Buying from Apple / resellers?

Hello andy:

Advice is frequently worth what you pay for it, but….

Does buying from 3rd party affect Apples warranty in anyway-shape or form? If something was to go wrong with it can i still just walk into an apple store and they will fix it?

I do not speak for Apple, but if the hardware is purchased from a reputable vendor, the answer should be no. Having said that, you really have no way of determining the history of what you purchase from third-party vendors.

In summary, it is your money and your decision. 🙂

Barry

it's fine as long as it is Apple authorized dealer/reseller, there used to be a "gray marked" when Apple products were sold by non-authorized outfits.

hold on to a store receipt for warranty purposes, since the warranty goes from the date of purchase.

UK reseller search:
http://www.apple.com/uk/buy/locator/

andy_gib wrote:
Cheers, Just want to know if anyone has had problems in the past buying other online retailers like Amazon, Curry, P-C (haven't a clue) World. Basically buy from reseller but use local apple store in the event of an emergency.

Because I'm in the US I'm not familiar with Curry or P-C World. However buying from Amazon would be fine, any authorized Apple dealer should be OK. You are doing the right thing to research before buying. I would also recommend asking the reseller about intangibles such as return policy, repair (which can easily be done by Apple so that should be a non issue) etc.. Reading customer reviews of the resellers while being a skeptic is wise too.

I have purchased 2 notebooks (MacBook Pro & MacBook Air) from resellers, both were less expensive than Apple and both were positive experiences too.

Roger

I've owned two Macs. I purchased one from an Apple Store and this iMac from the Apple Store On-Line because I wanted the numeric keypad keyboard and it was a no-charge option there.

I guess I'm the "Neanderthal". I've purchased from Apple because I wanted to be reasonably sure of what I was purchasing, I wanted their assistance in setting up the computers, and I just felt comfortable doing it through them. I never even gave purchase through a reseller (on-line or storefront) a thought; it simply wasn't on my radar.

+hold on to a store receipt for warranty purposes, since the warranty goes from the date of purchase.+

Actually (and unless Apple has changed their policy) the date of purchase applies without question when purchased from an Apple Store; if it is a reseller, you have to prove the purchase date while trying to register it because it depends on when the product was shipped to that reseller - Apple automatically starts the warranty at that point. You have to submit your purchase receipt to Apple to prove the purchase date - I've had to do that; especially if it's been quite a while since shipment. I had to fax my purchase receipt on two separate purchases (I bought it almost a year after it initially became available).

So you are correct of course; however, buying it late from a reseller can make the registration process a bit difficult sometimes.

Message was edited by: Barbara Daniels1