I would get it if i were you. I got the iphone 4 on day of release on a 2 year contract. Last summer my phone wouldnt charge at all, so booked a genius bar appointment, my free 12 months cover had ended, and i dont have apple care on my phone. They said that the pin in the bottom of the phone has corroded, this was water damage, therefore my liability. They tried saying that i must have my phone in my bathroom when showering etc, and steam has caused the link to rust, which isnt the case. It should have cost me £130 to replace my handset but because i argued the toss with the store manager that it is a design flaw, i am a 27 yr old male who does not need to take my phone into a bathroom for a shower and i am sensible about keeping it dry, they eventually swapped it for £65 as a "battery issue". Apple care for the iphone is £30? i think i will be buying it when i replace my handset this year, just for peace of mind...

jap200

It's £61, so a fair whack on top of the price.

Lifeforms

You might be better looking for an external insurance which will also deal with accidental damage. That is most likely what will happen to it anyway. It would also cover theft, and call usage (as long as you follow the set terms regarding notification and reporting etc)
You can get insurance from a few places specifically for mobile phones, or you might find that it's something your bank will offer for a monthly fee. I get mine through barclays, which I pay a monthly fee for a set number of benefits, including mobile phone insurance.

Kingsd316

Not sure if its available here but applecare plu covers accidental damage

http://images.apple.com/legal/applecare/docs/applecareplus.pdf

jap200

Kingsd316 wrote: »

Not sure if its available here but applecare plu covers accidental damage

http://images.apple.com/legal/applecare/docs/applecareplus.pdf

That's specific to the US unfortunately.

I don't think the UK version of Applecare would have made a difference to wba31's situation either by the sound of it as the argument given at the genius bar was that the phone had been used in the bathroom/steamy environment, so they were arguing that it was effectively accidental damage (although wba31 said it wasn't) and therefore outside the terms of the insurance.

I do agree that stand-alone mobile phone insurance is probably the way to go for me.

Notmyrealname

Applecare is one of the very few warranties that is actually worth a toss.