Insurance/Extended Warranty. Options?

[JoeUserTX]

I'm probably going to be carrying the Nexus for all of 2012, but never bothered to purchase insurance or an extended warranty (warranty even offered?) for any phone I've ever owned (due to previous phones being much less expensive to replace).

Any suggestions? I guess I could chat with the rep at the corporate store where I pick up the Nexus, but wanted to get others' opinions here to pre-load my discussion with VZW, first. Better to know options and challenges beforehand, IMO.

What say you?

 

[thedeceiver]

They offer different levels. You need to tell the rep you want the extended warranty coverage, as well as insurance that covers loss, water damage, etc. I think you can get each a la carte, but if you get to month 25 and your phone starts having problems, they won't replace it if you don't have the extended warranty. If you have it, they'll give you a new/refurb. I do not believe there is a deductible on that.

Insurance there is a deductible and it's usually like $100 or $199... can't remember which.

 

[mysterx]

I started a thread about this a few days back. Thanks to the helpful replies, I've decided to go with SquareTrade.

Amazon.com: SquareTrade 2-Year Accident Protection + Warranty (Cell Phones): Cell Phones & Accessories

It is cheaper than a warranty from Best Buy or big red, and most reviews seem to be pretty good. I've read a lot of bad reviews for Best Buy's cell phone warranty. And big red might offer a decent warranty, but it simply costs more than SquareTrade. Plus, I'd rather buy the warranty in one lump sum instead of rolling it into my monthly bill.

-me

 

[Gratificulous]

I am interested in thoughts as well.

From what I have heard, Verizon is doing away with the yearly upgrade for primary account managers on a family plan. Thus I will need to run the GNex for at least 18 months and I have never done the insurance.

 

[Hondo_Lane]

I'm going to buy a plan from Squaretrade.com.

If you become interested in Squaretrade be sure to search for a coupon code. I think I saw twenty or thirty percent off last I looked.

 

[mysterx]

I'm going to buy a plan from Squaretrade.com.

If you become interested in Squaretrade be sure to search for a coupon code. I think I saw twenty or thirty percent off last I looked.

If you have a coupon code for SquareTrade, please share.

 

[xiaosong]

Do you guys know if your homeowner's insurance covers your cell phones?

 

[JoeUserTX]

I started a thread about this a few days back. Thanks to the helpful replies, I've decided to go with SquareTrade.

Oh, sorry 'bout the new thread, then. It didn't come up in the search or in the Recent Threads check when I composed the new thread.

I didn't even think to look into third-party insurance, like SquareTrade (which I will definitely research, thanks).

 

[yapkuen]

I've always carried Verizon's insurance (through Asurion). It has gradually gone up in cost over the years (a dollar or so every couple of years), and I've also never actually had to use it. One word of caution is that when you call in about stuff going wrong, they might try to nudge you into making an insurance claim even when whatever went wrong might arguably be covered under warranty. For example, I was starting to accumulate a non-negligible amount of dust under my DInc screen, which in my opinion should be covered under warranty on a phone that's never been dropped, but they really actively tried to push me off onto Asurion.

 

[mysterx]

Do you guys know if your homeowner's insurance covers your cell phones?

I read about this on another forum while researching. From what I gathered, yes, homeowner's insurance may cover your cell, but it is a really bad idea. Most homeowner insurance deductibles are $500 on up. Plus, they will likely ding you with higher premiums for filing frivolous claims for broken cell phones. In the end, most of the folks agreed that a dedicated insurance solution was better than homeowner's insurance. It seems to make sense.

-me

 

[JoeUserTX]

I read about this on another forum while researching. From what I gathered, yes, homeowner's insurance may cover your cell, but it is a really bad idea. Most homeowner insurance deductibles are $500 on up. Plus, they will likely ding you with higher premiums for filing frivolous claims for broken cell phones. In the end, most of the folks agreed that a dedicated insurance solution was better than homeowner's insurance. It seems to make sense.

-me

I carry a large deductible on my homeowner's in order to keep the premium down, so yeah, it's well in excess of the worth of the Nexus, even at full retail (not worth the trouble).

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you can buy insurance at any time, not just at the time you get the phone new?

 

[mysterx]

Oh, sorry 'bout the new thread, then. It didn't come up in the search or in the Recent Threads check when I composed the new thread.

I didn't even think to look into third-party insurance, like SquareTrade (which I will definitely research, thanks).

No worries. I don't trust search anyway.

Here is the other post if you wish to gleen more opinions on the matter:

http://forums.androidcentral.com/ve...insurance-protection-verizon-vs-best-buy.html

-me

 

[mysterx]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you can buy insurance at any time, not just at the time you get the phone new?

I think SquareTrade has a time requirement for insuring new phones. This is meant to prevent people from buying insurance after their phone is already broken.

From the SquareTrade Amazon link earlier in this thread:

ADH Timing Issues: Care Plans with ADH must be bought within 30 days of item purchase. If your Care Plan is bought on the same day as your item, accident coverage starts on day 1 of purchase. If you buy your Care Plan on a later date than the item, accidents occurring in the first 30 days are not covered

-me

 

[JoeUserTX]

Post number 26 by bob61 in the http://forums.androidcentral.com/ve...insurance-protection-verizon-vs-best-buy.html thread does make some really good sense. The warranty does cover mechanical defects (which has been my own experience with previously owned phones, and not accidental damage).

I guess I have to weigh whether insurance coverage is warranted in my case, as I'm not particularly accident-prone with my gear, or subject it to hazardous conditions 99% of the time.

I reckon I will have to make a decision over the next day or two, so better decide by then.

 

[xiaosong]

I read about this on another forum while researching. From what I gathered, yes, homeowner's insurance may cover your cell, but it is a really bad idea. Most homeowner insurance deductibles are $500 on up. Plus, they will likely ding you with higher premiums for filing frivolous claims for broken cell phones. In the end, most of the folks agreed that a dedicated insurance solution was better than homeowner's insurance. It seems to make sense.

-me

Yeah, that it what it seems like. They don't cover breakage or loss anyway, and I don't know if you would get back the full price of the cell phone or if just what you paid for the phone with the 2 year contract.

 

[masaokun]

I looked these up and noticed that the warranty as sold on Amazon covers up to $499, but directly from squaretrade.com, it covers up to $600. I couldn't see any other difference in the policies. The price was also listed as $124, not $124.99. Just FYI.

EDIT: Hmm. I don't see anything about a deductible on Amazon's, but there's a $99 one on squaretrade.com. Maybe that's where the difference comes in. I'd check the fine print.

 

[Nothing2Lose]

I started a thread about this a few days back. Thanks to the helpful replies, I've decided to go with SquareTrade.

Amazon.com: SquareTrade 2-Year Accident Protection + Warranty (Cell Phones): Cell Phones & Accessories

It is cheaper than a warranty from Best Buy or big red, and most reviews seem to be pretty good. I've read a lot of bad reviews for Best Buy's cell phone warranty. And big red might offer a decent warranty, but it simply costs more than SquareTrade. Plus, I'd rather buy the warranty in one lump sum instead of rolling it into my monthly bill.

-me

It doesn't seem to cover lost or theft. I think I will stick with asurion. I never had a problem with them.

 

[Hondo_Lane]

Sure thing. Didn't have the code but found it in a search.

Coupon Code: INTRODUCTION

For 20% off. I loaded it and it worked.

SquareTrade Warranties | Extended Warranties for 70% Less Than Retail | Electronics Insurance Alternative