Apple offers a 1-year warranty on most products, which can be extended to 3 years with the purchase of AppleCare. While Apple strives to ship the highest quality systems available, sometimes electronics fail. Because of this uncertainty, having the AppleCare extended warranty means you don’t have to pay for a costly repair in case your system decides it just doesn’t want to wake up one morning.
One of the more common misconceptions about AppleCare is that it’s an insurance policy. Chain stores like Best Buy occasionally offer their own replacement coverage in case of an accident, but that’s not AppleCare. If you bought a product replacement plan under another store, you would have to go through that store for coverage. AppleCare will cover your system if something on it fails through a defect in the product itself (such as a video chip dying or a hard drive failure). They will not cover your system if it was damaged by some physical trauma (such as being knocked off a table).
One case that comes up occasionally is with DVD drives; they can sometimes stop working through normal use. You insert a disc and either it spits right back out, or it won’t come out at all. Apple will cover this kind of repair under warranty, provided that the drive was not damaged through “misuse or abuse.” An example of a repair that is not covered would be if someone shoved something inside the drive that does not belong there, such as a paperclip or a “value card” from the local supermarket.
Note that there is a difference between “defect” and “damage.” If your display suddenly starts showing odd colors, or doesn’t work at all, that is a defect and is often covered by warranty. If your screen cracks because of a drop, it is considered damage, and you are responsible for the cost of the repair. In all my years as a service tech, I have never seen a laptop screen that just spontaneously broke of its own accord, yet I still get people trying to convince me that they opened up their laptop one morning and it had somehow cracked all by itself. More likely, a roommate or small child was involved.
Another issue that comes up is spill damage. Apple absolutely will not cover a system under warranty if something has been spilled onto it. There is no disputing this—it doesn’t matter that you’ve only owned the system for 2 weeks, or that you paid $1,300 for it, or that it was someone else that did it—Apple’s rule is firm, and as an Apple Specialist, we must follow this rule.
It doesn’t matter who did it, whether it was you, your roommate, a party attendee, your dog, or your kid. If your system was the unfortunate victim of a spilled glass of wine, got left outside in the rain, or caught in a flood, any warranty coverage it had is rendered void. The only way to reinstate your warranty coverage is to send the system to Apple for refurbishing and recertification. It costs a bit of money to do it, but in some cases it’s cheaper than buying a new computer.
So what do you do if your system somehow gets broken or soaked? First off, and most importantly, be honest about what happened. Don’t try to hide it, figuring that we won’t find out if you don’t tell us. You can’t hide a spill—even if you wiped it down with cleaner and there is no indication outside the system, there are sensors inside that will alert a tech that liquid has managed to get inside the case. However, the good news is that in most cases (provided the system wasn’t submerged) the hard drive is unaffected and we can usually retrieve your data from it. If you end up buying a new system from us, we may be able to transfer your data to your new system free of charge.
If your system was damaged or got wet (especially given how much devastation was caused by Irene recently) there may be coverage provided through your home owners’ or renters’ insurance policy. Check with them and find out what they need to file a claim; in most cases we can just do a quote for repair or replacement so you can submit it for reimbursement.