Understanding warranty on Apple products bought in Ghana

Six weeks after buying a MacBook, a customer called us about a key that had stopped registering. His first question was the one most people ask: "Is this covered by your warranty?"

The honest answer surprises people. We do not have a warranty of our own. The warranty on an Apple product is Apple's, and understanding how it works will save you time and worry if anything ever goes wrong.

Whose warranty it is

Every Apple product we sell is brand-new and sealed, and it carries Apple's own limited warranty. iVillage does not add a separate warranty, and we do not offer a blanket one-year store warranty. We are also not an Apple authorised reseller or service provider, and we do not repair Apple products ourselves.

What we do is help. If you have a problem with something you bought from us, you deal with us, and we deal with Apple or its service provider on your behalf where that is practical. The decision on the claim, though, remains Apple's.

What Apple's warranty covers

Apple's standard warranty is a one-year limited warranty from the date of the original retail purchase. It covers defects in materials and workmanship: a faulty display, a speaker that fails, a battery that will not hold a charge because something is wrong with it, a keyboard key that stops working on its own.

It is not insurance. Apple's terms, and our warranty policy, exclude things like:

• accidental damage, including drops and cracked screens
• liquid damage
• misuse, neglect and normal wear
• repair or modification by someone Apple did not authorise
• damage from power problems or third-party accessories
• gradual loss of battery capacity, except where Apple states a threshold

That power point matters here. A surge when the lights come back can damage a charger or a laptop, and that is not a manufacturing fault. A good surge protector is cheap insurance.

Where the warranty can be used

This is the part that matters most in Ghana, and it differs by product.

For iPhone, Apple's warranty allows Apple to restrict service to the country where the phone was originally sold by Apple or its authorised distributors. Our iPhones come from the United States, so a warranty repair may need to be handled through the US rather than locally.

For many other Apple products, such as Mac, iPad and AirPods, Apple's warranty terms generally allow service in countries other than the one of purchase, but service is limited to what is available where you ask for it. Parts and response times vary by country, Apple may use parts that meet local standards, and you may have to pay shipping, customs duties and taxes if the product has to travel.

In practice, the answer for a given product is decided by Apple's terms for that product and serial number. If warranty coverage matters to your decision, ask us before you order and we will tell you what applies.

What about AppleCare+?

AppleCare+ is Apple's paid extended cover, which adds accidental damage protection and longer support. Ghana is not on Apple's list of countries where AppleCare products are sold, so it is not something you can buy for a device here. Plan on Apple's standard warranty, and look after the device accordingly: a case, a screen protector and a surge protector go a long way.

How to check your coverage

Apple has a free tool at checkcoverage.apple.com. Enter the serial number, found in Settings, then General, then About on an iPhone or iPad, or under the Apple menu, then About This Mac on a Mac. It shows whether the product is still under Apple's limited warranty and until when.

It is a good habit to check this when your product arrives. Keep:

• the original box, with its serial number label
• your iVillage order confirmation or invoice
• any accessories that came in the box

A claim is easier, and sometimes only possible, with these.

What happens when you make a claim

1. Contact us with your order number, the serial number and a short description of the fault. Photos or a video help.
2. We confirm whether the issue looks like a warranty matter and explain the likely route, including where the product needs to go.
3. You back up your data and sign out of your Apple Account, so Find My is switched off. Apple cannot service a device that is still locked to an account.
4. Diagnosis and repair. Apple's normal remedy is repair; replacement is not automatic.

If parts need to be ordered, a repair may take roughly 2 to 6 weeks, depending on diagnosis, parts and where the work is done. That is an estimate, not a promise, and we cannot offer a loan device as a matter of course. Transport to and from the repair location is normally the customer's cost, and it is higher when the product has to travel outside Ghana.

If a fault is not covered, we may be able to arrange a paid diagnosis or repair, and you will know the cost before any work begins.

The short version

Apple stands behind the product. We stand beside you while you use it. As for the customer with the sticking key: the serial number showed the laptop was well inside Apple's warranty, and he knew exactly what to expect before it went anywhere.

Everything above is set out in full in our warranty policy.