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Squaretrade warranties, seeking feedback

Who has or have directly known anyone that has purchased a third-party insurance/warranty from squaretrade? I ask because I read good things about their warranties but can not find "real" (actual people on this board or elsewhere) who can give testimony for either good or bad.
I purchased a Sprint branded Touch Pro (using it on Verizon) from ebay, and it came in immaculate condition and fully functional as the seller stated. At the time, I thought the squaretrade warranty offered by the seller on ebay was a scam, but for $48 I figured it was cheap insurance. I know sometimes parts fail and as luck has it, the USB charge/sync port failed. I am in no way blaming the seller and am not going to try to scam my money back from them. Verizon will not touch it as it is not a device they sell technically and Sprint won't touch it either as I do not have a line of service with them.
HTC will not warranty it for free as I am not the original purchaser, and offer repairs at an estimated cost at or above what I paid for the device off ebay.
I filed a claim with squaretrade as my warranty states I am entitled to, and they promptly approved my claim and emailed me a pre-paid UPS return shipping label and claim they will have it repaired "usually within five days of receiving the device". I boxed it up, filled out the simple form they required and shipped it off.
Now this being my first time using this company and their service, up to this point I am pleased with them. Their customer service seems to be on par with Asurion and other types of services I have used in the past. I will be more than happy to update this thread when I receive my device back in working order and give a rating here.
Thanks for reading this rather long post, and I ask anyone who has dealt with them in the past to chime in with any feedback, good or bad regarding Squaretrade and their services.

Have you received the phone back yet? If so/if not - remember to update us on this!

I was wondering if you got the phone back from squareTrade yet.
I would like to use them but like you would like to know that there are real people out there who are satisfied with them.

Squaretrade Warranty for Nexus One

Just as a consideration, I thought I'd throw this out there. I was mildly concerned when I ordered a Nexus about the lack of Asurion insurance on T-Mobile. Checked with Squaretrade, since I have used them on other electronics purchases, and was very pleased to find they have a specific plan for the Nexus One. For $115 (special atm) you get a full 2 yr replacement or repair warranty for a one time premium with an at need $50 deductible. Normal failures like battery failure are not subject to deductible. Only con is they don't cover loss, you have to be able to send them back something broken. Being as I was paying about $8 a month for insurance on my G1 before, with a $150 deductible, a little quick math shows an amazing difference. My experiences with Squaretrade in the past have been wonderful, and I would recommend giving them a look.
http://www.squaretrade.com/pages/nexusone-landing?ccode=bs_war_quote

t-mobile gave me insurance through Asurion....

This is old news. Tmobile does cover the nexus one. Use search.

Dose it cover if I unlock the boot loader? I know Google (HTC) voids the warranty the second you do that. I want to be able to install Cyanogen on my Nexus One without the worry of not having a warranty. I have the G1 now and have had it for about a year now and I havent had any problems with it, but I've heard of people's N1's on at&t the screen is messed up look here.

thumbs said:
Dose it cover if I unlock the boot loader? I know Google (HTC) voids the warranty the second you do that. I want to be able to install Cyanogen on my Nexus One without the worry of not having a warranty. I have the G1 now and have had it for about a year now and I havent had any problems with it, but I've heard of people's N1's on at&t the screen is messed up look here.
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no it dont cover unlocked bootloader. it covers electrical, lost or stolen. worst comes to worst you just file stolen thru your insurance and buy a new one from them for $130 bucks. or should i say refurbished not new.

Lol. Well when I bought mine the T-mobile reps I talked to didn't really know what a Nexus One even was. I was however told that insurance through them was unavailable to me because the phone was sold through Google. Bad information or miscommunication is irrelevant, the SquareTrade Warranty is a far cheaper way to go. Though it doesn't cover loss, I spoke to them before buying it and was told in clear language that any claim due to unit damage from dropping, water, etc. was covered regardless of bootloader being unlocked. This would only be an issue with them if there was no physical damage to the unit. I'm not worried about bricking it, I'm worried about taking it with me when I go drinking. lol. Things tend to get run over.

It's also be covered in other threads that you can insure the phone through a "personal items" policy with your regular (auto) insurance provider. I have mine through State Farm. It's $30 a year with no deductible and they could give a flip if it's rooted or not. You just call them up and say my stuffs broken/lost and they send you a check to replace your phone. So, SquareTrade isn't the way to go either.

OutlawPro said:
It's also be covered in other threads that you can insure the phone through a "personal items" policy with your regular (auto) insurance provider. I have mine through State Farm. It's $30 a year with no deductible and they could give a flip if it's rooted or not. You just call them up and say my stuffs broken/lost and they send you a check to replace your phone. So, SquareTrade isn't the way to go either.
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Awesome. i use State Farm, so i'll have to look into that. good intel.

OutlawPro said:
It's also be covered in other threads that you can insure the phone through a "personal items" policy with your regular (auto) insurance provider. I have mine through State Farm. It's $30 a year with no deductible and they could give a flip if it's rooted or not. You just call them up and say my stuffs broken/lost and they send you a check to replace your phone. So, SquareTrade isn't the way to go either.
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Any idea if you can purchase that type of insurance from State Farm without having another policy with them?

RussianSolja said:
no it dont cover unlocked bootloader. it covers electrical, lost or stolen. worst comes to worst you just file stolen thru your insurance and buy a new one from them for $130 bucks. or should i say refurbished not new.
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To clarify:
The Assurian policy doesn't cover unlocked bootloaders, only defect, theft and loss.
The Squaretrade policy (at least the one I bought for my N1) covers defect and accidental damage, and is agnostic to bootloader status (meaning they don't care if you unlock it).

jerhoyet said:
Any idea if you can purchase that type of insurance from State Farm without having another policy with them?
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Not 100% sure, but I think you can because my policy is not tied to any of my other policies. It's a standalone and the reasoning for it is, it you need to use it, it won't affect your regular insurance rates
If you have auto insurance, you should be able to get coverage through them. You might get better rates by having an existing policy too.
Just give any State Farm rep a call to find out and let us know what they tell you if you don't mind.

maxawesome said:
To clarify:
The Assurian policy doesn't cover unlocked bootloaders, only defect, theft and loss.
The Squaretrade policy (at least the one I bought for my N1) covers defect and accidental damage, and is agnostic to bootloader status (meaning they don't care if you unlock it).
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Helpful. I was originally told by the T-mo rep that Asurion wouldn't cover me, but I ordered on release day. lol. As for theft or loss, not possible. I will stick with Squaretrade and hope I never have to use it.

I'll cave in. Since I spent $529 for this phone, spending an additional $120 couldn't hurt to protect against damages. If I drop it and the screen cracks, they replace it reguardless correct? I just had a bad luck day, had phone in my basketball shorts with a clear hard case on it, while playing it fell out. Then when I got out of my car I forgot my phone was on my lap so down it goes again with the case. There are scratch marks on the bottom and top of the phone but doesn't bother me. It worries me that in the near future I might actually drop it by accident and it will be damaged. The 3rd time I dropped it, was when I went to put it in my newly purchased dock. So I've finished my bad luck for the day (hopefully)

*wonders why people will spend MORE for a LESSER insurance policy.

Bought a second G Tablet as a gift.. Should I have bought insurance on that?

Whenever I buy an electronic devices I always purchase insurance. Very rarely do I use them as my devices never really mess up. LOL! I still have an original PSP from when it came out, never used the warranty/insurance on that one.
Being as this is the second G Tablet I have bought(one for me and one as a gift), I did buy insurance for mine(2 years).
I asked the Sears cashier if I theoretically owned two and one had insurance, can I use the insurance for the one I have? He was puzzled at my question and responded with? "No because it is one insurance for one item" I asked him that when people return items, do they go by serial number or item number to verify an item? His response was "We go by stock number, but if something happens and the screen doesn't respond or it wont turn on anymore you can ship it to us for free and we'll exchange it for a new one if it is covered" So again I asked him my questions but a little bit differently this time and asked "So if I bring one and its messed up and have insurance on one of them, does it matter which one I bring?" He was perplexed and could not respond to that question and just said "Well try it, just make sure one of the items is not opened(sealed) and try and return it using your insurance. But if there isn't a problem we cannot exchange it for a new one, you can only get a refund.". I ended up topping my questions with the manufacturer's warranty and thats when he said "Well for those are when the serial number is required, but we don't handle that. Well if you are unsure or it turns out you cant use the insurance on both, bring the unopened within 30 days for a refund, they just rebuy it again with insurance"
IDK if the guy knew exactly what I was talking about because his smile turned upside down when I rejected the insurance and asked him about the loop hole. So gain, I would love some personal experience on this matter. Should I have bought the other insurance too? Or should I test and exploit this possible loophole. I am just saying because $57 is $57 and I have been duped lots of times for insurances that I never really used (except on my old G1 and Xbox 360-RRoD). I know that on the 360 they go by serial and that's probably because its Micro$oft.
Sorry for the wall O' text! and thanks for any answers!

I never, EVER buy insurance on electronic items. The way I see it, if the item lasts through the first 30 days without issue, it's likely to go a long, long time. I also use a credit card which automatically doubles the manufacturer's warranty at no charge.
If you had saved what you have likely spent on extended warranties for every item you have ever purchased, wouldn't you have plenty of money to replace any of those items by now? The reason why retailers push extended warranties so hard is because they are virtually pure profit. Heck, I usually get the itch to upgrade an item long before it quits working, so again, all of that money would have been wasted for me. To each his own.

I just bought my G Tablet at Office Depot for $369. Insurance would have been $119.
At that rate, I'll take my chances.
I like your chances of "splitting" the insurance as well. They'd never go by serial number to check.

Wow that's some pretty expensive insurance! Well I was looking over my insurance receipt and it looks like I was right! They only use the UPC number(item number) for exchanges and insurance. On the insurance policy it just ask for my receipt # and UPC# on their website. I saw no reference to the serial number anywhere. Win for me. I know I'll probably never damage or mess up my tablet, but the gift recipient might.
Thanks anyway, I might look up into those credit cards you guys mentioned.

I worked in both Tools and Electronics at Sears from 2000-2005. They changed registers since then, so I'm not sure how much has changed (based on the menu's I've seen, not much), but other than consoles (as mentioned) everything is strictly based on stock numbers, so in theory it should work.
Now, I think in part to combat this, and to combat construction workers from abusing this, you actually can only use the warranty once.
http://www.searspurchaseprotect.com/tnc/tnc_national.aspx
"This Plan will be fulfilled and the Term shall expire as to each Covered Product when a product reimbursement or product exchange is made for that Covered Product after the beginning of the Term"
Horray for lawyer speak. Honestly I would be surprised if many register jockey's knew anything of this. I only recall this coming up once in my 5 years there.

Asurion?

Anyone here suggest having it from T-Mobile?
It's $7.99 a month...
Is it worth it? I don't get my phone stolen or lost... I always take care of my phones..
Input before bashing!

it's completely user preference.
Ask yourself this when trying to decide: "is $ worth it to me in the event that something unfortunate happens to my phone? Do I want to spend $$$ to buy a new one if the problem is not covered by the original warranty?"
Some people have horror stories in dealing with asurion others no problem at all... And remember, the plan does not specify that you'll get a brand new, unused phone, just a comparable phone....so you could end up with a refurbished phone after you're deductible...and who knows if it was ever fixed in the first place!
For me personally, I go with the middle tier insurance (4.79/month+130ded) for the first year because chances are that if I start having problems after that, I'm just gonna go in and get new phone and renew my contract at that point.

I got it but that's b/c i work for t-mobile and I've heard so many unfortunate stories
I take care of my phone as well but it's technology...anything can happen

Have a look at SquareTrade. Way cheaper and covers damages. If they can't fix it, they'll pay you the price you paid for the device. They charage a $124 fee for 2 years of coverage, zero deductible.
Search around online, you probably can find a coupon code to help you get 20-30% off the regular price SquareTrade would charge you for coverage.
Asurion's deductible alone is about as much or more than Squaretrade, plus you'd have to pay Asurion $8/month on top of that.
SquareTrade's protection is also transferable if you sell/give the device to someone else. (Sure to help your resale value on Ebay . )
But ultimately, if you don't have a history of damaging devices, you could save more by simply not buying insurance you don't need. The device does have a 1 year manufacturer's warranty. And there are many cell phone repair shops these days that don't charge much.
So it's up to you. Good thing is that you have plenty of options to choose from.

Asurion is NOT good insurance! You pay a monthly fee of around $8 and then a $100 (or $150 not sure which) deductible to actually get the phone replaced and they CAN still send you a refurbished phone as a replacement. So you pay for the phone twice and still may get a used POS! Don't waste your money. The standard warranty is a year with just about the same coverage (you just can't be at fault for any damages to get fixed).

I haven't checked out squaretrade yet, but imo a comprehensive insurance is a must. No matter how well u take care of ur phone accidents can happen and so can theft. To my knowledge, warranty only covers manufacturing defects, not incidental damage/theft.

Check your house insurance, mine is covered up to £700 for loss or damage, no excess to pay....

jdelforge5684 said:
I haven't checked out squaretrade yet, but imo a comprehensive insurance is a must. No matter how well u take care of ur phone accidents can happen and so can theft. To my knowledge, warranty only covers manufacturing defects, not incidental damage/theft.
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I would not say a "must". But worth considering if you have a history of issues. I used to buy it all the time, and after almost 10 years of never using it I stopped buying it and still was going just fine without it. I did get it on my Sensation though, because I got a very good deal from SquareTrade when I brought the Sensation through Ebay. The deal I got was <10% of what I paid for the Sensation, which is a price less than replacing it with a used one 2 years from now and less than I'd have to pay a repair shop to fix most any issue. So I'll get the insurance when I can get get a very cheap deal on it. Otherwise, I'll self insure, as in not buy it.
I'd certainly never use Asurion though. They got enough of my money in the past. In a year $8/month is $96 + $100(or higher) deductible = ~$200. So to pay about $200 or so for a refub of the same device is pretty terrible of a deal IMHO.
My old HD2 is the first device I've had that broke do to issues from drops over time, it's SIM slot broke after 16 months of ownership, that would have costs me about $225+ through Asurion, just to get a refub HD2 to replace it. I can get a nearly brand new HD2 for that price off Ebay tonight. But I didn't even want another HD2 16 months later, I wanted something new, so I sold the used broken HD2 on Ebay. The HD2 and it's SIM card with the Transformers movie fetched me almost $150 which went torwards Sensation accessories and more than paid for the SquareTrade coverage. I could have used that money to buy an HD2 in better condition if I desired, or paid less to get the broken HD2 repaired. But in no way does the math ever work for me to use Asurion ever again. If car insurance or home owners insurance were 50% of the price of the device new or 100% of replacement with a used version of the same, people would cry it was fraud.
kjt57 said:
Check your house insurance, mine is covered up to £700 for loss or damage, no excess to pay....
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For the vast majority in the USA, they won't cover a cell phone. And usually if they do, the deductible is as high as the price of the phone if not higher.

GET IT. I have it over 5yrs since I had my tmobile wing & even if you take care of it something could happen example my hd2 messed up when the electricity went out in my house the phone was connected to the tv and after that phone kept getting random boots. Just get it best investment you could do for your phone.

DEDUCTIBLE IS $130 for the Sensation according to Asurion website and literature.

I gladly pay $8 a month knowing that each year I can have my phone replaced twice. Lost, stolen, damaged no questions asked. Each time I have paid my $130 deductible I have received a brand new in box device. I have used it about 4 times now. They even send u a Sim card and it usually arrives the next day after u male the claim. But I will look into this other company u guys r talking about
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using XDA Premium App

Your right $0 deductible for squaretrade but once Ur care plan is considered fulfilled you need to drop another x amount to cover you new device...
So to me that's the same as paying Asurions deductible.
Not to mention I paid a subsidized price for my sensation and if I was to buy another one I couldn't get it for that price again. So does that mean I'm screwed?
Coverage Amount For replacement payments:
You are covered up to the maximum value you paid for the item. Once we pay out that amount, your Care Plan is considered fulfilled. If you would like coverage on your new item, you need to purchase a new warranty for it.
For Repairs:
The Care Plan is good for multiple repairs, up to the maximum value of your item. Once the cost of repairs meets the full purchase price of the item, your Care Plan is considered fulfilled.
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using XDA Premium App

How reliable is Swappa.com?

Hey. I've been looking to sell a phone, and I've came across this site. How reliable is this site and are most sellers trustworthy?

bumpo

Swappa is really reliable. I haven't personally sold from it, but most of the sellers seem to be reliable and I've seen some who give their XDA usernames just in case the buyers have any questions.
Of course, there are some shoddy sellers, but that's a given with most sites.

fairly reliable....
most people use their facebooks or equiv. to log in so its rather easy to track. I've listed my previous devices there but to no luck. Its IMHO much easier to sell in forum MP's such as here or other android/computing/reddit forums.

stay away
i cant recommend it and will not buy another phone from it
bought a phone, it was delivered yesterday, seller who has a 7 day return policy, NFC feature doesnt work, and all she is doing is playing games, and hasnt sent me a return label yet
STAY WAY

for those of you who say buy from a seller with good history, i bought the phone from a seller who has 1500 sold listings, below is her reply regarding NFC not working:
"I just read about it. I'm not sure I see any good applications for it, but I'll send the label in the am"
am is over still no label from her and she did reply to my massage. amazing

Ive purchased from Swappa, and have had a good experience. As has been said before, make sure you are purchasing from a reliable seller. If you are making an international purchase, be sure to do your research on the customs laws in your location.
I purchased a Verizon LG G2 at a great price, knowing it works in international GSM markets and was not disappointed!

I just bought a note 3 through swappa. It is defective. Represented as Mint and like new.
Swappa is no help.
PayPal is probably going to be no help.
So it's a gamble.
I'd always buy NEW items and use my credit card on paypal if I ever do it again.
I'd rather use ebay, they at least do something on the buyer's behalf.
As it is I've got a phone that randomly boots about 10 times a day, and out hundreds of dollars.
Yeah, ebay is better for the buyer... and swappa charges the buyer for the privilege of getting shafted.
sent using mobile data only. no broadband in Rural America as was promised by both Presidents Bush & Obama.

I bought a RAZR HD Maxx (Unlocked BL) from swappa about 4 months ago and had a really great experience...the seller replied quickly to questions and shipped the device within a day or two. I cannot vouch for every seller on the site but FWIW I would use it again for sure.

Swappa is kind of hit or miss. There are lots of scams out there. It's actually pretty safe for the buyer as all you need to do is open a claim with paypal. If the buyer says the phone doesn't work but the seller says it does work paypal policy is to side with the buyer, pretty much no questions asked. The process takes time but you'll get your money back. Really not such a good deal for a seller, where you could sell a perfectly good device, the buyer tries to mod it, bricks the device then files a claim. The seller will be SOL with a broken device and no money.

BladeRunner said:
Swappa is kind of hit or miss. There are lots of scams out there. It's actually pretty safe for the buyer as all you need to do is open a claim with paypal. If the buyer says the phone doesn't work but the seller says it does work paypal policy is to side with the buyer, pretty much no questions asked. The process takes time but you'll get your money back. Really not such a good deal for a seller, where you could sell a perfectly good device, the buyer tries to mod it, bricks the device then files a claim. The seller will be SOL with a broken device and no money.
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Swappa is scamsite. I will never ever use it again. I was scammed by http://forum.xda-developers.com/member.php?u=3505755 He says that his identity been stolen and he didnt know that. Yeah sure. He was selling Nexus 6 but it is his current device somehow. Scum.

I don't know where to go but I recently bought a Samsung s5 paid 180$ but when I got it the phone was completely broken screen cracked to all hell and won't power on unlike the pictures submitted on swappa and I cant check the esn as it doesnt charge. Swappa told me to dispute it but seller insists he didn't send me that broken phone. Am I gonna be out all that money or what? Never had to dispute anything before

It's a definite risk. My first and only time trying to sell a phone resulted in the buyer getting a refund 3 or so weeks later. I believe he purchased the phone and swapped motherboard with a broken one and got a refund. Never again will I waste my time. I'll just let my phone die or give them away as it costs less.