Insurance or Case... But why both?

[Camslam]

So here is my question: The smartphones have not proven or been shown to be extremely "tough", there are plenty of threads in the Incredible forum talking about dropping the phone from 2 to 4 feet on carpet, the ground, or the road, and having the screen crack, break, or the phone become inoperable.

So I have been planning on getting a case to "cushion" my phone in case it does drop. But I was also planning on getting Sprint's TEP (Total Equipment Protection) package for $7 a month. It dawned on me that I would be wasting the money on a case given that my primary reason for getting it would be to "cushion" any type of fall and hope that it would keep the phone or screen from breaking, but I don't know if the case will actually keep the screen or phone from damage should a drop happen. If a drop did happen and the phone "broke", I would employ the Sprint protection plan to get a new phone.

If the case "guaranteed" no damage would occur to the phone, I would probably go with it, but I don't think they will.

So is my logic sound or am I a little off on this? Are there other reasons for getting a case other than protection for the phone?

FYI - I'm leaning towards Sprint's TEP because in my opinion, the cost for what you get is either comparable or better than Squaretrade, Wirefly's Protection plan, Best Buy's, Radio Shacks or any other that I have seen so far.

I figure if I'm plunking down some cash for this phone, might as well make sure I get a guaranteed replacement should it have mechanical or electrical failure, failure due to normal wear and tear, coverage for physical damage, loss, theft, or water as well.

Any thoughts?

 

[SoFLO]

People getting both are doing so probably because they don't want to see little scratches or dings on their phone after minor falls that wouldn't warrant a replacement under warranty.

I'm getting the TEP plan myself along with a silicone case.

 

[RiverOfIce]

Here is how I look at it. If you plan on selling the phone in a year, then get a case. The case will keep the phone in "near perfect" condition until you sell it. I also like the silicon cases because they are not so slippy. Less likely to drop it and it stays where I put it.

So if you like sticky feel and plan on selling the phone, a case is a must have. This is not about destroying the phone, but about get as much resell out of the phone as possible.

 

[DUBious]

TEP has a $100 deductible. so you might as well try and postpone that as long as possible.

 

[horadin]

People getting both are doing so probably because they don't want to see little scratches or dings on their phone after minor falls that wouldn't warrant a replacement under warranty.

I'm getting the TEP plan myself along with a silicone case.

Exactly, a case is more for protecting the aesthetics of the phone, it in no way will protect you from damage all the time. It may help with minor bumps, falls, and drops, but what if you drop it flat on the screen? It will still get damaged. Cases are cheap enough that there is no reason to not get one for the little protection that it will give you. Then you have the Sprint insurance in the event of major damage.

I for one have always used both a case and the sprint insurance on all of my phones.

 

[Kelmar]

Case -
Pros: Cheaper in the long run, easy to install and use, fairly effective.
Cons: No guaranteed protection if you drop your phone, adds a bit of bulk to phone.

Insurance -
Pros: Problem or damage to phone and you can get it replaced, easy to add to account, peace of mind.
Cons: Have to pay a deductible each time it's used, a tad expensive if you never use it, usually get a refurb, have to set back up your phone from scratch, potential lost data.


I'm a "case guy" personally....

 

[Camslam]

Good info, hadn't even thought about the idea of "reselling" my EVO. Guess I need to get out of the mode of thinking that its a phone and start thinking along the lines of an investment.

I get what you are saying and since I may want to upgrade in a year, I might just be getting a case myself now.

We'll see. Next issue will be finding the right silicon case for the right price. From the posts so far, it looks like most are coming out after the phone launches, so it might be a week or two before I find the right one.

Thanks for the replies though.

 

[horadin]

TEP has a $100 deductible. so you might as well try and postpone that as long as possible.

I thought the deductible was only for things such as water damage. I know for malfunctions with software or hardware, there is not a deductible, I am not sure about physical damage though...

I guess I am not all that familiar with TEP.

 

[Camslam]

I thought the deductible was only for things such as water damage. I know for malfunctions with software or hardware, there is not a deductible, I am not sure about physical damage though...

I guess I am not all that familiar with TEP.

According to Sprint's info:

No deductible for mechanical or electrical failure, or failure due to normal wear and teat.

$100 deductible for physical damage, loss or theft, and water or corrosion damage.

 

[horadin]

According to Sprint's info:

No deductible for mechanical or electrical failure, or failure due to normal wear and teat.

$100 deductible for physical damage, loss or theft, and water or corrosion damage.

Cool, I guess I had a pretty good understanding of it already. Thanks for clearing it up.

 

[DUBious]

but basically that means if you drop the phone and you dont have the case on and it breaks then yes, you will have to pay.

 

[Camslam]

but basically that means if you drop the phone and you dont have the case on and it breaks then yes, you will have to pay.

Hence the term insurance.

But if you drop your phone period, based on what has been talked about in the Incredible forum, you have a decent chance of having a problem regardless.

I've dropped my phone (LG ENV2) maybe 4 times in the last 2 years, never had a problem, but I don't want to chance it with one of these smartphones, they just don't seem as sturdy as "dumb" cell phones.

Better to be safe than sorry, in my case at least.

 

[hopalee]

People getting both are doing so probably because they don't want to see little scratches or dings on their phone after minor falls that wouldn't warrant a replacement under warranty.

I'm getting the TEP plan myself along with a silicone case.

Ding ding ding! They're not gonna replace my phone because I dropped it and got a bunch of little knicks in it!

 

[Caloy]

Both for me, you can never tell what can happen.

 

[chasers]

both for me also. my blackberry bold is still in perfect condition due to the sillicone cases. plus it is new since i got it before my services was turned off so it has no scratches, trackball is still white, and its unlocked...now i just have to pay off the balance and sell the joker on ebay to get some cash.

 

[skinnyguy]

a case won't protect it from being lost or stolen

 

[katmandoo122]

Life insurance or airbag? I'll take both.

 

[drexappeal]

Ding ding ding! They're not gonna replace my phone because I dropped it and got a bunch of little knicks in it!

+1. Any case or guard I get will only be for cosmetic purposes. I've had TEP on all my phones since I can remember (back when it was only $4 per month), so I don't know any different and it's just simpler to deal with that (for me, personally).

 

[jamor]

Life insurance or airbag? I'll take both.

Very cute analogy.

Insurance doesn't cover cosmetic damage so pretty much that is what you are doing with the case on top of extra protection.

But to the OP. You aren't going to crack a screen dropping it from 2-4 feet on carpet. I just did it twice to check

 

[Federer]

I would think health insurance or airbag?

Both for me, but if the cas makes it too big. bye bye

 

[The Wok]

As mentioned above, even with insurance the replacement phones aren't cheap.

Also, most cases will have JUST enough of a lip to prevent the phone from falling flat on the screen. I also hope that they have just enough lip that the phone won't rest on the camera lens, although I don't think that will happen.

 

[aquaduck04]

With the premium data plan, after 3 months we will qualify to be premium users, correct?

Premium members get the eligible upgrade price after a year, correct?

That means a years from now we will be able to buy the next hot phone for ~$200. If you are able to keep the evo in near perfect condition by using a case, you'll easily recoup that much...it's like getting a free upgrade every year.

 

[The Wok]

With the premium data plan, after 3 months we will qualify to be premium users, correct?

Premium members get the eligible upgrade price after a year, correct?

That means a years from now we will be able to buy the next hot phone for ~$200. If you are able to keep the evo in near perfect condition by using a case, you'll easily recoup that much...it's like getting a free upgrade every year.

I did this from Instinct -> Pre and now doing it from Pre -> EVO, so yes.

 

[Camslam]

Very cute analogy.

Insurance doesn't cover cosmetic damage so pretty much that is what you are doing with the case on top of extra protection.

But to the OP. You aren't going to crack a screen dropping it from 2-4 feet on carpet. I just did it twice to check

Well Jamor, all I can say is the folks from your part of the woods would beg to differ.

I dropped it from about 2 feet into a pile of leaves. I picked it up and dusted it off and didn't see any problems. I took it in side and set it on the table and came back in 10 minutes and had a crack running about 2.5" diagonally across the screen and a little one in the corner. After about an hour another one showed up running horizontally across the screen.

I find it hard to believe that the fall it took would cause the glass to shatter like it did. I think it might have been the temp difference of bringing it inside.....>90 to ~68.

This is funny because this is almost the exact same scenario as me, however mine dropped from about 2 feet onto the soft grass, I did not realize my screen was cracked until I tried to turn it on 2 hours later, and the screen was discolored.

I as well have the HTC Droid Incredible, and am a previous owner of the BB storm.

The BB storm seemed like a tank, I dropped it a few times from much higher distances and no harm was done to it...

Ok so heres the deal. I was going to get my son from the bus stop and dropped my phone about 2 ft on to the driveway. The Screen is completely shattered. The phone still works but I'm kinda screwed at the moment.

For those of you wondering, I had the phone about waist high.

I had turned on the Google Sky app because I thought it would be cool to try to find some constellations (anything sounds like a great idea after a few beers) and as I brought the phone down, I felt it slipping and tried to catch it.

So all in all, it was about three feet off the cement, give or take. And it hit the concrete screen first. The lower right hand corner hit the cement first, as the cracks you can see started from the right hand corner then worked its way up.

Lesson learned quickly(and an expensive one too) and already purchased the body glove case. I also ordered a Steinheil crystal clear protector as well. Phew!

My phone dropped the first day from 3 foot on to my tile floor was shattered - direct sunlight and hard surfaces are AMOLED screen's worst enemies - replacement has never left protective case.

My Incredible fell from a 24" coffee table onto the hardwood floor.

Screen shatter!

The Incredible VS. Kitchen Floor battle went as expected...

You may not break a screen from 2 feet on carpet, but none of these was over 3 or 4 feet and doesn't seem like their phones came out unscathed.

I'm just sayin....

 

[dvrcowboy]

I for one can say GET THE INSURANCE. I am a current bberry user and a believer in the tep program; its kinda like having a condom I'd rather have one and not need it than need one and not have it. I am pretty rough on phones been through 7 in three yrs and the tep has covered all of them. I've only had to pay the $100 once because I lost my phone. Just recently ( three weeks ago) i had my bberry replaced for a bad keypad. Got a whole new phone and the best part of that was it didn't affect my upgrade eligibility so now I'm sitting on a brand new bberry waiting on my evo.

Definitely worth $7 a month