Dropped my HTC One the day after purchase

[jazzmailman]

Hi all,

I'm not sure if this is the right forum to post this, but any suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

So I purchased the HTC One on 4/29/13, everything was working fine, the phone was absolutely amazing.

But I got into a car accident yesterday (4/30/13), during which my HTC One dropped and now there is a slight dent near the power button, closer to where you'd put the SIM card. When the accident first happened, the screen was still on, but I was unable to shut it off when I press the power button. Since I was still in the scene of accident, I went ahead and collected insurance information from the other parties involved in the car accident. After taking care of all that, I found that my HTC One is unable to turn on anymore. Like I said before, there is a dent near the SIM card and that kind of changed the shape of the phone a little bit.

Is this something I can fix myself? Or can I contact HTC or AT&T or Walmart (where I bought it from) to see if they can replace it? I did not purchase a warranty because I was planning to get a SquareTrade warranty this weekend. I had a case protecting it but I guess the impact during the car accident was enough to alter it...

Thanks.

 

[HunterKen7]

Does car insurance cover property damaged in the car? I'm not a insurance guy, so...just throwing that out there.

 

[ShipWreck]

I think it would be covered under your insurance either through your carrier or your car insurance. I know Sprint makes you get insurance on the device for the first 30 days and if you do not want it after that you have to call in and cancel it. So I would call AT&T see what they say first I would bet that they would send you a replacement or do a swap out at one of their stores.

 

[mistyisland]

Perhaps it all depends on whose fault the accident was. If it was the other parties fault, their insurance co may be liable. If it was your fault, your insurance may cover it, depending on your deductible. I would call your auto insurance company. I don't see how you could fix it yourself, since the phone is sealed. If you purchased with an Amex credit card, they may be able to help you. I don't know if they cover accidents though. I would pursue all avenues.

 

[jazzmailman]

After a week of going through the repair process, just a few notes in case anyone experiences the same situation...

AT&T: Rep said they aren't responsible for the phone as it is without AT&T warranty.

Auto Insurance (Mercury): Rep said dropping my phone doesn't qualify as property damage - running into something like a stop sign would be property damage. If you get HIT by another car - then you "might" be able to claim for property damage, but it most likely has a high deductible (maybe $500), entirely dependent on the insurance policy i believe.

VISA Signature: Since I had purchase the phone using my CapitalOne VISA Signature card, I went through the online purchase protection program - even though it claims to cover up to $500, but in reality it only covers up to however much the HTC One cost pre-tax ($148). I had submitted sales receipt and my claim form to VISA on 5/3/13, and finally got a phone call today (5/9/13). The verdict is that VISA doesn't cover accidental damage, it only covers theft (you'll need a police report) and nature damages such as fire or storm.

SquareTrade: I signed up for SquareTrade and filed a claim, rep told me that since it's within 90 days of purchase, HTC would be responsible for it.

HTC: Rep told me that HTC is only responsible for software damage while within warranty coverage, any cosmetic damage will be extra. I sent my phone to HTC through UPS ($10) and HTC quote me $180 to fix the cosmetic damage, which I actually find kind of ridiculous because it is literally a tiny dent. I guess HTC is replacing the whole back cover instead. HTC is responsible for return shipping.



Overall, no one is responsible for the accidental damage on my HTC One. However, I do hope that HTC charges less than $190 to fix my phone, and VISA responds to me faster (took a week), so I can take it to fix at a local shop before sending it back to HTC (since I need a phone badly). In any case, I didn't expect any party to take responsibility in the first place, so this is hardly a surprise.


Lesson of the day: ALWAYS USE AMEX for electronic purchases.


***Special thanks to HunterKen7, ShipWreck, and mistyland for responding to my issue.

 

[mistyisland]

After a week of going through the repair process, just a few notes in case anyone experiences the same situation...

AT&T: Rep said they aren't responsible for the phone as it is without AT&T warranty.

Auto Insurance (Mercury): Rep said dropping my phone doesn't qualify as property damage - running into something like a stop sign would be property damage. If you get HIT by another car - then you "might" be able to claim for property damage, but it most likely has a high deductible (maybe $500), entirely dependent on the insurance policy i believe.

VISA Signature: Since I had purchase the phone using my CapitalOne VISA Signature card, I went through the online purchase protection program - even though it claims to cover up to $500, but in reality it only covers up to however much the HTC One cost pre-tax ($148). I had submitted sales receipt and my claim form to VISA on 5/3/13, and finally got a phone call today (5/9/13). The verdict is that VISA doesn't cover accidental damage, it only covers theft (you'll need a police report) and nature damages such as fire or storm.

SquareTrade: I signed up for SquareTrade and filed a claim, rep told me that since it's within 90 days of purchase, HTC would be responsible for it.

HTC: Rep told me that HTC is only responsible for software damage while within warranty coverage, any cosmetic damage will be extra. I sent my phone to HTC through UPS ($10) and HTC quote me $180 to fix the cosmetic damage, which I actually find kind of ridiculous because it is literally a tiny dent. I guess HTC is replacing the whole back cover instead. HTC is responsible for return shipping.



Overall, no one is responsible for the accidental damage on my HTC One. However, I do hope that HTC charges less than $190 to fix my phone, and VISA responds to me faster (took a week), so I can take it to fix at a local shop before sending it back to HTC (since I need a phone badly). In any case, I didn't expect any party to take responsibility in the first place, so this is hardly a surprise.


Lesson of the day: ALWAYS USE AMEX for electronic purchases.


***Special thanks to HunterKen7, ShipWreck, and mistyland for responding to my issue.

Jazzmailman, thanks for letting us know how it worked out, it was interesting. I think your "Lesson Of The Day" is right on. I think you did ok, since Att warranty has a $200 deductible anyway. (Maybe you need an Otterbox)