Apple has announced that it will be ending its “Joint Venture” program on 22 February. The program allowed business customers to avail technical support on priority basis. Existing customers can continue to avail the services till the last date.
The program for business customers was launched in 2011 by Apple. It allowed business customers who purchased iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices to avail special services. The program gave the customers of Joint Ventures program to avail quick technical support , device setup assistance (for upto five devices), and also provided training of devices and services.
A yearly fee for peace of mind
Apple offered the Joint Ventures services for $499 (USD) – an annual fee. Business customers could however add more additional devices for another $99 per year. The goal of the program was to offer more support to small and medium sized businesses. Apple essentially outsourced the program to offer superior services compared to the basic Genius Bar to business customers.
Business customers who have already subscribed to the Joint Ventures plan expiring far from 22 February, will receive a refund, according to the AppleCare Guide. As an alternative to Joint Ventures, business customers can now opt for the AppleCare Help Desk Support for an annual fee of $499 (USD).
The AppleCare Help Desk Support will offer unlimited hardware support incidents and software support incidents. Business customers can breathe a sigh of relief as they can still avail similar types of services under a different program. Similarly, AppleCare for regular customers offers major benefits such as low-cost repair during the extended warranty period.
AppleCare does seem slightly expensive for regular customers but it is a must buy for almost everyone who plans to use their devices for a long period. Mac hardware repairs are very expensive and having extended warranty helps users save a lot of money on repairs.
