Anyone finds buying extended AppleCare Protection Plan (APP) for APPLE
powerbooks useful?

On 5/18/04 6:38 PM, in article v7xqc.69909$wY.37150@nwrdny03.gnilink.net,
"JP" <google@no.info.com> wrote:

> Anyone finds buying extended AppleCare Protection Plan (APP) for APPLE
> powerbooks useful?
>
>

I refuse to buy extended warranties as a rule.

That being said, as a (former) Apple repair tech, I buy APP on ALL my Apple
product, and get the screen damage from CompUSA to boot on my PowerBooks.

--
Brian Ehni

In article <BCD01218.9E78%behni@comcast.net>,
Brian Paul Ehni <behni@comcast.net> wrote:

> That being said, as a (former) Apple repair tech, I buy APP on ALL my Apple
> product, and get the screen damage from CompUSA to boot on my PowerBooks.

Could you possibly expand upon your experience with APP? As a new
Macintosh Powerbook purchaser (first Apple machine ever for me), I am
still trying to work out what I need to look for in the way of both
programs and repair facilities. For example, do you have experience of
certain classes of failure modes with Powerbooks?

I'm very familiar with Intel based desktop systems, and never buy
extended warranties for them. I know I can get cheap equivalent parts
for almost everything. They are also no great problem to fix (well, the
hardware isn't - less said about the software the better).

In Windows notebooks I've had more problems. Batteries are often hard
to replace. It took me over six months to source an old Toshiba
keyboard. On the other hand, these were older systems than the APP
will cover. It stops at three years, does it not? So I am still
undecided about it, and would really like more information on whether I
should accept a certain loss for the insurance, or risk a potentially
much larger loss over the next three years.

On 5/18/04 10:32 PM, in article
may2004-8E6A8B.13321019052004@news-s...bigpond.net.au, "Eric Lindsay"
<may2004@ericlindsay.com> wrote:

> In article <BCD01218.9E78%behni@comcast.net>,
> Brian Paul Ehni <behni@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>> That being said, as a (former) Apple repair tech, I buy APP on ALL my Apple
>> product, and get the screen damage from CompUSA to boot on my PowerBooks.
>
> Could you possibly expand upon your experience with APP? As a new
> Macintosh Powerbook purchaser (first Apple machine ever for me), I am
> still trying to work out what I need to look for in the way of both
> programs and repair facilities. For example, do you have experience of
> certain classes of failure modes with Powerbooks?
>
> I'm very familiar with Intel based desktop systems, and never buy
> extended warranties for them. I know I can get cheap equivalent parts
> for almost everything. They are also no great problem to fix (well, the
> hardware isn't - less said about the software the better).
>
> In Windows notebooks I've had more problems. Batteries are often hard
> to replace. It took me over six months to source an old Toshiba
> keyboard. On the other hand, these were older systems than the APP
> will cover. It stops at three years, does it not? So I am still
> undecided about it, and would really like more information on whether I
> should accept a certain loss for the insurance, or risk a potentially
> much larger loss over the next three years.

I've been out of the repair end too long to get into gory details, but APP
has been used twice to fix display issues on my Dept Chair's 15" Ti Book (I
believe it was not properly repaired the first time), and I have used it on
at least three occasions with two of my PowerBooks related to a bad hard
drive on my G3 (Pismo), a dead fan on my Ti Book, and a dead Combo drive on
my Ti Book. I've also had occasion to deal with a Ti Book (500 MHz) with a
bad logic board (drive controller). Just out of the 1 year warranty, it sits
waiting for someone to decide if they want to get it fixed; APP would have
covered it.

The nice thing about APP is that if you DO have to send it in, they will
ship you a box, direct, and it goes to Houston, TX for repairs. I have sent
my Ti Book in on a Monday afternoon, and had it back Wednesday morning. To
be fair, I've seen the same speed with a couple of Compaq (before HP buyout)
repairs.

As far as classes of failure in PowerBooks, I've seen nothing like that
since the debacle with the PB 5300 battery, which was, strictly speaking,
not Apple's fault. As with any computer, there are moving parts (HDD,
optical drive, fan(s)), any of which can go bad, plus ribbon cables that can
come out (I think that was the video problem with the boss' Book), etc.
--
Brian Ehni

On 5/18/04 10:32 PM, in article
may2004-8E6A8B.13321019052004@news-s...bigpond.net.au, "Eric Lindsay"
<may2004@ericlindsay.com> wrote:

> So I am still
> undecided about it, and would really like more information on whether I
> should accept a certain loss for the insurance, or risk a potentially
> much larger loss over the next three years.

Any insurance is gambling. You're betting you need it, they are betting you
don't.

I've had personal experience where the repair cost saved was equal to or
more than the expense of the APP.
--
Brian Ehni

In article <v7xqc.69909$wY.37150@nwrdny03.gnilink.net>,
"JP" <google@no.info.com> wrote:

> Anyone finds buying extended AppleCare Protection Plan (APP) for APPLE
> powerbooks useful?

For the sheer convenience of having someone answer a question,
never mind repair - it's worth the purchase, and I rarely buy
extended care or protection plans. But calling AppleCare can
turn a frustrating situation (even it the problem is my fault)
into a short, concise, no wait call and fix--I'm all for it. I've
had Macs (quite a number) for a long time--but unless you are
well-versed in OS10, Airport, etc., and you are like me, it was a
learning curve.

--
Memory was given to mortals so that they might
have roses in December.
....unknown