You must have a repair strategy in place in the event your child’s device is faulty, damaged or lost.
This can be a warranty that covers repairs, or an insurance policy that covers accidental damage. Or perhaps just an additional spare device. The important aspect is if something were to happen that the device can be repaired or replaced in a timely fashion so as not to interrupt their studies.
Warranty and Insurance are not the same thing.
Warranty
In Australia, any laptop or device you buy comes with a two-year manufacturers’ warranty to ensure it is free from defects and poor workmanship. This applies only to devices purchased whilst you are in Australia and includes online retailers that sell to the Australian public even if their business is located overseas. Some manufacturers offer extended Warranty which is highly recommended.
If you buy a device whilst travelling abroad it is not subject to Australian Consumer Law and will likely not be covered for one year.
Apple Mac Books provide two years warranty cover under Australian Consumer Law. If you purchase a new Apple MacBook it is highly recommended to consider an AppleCare protection plan.
Issues typically covered by warranty:
- Faulty hard drives.
- Noisy fans.
- Device not powering on.
- Faulty keyboard or Touch Pad.
Insurance
Purchasing insurance is a personal choice – but is highly recommended. Whilst there’s lots of policies out there that covered every situation, the most typical one in a School environment is accidental damage.
Often if you’re buying a new device you will have the option of getting some sort of insurance policy, however this may provide too many or too few options. There are several other companies that specialise in education device cover, iBroker[ is an example.
Issues typically covered by a policy.
- Cracked screen.
- Accidental damage.
- Liquid Spill
- Theft
- Loss
It might be plausible to add the device to your home and contents insurance but be sure to read the fine print to ensure it is covered within the context it will be used, e.g., on the College campus. If you elect to get more things covered, such as fire and theft, the policy will cost more.
Liquid Damage
One of the most frequent issues seen by the IT Department staff is laptops that have had liquid accidentally spilled on them. Liquid damage is not covered by any warranty, including AppleCare.
If you have a water damaged device, it is extremely obvious to a repair technician and your warranty will be void. Even if you have dried it out completely there will be residue throughout the internals and some manufactures put in a type of litmus detector that will indicate if liquid has been present.
If you have accidentally spilled water onto your device TURN IT OFF IMMEDIATELY and place it upside down in a dry area and be prepared not to turn it back on for 48 hours.