Thoughts on Harvey Norman's extended (product care?) warranty - 2017 iPad

MattyD on 22/11/2017 - 22:03

I'd appreciate your thoughts on this but please: objective, factual and even experience-based will be the most helpful.

I bought an iPad 2017 from the current HN $398 deal for my 9 y.o. daughter, who requires it for school next year.

I was convinced to buy HN's product care (or whatever it's called) with promises like "extends Apple's (1yr?) warranty by another 3 years", "new for old replacement", "covers batteries, which are the first things that die in these things", "even covers charging cables that keep getting pulled out roughly". Since I'm not going to be looking over my daughter's shoulder every five minutes at how she charges it I figured that $120 for an additional 3 yrs would probably give us some peace of mind.

I saw a few comments on the deal openly mocking HN's attempts to sell them this same cover, viewing it as worthless. Is there really no point?

I'm no stranger to some epic statutory warranty battles, and haven't lost yet.

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Comments

  • JimmyF on 22/11/2017 - 22:17
    +2

    I figured that $120 for an additional 3 yrs would probably give us some peace of mind.

    Does it cover screen breakage? As this would be the number one 'issue' school iPads would suffer.

    As for the rest, its a personal choice, but you just paid basically 1/3 of the unit to extend it.

  • try2bhelpful on 22/11/2017 - 22:40
    +2

    If you buy it with your gold/platinum cards you get an extra 12 month warranty. I would be comparing the HN and Apple extended warranties and what each of them give you, I would also get a good case to cover the Ipad and screen. I have never broken an IPAD screen; we have had a few battery issues with ours. I would be looking at breakage, battery and lost/stolen as the three things to cover for a, reasonably, young child.

  • garetz on 22/11/2017 - 22:57
    +4

    Apple dont advertise this, but even though they state 12 months warranty, they really cover it for at least 24 months under our statutory laws. Extended warranty is entirely a waste of money unless it insures against user stupidity like breaking the screen. Even then your contents insurance should cover this anyway, with accidental damage cover. The money you waste for the peace of mind bs, you can put towards a new one in 2 years time, so its entirely not worth it.

  • marketingpolice on 22/11/2017 - 23:07
    +1

    I posted the question earlier today under the harvey norman deal but did not get a response. sales pitch was you get a refund at harveys whereas at apple you get a refurbished unit. not sure if true. was curious even though I did not buy it? I concur with comments above. Our samsung tablet screen broke and they cost more than the unit to replace. samsung said that it was possible to break the screens just by putting a heavy load of books on top of a tablet even with a case. so word of warning, don't do that!

    • HighAndDry on 23/11/2017 - 11:29

      sales pitch was you get a refund at harveys

      I can't even imagine how this could possibly be true.

  • apple2016 on 22/11/2017 - 23:20
    +1

    I figured that $120 for an additional 3 yrs would probably give us some peace of mind.

    I don’t think any extended warranty would cover physical damage unless it’s a type of insurance rather than warranty. In my opinion it’s a waste of money.

  • altomic on 23/11/2017 - 00:27

    my 8 year has to have an iPad for next year (older 2 girls had laptops). where in Bris is your daughter going?

    • MattyD on 23/11/2017 - 00:31

      A private school in Carindale. Yours?

      • altomic on 23/11/2017 - 00:39
        +1

        A private school in Redcliffe.

  • Diji1 on 23/11/2017 - 00:41

    You played the game and lost. HN duped you, what a wonderful experience!

    Warranties are worthless if you are covered by ACL. You are covered by ACL.

  • myusername on 23/11/2017 - 10:01
    -1

    i think they're a scam to be honest

  • akaakmdm on 23/11/2017 - 10:03
    +1

    If you want extended warranty for your iPad, AppleCare is probaby a much better buy than Productcare.

    Personally, I was sold productcare and I went back the next day to cancel it.

    1. Productcare does NOT extend the manufacturer's (Apple) warranty and is completely separate. It's a company that works more like insurance for HN. If you return something to HN under the plan, the store will try to claim the money from productcare to cover the cost of your replacement.

    2. The terms are vague. If you read them, it mentions "minor failures" without defining them and it also seems to exclude "major failures". Technically, this isn't a "warranty" but a "product maintenance plan". All the salesmen mention batteries, but it's not explicitly defined as to what constitutes a dead battery (e.g. is a battery faulty if it only lasts 4 hours? 1 hour?)

    3. According to the terms, you have to get the device assessed and they can charge you a fee if they decide there isn't a "eligible minor fault".

    4. Online, people have reported mixed experiences. Some people seem to get replacements, some people tend to fight for weeks for anything to be done whilst they "assess" the item or just blame the issue on accidental damage.

    5. Accidental damage is not covered. I wouldn't count on "even covers charging cables that keep getting pulled out roughly" being covered at all.

    If you're on good terms with your local Harvey Norman and trust the staff there to help you out if you run into trouble, then it may be worthwhile. Otherwise, get AppleCare or save your $120 and put it towards a replacement device in future should the current one fail.

  • Tnetennba on 23/11/2017 - 17:43

    Read up on Australian consumer law. I reckon everyone should :)

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