Cell phone insurance.... Asurion.... Is it worth it?

Cell phone insurance.... Asurion.... Is it worth it? - General Questions and Answers

Isn't there manufacturer device warranty? Typically carrier insurance doesn't offer anything more and you're paying monthly for it.... No?
Thanks
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Manufacturers warranty is for failure of the equipment.
Insurance would be purchased to cover you for other eventualities not covered by that, like losing it or breaking it accidentally or theft.

I got it and it did prove usefull.
$7 a month and $150 deductible.
I had my phone for nine months before I broke it.
$213 < $600
I had a friend who also had it, he lost his phone and they still replaced it.

So expensive!

You don't always have to buy specific phone insurance, some other insurances, travel, home contents etc also cover phones so a bit of homework could find a way to get covered for less money & have a policy that covers alot more.

thanks guys

I think it's worth it, though I have never had to use it with a smart phone, having that safety net is better. I know I would rather pay a $100-$150 deductible than $400+ for a phone

Related

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.

Is insurance worth buying?

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.

Did you buy the AT&T insurance with your phone?

It's my last day to enroll in insurance for my Captivate.
How many of you have it on your phones? If something breaks and you do wind up making a claim, did you get a new phone or refurb?
I need to make a choice quickly and I'm leaning towards NOT getting it simply because at $5/mo and a $125 deductable, I think there are (or at least will be) better deals online for replacement and if it happens, I think I'd rather apply that towards a NEW phone.
Opinions?

I didn't enrol.

I got it. $5 isn't that big a deal. And a new phone for $125 ain't bad either. I've found that the att deductible goes down the older the phone gets.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk

I bought it at Best Buy, got their insurance.

I also pay the $5/mo, but I mainly got it because I was about to take a trip out of the country. I'll probably drop it after another month or 2

Do they give you a new phone for the $125 deductible or a refurb?

I didnt nor have I every paid for insurance on my phones. My wife got it for her iphone, but that was her doing.

Not enrolled here but I never buy extended warranties either. My philosophy is that if it lasts through whatever warranty they give me then I got enough use out of it and it was probably my fault it broke. Although I would recommend http://www.squaretrade.com/ if you need an extended warranty.

I have the insurance, I plan on sometime dropping my phone and saying it broke and get a newer phone...
When something good comes out first

comdei said:
I have the insurance, I plan on sometime dropping my phone and saying it broke and get a newer phone...
When something good comes out first
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They replace it with a Captivate...

qwertyaas said:
They replace it with a Captivate...
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I talked to them and they said you can choose to put the balance towards another phone ^.^

It's a scam.
Unless you are the worlds most clumsy person.
Sent from my Captivate using XDA Premium.

I think I may just forget about the insurance.
I really hate the idea of insurance in general - One one hand, it's there if you need it, but on the other, you're paying LOTS of money for the chance something happens, and even if it does, you've still got a damn deductible. Makes me sick to think how much money I've wasted over the years on things like car insurance, never having had an accident - By the time I do need the insurance, I'm sure I will have pissed away enough money to have bought 3-4 new cars... Bad analogy considering the risk when driving, I know; but still.
Ugh...
As for the Cappy, it seems like AT&T wants customer retention so bad that they'll always get you into a contract renewal to get a new phone - somehow.
[end]Rant[/end]

Dante04SRT said:
I think I may just forget about the insurance.
I really hate the idea of insurance in general - One one hand, it's there if you need it, but on the other, you're paying LOTS of money for the chance something happens, and even if it does, you've still got a damn deductible. Makes me sick to think how much money I've wasted over the years on things like car insurance, never having had an accident - By the time I do need the insurance, I'm sure I will have pissed away enough money to have bought 3-4 new cars... Bad analogy considering the risk when driving, I know; but still.
Ugh...
As for the Cappy, it seems like AT&T wants customer retention so bad that they'll always get you into a contract renewal to get a new phone - somehow.
[end]Rant[/end]
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Car insurance is not just for your benefit. The part that is forced onto you in every circumstance is liability insurance and that protects other people and their property from you. When you have a loan out on a car, the forced collision and comprehensive coverage protects the bank from you totaling or damaging their collateral.
If you own your car outright, you can choose not to carry the coverage that would fix your car for you.

z28james said:
Car insurance is not just for your benefit. The part that is forced onto you in every circumstance is liability insurance and that protects other people and their property from you. When you have a loan out on a car, the forced collision and comprehensive coverage protects the bank from you totaling or damaging their collateral.
If you own your car outright, you can choose not to carry the coverage that would fix your car for you.
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I am well aware how car insurance works. It's just one of those things that really sucks that you have to pay.

Dante04SRT said:
I am well aware how car insurance works. It's just one of those things that really sucks that you have to pay.
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Unless you are getting scammed, you can pay full coverage for forty years here and not cover the replacement cost of a vehicle. Auto insurance is one that is well worth the cost, not to mention the medical costs that are the result of an accident. But back to the question at hand....extended warranties, or phone insurance in this case, are indeed high margin services which is why even walmart has begun bugging you every time you check out.

$125.00!!!!
Wait a sec. When did it go from $50.00 to $125.00?? Where was i for that?
As for weather you get a referbed or new. When i was replacing my backflip i told them i was tired of dealing with crap and i wanted a new phone sent not a referbed. they sent a new one no problems.

MagillaGorillaX said:
Wait a sec. When did it go from $50.00 to $125.00?? Where was i for that?
As for weather you get a referbed or new. When i was replacing my backflip i told them i was tired of dealing with crap and i wanted a new phone sent not a referbed. they sent a new one no problems.
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The captivate has always been a tier 2 phone so the.deductible is $125. Tier 2 used to be 200 then dropped to 150. As for the comment about the older the phone gets the cheaper the deductible is and I van say on some phones that is not the case. When I was running a blackberry bold 9000 it is still considered a tier2 phone and it is a 3 year old phone and I refused to pay 200, 150 or even 125 for that phone. I waited until my upgrade and got my captivate on launch day.
Hth
Charlie
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

I opted for AT&T insurance instead of Squaretrade because AT&T covers theft. I have Squaretrade on all my kids' electronics (iPods, DSi's) to cover the accidental damage.

Well, I decided to wing it and not sign up for the coverage. I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed. I wound up getting my Cappy w/ 2 yr agreement for $59.99 (price match!) and can't see paying even the 3% per month of what the std $149 2yr agreement price was (plus then the $125 for a claim).
I do worry about theft, but I'm so strict about letting this thing out of my sight, I'm not too worried about it.

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