What kind of warranty did you get?

[king cayman]

I ordered my Incredible a couple days ago but wasn't sure which warranty to get... so I just went with the $1.99/month one. What did you do... if you even got one. Should I change mine?

 

[jamor]

The 1.99 a month one is the extended manufacture warranty. It technically doesn't kick in until the second year.

You pay $24 for the first year (you are already covered for 1 year under the manufacture warranty), and then $24 the second year (which is when your benefits kick in).

So if you keep your phone for 2 years, you are paying $48 for an additional year of manufacture defect warranty.

I opted out on that and just got the Asurion which I believe is $6 a month? I like it since it covers everything from damaged to stolen to lost.

 

[adrynalyne]

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However, my plan is:



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[gruss]

None

 

[jwalker87]

None. I had it on a previous phone and it's a ripoff. They charge you like $50 to replace the phone, and odds are by the time you end up needing it replaced it isn't worth much more than that. My renters insurance has a $200 deductible, so if something bad happens soon after I get the phone, it's $200 worst case.

 

[k.electron]

get squaretrade. cheaper than asurion, lower deductible, and they send u money if they cant send u a phone.

 

[KennyC]

Sorry for repeating myself from other threads, but check with your home or renter's insurance provider. I fully insured 2 Incredibles with a $50 deductible for $27 per year.

 

[potterdood]

I pay for 3 different insurances from vzw, bc I didn't know which 1 to choose, so mine is like $12 a month I think. which 1 should I drop?

 

[PearlRose]

I have the one for 7.99 with Asurion. I have yet to need it but... I am a natural klutz and I own a toddler that just turned 3.

I know... never give your phone to your kids... but videos keep her quiet so I can do groceries and then the wait for food at a restaurant.

 

[vzw+google+htc=:)]

None. Went with 1 year contract which is covered by manufacture. Reason being because LTE will be out next year and can upgrade then. I can't believe the people that pay 7.99 per month for 24 months then have to pay 50 to 89 deductible with a claim. That is giving Verizon another 280 dollars.

 

[adrynalyne]

I don't pay 7.99 so heh.

 

[Old Member]

I have (soon to drop) Asurion. $89 was cheaper than $550 retail for a new Incredible, X or whatever after I cracked the screen on my Incredible. I am waiting on a quote from my insurance agent on the cost of insuring my phone through my homeowners insurance.

Won't make the same mistake twice with Asurion.

 

[adrynalyne]

By the way, insurance like this is what allows me to dev for folks. So you should be happy.

 

[sirchadwick1]

I also went w/ the Verizon Asurion plan at $7.99/mo per phone. It is a bit pricey and if there are better options I wouldn't hesitate to cancel it. I just wanted immediate full protection on these pocket sized computers, considering how many times my wife and I drop our phones each year.

 

[PearlRose]

I am waiting on a quote from my insurance agent on the cost of insuring my phone through my homeowners insurance.

I'll have to check on that with mine. I know they are currently covering all electronics (TV, computers, gaming systems) and my wedding ring. We forgot to ask if cellphones are included in electronics.

For me, insurance is a peace of mind. I once had my phone in my lap driving and forgot when getting out of the car. Since then, I've had the 4.99 insurance which just went to 7.99 with this phone.

I guess to me it is like car insurance. I would rather pay a deductible than full price, in which my month fees still save me money in the end.

 

[makewayhomer]

insurance, strictly speaking, is a bad deal.

insurance companies offer this to consumers because it makes them money. ergo, it COSTS consumers money.

so yeah just know that what you are paying for is strictly mental peace of mind in the off chance something goes wrong.

the cheaper route is to not buy insurance, and in the off chance something goes wrong, just buy a new one off ebay or w/e

I have just a 1 year contract anyways, I thought that was the best choice given the rapid state of development in the cel phone world

 

[yojoe600]

some of us rather have piece of mine so when something does go wrong we are only paying 50 dollars... and who cares about $5 a month thats not gonna hurt but 300 would

 

[makewayhomer]

some of us rather have piece of mine so when something does go wrong we are only paying 50 dollars... and who cares about $5 a month thats not gonna hurt but 300 would

ok, but strictly financially thinking, that's not really the right way to think about it.

$5 a month for 24 months is $120. that is your insurance cost that you are guaranteed to pay.

what are the odds something goes wrong? 10%?

if I DON'T have insurance, and a new phone will cost me $350, and there is a 10% chance of something going wrong over the next 2 years, my expected replacement cost = 10% * $350 = $35.

if I DO have insurance, and a new phone will cost me $50 (via insurance deductable), my expected cost is

$120 (insurance cost) + (10% * $50) = $125

in order for insurance to be worth it financially - assuming insurance costs $5 a month, $50 deductable, and $350 replacement cost w/ no insurance, you have to assume something is going to go wrong with your phone like 45% of the time over your 24 month contract. 45%!! that's a lot.

actually, that's not even close to right, b/c the manufacturer has a warranty for the first year as well which covers bad phones (but obviously not lost/stolen/drunk smashes). really, you probably need your phone to go bad/lost/stolen like 70% of the time in order for insurance to be a good investment.

 

[Hikarius]

Thats mathematically true, but I'm sure a lot of people (me included) find it easier to part with $8 each month and pay less than a hundred in the case of an accident rather than the full price of the phone, which is a lot to part with at once.

 

[makewayhomer]

Thats mathematically true, but I'm sure a lot of people (me included) find it easier to part with $8 each month and pay less than a hundred in the case of an accident rather than the full price of the phone, which is a lot to part with at once.

if you would struggle to come up with $300 for a new phone, it's an even bigger mistake for you to throw away $100 or so on insurance!

I mean, the alternative is to use a cookie jar. throw $50 into it now (deductable). Every month throw $5 more into it. if something goes wrong with your phone at some point, it will probably be in the first year and will be covered by Verizon. if something goes wrong down the road or it gets lost or stolen, use your cookie jar money to help soften the blow. there will probably be $100 or $150 in there.

the most likely scenario is at the end of 2 years, you have $170 sitting in a cookie jar

 

[irishjoeyo]

insurance, strictly speaking, is a bad deal.

This is completely incorrect and terrible advice for anyone owning an advanced, expensive device such as the Incredible.

At a cost of $191.76 for the full 2 years of the contract, Asurion is probably the most expensive route one could go, but it is still substantially less expensive than the $529.99 full retail price of the phone, even after the deductible is tacked on.

As others have pointed out, there are cheaper ways to go, including renter's insurance and personal property insurance policies. My friend insured his for $30/year with $0 deductible and he's covered up to $500.

Whatever you do, having nothing or simply an extended warranty is, in my opinion, the worst option. The screen on my Incredible was shattered a month after I got it. Peace of mind is, indeed, worth the minimal cost of insurance.

 

[makewayhomer]

look, unless you are insuring a risk you can't afford or can't replace - like your house, or your health - it's mathematically a bad deal. if insurance companies make money - and they do - then they have to be making it from their customers. this means it's a bad deal for consumers.

insurance companies aren't just inventing money out of thin air. you have to understand that its coming from people like you. which means you would be better off not handing them your money.

and if $350 or so for a slightly used incredible on ebay is too much for you to bear at once, then I would say you probably shouldn't be spending $200 on it and $90/ month for it in the first place

 

[makewayhomer]

also,

At a cost of $191.76 for the full 2 years of the contract, Asurion is probably the most expensive route one could go, but it is still substantially less expensive than the $529.99 full retail price of the phone, even after the deductible is tacked on.

this would be the right way to think about it if there was a 100% chance something goes wrong that isn't covered by the stock insurance. but theres not a 100% chance. once you accept this and put in a reasonable %, you can see where the equation falls apart

 

[sirchadwick1]

I'm talking w/ my insurance co. through email about personal property coverage to include our 2 Incredibles... just to see if I can save any extra $ that way. I'll post their response when I get it. The Asurion coverage really does sound like a ripoff when you think about it and calculate everything.

 

[sontaikle]

I got the $6 a month insurance for my Incredible.

I know we can site here and argue about how much it costs until the world ends, but the fact of the matter is, we're paying for peace of mind if anything else. You can be the most careful person in the world, it only takes a second for something to happen where your Incredible can break (and sometimes these things are out of your control). When you need the insurance, I'm bet you're REALLY glad you have it (I've needed it before for a previous phone!).

I'm VERY careful with my Incredible, but just the other day it somehow managed to slip out of my hands as I was getting out of my car. Fell face down on the asphalt. I was getting ready to flip out when I picked it up and saw that it was fine (still trying to figure that one out). Had it broken though? I'd only need to shell out $89 as opposed to over $500. I'd MUCH prefer that.