Will an iPad bought in the US get service from Apple in Europe?

November 7, 2012 10:03 AM

Will an iPad bought in the US get service from Apple in Europe?

I'm planning to buy an iPad as a gift. I live in Europe (Ireland, to be exact). I will be in the US in December. I can save about €70 by buying the iPad then but I'm a little concerned about whether Apple will service the device if it has any problems.

I've had good experiences with this type of situation in the past but the wording of their warranty allows them to refuse service ("Apple may restrict service to the country where Apple or its Authorized Distributors originally sold the hardware product.") Does anyone have experience of buying iPads or similar devices in the US and then having them serviced in Europe?

posted by Grinder to computers & internet (7 answers total)

what kind of ipad? if it is the wifi-only model, you will almost definitely have no problem (in fact, i'm 99% sure there's no way to tell where it was bought from just looking at the device). i've needed service on my US ipad while being in the UK, and they didn't bat an eye fixing it.
posted by cuetip at 10:17 AM on November 7, 2012

US bought iPad, serviced in the Netherlands. Hasn't been a problem. However, let me advise that you will get more favorable/clear service from Apple itself (via an Apple Store or over the phone) than a third party authorized repair center. I got a bit of a run around here while trying to fix a cracked screen until I brought my issues to the official Store.
posted by lovejones at 10:30 AM on November 7, 2012 [1 favorite]

Apple will service it no problem. They're really good about fixing stuff, no matter where it was bought. The best place to go is the Apple Store in Belfast, where they have a Genius Bar. I went there to ask about an iPhone with a dodgy button (bought outside the country), and they replaced it on the spot. If you don't want to go all the way to Belfast, you can bring it to one of the repair centres, or call their service centre and (I think) have it shipped to them for free.
posted by nevan at 10:55 AM on November 7, 2012

I live in the US, and my Dad lives in the UK. I bought him an iPad for his birthday, and gave it to him while he visited. I specifically asked about this in the Apple Store here, and they assured me it would be no problem. He has had no issues taking it to the Apple Store and asking for help with things, although admittedly it hasn't needed any repairs yet.
posted by Joh at 11:03 AM on November 7, 2012

I've seen plenty of Europeans at the genius bars in NYC. Not sure if they are expats who bought their Apple products in the US, or tourists stopping in for emergency service, but none of them seemed to get turned away.

So it should work both ways, right?
posted by Sara C. at 11:36 AM on November 7, 2012

Anecdotally, my friends who've bought Apple portable hardware on one side of the Atlantic have had no problems getting service on the other.

My suspicion re the wording is that they may raise an eyebrow if you bring in an iMac that you bought in Foreign.
posted by holgate at 11:57 AM on November 7, 2012

Agree with the others although in my case it was a macbook purchased on another continent but I imagine the principle is the same. (The Glasgow Genius Bar employee apologized that it would take an additional day to order in a North American keyboard on the free repair).
posted by whittaker at 12:52 PM on November 7, 2012