It has been just 8 days for my phone so far. All is good, I am probably inclining to keep it...
I am wondering if it is worthwhile to purchase any insurance coverage for the phone.
Sprint offers TEP program wherein I need to pay $8 per month. If something happens, I will need to shell out a $100 deductible over the phone replacement.
I was checking squaretrade.com. They are offering a warranty for $124 which states the following:
Coverage Details
2 years of coverage: The SquareTrade Smartphone warranty covers your Smartphone for up to 2 years, starting on the date of purchase.
Covered Issues: Both accidents (e.g., broken screen or other damage through drops AND liquid damage including full immersion) and out-of-warranty normal use failures (e.g., battery no longer charging or other hardware failures) are covered. We do not cover loss, theft, willful damage or damage occurring through gross misuse.
Deductible: There is a $50 deductible when claiming on an accident (e.g., drops, spills). There is no deductible for a normal use failure (e.g., power issue).
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Does any one have any experience using either of the warranties? Is it really worth spending money?
Please share your thoughts.
i think it all depends on what phone you have.
if its expensive = yes
if its not = no
I f you lose phones constantly then yes. I have insurance on mine and it has paid for itself a couple of times. My friend got the same phone without warranty and one day lost it. Had to pay up $300 for the replacement.
sweetnsour said:
i think it all depends on what phone you have.
if its expensive = yes
if its not = no
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Kyocera Echo is the phone in question.
What would this phone rated as: Cheap / expensive?
monilchheda said:
Kyocera Echo is the phone in question.
What would this phone rated as: Cheap / expensive?
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Click to collapse
assuming that you bought it at the price i saw for it ($99), i cant exactly say (but if i had to, id say a little expensive).
i wouldnt get the squaretrade warranty (paying more than the phones worth on warranty doesnt make sense)
i dont think a warranty is necessary (unless you are prone to accidents, or if you decide to mod your phone; if you are prone to accidents or if you do decide to mod your phone, then i would go with sprints program
Omnichron said:
I f you lose phones constantly then yes. I have insurance on mine and it has paid for itself a couple of times. My friend got the same phone without warranty and one day lost it. Had to pay up $300 for the replacement.
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Not been much of a phone looser.
But, a good question is Sprint TEP / Square trade?
Related
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.
I'm wondering if it's worth buying insurance for this phone (or any phone for that matter). SquareTrade is supposed to be good...
In my opinion no, u got a warranty for a year anyways... just treat your phone with upmost care always have a case, if ur gonna go drinking DONT BRING IT WITH YOU haha
I would say YES, unless can guarantee that you will "treat your phone with upmost care always have a case, [and] if ur gonna go drinking DONT BRING IT WITH YOU" ...and of course no one ever steals it and you'll never accidentally drop it.
Lets talk about worth... $5 or $6 a month... versus you losing your phone, it getting stolen, you getting shoved into the pool with it in your pocket, etc etc etc...
Would you rather pay $5/6 a month and then $129 to replace the phone, or $499 to replace it?
JWhipple said:
Lets talk about worth... $5 or $6 a month... versus you losing your phone, it getting stolen, you getting shoved into the pool with it in your pocket, etc etc etc...
Would you rather pay $5/6 a month and then $129 to replace the phone, or $499 to replace it?
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Unless of course that SquareTrade service is as good as it claims... I'd take that over 2 years with a $50 deductible on accidentals instead of the T-Mo insurance I'm paying for.
It's 2 years of coverage for $51.99.
"WHAT IS COVERED:
Mechanical and electrical failures that occur during normal use of your item. Your item is covered for up to the full purchase price of your item (tax and shipping are excluded).
Some examples of covered issues include computer hard drive failures, iPod batteries that stop charging, cell phone keypads that get stuck, and digital camera sensor failures."
SquareTrade Inc. information.
xzxxzx said:
It's 2 years of coverage for $51.99.
"WHAT IS COVERED:
Mechanical and electrical failures that occur during normal use of your item. Your item is covered for up to the full purchase price of your item (tax and shipping are excluded).
Some examples of covered issues include computer hard drive failures, iPod batteries that stop charging, cell phone keypads that get stuck, and digital camera sensor failures."
SquareTrade Inc. information.
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That's EXTENDED warranty, not insurance.... insurance is when a phone gets lost or stolen.
funkadesi said:
That's EXTENDED warranty, not insurance.... insurance is when a phone gets lost or stolen.
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Whoops my bad. I kept seeing the squaretrade insurance pop up
i pay tmobile for my insurance. small price to pay for them just incase moments. i bought my phone outright so it was my best option. without it, i might be a little nicer to my phone. but with insurance lol, i just use it.
Insurance is a money pit
Guys insurance for a phone is a money pit I will show you.
I am very delicate with my phones like I know many of you are. I buy a case and screen guard and I have dropped one phone. So I dont buy insurance. Tmo insurance is 5.99/mo and the average length people keep the phone is about a 1yr some maybe 2yrs.
If you make a claim you have to pay a deductible which is usually around 125-150
so 5.99*12months= $71.88+$150=$221.88
If you have insurance for 2yrs: $5.99*24monts+$150=$293.76
Plus Tmo knows that less than 80% the people that get insurance will never use it, thats why they offer it cause they make money on it.
Now what if I self insur and pay myself 5.99 a month and save for a deductible. I can buy the same phone or a better one on craigslist or ebay. Therefore I dont buy insurance on any phone anymore cause we never used it we always bought phones off craigslist or ebay cheaper than our deductible. Just a little FYI
personally i have had insurance on my phones for 4 years, i have never had to use it(broke a G1 but since they couldn't get me a G1 i upgraded) yeah in the long run you might be paying a little more but i always compare it to car insurance. yeah i don't like paying an extra $150 a month for insurance on my car, but if i decide i don't want insurance and then i wreck the car i'm out a car(and in my state my license). or i can keep the insurance, pay the money, pay the deductible, and play it safe. in the end it's your choice but unless the phone is glued to your hand, and you live in the desert, then something could happen and end up costing you the price of the phone.
on the craigslist point: you don't always know where the phone you are buying off CL has been so there is no guarantee that you aren't buying a stolen device, i would rather pay retail for a phone that i know isn't stolen and comes with the box and everything in it, and the phone is in perfect condition
Well does anyone have any experience with square trade cause i was considering doing this as well
if you have access to the latest issue of Business Week (cover says Be Evil), there's an article talking about the company Asurion, who is the backer of cellular insurance for all of the big wireless companies around the world. chances are if you have the insurance, the replacement you get will be a refurb/used, which can usually be had for cheaper price. don't expect to be compensated with a brand new phone of equal value if yours goes bad.
Not sure if you guys are aware but if you have Asurion's Premium Handset Protection (the most expensive plan) it also covers warranty replacements. So I guess it goes above and beyond the 1 year manufaters warranty that comes with the phone. I just read it in the pamphlet they sent me.
Covers:
Loss
Theft
Damage
MALFUNCTION
and under the fees it says:
Service Warranty Processing: $0 (There is no deductible for warranty replacements)
Not sure if everyone knew about that but figured I'd share it. If you did know about it and have used it before (got a warranty replacement from Asurion) let us know how that went.
graffixnyc said:
Not sure if you guys are aware but if you have Asurion's Premium Handset Protection (the most expensive plan) it also covers warranty replacements. So I guess it goes above and beyond the 1 year manufaters warranty that comes with the phone. I just read it in the pamphlet they sent me.
Covers:
Loss
Theft
Damage
MALFUNCTION
and under the fees it says:
Service Warranty Processing: $0 (There is no deductible for warranty replacements)
Not sure if everyone knew about that but figured I'd share it. If you did know about it and have used it before (got a warranty replacement from Asurion) let us know how that went.
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is this because of the price increase ? i know it went up to 7.99 so im guessing the deductible is no more ?
johnsonrod27 said:
is this because of the price increase ? i know it went up to 7.99 so im guessing the deductible is no more ?
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No, there is still a deductible when it comes to lost or damaged phones (your phone fell and broke, got run over, dropped in the toilet etc..)
There is no deductible when something malfunctions (touch screen stops responding, no sound, and other malfunctions not damage)
After reading the information on the premium handset protection, it looks like the SERVICE FEE is free, but you still have to pay a deductible. There is a deductible on top of a service fee.
Scroll down to the chart:
http://support.t-mobile.com/doc/tm23694.xml
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
I saw some other threads and figured I'd share a new discovery of mine. Not sure if anyone has heard of them:
http://www.worthavegroup.com/
Very affordable insurance and beats out SquareTrade, I think.
Just finished a claim on my EVO 4G with SquareTrade and they closed the warranty once they reimburse me. So essentially, once they pay you for a new phone, your warranty is considered fully used regardless of how many years of coverage you have left. Worth Ave has unlimited claims and includes theft and loss and all that cool stuff for a good price. $50 deductible for $599 coverage for my new Epic 4G Touch (iPhones have different coverage but other devices like Android phones are the same essentially). Roughly $60 bucks a year flat fee. I did my research on them before hand and I've only read good things.
Just thought I'd share!
-Rip
Do they reimburse you or just send you a "refurbished" phone? I like the fact that SquareTrade reimburses you so you can go out and buy any new phone on the market and yes, then you do have to buy a new warranty but it is a totally "new" phone.
frodoboy said:
Do they reimburse you or just send you a "refurbished" phone? I like the fact that SquareTrade reimburses you so you can go out and buy any new phone on the market and yes, then you do have to buy a new warranty but it is a totally "new" phone.
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SquareTrade reimbursed me to the EVO's current market value ($450). They do not give out refurbs and I believe Worth Ave is the same. They are not actual repair shops so they are not entitled to give you a replacement or refurb. Either they pay for repair at an authorized/licensed repair depot or they reimburse you with good old cash to buy another phone at current market value.
Insurance
Hello,
I don't know about in the US but my mobile is covered under the "accidental damage" portion of my home insurance policy, sure it might cost me my excess but I will only pay it if I damage the phone which may not happen.
regal_beaver said:
Hello,
I don't know about in the US but my mobile is covered under the "accidental damage" portion of my home insurance policy, sure it might cost me my excess but I will only pay it if I damage the phone which may not happen.
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Click to collapse
Usually homeowner's policies have pretty high deductibles, usually $500 or more and that basically leaves you without coverage on all phones.
I think this is covered in some other threads. But check with your home owners insurance. I can get a rider for mine that costs $18/year. It is $18/year for up to $5000 of computers, cell phones, software, peripherals, etc. Not $18/device. Just $18/year!
It is all risk coverage. So it covers theft, loss, damage (like dropping it). $50 deductible.
So check with your insurance carrier is you have home owner's insurance (or apartment insurance).
a case is my insurance policy.
These always have deductible, take a couple of days and get a refurb old phone.
With the way tech changes, always feel its just better to trade up to a new phone if you lose/break.