Apple hardware lost to LA fires needs to be replaced by homeowner's insurance, not AppleCa...

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in Current Mac Hardware edited January 15

People affected by the LA wildfires who lost their Mac to the flames shouldn't use AppleCare to replace it. They'd have better luck with homeowner's insurance.

AppleCare logo with a red apple icon and text on a soft gradient background.
AppleCare - Image Credit: Apple



The wildfires ravaging California and Los Angeles has involved evacuations of residents out from affected areas, as well as the loss of property. Homes, businesses, and personal belongings have been destroyed by the blaze, with thousands of people affected by it.

However, when it comes time to replace their possessions, Mac owners may start to think that they will be covered by AppleCare. In the vast majority of instances, it won't be of much assistance to fire victims.

A lack of coverage



Like many other warranties, repair agreements, and insurance policies, Apple has a lot of terms included in its AppleCare Repair Agreement for Mac that dictates what does and doesn't count for repair. A similar restriction apples to the iPhone as well.

The terms of what is and isn't covered by the plan are quite distinct and straightforward. Beyond the list of what is covered by the plan, the document includes what it doesn't cover.

The list, section 4 under "What is not Covered?," lists off specific scenarios. While some are items that don't really apply to a fire, such as "preventative maintenance"or consumable parts, some certainly do.

The second part lists damaged caused by "accident, abuse, misuse, liquid contact, fire, earthquake or other external causes." The terms "accident," fire," and "liquid contact" are the main elements at issue here, with the latter caused by fighting the fire.

Submitting for a repair or replacement on a Mac salvaged from a housefire intact will end up in failure, even if it seems to be fine externally.

If you were evacuated as a precautionary measure and your house remained untouched by the fire, your home may also become an undefended target of theft.

Again, the "not covered" list explains it cannot deal with "lost or stolen" hardware. "This Plan only covers Covered Equipment that is returned to Apple in its entirety," it states.

Check your insurance



A better, and more likely to be accepted, route is to go through insurance. Mac users with an up-to-date home owner's insurance, or renter's insurance, should be able to make a claim on their hardware, as well as their other personal belongings.

This is a similar case when it comes to a Mac used for business purposes. So long as there is insurance against property owned by the business, the insurance should process the claim for the business asset.

This advice can also apply to people traveling in the area. If travel insurance was taken out for the journey, there will usually be terms dictating what happens in the case of property damage or loss.

While AppleCare may seem less useful for Mac owners dealing with the fire and the loss of their home, it's worth remembering that it's not a full-blown insurance plan. It's intended to make sure that, if there happens to be a problem with your Mac, you'll be covered in most typical situations.

For everything else, insurance should cover it.

Other efforts



While Apple isn't going to replace Macs and MacBooks lost to the fires, it is still making an effort to help out.

For a start, Apple Card users in areas deemed a natural disaster zone by FEMA can apply for delayed payments. After contacting Apple Card Support, a payment can be skipped and no interest will accumulate to the affected user.

Apple is also donating to "support the victims and recovery efforts on the ground" under its usual emergency measures, CEO Tim Cook said on January 9.



Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 7
    DAalsethdaalseth Posts: 3,141member
    This is a good reminder. Thanks for posting.
    watto_cobra
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 2 of 7
    netroxnetrox Posts: 1,526member
    Unfortunately, many of them don't have homeowner insurance. Many insurance companies dropped their coverages for many homes in Southern California due to inevitable wildfires and earthquakes. Same with Florida due to storms and floods.
    DAalsethiOS_Guy80muthuk_vanalingamwatto_cobra
     1Like 0Dislikes 3Informatives
  • Reply 3 of 7
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,354member
    I would never think to use AppleCare for replacing destroyed goods due to a fire.
    that is what insurance is for. 
    And as to the difficulty to get insurance in California, most of that is actually regulatory.  
    (Disclosure, work in a national disaster department, not USA but same sort of issues).
    edited January 15
    muthuk_vanalingamdanoxwatto_cobra
     2Likes 0Dislikes 1Informative
  • Reply 4 of 7
    xyzzy01xyzzy01 Posts: 146member
    entropys said:
    I would never think to use AppleCare for replacing destroyed goods due to a fire.
    that is what insurance is for. 
    And as to the difficulty to get insurance in California, most of that is actually regulatory.  
    (Disclosure, work in a national disaster department, not USA but same sort of issues).
    Could you explain? Is it because companies are not allowed to charge a rate corresponding to the risk in these areas?
    watto_cobra
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 5 of 7
    1348513485 Posts: 386member
    Can I just take this opportunity to remind everyone to take your "super computer in your pocket" and take pictures of each room in your house and closets from a couple of angles so you can itemize your belongings, including in your garage. It doesn't matter if it's messy. Plus a few pictures of your house and yard. Put them on iCloud. Or use a flash drive (or go old school and print them out) and keep them somewhere safe. It will save you a lot of trouble should a disaster occur and you end up negotiating with an insurance company. The Rule is: You have more stuff than you think.

    Also, have a "go bag". There are a plethora of docs and YT videos on Go Bag contents, from full nuclear winter prep to a few overnights at a local motel or in-laws (YMMV as to which option may be worse than another...).

    One last thing: GO. Don't wait and don't assume the main roads will be clear sailing--they won't be because everyone waits.
    dewmewatto_cobra
     1Like 0Dislikes 1Informative
  • Reply 6 of 7
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,354member
    xyzzy01 said:
    entropys said:
    I would never think to use AppleCare for replacing destroyed goods due to a fire.
    that is what insurance is for. 
    And as to the difficulty to get insurance in California, most of that is actually regulatory.  
    (Disclosure, work in a national disaster department, not USA but same sort of issues).
    Could you explain? Is it because companies are not allowed to charge a rate corresponding to the risk in these areas?
    Yes. So they no longer offer a product. But also the way the FAIR policy was set up. And that California even has a “Department of Insurance”. It’s becoming the California Socialist Republic, with the inevitable consequences.
    edited January 16
    watto_cobra
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 7 of 7
    danoxdanox Posts: 3,522member
    entropys said:
    xyzzy01 said:
    entropys said:
    I would never think to use AppleCare for replacing destroyed goods due to a fire.
    that is what insurance is for. 
    And as to the difficulty to get insurance in California, most of that is actually regulatory.  
    (Disclosure, work in a national disaster department, not USA but same sort of issues).
    Could you explain? Is it because companies are not allowed to charge a rate corresponding to the risk in these areas?
    Yes. So they no longer offer a product. But also the way the FAIR policy was set up. And that California even has a “Department of Insurance”. It’s becoming the California Socialist Republic, with the inevitable consequences.
    Housing, affordability, and homeowner insurance availability is and has become a nationwide USA problem in recent years and the way things are going it isn’t getting any better. The only positive thing about these recent fires is that it’s not statewide all at once like having a couple of hurricanes blowing thru within three weeks of each other like the red states of America I guess FEMA will be around for a little bit longer Mr. Orange?

    The housing market isn’t going away even though it’s limping along the federal government and all 50 states will do something (“socialist” government action) even though as usual they will fall short and be late to the party.
    edited January 17
    watto_cobra
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
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