Total Protection. Oxymoron?

[Liveitloud]

Maybe I am just not understanding what a protection plan is. The other day I dropped my EVO. It has an Otter box cover and was in a leather case. I have invested 67.00 to protect my phone. It fell 2 feet onto carpet and now there are black lines on the screen in certain places.

I figure no big deal, phone still works perfectly, will take it in for repair. The lines are irritating and make it hard to read content on the screen so it is for sure something I don't want to deal with.

Make an appointment on line and head down to sprint. Guy takes a look at it and takes it to the back to see if they can repair. Comes back in less than a minute and hands me a card and says to call them and have it replaced.

Get to the house still thinking boy, am I glad I paid for this protection plan and gave them a call. They said send it on in and we need 100 bucks. Wait..... you want 100 bucks to replace a phone that needs a repair and works perfectly other than the irritation at trying to read through this pixel looking damage?

So I am left wondering, what did I pay 8.00 a month for? The first time I need to use my plan, you want 100 bucks to replace a phone that is discontinued and will be replaced with a refurb like the one you want me to return to you????

So, here I sit with an unacceptable phone. Not due for an upgrade for 8 months. I thought I had been paying for protection for the device to be either repaired or replaced at no cost.

I asked the guy on the phone who was eager to ask for my payment card, if there would be a charge of 100.00 if the phone was considered repairable. He said "no."

So now I am left to wonder, is my phone really a repair issue that can be easily sidestepped by a plan that wants to replace rather than repair, so they can charge for extra money. Sprint I have been with you for years.

Why exactly did I purchase protection at all if I was going to be shook down the 1st time I had a problem for 100.00? I purchased this phone on March 19, 2011. To date, I have paid almost 200.00 for the phone in insurance and you now want 100.00 to replace an obsolete phone?

What am I missing here?

 

[KOLIO]

...

You're not alone,this insurance is a rip-off,IMHO.Those who are so eager to sell it to you no doubt omitted the fine-print details when they signed you up.

Next go-around I HIGHLY recommend BEST BUY & their insurance.The only exclusion is loss/theft,otherwise,the coverage is 100%,even water damage.

I took my PHOTON back to BB for a crack in the frame by the charging port.
Mind you,the phone still worked 100%,but,they took it in for repair/replacement.

Long story short,no PHOTONS in stock,repair was going to exceed 10 days.So,they offered me a "RAPID EXCHANGE" & applied the off-contract MSRP to any phone I wanted w/my carrier (SPRINT,coincidentally).

Ended up w/a brand-new SAMSUNG GALAXY S3 to replace the PHOTON @ $0.00 cost.

If anyone has insurance better than this,please post the info here.

 

[Liveitloud]

Wow that's impressive. I just find it odd that they assessed the phone in less than a minute and deemed it unrepairable, knowing full well that a replacement will cost 100.00. Maybe I don't understand the ins and outs of repair. The guy at the ship said something about internal damage to the screen. Would that not be a screen replacement then..

I have never bought protection for one of my cell phones in the 20 years I have been carrying them. Then the one time I do .....

 

[Tommydaniel]

It's not that they deemed it un-repairable. They deemed it to be accidental damage(your fault) which is why you would have to pay the deductible.

 

[mak916]

Did you ask why it was un repairable? I always ask questions when having my phone looked at. Also, you could have taken it into another Sprint store if you have one in your area. I have had to do this a few times. One store told me there was nothing wrong with my phone. Another store saw the problem right away. But like Tommy said, they saw it as your fault.

 

[bearballz]

I went through the same theing with my Evo. Dropped it on some pavement and it cracked the glass screen. It worked fine until the power jack started going as well.

Luckily the Evo made it to my upgrade date. This time around I got the BB insurance as well. I really like the BB plan, it's affordable and covers pretty much anything except what KOLIO mentioned, lost or theft.

From what I understand, if it's a hot new phone they will send it in for repair because they may not have the stock on hand. But if it's like an S3 for example they'll swap it out right in the store.

 

[Mr. Ed]

It's not that they deemed it un-repairable. They deemed it to be accidental damage(your fault) which is why you would have to pay the deductible.

Exactly...think of it this way

total equipment protection is two services

replacement/repair: hardware defects etc...
note that phones have needed less in the repair dept, so typically they are replaced. replacement is ordered and arrives at store 3-5 days later in most cases. Some items are still repaired so as always...yrmv


insurance: for damages not repairable/damage you caused. covers lost/stolen
pretty self explanatory, but hard to understand as the phone gets older. Those that have newer phones that cost a few to several hundreds of dollars to replace at full price love it...Those that can pick up a used phone to replace the older phone that broke don't.


somewhat comparable to cars I guess

extended warranty vs your car insurance



throw another option in the mix...someone recently posted they had an add on to their home owners/auto policy for their phone ...it was ridiculously inexpensive and had no deductible.


personally I use Sprint's TEP (even prior to employment there)

Fortunately I have never broken a screen, but have had several phones replaced that just malfunctioned for one reason or another. Most recently my Note 2 developed a line across the screen, never dropped, just a faint straight line across the screen. Replacement arrived in a few days and I went about my business..

From what I understand, if it's a hot new phone they will send it in for repair because they may not have the stock on hand. But if it's like an S3 for example they'll swap it out right in the store.

This is rarely the case. The only expectation of a phone being replaced in store on the spot is within 14 days of original [purchase. Of course there are circumstances that can lead to an in store replacement but your blanket statement about S3's and newer phones does not typically apply.

There are too many scenarios that I could present where an in store replacement would happen but it takes the right combination of events, inventory or customer service related. One just can't assume they are going to walk in and have a replacement that day regardless of phone.

 

[KOLIO]

Exactly...

Glad you chimed in on this thread!

As a SPRINT employee,perhaps you could sum up a couple points/questions regarding warranties & insurance.

1) Generally speaking,do all current phones available for purchase in SPRINT's line-up have the same 1yr. manufacturers warranty covering defects/craftsmanship issues?

2) If the answer to #1 is yes,outside of theft/loss/water damage,what are the added benefits to purchasing any type of insurance?Having coverage extend beyond the 1yr. manufacturers warranty seems to be the main advantage,if that is even the case.

3) How long is a device covered w/an add-on insurance? Indefinitely,as long as you may the monthly payment?(This ? is for SPRINT's TEP,BEST BUY,or,any other popular insurance.)

THX!

 

[Tommydaniel]

Glad you chimed in on this thread!

As a SPRINT employee,perhaps you could sum up a couple points/questions regarding warranties & insurance.

1) Generally speaking,do all current phones available for purchase in SPRINT's line-up have the same 1yr. manufacturers warranty covering defects/craftsmanship issues?

2) If the answer to #1 is yes,outside of theft/loss/water damage,what are the added benefits to purchasing any type of insurance?Having coverage extend beyond the 1yr. manufacturers warranty seems to be the main advantage,if that is even the case.

3) How long is a device covered w/an add-on insurance? Indefinitely,as long as you may the monthly payment?(This ? is for SPRINT's TEP,BEST BUY,or,any other popular insurance.)

THX!

1. All phones come with a 1 year limited warranty unless stated otherwise by the manufacturer. The warranties are provided by the manufacturer, not Sprint.

2. With insurance you are able to go to a store with your device if there is a manufacturer defect. I know Sprint use to do warranty claims in store, but I do believe they have stopped doing that. Unless you have the insurance. Then of course, protecting the device after the warranty has expired

3. Devices are protected as long as you pay as far as I know.

 

[shadowspawn]

As far as I know, at least 90% of all mobile insurance firms charge a deductible for their services. I believe Sprint gets their insurance through Asurion. Believe it or not, Asurion for an Evo on Sprint postpaid isn't that bad. Here's some numbers and comparisons to other services that might shed some light:

Retail cost for a brand new phone on contract is roughly $600-$700. If you break the phone you have right now and want a new one next month, you're looking at an additional $600 for the same phone or perhaps $400 for a second hand phone from ebay etc.

Now if you add on the insurance, you're paying $11/month for coverage against manufacturing defects and protection vs. accidental damage, lost, or stolen for a $100 deductible. Say you keep your phone for one year and someone steals it. $11 times 12 is going to be about $132 plus $100 for the deductible which comes out to $232 for a new phone which is probably about how much your phone would be at that point on ebay in addition to having you covered for the 11 months prior (which you can calculate savings on your own).

So what you're paying the $11/month for is the peace of mind to know that you can go at least a year without ever having to worry about anything and not having to pay any more than you would have if the phone broke without insurance within that time period.

Compare this to Asurion's coverage regarding other phones such as the Boost Kyocera Hydro:

With Boost you pay $5/month for the exact same protection covering a phone that's worth $99. Deductible for a Hydro is $65 if you file a claim. Stick with Boost's insurance for 1 year and the phone gets run over by a car, you're paying $60 for the monthly plus another $65 for filing the claim which brings you up to $125 which is 1.25 times the cost of the phone itself.

In my personal opinion, the only time that insurance is not really worth having on a post paid phone is when the price of the deductible eclipses the price of a phone online.

As per the situation itself, if you're really that upset with the phone, you can always get a second hand sprint phone and switch it onto your line. I think an OG Evo is about $50-$60 on ebay right now if the LCD is bothering you that much.

As per other insurance options, Radioshack has an insurance program for $10/month that covers everything except lost or stolen. They will also give you $50/year for a new battery every year for free. Deductible is still $100/claim, but they have a "trade in guarantee" that will assure you credit back for the phone you buy equal to 25% of the retail cost of the phone at the time of purchase on your next upgrade. For example, if you get the GS3 from Sprint today with the RS insurance, it is worth $600 unactivated from RS. You're guaranteed 1/4 of that, or $150 back if you trade that phone in 20 months from now.

@Kolio:
1. Yes.
2. Not much honestly. Biggest thing is it saves you on shipping if something happens to the phone and you need to RMA it. Another thing is gray areas that may or may not fall under the manufacturer's warranty. Sending your phone in may end up with a hostage situation where they have your phone, say it's not covered, and will charge you an arm and a leg to get it fixed or just kick dirt in your face if you decline and tell you that you need to pay for the return shipping.
3. Depends on who you get it through. Sprint is indefinite so long as you keep up your payment. Best Buy I can't say since there are none where I live. Radioshack is the lifetime of the phone until it gets lost, ownership transfered, upgraded, or customer opt out.

 

[KOLIO]

...

Just off the phone w/a BEST BUY CSR:

Maximum time frame to provide coverage for a phone w/BEST BUY insurance is 24 months from day of purchase,w/o an option to renew,no doubt to coincide w/the typical 2yr service contract.

 

[Mr. Ed]

Glad you chimed in on this thread!

As a SPRINT employee,perhaps you could sum up a couple points/questions regarding warranties & insurance.

1) Generally speaking,do all current phones available for purchase in SPRINT's line-up have the same 1yr. manufacturers warranty covering defects/craftsmanship issues?

2) If the answer to #1 is yes,outside of theft/loss/water damage,what are the added benefits to purchasing any type of insurance?Having coverage extend beyond the 1yr. manufacturers warranty seems to be the main advantage,if that is even the case.

3) How long is a device covered w/an add-on insurance? Indefinitely,as long as you may the monthly payment?(This ? is for SPRINT's TEP,BEST BUY,or,any other popular insurance.)

THX!

I can't really speak on Sprint's behalf

Most phones on any carrier have a 60 day to 1 year manufacturer
warranty

The main advantage to most extended warranties is the convenience of having the device serviced or replaced in store,

Sprint's warranty covers the device for the lifetime you have it active, not just 2 years (that's fact, not an opinion)
The other carriers etc will vary and one should check the fine print/contract details.

 

[ScandaLeX]

What I have a problem with is any Sprint tech notating your acct as "accidental damage" when the damage is clearly not your fault making it impossible for any other repair center to help you due to the notation.

The original Evo was notorious for loose to completely broken charging ports.
Hell, many people even received refurbs with the port already broken.

I've been paying for insurance for years and fully have no problem paying a deductible if the damage to my phone is my own doing.
My Evo was pristine. I was so disgusted when I walked out the Sprint store that I took my phone to a 3rd party retailer. I still had to pay a deductible, again due to the notation of accidental damage, but they didn't charge me no where near what I would've had to pay Asurion.

The charging port was loose on the reburb I got so when that one came completely broken from the board I was done with HTC anything.

 

[Mr. Ed]

Irreparable damage is just that..not repairable and by the terms of the TEP it is covered on the repair side but covered on the insurance side. The issue could be brought to customer cares attention or even addressed with HTC if it is felt to be a manufacturer defect.

Those of us on the forums know it was an issue just as I am sure most tech's arou d back then knew....new e r techs wouldn't really know

What I have a problem with is any Sprint tech notating your acct as "accidental damage" when the damage is clearly not your fault making it impossible for any other repair center to help you due to the notation.

The original Evo was notorious for loose to completely broken charging ports.
Hell, many people even received refurbs with the port already broken.

I've been paying for insurance for years and fully have no problem paying a deductible if the damage to my phone is my own doing.
My Evo was pristine. I was so disgusted when I walked out the Sprint store that I took my phone to a 3rd party retailer. I still had to pay a deductible, again due to the notation of accidental damage, but they didn't charge me no where near what I would've had to pay Asurion.

The charging port was loose on the reburb I got so when that one came completely broken from the board I was done with HTC anything.

 

[shadowspawn]

Just off the phone w/a BEST BUY CSR:

Maximum time frame to provide coverage for a phone w/BEST BUY insurance is 24 months from day of purchase,w/o an option to renew,no doubt to coincide w/the typical 2yr service contract.

24 months? That's insane if you ask me. How is the inspection process? Does it have to be "like new" condition? Is proof of purchase required and, if so, does a covered phone have to be bought from Best Buy as with Radioshack? Also what's to stop someone from getting insurance the day their contract expires, breaking the phone, filing an insurance claim, upgrading the phone, and then selling the new one they get on Ebay?

 

[MasterCylinder]

Okay, I've been wrestling with Best Buy and Verizon today on the details of their respective insurance and here's what I've been able to make out so far, given that a Best Buy Mobile employee yesterday gave me a lot of misinformation about the Verizon plan.

(Woops! I didn't realize I was in a Sprint Forum, though most of this info could be the same.)

I have a Galaxy S3 I bought at Best Buy Mobile 2 weeks ago.

The Geek Squad Advanced Plan is $9.99/month and lasts 2 years. This does not cover a lost or stolen phone. You can walk into a Best Buy with your phone and they will fix it or replace it at their discretion. Includes normal wear and tear, which is defined as failures due to dust, internal heat and humidity.

"If we determine,at our sole discretion,that your product cannot be repaired, we will replace it with a product of like kind and quality that is of comparable performance or reimburse you for replacement of the product with a voucher or gift card, at our discretion, equal to the current market value of the product, as determined by us, not to exceed the original purchase price of your product, including taxes.
Technological advances may result in a replacement product with a lower selling price than the original product"


They may charge you a fee for evaluating it, and depending on what they find, can refund it. I don't know what would fall outside of there coverage on this. You only have to deal with Best Buy, and this policy extends the manufacturers warranty to 2 years. It's basically a no questions asked replace and repair policy, and they will give you a loaner with a $50 deposit. If the phone is back-ordered, it may take up to 10 days to get one and if it goes past that, they will give you a voucher for the current retail value of the phone (which will be falling all of the time, of course.)

It also includes a one-time battery replacement, no questions asked, as well as the other accessories that came with the phone. Just call and have them sent, like on day 725, for instance. Also includes the app and service to find/lock/wipe your phone if lost. Includes 24/7 Geek Squad support, (though we already have the Geek Squad on this site!)

Verizon Total Coverage for $6.99/month extends your warranty to 2 years and covers the other accessories and includes a find/lock service. HOWEVER, it also includes replacement for a lost or stolen phone, only twice a year, and there is $99 deductible. They say they'll get you a replacement within 24 hours. The replacement may be re-manufactured. They don't say anything about "normal wear and tear." It costs more for iPhones.

Asurion is the insurance company behind virtually all of the carriers plans. You can have the same coverage for $5.18/month and $99 deductible, except it doesn't extend the manufacturers warranty.

All of these policies must be purchased within 30 days of the activation of your new equipment.

My main concern is losing my phone! It's a lot cheaper per month for the Asurion plan. I guess it depends on what you are guarding against.

Today it would cost about $450 for a used S3. If I had to replace it from a loss it would cost about $160 at the end of 1 year, total out-of-pocket expenses with the Asurion plan. The price of a used S3 at that time will probably be lower, but I'm not sure by how much

 

[shadowspawn]

...

Strange, I was told total protection was $9.99/month with Verizon and coverage vs lost/stolen/broken without extended warranty was $6.99. In any case, if you're going with Verizon, I personally think Diamond Wireless has the best insurance. $6.99/month, coverage against lost/stolen/broken, $75/claim, in-store replacement with a brand new phone if available.

 

[MasterCylinder]

Thanks! I'll check into that coverage.

Regarding Verizon coverage, I was "told" something similar - by a Best Buy employee!

They are mixing up the iPhone coverage with the "Advanced Devices" coverage - i.e. all other smart phones. iPhone coverage is more, including a $150 deductible. This employee claimed that the Verizon people were mixing it up.

When I called back yesterday to ask for something he said was available to compare, which wasn't, I got the manager. He told me Verizon coverage doesn't cover a lost or stolen phone!

It comes down to one thing: Don't trust a Best Buy employee to tell you the truth! They may not be lying intentionally, though some of them are. Some of them just don't know what they are talking about.

When it comes to competitors, I guess it doesn't pay to trust one characterizing another.

vzw.com/tec

 

[KOLIO]

Thanks! I'll check into that coverage.

Regarding Verizon coverage, I was "told" something similar - by a Best Buy employee!

They are mixing up the iPhone coverage with the "Advanced Devices" coverage - i.e. all other smart phones. iPhone coverage is more, including a $150 deductible. This employee claimed that the Verizon people were mixing it up.

When I called back yesterday to ask for something he said was available to compare, which wasn't, I got the manager. He told me Verizon coverage doesn't cover a lost or stolen phone!

It comes down to one thing: Don't trust a Best Buy employee to tell you the truth! They may not be lying intentionally, though some of them are. Some of them just don't know what they are talking about.

When it comes to competitors, I guess it doesn't pay to trust one characterizing another.

vzw.com/tec

While I don't doubt your experience,I also don't think such a blanket statement is a fair assessment of the entire chain of over 1,000 BEST BUY locations & the hard-working people on the floor & behind the scenes.

As w/anything else,YMMV,however,I believe that the overwhelming majority of BEST BUY employees are up to the task of providing a positive experience.

 

[MasterCylinder]

Fair enough. I probably was letting my emotions carry me away. There was a wicked fluctuation in the neutrino weather yesterday!

 

[shadowspawn]

Thanks!..

My rule of thumb: If it's covered by Asurion, it's covered against pretty much everything. Whether or not the insurance is worth it depends on the cost of the device.

As per getting it mixed up, that seems very strange since I was calling Verizon Wireless dealer line support. Mind you I'm not a regular consumer so the options available to me are much different than standard consumer lines (minimum amount of data I can opt for is 2GB).

But yes you can't trust someone who works for store X to speak well of store Y, but sometimes store Y can misrepresent their coverage. For example, I had a customer come in earlier this week with a water damaged Boost phone. She was under the impression that Boost's $5/month insurance covered her against everything with no deductible. After I explained she would have to pay a $65 deductible to get the phone sent off for repair, she decided to simply get a new phone. She was explained the insurance in a Boost store.

So I personally think the best thing to do in regards to insurance is to do all your research beforehand. Walking into a store and letting a sales rep give the whole spiel about how great their insurance is and how crappy everyone else's insurance is is like asking them to take your money. And this is coming from someone who only makes commission of selling phones LOL.

 

[KOLIO]

Fair enough. I probably was letting my emotions carry me away. There was a wicked fluctuation in the neutrino weather yesterday!

I feel ya.Just this week, I've had an issue w/PAYPAL. Nothing bank-breaking, but, it's the same issue that's repeated itself 4X now (every six months for the past two years). PAYPAL blames the merchant, merchant blames PAYPAL. I don't need a calendar due to the regularity of the issue.

It happens, & I'm no less perturbed than you are w/your situation.

 

[MasterCylinder]

As per getting it mixed up, that seems very strange since I was calling Verizon Wireless dealer line support. Mind you I'm not a regular consumer so the options available to me are much different than standard consumer lines (minimum amount of data I can opt for is 2GB).

Strange, I was told total protection was $9.99/month with Verizon and coverage vs lost/stolen/broken without extended warranty was $6.99. In any case, if you're going with Verizon, I personally think Diamond Wireless has the best insurance. $6.99/month, coverage against lost/stolen/broken, $75/claim, in-store replacement with a brand new phone if available.

This would seem to indicate that the insurance you would be offering me as a Verizon customer would be very different than if I got it myself online or went into a Verizon store. And, in fact maybe it's true and could by why the Best Buy employee was quoting similar info. Yet, it seems a little hard to believe considering what is listed on this link on Verizon's site which also coincides exactly with the Asurion site:
http://www.vzw.com/tec

The issue may be around the classification of the device. They have 4:

1. Phones
2. Advanced Devices
3. Tablets
4. Other Devices

I was concerned that my Galaxy S3 fell into the "Other Devices" category and this has perhaps been the claim by non-Verizon salespeople.

If you notice that in the "Other Devices" it only mentions iPhones, and they are a lot more expensive to insure and have 70-100% bigger deductibles! This falls in line with Diamonds coverage as well. I don't know where a Note 2 would fall but I have been assured from multiple Verizon sources that the S3 and others like it are "Advanced Devices."

If I find out otherwise when I change my insurance, I'll post it.

PS - I would bet cash that the insurance underwriter mentioned on the Diamond site is Asurion.

 

[quijibo]

It seems that the Assurion/Sprint "insurance" plan doesn't really insure against anything, it acts more like a phone discount club or service?

 

[Mr. Ed]

It seems that the Assurion/Sprint "insurance" plan doesn't really insure against anything, it acts more like a phone discount club or service?

One could look at it that way...but as mentioned above..for the first 6 months to yr of owning a phone I would disagree

I'll use my Note 2 as an example. Let's say I lose it it gets stolen etc. 6 months of coverage cost $66

New retail it's $639

Brand new sale by owner $500 (my friend just sold his) Over time I understand this will drop

Asurion claim $200 deductible

That's one hell of a discount if you ask me.

Even if one had an upgrade available on another line they would be looking at anywhere from $150-300 plus the activation fee.

In addition to that if anything goes wrong with the phone defect wise (also have experienced on my note 2), one can just stop by a Sprint store and it repaired/replaced at no charge vs sending the phone to Samsung.


A number of the "this makes no sense" arguments come from those that own older phones. Again I compare it to car insurance though I shouldn't...but let's say orig evo compares to mom's old pos hand me down car that gets covered with liability only vs her new Subaru WRX that gets full coverage...


Even that is a bad comparison. A good evo second hand still goes for $75-100. Those that have the insurance pay a $50 deductible on that phone (it think) not to mention the warranty issues they may have had over the years where the phone was repaired or replaced.