Is AppleCare worth it?
Apple offers extended warranty for all of its products, but is there really any need to buy it?
ave you ever taken out an AppleCare Protection Plan when buying a new Mac?
We asked that question on our social media pages a couple of months ago, and two-thirds of our readers said no.
There are a number of reasons why you might decide against buying an AppleCare plan, from the cost involved to relying on existing UK consumer rights legislation. So, do you even need to take out AppleCare in the first place? And if not, why not?
The Brexit effect
Brexit means many things, but noteworthy here is that the EU regulations that Britain is currently bound by, including a range of consumer protection laws, may no longer apply once the UK leaves the EU. However, that doesn’t mean you need to rush out and buy an AppleCare plan, as the UK already has its own set of consumer protection regulations.
The most important is the Consumer Rights Act 2015. This guarantees you the right to have the goods repaired or replaced by the retailer (which may not be Apple) within the first six years of purchase (five years in Scotland). Within the first six months, the retailer must prove that the item was not faulty when you bought it; after that, the burden of proof rests on you.
Encouragingly, this actually goes further than existing EU law. Under EU directive 1999/44/EC, consumers are guaranteed a minimum of two years to seek redress (so, the UK goes further with its five- and six-year periods). Leaving the EU doesn’t mean you’ll lose these protections, as they’re already enshrined in UK law. So is there really any need to take out AppleCare when the law already has you covered to a greater extent than EU legislation?
There are a couple of reasons why you may plump for AppleCare. The first reason is that you’ll get access to Apple’s renowned telephone support. You can call Apple Support any time within three years of buying a Mac or Apple display, and two years after buying an Apple TV, iPhone, iPad or iPod. Even if you don’t buy AppleCare, you can still call Apple support within 90 days of your purchase under Apple’s free one-year limited warranty. If, on the other hand, you don’t buy AppleCare and your issue arises after more than 90 days, you’ll have to call the retailer about your issue. The level of support will, of course, vary from seller to seller, but may not be up to Apple’s standards.
As well as that, both Apple’s one-year limited warranty and its AppleCare plans cover repair or replacement outside of the original country of purchase, whereas individual retailers
may not offer the
same level of protection. If this matters to you, check with the seller first to see what eventualities it covers.
Do you need AppleCare?
We asked our readers who haven’t taken out AppleCare to explain why. Most stated it was either because they felt confident that Apple’s products are well made, or that they were already covered by EU and UK law.
Reader Simon Bowkett said that it felt unnecessary: “It’s expensive and Apple products are well built. Plus I only keep my phone for a year”. At £25 for screen damage and £79 for any other damage, AppleCare+ for iPhone is costly if you have to buy it every time you get a new phone. That price rises to £89 for iPad coverage or an eye-watering £329 for the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar.
For Twitter user @sumarumi, cost was also important, but so was the reliability of Apple products. “For me it’s because they’re so reliable that an occasional direct cost is less than the accumulated insurance cost”, they explained. That correlates with a 2015 Consumer Reports survey of 58,000 laptop owners, which put Apple as the most reliable brand with a failure rate of 10% after three years, compared to 16-19% for Windows laptops.
MacFormat writers past and present also chimed in. Genius Tips editor Howard Oakley said he delayed buying AppleCare because he was already covered by Apple’s one-year limited warranty. Since you have a year after purchase to take out AppleCare, to do so immediately seemed unnecessary. Howard said it was simply convenient to defer the purchase because he bought an iMac at Christmas time, and could thus spend the money he saved on presents.
Former MacFormat editor Christopher Phin had a different reason for avoiding AppleCare, telling us there was no need to buy it “because UK/EU consumer protection is stronger than in the US”. UK consumer protection is certainly strong and some of the most robust in Europe – as we mentioned earlier, it far exceeds the minimum requirement under EU law.
So, do you need AppleCare? Ostensibly, probably not, as you’re already covered by current UK law, which will remain even after Brexit becomes a reality. You also have to balance the cost with the reliability of Apple products. Are you likely to make use of the coverage? If not, the steep outlay probably isn’t worth it.
That’s not to say AppleCare is completely unnecessary. Apple’s phone support is excellent, and that alone makes AppleCare worth at least a passing glance. Whether it’s enough to sway you, of course, comes down to your own circumstances.