For those of you who have insurance on your phone....

[Lee Majors]

Being that I bought my Bionic at Costco........they told me they do not offer insurance that I would need to go directly to Verizon.......I guess I have 30 days from 9/8 to do it.......

I've never had a phone this expensive before...the others were either free phones or $30 types that I never bothered to insure........

I'm curious, as to which insurance plan do you have........and for those that have used the insurance......which is the most preferred.........in other words........is the $6.99 a month plan really necessary?


Total Equipment Coverage $6.99/month
Extended Warranty $1.99/month


Your thoughts are appreciated.......

 

[x026092]

I beleive it is covered by a company called assurance. I beleve it is like $7/month & $100 charge to each replace unit. If the phone is under warranty VZW will replace it first. Not a great plan, but it's a plan. VZW website has the all links.

 

[LrdAnkh]

IMHO the phone is covered for a year by VZW, in that time period the price of the phone will come down and if you are like most of us on a family plan at least one member of the family may have an upgrade to serve as an alternate upgrade for you possibly getting the phone to the 100 range, with the insurance you still have a 100 deductible so bottom line is the insurance is not that great of a deal. Now on the other hand if you are propensity to loosing, having it stolen, breaking it then I would say yes go for it.

 

[MtnbikerChk]

I've been on the fence myself about this.......

 

[MajorTom308]

What is stated is true if...

1. You physically have the phone to return

2. Assuming that Verizon doesn't decide that you "abused" it

If you do not physically have the phone to return, then Verizon will replace the phone, BUT you will pay the retail price which is $ 587.00 currently.

This is what happened to me about 5 or 6 years ago, when my phone fell out of my belt case on my belt when I was getting in my boat. Splash !!!

I now have the insurance...better safe then sorry...your choice

 

[trophynuts]

I'm glad i had the TEC plan. Because i just got my OGDX replaced and it was obviously after the normal warranty. But because the TEC includes the extended warranty it cost me 0 dollars to get my device replaced because it was defective.

 

[UncleMike]

If you're prone to losing or dropping things, your circumstances increase the likelihood of your phone being stolen, or have "friends" who think it's funny to push people into pools, then the insurance is probably a good idea. Otherwise, get a decent protective case and don't worry about it.

I paid for insurance on my OG Droid from day 1, since the available docks didn't accommodate cases and I decided to go case-free. Fifteen months later I cancelled the insurance - sure it was a waste of money. Three weeks later I rolled over on the phone (in the holster on my belt) and heard a snap. Within 24 hours my touchscreen bounced back and forth between unresponsive and having a mind of its own. Luckily, there was no visible damage, and Verizon was offering open enrollment in their extended warranty program. Naturally I enrolled (at the reps suggestion) and got a replacement at no additional charge.

I still carry the extended warranty, now on my Bionic, but I doubt I would sign up for it if I didn't already have it.

 

[Vehtemas]

I like Assurion because it replaces the phone the next day...

I can't go any time without a phone.

 

[Deleted User]

According to Square Trade site, $124 covers warranty for 2 years, $50 deductible, accidental damage, but no lost phone.

Has anyone tried Square Trade for android phones?


Android Warranty | Cell Phone Insurance Alternative | Mobile Phone Protection | SquareTrade Warranties

 

[marine one]

What is stated is true if...



This is what happened to me about 5 or 6 years ago, when my phone fell out of my belt case on my belt when I was getting in my boat. Splash !!!

I now have the insurance...better safe then sorry...your choice

Exactly why I purchased the insurance with this phone. I could see this happening to me. That and the cost of the phone.

 

[holmgren]

I paid $119 through protectCELL which covers everything including losing it. Which works itself out to be about 5 bucks a month. Not bad. Haven't really heard anything about them though. It was just through a Verizon Wireless retailer.

 

[drudometkin]

Waste of money for me. If I lose or break my phone then I'll just use my og droid or buy a good used phone. That not going to happen though. Only way I see myself losing this phone is if I get robbed or something. (extremely low probability)

 

[JimmyRayBob]

check with your homeowners agent if you have homeowners insurance. I added a rider for my phone (droid X) for about $18 per YEAR. covers loss, damage, etc. no deductible.

 

[damewolf13]

I have always had TEC on my phones, and never had to pay one cent for a replacement phone. I think it is worth it.

 

[Vehtemas]

According to Square Trade site, $124 covers warranty for 2 years, $50 deductible, accidental damage, but no lost phone.

Has anyone tried Square Trade for android phones?


Android Warranty | Cell Phone Insurance Alternative | Mobile Phone Protection | SquareTrade Warranties

I use Squaretrade for my laptop, not for my phone.

I cannot wait a week for a replacement if something happens, I need a new one now...

 

[kingnut]

check with your homeowners agent if you have homeowners insurance. I added a rider for my phone (droid X) for about $18 per YEAR. covers loss, damage, etc. no deductible.

not sure if serious...

 

[breadnatty08]

not sure if serious...

This is certainly possible. If your a renter, renter's insurance should work out as well.

 

[Shadowtech]

not sure if serious...

Why wouldn't he be serious? It's a great option if your insurance company allows that type of rider to be added. And since it is a rider, your premiums on the main policy shouldn't be affected.

In general though, phone insurance is a ripoff (aside from getting a rider), which is why VZW/Assurian/Squaretrade sell it. They know the likelihood of someone making a claim is rather low, the vast majority will go through that 2 year policy and never make a claim. Then when they do, they're usually paying back about what the replacement will cost anyway with the deductible and accrued monthly payments.

If you want to go that route, just throw the $7/mo into a jar and figure on adding the money the deductible would cost ($100) if something did happen. Within the first year, the phone is covered by the manufacturer/VZW anyway for defects. So unless you're a total klutz, this would serve you just as well for the first year. So if you had been saving that money every month, and something happened as soon as the warranty ran up, you would have $184 (saved+deductible) to put towards a replacement. And given that your phone will most likely be outdated in a year anyway, that should be plenty to buy another off Ebay or Craigslist.

The bonus to doing this, is when nothing happens over the 2 years you're waiting for your upgrade, you will have $268 (saved+deductible) to use how you wish.. perhaps to pay for the phone you're going to upgrade to?

If you are prone to damaging your phones, or losing them often, you probably shouldn't be buying a $600 retail phone to begin with, and should definitely not expect to be bailed out every time you break it.

 

[UncleMike]

In general though, phone insurance is a ripoff (aside from getting a rider), which is why VZW/Assurian/Squaretrade sell it...

...If you are prone to damaging your phones, or losing them often, you probably shouldn't be buying a $600 retail phone to begin with, and should definitely not expect to be bailed out every time you break it.

Best response so far.

 

[gapi]

I'm glad i had the TEC plan. Because i just got my OGDX replaced and it was obviously after the normal warranty. But because the TEC includes the extended warranty it cost me 0 dollars to get my device replaced because it was defective.

What is TEC?

 

[gapi]

I have always had TEC on my phones, and never had to pay one cent for a replacement phone. I think it is worth it.

OK, What is TEC

 

[Shadowtech]

OK, What is TEC

Total Equipment Coverage, which really doesn't cover much if you go by the fine print.

IV. WHAT THIS WARRANTY OR SERVICE CONTRACT DOES NOT COVER:
A. Defects or damage resulting from use of the Product in other than its normal and customary manner;
B. Defects or damage from misuse, accident or neglect;
C. Defects or damage from improper testing, operation, maintenance, installation, adjustment or any alteration or modification of any kind;
D. Breakage or damage to antennas unless caused directly by defects in material or workmanship;
E. Products disassembled or repaired in such a manner as to adversely affect performance or prevent adequate inspection and testing to verify any warranty claim;
F. Products with labels removed or illegible serial numbers;
G. Defects or damage due to spills of or immersion in food or liquid;
H. Scratches on all plastic surfaces and externally exposed parts resulting from normal use; and/or
I. Damage resulting from normal wear and tear.

 

[richphitzwell]

My opinion is, insurance is a scam and this is from my personal experience. After 2 yrs of zero claims my droid 1 died and they wanted $100 to deductable to replace. How many droids can you find for less than that now? Already you can find bionics for $100 so why bother? I will never get insurance again as a replacement can be found for less but your milage may vary and im sure someone has benefited from it but i felt screwed.

 

[JimmyRayBob]

not sure if serious...

Yup... 100% serious.

 

[marine one]

So when I went to open this thread, the title of the one above it was "Dropped It Already."
I'm not a big insurance or extended warranty person, but based on the replacement cost and my active lifestyle, I did add the coverage to this phone.