I say yes for the first 6 months, then drop it because by then the phone that you have will be cheap enough to by out of pocket off of eBay or something. Say for example, my insurance is 7/month, so if I lose my phone within the first 6 months that 6*7+50(deductible) = 92 for replace of 550 dollar phone. The the coverage with worth it to me for at least 6 months. What do you think?

3/24/2009 10:58:54 AM

yeah

in case you ever ride a rollercoaster with pockets that dont have friction

3/24/2009 10:59:43 AM

dweedle was too busy flashing the coaster cam and lost his phone

I'm getting a samsung omnia (cool as fuck) and am not getting insurance

seems like a pussy thing to do imo

3/24/2009 11:01:06 AM

But say after a year and a half you lose it that 18*7+50 = 176, when by then the phone would be dirt cheap, so you'd be paying more for the replacement. I say 6 months tops.

^ Omnias are phat. I almost got one, but I do not ever want a full touch-screen phone I don't think. Gotta have my QWERTY keypad.

[Edited on March 24, 2009 at 11:02 AM. Reason : /]

3/24/2009 11:01:12 AM

If you're the type of person prone to dropping/breaking/losing phones, then yes. It's worth it. If you're the extremely careful type, then don't waste your money.

3/24/2009 11:01:58 AM

It was worth it for me a while ago when my crappy phone was stolen. Even crappy phones aren't necessarily cheap when you can't get a new upgrade or contract deal.

But now I have a non-crappy phone...that I would be lost without. it's worth it for me.

3/24/2009 11:02:01 AM

As I said, looking at the cost, and probability of losing/damaging beyond manufacturer's warranty within the first year, and given that technology loses value month-by-month pretty much, in addition to new phones dropping so close together, Plam Pre and HTC Touch II for example, its only worth it for about 6 months.

[Edited on March 24, 2009 at 11:05 AM. Reason : /]

3/24/2009 11:04:42 AM

im kind of hesitant about the touch screen as well, always had a querty

might look at the VX Voyager or some blackberry shits instead

3/24/2009 11:06:21 AM

i want an HTC Fuze, touch screen and qwerty keyboard

but i think it'd be harder to text while driving...so ill hang onto my blackberry WE

[OPENS THE DOORS FOR DRIVING LEGISLATURE POSTERS]

[Edited on March 24, 2009 at 11:07 AM. Reason : ]

3/24/2009 11:07:15 AM

Palm Treo Pro is the hottest thing out right now. I can give you the low down on its Pros and Cons (mainly trivial things). Overall its a very strong phone - 8.5/10

3/24/2009 11:07:58 AM

hell yeah it is. if the thing starts acting up, you just run it over and go get a new one. alltel's deductible is $100 for smartphones, so it's only a good idea to keep if for a while, like seedless was saying.

3/24/2009 11:08:16 AM

Basic Rule of Insurance:

If you can afford to replace, you don't need insurance.

3/24/2009 11:09:05 AM

I can agree and disagree with that.

3/24/2009 11:11:03 AM

having the warranty/insurance on the iphone is awesome. they'll replace it for the smallest shit that goes wrong. i'm on my third phone now, and it's only been like 8 months

3/24/2009 11:12:28 AM

just because you can afford to replace it, doesn't mean you want to pay to do it.

3/24/2009 11:12:50 AM

Or you can do like a guy I know did... he dropped his phone in a lake. It was under about 7' of water for about 10 minutes until they found it. Had no insurance, but he let the phone dry out in the sun for a while. Got it going enough to make the call and add insurance to the phone. Waited a week and then made the claim... Not exactly the most honest way to do it, but it happens.

3/24/2009 11:15:20 AM

Quote :

"just because you can afford to replace it, doesn't mean you want to pay to do it."

Ok but continuously buying insurance on everything and you'll be out more money in the long run.

[Edited on March 24, 2009 at 11:16 AM. Reason : ]

3/24/2009 11:15:21 AM

The great thing is that you can cancel at any time without penalty. And you can most likely cancel online without having to call customer service.

^ That's true. Identity thief insurance is bullshit, for example.

[Edited on March 24, 2009 at 11:16 AM. Reason : /]

3/24/2009 11:15:29 AM

insurance is bullshit.

i have it and know from experience, don't get it.

3/24/2009 11:20:40 AM

I heard that. But damn I would hate to lose or damage this phone I have right now and have to kick out to get another one haha.

3/24/2009 11:22:35 AM

depends on the phone. i have it for my treo and have had to replace it 4 times over the course of 2 years.

its funny when you call to make a claim and they start reading back how i broke the old ones.

"i see you dropped on in some lemonaide, a chicken noodle soup bowl, walking into a pool, etc."

3/24/2009 11:38:15 AM

3/24/2009 11:39:47 AM

i lost my phone twice in a row. maybe within a month of each other. then i got the insurance and have kept up wit it since.

i think i'm just more mature now, and not stoned all the time, so i'm getting rid of it.

i've paid 120.00 in insurance over the past few years.

3/24/2009 11:42:36 AM

no. you can get a replacement phone on ebay for only a little bit more than the deductible they would normally charge you to replace your phone.

3/24/2009 11:43:35 AM

^

3/24/2009 11:47:23 AM

it was worth it for my old phone



they don't offer it for the iphone though.....

3/24/2009 11:49:47 AM

the only way i can imagine ever losing my phone would be if someone stole my purse.

3/24/2009 11:55:12 AM

same here

3/24/2009 12:15:32 PM

Well I'm keeping it until the value of phone drops significantly, which is really about 3 months, instead of the suggested 6 months. For smartphone owners its worth it for a little while.

3/24/2009 12:53:22 PM

does it cover "sexting" accidents?

3/24/2009 1:00:18 PM

Accidents.

3/24/2009 1:00:52 PM

Who here buys teh PRP (basically insurance) at Best Buy????

I remember when i worked there we had to try and sell the the $5 PRP plan for a fucking $12 remote. ($5 being the price of the lowest plan).

If I broke my remote within a reasonable time I should deserve to be out another $12 for my own stupidity.

3/24/2009 1:11:46 PM

wouldnt you mean "broke my remote within an unreasonable time"?

3/24/2009 1:12:42 PM

Quote :

"If you're the extremely careful type, then don't waste your money."

depends on what type of phone. I wouldn't have ANY smartphone w/o insurance on it.

3/24/2009 1:20:13 PM

They still lose value rather quickly. My Moto Q9c was like a 550 phone 9 months ago, not its hard to sell it for $100.

3/24/2009 1:24:17 PM

i hear that the b'berry storm has been a disaster and they cant even give them away now

3/24/2009 1:30:41 PM

Windows Mobile FTW.

3/24/2009 1:31:26 PM

but jim halpert said they were great

3/24/2009 1:32:41 PM

Quote :

"Or you can do like a guy I know did... he dropped his phone in a lake. It was under about 7' of water for about 10 minutes until they found it. Had no insurance, but he let the phone dry out in the sun for a while. Got it going enough to make the call and add insurance to the phone. Waited a week and then made the claim... Not exactly the most honest way to do it, but it happens."

yeah I had a similar situation. I had a flip phone and the speaker stopped working. I didn't have insurance either. So I attached the headset and called them up and ordered the insurance. I waited the minimum amount of time and then called them up, said my speaker didn't work so gimme a new phone

Got a funny story about a friend. He had a RAZR when they came out with no insurance. It was his in suit jacket pocket. He forgot about it and flipped his jacket over his shoulder, causing the phone to go flying into a concrete wall. He had to cough up $250 for a new one. First day he had it it was sitting on the couch. A bunch of us were playing mariokart and he was getting his ass stomped. He threw down the controller in disguist and nailed his phone. Cracked the screen in half. Good thing that phone had the insurance

3/24/2009 1:34:21 PM

the storm isn't really a disaster...just rushed to production without sufficient tweaking of the OS....

i have one and i have insurance...

3/24/2009 1:51:53 PM

yeah, ya gotta love the storm haters.

3/24/2009 1:54:55 PM

i have used my insurance many, many times.

3/24/2009 2:32:36 PM

Quote :

"depends on what type of phone. I wouldn't have ANY smartphone w/o insurance on it."

Quote :

"the storm isn't really a disaster...just rushed to production without sufficient tweaking of the OS...."

yeah they did an absolutely SHITTY job on the OS. it looked and felt more like a BETA that they just gave up on.

the latest update is ok, but it still has a ways to go. they are following the iphone model where they have left out important features that they will include later, after they figure out a way to cash in on it. j/k (no wifi).

3/24/2009 3:27:13 PM

I haven't had to use my insurance yet (narrowly missed last time...broke my 1st Touch Pro after about 2 months b/c I put too much pressure on the screen, but was able to get it replaced under warranty rather than insurance) but with the a smartphone like I have, it makes sense to at least keep it for a while. Agreed that once the phone reaches a certain age, you're probably better off dropping it. But I (being rather cautious) would probably keep it for a year or so, at least on a pricey phone.

3/24/2009 4:14:54 PM

Quote :

"I'm getting a samsung omnia (cool as fuck) and am not getting insurance"

The Omnia is a horrible phone, why do you think they have come down so much in price? Great features but horrible in actuality.


The storm is still a great phone and RIM will get it right when they release the new os.

3/24/2009 5:51:38 PM

Quote :

"I'm getting a samsung omnia"

Yeah, I debated between the omnia and storm and really...for all its faults, the storm is a waaaay better phone than the omnia, even without the wi-fi.

WinMo =

3/25/2009 7:44:39 AM

eh, op doesn't make since. at least for me it doesn't - i've always had insurance.

$550 phone
$5/month*18 months = $90
$50 deductible

$140, maximum for a new phone (assuming you get a new one every 1.5 yrs) which is a heck of a deal. What would you do if you lost it at 1 yr? You've paid $92 but will now have to pay $550 for a new one. doesn't make sense.

3/25/2009 7:53:26 AM

no

3/25/2009 8:20:53 AM

^^If you're retarded enough to pay full price.

I got mine for $200 with a 2-year contract.

24*5 = 120 + 50 deductible = 170 = worth it IMO. Especially when you break it mid-contract and aren't eligible for a new phone.

3/25/2009 10:15:52 AM

The phone they send you is usually refurbished. Just another thought.

I think Smath74 made a good point, just ebay the shit, you'll be better off than phone insurance.

3/25/2009 10:27:34 AM