On Jan 5, 2008, at 11:40 AM, Richard Gaskin wrote:
j downs wrote:
you ... didn't ... buy... applecare?
Do people really purchase extended warranties in this day and age?
I once was burned really badly on an extended warranty purchase for a
used car. It appeared to cover just about everything, and I
scrutinized it carefully. Turns out, it was cleverly worded so that
almost any necessary repair was excluded. I learned later that used
car dealers pay about $25 each for these, in bulk, and charge
"whatever the sucker will pay."
Many extended warranties for appliances and electronic devices work
the same way. The retailer buys them in bulk from a third party and
resells them at a large profit. (Alternately, the retailer, or a
subsidiary of the retailer, administers them.) The manufacturer bears
no responsibility. The third party sells them cheap on the assumption
that they will rarely be redeemed because the certificates get lost,
receipts get lost, there are too many exceptions and exclusions, too
many hassles and headaches, the warranties are pro-rated to the point
that the amount reimbursed by the third party is usually very small,
the product must be shipped to an "authorized service center," the
repair delay is too long, and so forth.
So, it depends. I would buy one from Apple, especially for a new
laptop. That's because Apple administers the warranty and actually
does the repairs. And Apple's business model depends on customer
loyalty.
Generally, I would avoid any extended warranty bought in bulk by the
retailer or administered by anyone other than the manufacturer of the
product.
Hope this is helpful.
Tim
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