What Insurance Will You Use?

[cr3amy]

none. no need for insurance. I have only broken/lost one phone in the last 20 years. if I paid $10 a month for the last 20 years I would have paid out $2400!

That's a poor way to look at this. You gotta look at the current value of it, not the past value.

Get the $4/month protection and the one-year cost comes to $48. (one year since with an Epic, you're a premiere customer, which means new phone every year). If I break my phone, then with the $100 deductible, that comes to $148.

So now you gotta look at the probability of a stolen/broken/lost phone happening in that year and compare that to the cost of buying a new phone if that happens.

But the real value of this to someone is knowing that for only $4/month, they'll never have to pay more than $100 if they screw up. And if you can't afford $4/month, you probably shouldn't have an $80/month plan. But if you never break phones, maybe you'd rather have that one-extra-beer-at-a-bar.


In my situation: hell yeah I'm gonna do this. I'm switching to Sprint, which means that if I break this phone, I'll have to buy another phone at full cost (since I don't have a backup).

In my situation, next year: I'll do it for 6 months. Once I get a new phone next year, if I break it then I can switch back to my Epic for the remaining 6 months until my next upgrade.

 

[tndank]

Should I get the Sprint $7 insurance a month or just stick with the manufacturer warranty? Does Sprint handle phone problems within the first year?

Currently Sprint does handle the one year manf. warranty. However, that is changing. Sometime soon they are going to start $35 for manufacturer warranty work if you do not have ESRP. If you don't want to pay the $35, you can deal with the manufacturer yourself.

 

[lorcha]

Currently Sprint does handle the one year manf. warranty. However, that is changing. Sometime soon they are going to start $35 for manufacturer warranty work if you do not have ESRP. If you don't want to pay the $35, you can deal with the manufacturer yourself.

Do you have a source for this info? First I've heard it.

 

[drizek]

Currently Sprint does handle the one year manf. warranty. However, that is changing. Sometime soon they are going to start $35 for manufacturer warranty work if you do not have ESRP. If you don't want to pay the $35, you can deal with the manufacturer yourself.

Ya, I don't think so. Sprints customer service is bad enough as it is, doing this will make it 10 times worse. Between the high prices for phones (they still sell the Pre for $150, it is free on verizon AND comes with a $50 gift card), the tax for 4G, I don't think I can stick around if they pull more stunts.

 

[Aero]

Get the $4/month protection and the one-year cost comes to $48. (one year since with an Epic, you're a premiere customer, which means new phone every year). If I break my phone, then with the $100 deductible, that comes to $148..

That is a compelte waste of money IMHO. the $4 insurance on a new phone gives you no more protection that sprint gives you for free. You need the $7 for total protection. When you consider the rapid drop in value of the phone, and look at replacement cost on ebay say at ten month from now,

Lastly you are ignoring the basic fact -- which is the actuaries (insurance statisticians) already gave us the answer: It isn't worth it. They calculates the odds of cost benefit to you and them, and added profit, fraud costs, and overhead. You can convince yourself with any argument that you can beat the odds at a casino too, doesn't make it true.

Currently Sprint does handle the one year manf. warranty. However, that is changing. Sometime soon they are going to start $35 for manufacturer warranty work if you do not have ESRP. If you don't want to pay the $35, you can deal with the manufacturer yourself.

Bull. The highest churn besides contract lapse is from handset failure. That is why sprint dropped the charge about 16 months ago. they had a business reason to do so which has not changed. What is your source for your claim?

 

[tndank]

Do you have a source for this info? First I've heard it.

Cannot give you the source but I run a service center. The date for the change has changed a couple times already. Unfortunately, it appears it will be happening this year. I'm certainly not excited about it. However, it's not quite as bad as the tiered pricing that used to be in effect.

Once you pay the $35, it's the same as if you did have ESRP and an overnight replacement will be sent if the phone cannot be fixed in house. This is for folks with no protection from Sprint, only the phone's warranty.

 

[drizek]

I can understand if they kill ESRP and do just the 35 bucks, but getting rid of regular service entirely is a bad bad move.

I can see why they would postpone it though. they want to lock as many people as possible onto evo/epic/Pre2 service plans before coming out with the great news.

 

[darkoor]

sprint insurance is the best... the retal store policies are bulls***