Apple drop AppleCare direct service...
05/12/06 00:34
Only one option available to Irish consumers...
Recently a number of issues around Apple support have arisen for our clients. Over the past few years we have recommended AppleCare to all clients, especially those who had bought Apple laptops. However since the middle of 2006, Apple support to Irish customers has changed, with courier or the mail-in repairs service being withdrawn, and only one option remaining for AppleCare customers.
AppleCare Cover
As we saw it, the advantage of AppleCare was two-fold. Firstly the obvious factor of an extended warranty for hardware. The second part was the ease of use, and the ability to deal directly with Apple.
Inside the AppleCare Protection Plan User Guide (as of Summer 2006), it states:
“One or more of the following service options may apply: onsite service, direct mail-in-repair service, express courier service, customer-installable parts, and carry-in service.”
Over the last five years, we have sent laptops back to Apple under AppleCare warranty using the express courier service. However during the last week of August 2006, Apple Support told us that the only option currently available in Ireland is “carry-in service”.
Since there are no retail Apple-owned retail stores in Dublin, this involves driving across the city to a third-party Apple Service Provider. This is very unsatisfactory. Having spent €449 on AppleCare for a PowerBook or MacBook Pro, taking a half day off work and drive to a third-party service provider strikes us as poor service. Added to this, there are few Apple service providers in Ireland. If you are based outside Dublin, Limerick or Cork, you are out of luck. The only option is to pay for a courier to deliver the Mac.
Apple Ireland & UK
We wrote to Apple at the start of September 2006, outlining our concerns and the lack of options for Irish AppleCare purchasers. We wrote to a representative in Apple UK and Ireland Support, giving our views and concerns, but never received a reply.
This story came to a head this week when MacWorld UK outlined similar concerns in the UK, based on an article by Ping Wales website. It appears that the same change in service now effects the UK as well as Ireland.
We have now contacted Apple UK and Ireland again to see if we can clarify the situation.
Recently a number of issues around Apple support have arisen for our clients. Over the past few years we have recommended AppleCare to all clients, especially those who had bought Apple laptops. However since the middle of 2006, Apple support to Irish customers has changed, with courier or the mail-in repairs service being withdrawn, and only one option remaining for AppleCare customers.
AppleCare Cover
As we saw it, the advantage of AppleCare was two-fold. Firstly the obvious factor of an extended warranty for hardware. The second part was the ease of use, and the ability to deal directly with Apple.
Inside the AppleCare Protection Plan User Guide (as of Summer 2006), it states:
“One or more of the following service options may apply: onsite service, direct mail-in-repair service, express courier service, customer-installable parts, and carry-in service.”
Over the last five years, we have sent laptops back to Apple under AppleCare warranty using the express courier service. However during the last week of August 2006, Apple Support told us that the only option currently available in Ireland is “carry-in service”.
Since there are no retail Apple-owned retail stores in Dublin, this involves driving across the city to a third-party Apple Service Provider. This is very unsatisfactory. Having spent €449 on AppleCare for a PowerBook or MacBook Pro, taking a half day off work and drive to a third-party service provider strikes us as poor service. Added to this, there are few Apple service providers in Ireland. If you are based outside Dublin, Limerick or Cork, you are out of luck. The only option is to pay for a courier to deliver the Mac.
Apple Ireland & UK
We wrote to Apple at the start of September 2006, outlining our concerns and the lack of options for Irish AppleCare purchasers. We wrote to a representative in Apple UK and Ireland Support, giving our views and concerns, but never received a reply.
This story came to a head this week when MacWorld UK outlined similar concerns in the UK, based on an article by Ping Wales website. It appears that the same change in service now effects the UK as well as Ireland.
We have now contacted Apple UK and Ireland again to see if we can clarify the situation.
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