Re:My MacBook Pro had over 10k USD in repairs
by dredmorbius on Wednesday August 25, 2021 @05:03PM
(#28306973)
Note that apparent cost and actual cost are not the same thing.
The purchase price is lower without a warranty, but the actual incurred risk cost is higher.
Absent a warranty, that's not only a risk shift from the manufacturer to the consumer, but a real cost shift, as steps which might increase reliability are not taken and the consequences of those decisions (made by the manufaucturer) accrue to the purchaser.
There is also the incidnece cost and the cost of liquidity or credit required to front a repair bill in the hundreds or thousands of dollars. Given that much of the US cannot meet an unexpected $400 expense in a month, this is a significant consideration. MacBook owners may represent a more affluent portion of the population, but a $10k repair bill over four years remains significant. That's a constant $208/mo reliability tax on that particular unit, for this owner.
Note that in this case, Apple did eat the cost as the repairs were covered under the AppleCare Protection Plan.
The purchase price is lower without a warranty, but the actual incurred risk cost is higher.
Absent a warranty, that's not only a risk shift from the manufacturer to the consumer, but a real cost shift, as steps which might increase reliability are not taken and the consequences of those decisions (made by the manufaucturer) accrue to the purchaser.
There is also the incidnece cost and the cost of liquidity or credit required to front a repair bill in the hundreds or thousands of dollars. Given that much of the US cannot meet an unexpected $400 expense in a month, this is a significant consideration. MacBook owners may represent a more affluent portion of the population, but a $10k repair bill over four years remains significant. That's a constant $208/mo reliability tax on that particular unit, for this owner.
Note that in this case, Apple did eat the cost as the repairs were covered under the AppleCare Protection Plan.