Can we talk cell phones and insurance?

**PrairieRose** · 08-04-2008, 07:54 PM

Ok so we had to buy new cell phones today. We had both bought our phones about a year ago which left us with a year left on the 2 yr. contract with our local provider. I bought a Motorola Razor just like the one I had, even though I considered getting a cheaper Nokia. I would have saved $20 by buying the Nokia but since I had a Nokia last time and wasn't as happy with it as I had been with my Motorola I decided to go with the one I liked. It was about $40 more but by the time I figured in the car charger, travel charger, etc...(even buying on ebay) that I already had from my other phone hence wouldn't have to replace the price went up on the Nokia (the overall package). Ssooooo here's my question. Who has cell phone insurance? I'd never considered it before but then I'd never lost a phone before either. What a pain! They charge $8/mo. with a $50 deductable. Now after reading up online it looks like most policies state that the phone will be replaced with a refurbished phone close to the same model but not necessarily the same as the one you had. They say a refurbished can run about $44-47.... . It's looking to me like it's not worth it. Anyone ever collect on phone insurance? If so what was your experience? Good/bad/indifferent? Was it worth what you paid in? I seriously doubt we'll do it but dang....it cost us a pretty penny today....dddaaaahhhhnnnnggg.

**Mom23boys** · 08-04-2008, 08:27 PM

I have never purchased cell phone insurance until the last time I renewed my 2 yr. contract. I only purchased it on one of the 5 phones on my contract. That is because my phone is the chocolate phone offered by Verizon and at the time I knew I would not be able to replace it if something happened to it. The other phones I could replace if need be. Well, I am so glad I did have the insurance. One day in April or May, I went to use my phone and there was nothing there. It would come on, but there was nothing there but a white screen!! It was zapped!! I called Verizon and explained what was going on and they said to bring it in after work and they would replace it because I had purchased the insurance. It was absolutely free to replace! I paid nothing out of pocket.

I will never get another chocolate phone again. I learned my lesson. The customer service rep told me that the problem happens quite often to chocolate phones. To talk on them you slide them up to open and down to close. Well, the friction of sliding them up and down causes some of them to wipe out everything in the phone! They tried to transfer my phone #'s to the new phone and they couldn't even do that. They were gone!

I pay $5 a month for the insurance. The phone was $199 and at $5 a month for 24 months (2 yr contract = $120), I still saved $79.

**McD** · 08-04-2008, 08:48 PM

After ruining three phones by way of washer and dryer, a night in a snowbank, and falling in a sink full of water, I carry my cell phone insurance. I think it's 5$ per month.

**Greebo** · 08-04-2008, 09:01 PM

I have a Blackjack 2. The replacement cost would be insane. I have the insurance.

I shouldn't have bought the phone tho... :/

**Wendy99** · 08-04-2008, 09:12 PM

I just get an inexpensive phone, knowing that they will probably only last 2 years (of course mine have lasted longer than that even) ... I wouldn't bother with insurance thats $100 a year - crazy imho ...

**beks37** · 08-04-2008, 10:41 PM

Hmmm...now that I think about it, I have had my cell phone for over 2 years, it was cheap and why do I have insurance? Who knows....I guess I need to get rid of it. Holy heck, I just looked and I am paying $7.00 per phone for this times 2 phones = $14.00 per month. Okay, I am deleting this right now. Ok and now I was on their website and am eligible for some discount through my employer. I'm not sure the discount, but I'll take anything.

**acidcookie** · 08-05-2008, 12:47 AM

It really depends on how long you've had the phone and how much it's worth. Usually in the 1st year it's under warranty anyway so insurance can be money in the trash (depending on the warranty). When my plain little flip phone was a year old it would probably have cost less to get another one on ebay than to have paid the monthly fees and the $50 deductible.

I really think it's just not worth it.

**Michelle** · 08-05-2008, 06:43 AM

I think it depends on the phone and how much you rely on it. I very rarely used mine, and now I'm going to prepaid and an inexpensive phone. So I won't be getting any insurance at this time.

Dave's Blackberry is paid for through work (sounds better than it is since now he's reachable 24/7

) He doesn't have insurance on it but probably should.

I didn't even know cell phone insurance existed :think:

**Darlene** · 08-05-2008, 07:19 AM

We don't have it on the phones we have now. Jack uses a palm a lot & it just died so now he's thinking of getting a smart phone. That one will definitely have the insurance on it. We aren't hard on our phones (lose, drop etc.) & I don't care for most of the bells & whistles so I don't think I'd have the insurance on mine.

**cheles2kids** · 08-05-2008, 08:10 AM

When we got our phones about 1.5 years ago, we got insurance on my husbands phone only. I think at the time, it's like $3.00 a month?
Something like that.

The only reason we got it on his phone is that he's ummmm.........a bit more careless with things and he also works outside alot and is constanting dropping it, and rubbing it up against things.
So it defiantely made sense to make sure we had it on his.

Me, I carry mine in my purse and I only use it, on average about 3 times a week? Maybe less.

**cmdarlin** · 08-05-2008, 09:02 AM

Before I cut our cell phones, I had $5 a month insurance on DH's phone. He was constantly dropping it, getting wet.... we had a problem one and they told us to bring it back in and we got a new phone for no charge (other than the insurance we'd been paying). Was worth it to us cause he was always working out of town at the time.

Debbie