Posted by bikeme74
That's right. Insurance for a cell phone. I don't get it. Why would people do such a thing. I understand that one gets a new phone when one loses it, or break it, etc. But just take care of your damn phone. Fvck the insurance!
Any time you pay extra money for insurance, it's ALWAYS a bad thing. Insurance is the biggest SCAM on this planet. "The House" never lose. An extra way for a phone company to make extra money.
Admit it, everyone on this forum gets a new phone every year anyways. Hell, some priviledged people get a new phone ever three months. I don't have insurance on my K700i. If I lose it, I'll go out and get me a new one. It gives me a reason to buy a recent model. The amount of money one pays each month on insurance is about equivalent to the price of a new phone. So why do people still pay insurance and give the phone companies free money?
Your comments/opinion please....
Posted by tidytrev
i agree with u there,the only insurance i need is the free one i get with my phone and the 12 month from the shop (free),if i pay 200 quid for a phone im not stupid enough to let it out of my site or put it in a position where im going to stamp on it or sit on it
Posted by Lynx69
I lost my phone only a few weeks after buying it and because i had insurance i was lucky enough to not have to pay £150 maybe more for a new one.
Apart from that i do agree with you.
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Wow 1600+ Posts [ This Message was edited by: Lynx69 on 2004-10-31 03:44 ]
Posted by kimcheeboi
Is that why there's health, car, and home insurance? Want an award?
Posted by scotsboyuk
@bikeme74
I don't quite see the need for the rant about insurance. Personally I think it's a good idea, especially if one is using an expensive mobile, for a relatively small monthly charge I know that I won't have to pay the full cost for a new mobile.
Posted by Lynx69
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What award is this then?
The being even stupider than Kimcheeboi and pooeh?
Posted by tidytrev
well im not a betting man,i feel like im placing a bet on wether or not im going to break my phone,theres a 50/50 chance on it happening so id rather save my money and not jinx myself lol
Posted by bikeme74
My apologies for people with cell phone insurance who felt offended. It was not my intention. Just wanted to start a good discussion on ESATO because lately, the topics on this forum have been pretty boring.
Anyways....
I just hate insurance! If I don't have to pay insurance, then I won't. Have you ever bought some electronics (ex. a T.V.) and the saleperson says, "You want insurance?" Uh, for what? ...On a stupid T.V.? Hell NO!!! It's a way for the stores to make EXTRA money. What's the chance of it breaking or you losing it. Chances are very, very very slim. I feel that way with cell phones as well.
Since we're on the topic of insurance... Car insurance? If you in a car accident and it's your fault, the Insurance Co. will raise your rate. If it's NOT your fault, the Insurance Co. STILL raise your rate. Why? Now they said because you are "prone"/likely to accidents. So what's the purpose of getting insurance??? The Insurance Company NEVER lose.
Now we're getting off topic, so I won't go into health insurance. Anyway, I just want to heard people's view on cell phone insurance. Me personally, I don't like it.
ps. Yes, I DO have car insurance because it's the law....just in case people are wondering.
[ This Message was edited by: bikeme74 on 2004-10-31 04:25 ]
Posted by scotsboyuk
@bikeme74
I wasn't offended, I just wondered why you had such a be ein your bonnet.
Insurance for a television and insurance for a mobile phone are very different; a mobile phone has a far greater chance of being damaged, etc than a television. I take out insurance on my mobiles because it gives me the ability to obtain a replacement mobile in the evebt of mine being damaged without having to pay the full cost of the mobile. I think insurance is a good thing to have if one is using an expensive mobile, perhaps not so much if the mobile is a cheap model.
Posted by govigov
That is a standard feature on all white nokia's sold in india. Hahahaha.... No i am serious. Just ask any indian, 1year theft insurance, 2years warranty.
Posted by Jake Blues
i have never had any mobile insurance, i dont let my phones outta my sight. also i dont need, mobiles are covered in my houses contents insurance.
i read a while ago that a lot of policies cover mobiles but people dont realise and get seperate cover, another example of insurance companies winning......?
Posted by Sammy_boy
I have to say I'm not a big fan of all this insurance either. I think the general rate for phone insurance is something like £4 or £5 a month, or £60 a year max.
This would possibly be worth it if you had an S700 or a P910, but otherwise it's a false economy. I never take out the offer of insurance when I buy a TV or something - it's usually guaranteed for a year by the store anyway!
This is perhaps me being cynical here, but when you come to make a claim, they often find a way of squirming out of paying any money to you, like saying it's your fault therefore no money, and most don't cover you for water damage - so no dropping you phone in a puddle!
And if you operate some common sense - like not leaving it in your car when you get out (even for a matter of seconds) or leaving it on edges of tables, etc., there's much less chance of you losing/breaking it. Even with all the mobiles I've had recently, I've (touchwood) not had a problem yet!
Posted by Jim
Never needed insurance for my phones, I don't even know if Belgium has this.
Posted by p900 lover
but it this way, i payed £300 for my p900 when it came out, ok its not millions and millions but its still a fair bit of money. i took out a £4.99 per month insurance on it which just incase i brake it or it gets stolen i get a new 1.
Posted by 701
Have u ever wondered how a company defines 'stollen phone?' If it's an agression involved(e.g broken arm,stab wound) and u press charges,yes,u might have a chance.Otherwise,if someone robs u and u r smart enough not to get stabbed for a damn phone,u won't get the money back!This is only 1 of 'the reasons' u read if u bother to look it up in the contract. Scam is too soft of a word for 'mobile insurance'. Not for me.
Posted by martin.l
I can't say I like paying for the insurance but It can be damn handy. Even if you don't let it out of your sight or are careful about dropping it, it dosnt stop things like what happened to the girlfriend a month ago where the phone was in her handbag which was snatched from her shoulder in a supermarket carpark by somebody leaning out of a car window as they drove past her, or in my own case when two of us where attacked when we come out of a pub by a gang who took anything they could grab.
Posted by fatreg
id never have a phone without insurance!
ok so say i dont loose it, break it, its gets stolen?
but say on its own accord it decides it doesnt want to work anymore. i know id have warranty, but id have to send my phone away to the respective manufacturer, and it could be away for weeks! or i could alternatively pay an extra £5 a month and get a new phone delivered to my house the next day!
now i know i shouldnt be paying for manufacturers problems, but its one thing this is covered under the big umbrella of insurance!
fatreg
God bless Orange Care!!
Posted by dave_uk
My comments and opinions, as requested by bikeme:
I think you're well over the top mate! In London, for example, mobile phones are THE item most commonly lost/stolen on public transport. It's not for everyone and there is certainly the argument that if you can afford to pay the insurance, you could probably run the risk and afford to buy yourself a new one, but to say that it's "the biggest scam on the planet" and "ALWAYS a bad thing" is stretching a point a bit. The mobile company I work for receives thousands of claims a month and pays out on something like 96% of them. That means the chances of needing a replcement are clearly not "very, very slim".
Yes, you certainly have to weigh up the cost of the cover on offer against the value of your phone and the risk, not forgetting peace of mind as a very important factor to many people (who may or may not lose their phone but probably won't have a spare £100-£500 available at the time to replace it) Either way, as with everything else, it's a subjective thing and dependent on a number of variables, but to be honest, it sounds like you've had a bad experience and you're talking out of your backside in an effort to discredit insurers
Posted by exilis
I'm gonna go with the insurance is a good thing in certian circumstances pack too.
I work for a mobile retailer in the UK so it is my job to push insurance to people who buy phones. At first I'll be honest, i was sceptical of insurance, what value can it possibly have etc. But once you see day in day out people coming in with water damaged phones (which our insurance does pay out on), damaged screens (colour lcds ain't cheap to fix), stolen phones the list is endless. Hell I even had a customer who dropped their phone outside the shop, it got run over by a bus so she came straight in and within 15min was walking back out with a working handset.
For some people insurance is well worth it, for others it's not. Besides myself and most of my colleagues recommend customers cancel any insurance after 6 months since anything that is likely to happen, happens in the 1st 6 months
Posted by Lembo
I don't know about you but I only pay £50 a year for protection and I find it rather good.
Posted by Phychlone
Have to defend insurance on this point! O.K so insurance on a mobile phone IMHO is a luxury as a phone can genarally be replaced for a reasonable price. HOWEVER.....when you buy you brand new £250,000 house and don't insure it and some stray firework (fitting for the time of year) lands on your garden shed or roof and sets fire to your beloved house then the fire brigade come and flood your house from the roof down (causing damage to anything not touched by fire) I bet you would be glad that you paid a premium of £300-£500 per year and would be able to pay off your mortgage or replace your home.
BTW if your motor insurance is going up loads and they are telling you it's because you've had a non-fault accident......CHANGE YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY!
Whinge over! Goodnight
Posted by bikeme74
I understand about the whole home/car/health insurance thing....even though in the end, you will ALWAYS get screwed by the insurance company.
A home I can understand, it's a big investment (recommended!). Health insurance as well (even though the insurance company will make you pay first the high deductible before the claim...this is where they screw you).
Car insurance, perhaps. What's f*k-up is that the insurance company will raise your rate regardless of whose fault it is. If it's not your fault, they will consider you a "magnet" for accidents...because you were involved in the crash, etc. Virtually all Car Insurance Co. does this. They are not stupid and have tons of statisticists working for them on probabilities. Of course they have to screw you first by making you pay the deductible, like health insurance, before your claim....which then have to be verify for honesty (just in case you're trying to screw them).
Insurance on a cell phone? It's a SMALL item which doesn't need insurance. Just my opinion, that's all. I'll get a new cell phone (or my taste for a new model phone will come first) before I even have a chance to use the Lost/Broken Phone Insurance Policy. My advice: Just be careful and don't be in the 1%-5% category of people who tends to lose thing, fall, get into accidents, paranoid, etc.
I guess some people always need a safety net, which is O.K. too....I guess.
Posted by dave_uk
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Where is the justification for this? So, the point is clearly, that you DON'T understand. Not everyone gets screwed by their insurance company. Unless you have evidence to the contrary, of course??
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...contradiction of your previous sentence??
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Precisely, all companies do this. An unfortunate fact of life that you should perhaps get used to, though relevance to a
mobile phone forum is wearing a little thin at this point, so best move on, eh?!
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statisticians?? oh, never mind! What is the probability, just out of curiosity, that you are making this up as you go along?
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Size is irrelevant (in this context) and they are generally disproportionately valuable for "small items", and yes, it is just your opinion, repeated for the second time for the lazy users among us, no doubt!
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Good for you - not everyone is that rich (or that fickle) and, just as importantly, some people might actually lose or break their phone...it is just possible...!
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More made up statistics - I think that's just about enough of your advice!
If this seems a little harsh, it is just my way of expressing my annoyance with people posting threads that are based on unsubstantiated opinion and yet claiming to be statements of fact. Since this is a forum for like-minded users to help each other by providing the right (or at least not wholly wrong and purporting to be gospel) information, I don't think it's right to use a personal agenda to influence other people in this way.
Just my opinion
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[ This Message was edited by: dave_uk on 2004-11-01 00:41 ]
Posted by bikeme74
Whoa! Take it easy dave_uk. Did you eat you Cheerios this morning??? How old are you?
That's why I posted this topic in General Discussion>General>”for threads that don't fit into the other categories.” Read at your own risk.
1) I stated my opinion. I don't like insurance on cell phone. It doesn't make sense to me, especially on a small item that I can replace if I ever lose it. Actually, it gives me an excuse to get a recent model. I am a careful person. I like to believe that the world is made up of careful mined people, more than the careless. If you’re a careless person, then you don’t deserve a nice phone. I believe people on ESATO treat their phone like a baby, better than their girlfriends.
2) I tried to pull in examples – something big such as home/car insurance (which by law, one must have) versus something small like a cell phone or electronics/TV (which I don’t think is really necessary). How does one get screwed by the insurance company? Well, it’s call deductibles. Example: health insurance – you pay a certain amount each month. If you get hurt, the insurance company should take care of the bill, right? Well, if it cost $1200 and you have a $1000 deductible, the insurance company pays the $200; you still have to pay the $1000 out of your own pocket. What’s the purpose of insurance again??? If the cost is $5000, then that’s a different story. That’s where people who are good with statistics/probabilities come to work for insurance company in order to figure out the amount you must pay each month. In the end, the insurance must come out on top in order for it to exist. I DON’T NEED TO PROVIDE the evidence. If you are educated, this should be common sense to you.
3) I invited people to give their opinion on this issue. I knew that this topic would invite people in. Opinions are welcome on ESATO, opinions create discussion, and therefore the FORUM exists. If you follow someone’s advice on this forum (someone you don’t even know) without doing your own extra research, then you’re an absolute moron. Most comments on this forum are opinionated anyways.
4) I know that cell phone insurance is different than insurance for your health (no deductible). My reasoning: if you are a careful person, you don’t need insurance on a cell phone. If you have insurance and are making a claim, the amount of money you paid on insurance is equivalent or close to the price of a new phone. Another con to this is that you have to prove that you lost the phone or broke it. For me, it’s not worth the hassle. If I lost my phone, I want a recent newer model. I don’t want my old phone back because it’s probably outdated.
I guess it depends on how you judge yourself. Are you a careful person? Do you treat you baby right or do you like to be rough with her?
Do you always forget about her at public tables, drop her, etc.
Posted by martin.l
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As I said earlier, how does being carefull stop a handbag being snatched, what was she meant to do? Hang on to the bag and get dragged along by the moron in the car?
As for the cost, I pay £5 a month or £60 for the year. Since when can you get a P910i for that price? I'd be lucky to get a second hand P800 for that!
Posted by kimcheeboi
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Making fun of him because he proved you wrong atm doesnt make you seem any smarter. In fact, it makes you look extremely childish and like a complete fool (i would know, too
).
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Read at your own risk would be the garbage threads, and the fact that you posted in the General Forums doesn't make any difference--it neither strengthens or weakens your claims.
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What does the manner in which we treat our phones have to do with insurance being a scam to take our money? And if we really cared for our phone, isn't it just as likely that we would buy insurance, just in case?
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First of all, any good argument is supported with good evidence. You can't prove anything without evidence cand call it 'common sense.'
So what do these deductibles have to do with cell phones, anyways? You just said that cell phone insurance is a scam, then explained that the scam is a deductible, but isn't that a bit more relevant to home and health insurance than cell phone insurance? T-mobile, AT&T, and Cingular all have insurance plans, and you don't pay a deductible if you lost/break/damage your phone. You're quite all over the road on this one.
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Opininated as in the way you are being opinionated? Not having done research, just like you? You don't even have evidence, you claim you don't need evidence, and then you claim you need evidence. So we're supposed to give our opinions, but we're too opinionated?
And speaking of getting help, what does the fact that we do or do not know someone have to do with taking the advice they give us? Maybe we shouldn't listen to the
service center because we don't know them?
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So you contradict yourself again. If there's no deductible, where's the scam?
And for 100 USD or 60 pounds a year, we can buy insurance. How can we replace a p910 for that little money? Wouldn't proving that you lost a phone be a bit easier than earning all that money back, just so you can buy another phone?
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so if you can take care of your phone, then you don't get insurance. If you do get insurance, then its because you feel that you need it, not because you're ignorant (as you've repeatedly implied).
so allow me to end with a dave_uk quote:
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Posted by saqibq
wts all the debate about.. i have free insurance on my fone.. in my country any product u buy from this store ccalled Jumbo electronics above 250dhs.. :: 67 Dollars is insured.. i dont have to worry even its a low end cheap model... eveythings insured.. I am happy.. And i got my p900 replaced which i damged my self without Insurance.. just used my rite of warranty.. hehe.. BTW Insurance is good.. i vote for it.. a little extra.. But better safe then sorry
Posted by Sammy_boy
@saq - I remember Orange UK also insured phones free for a year a while back - it's a shame they still don't! I wish phone companies still did what they do in your neck of the woods with regards to insuring products.
I guess they realised they could make more money by selling the insurance rather than including it 'bundled' with a new phone and contract
Posted by bikeme74
I don't know.....is bag snatching common in England/Europe??? I've never heard of so many compaints about bag snatching. I live in Los Angeles (I thought L.A. was worst in crimes) and I've never seen a bag snatcher in action once. Then again, I don't carry a bag. I keep my phone in my front pant pocket. Anyone who reach their hand in that area of my pants....and I'm going to break their fingers off.
My assumption NOW I guess, is that a lot of people depend on/ride the train in Europe, thus the high bag snatching/phone theft crimes. Nobody walks in L.A.! Most people DON"T ride the stupid train either (is there one here?)....or use public transportation/bus (disgusting!!!) I only see poor people and immigrants use public transportation/bus here...and no, I'm not making fun of them. That's just how it is. Everybody has their own car here.
In that sense, then maybe in Europe it's better for people to get insurance. I don't think insurance is for me...and I don't know of anyone (my friends) with insurance. I've never met another American who loves to pay his insurance company or one who thinks insurance companies are good people.
@kim chee boi
Are you bored and trying to start a flame war? If I state my opinion, I have to back it up???? I'm just tell people what I think of insurance. You don't have to agree with me. Everything on this forum must be factual right? If someone tells you something like "go buy this," are you going to go out and buy it without doing the research yourself? I hope not. That was my line of thought. You need to re-read my post carefully.
[ This Message was edited by: bikeme74 on 2004-11-01 11:41 ]
Posted by jcwhite_uk
I have insurance on my S700i. If anything happens to it then I dont want to have to pay £500 to get another one.
About a year ago I had my p800 in my hand (I am very protective of my phones) while getting out of my car but dropped it by accident. It cost me my £15 excess charge to get the screen repaired as it was smashed but would have cost me £150 to get it done properly so the warrenty wasnt void. Over the year I think the insurance cost me £30 so I saved £105 on the repair.
Posted by kimcheeboi
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And you tell us that people who don't do their research beforehand are ignorant morons?
ANd i'd like to point out the extremely prejudiced and stupid statements you just made about people who take public transportation: I take the subway to the hospital on fridays because its easier than driving; i know people who take the metrolink because its easier than driving; i've seen people with nice suits and gucci bags riding the subway, too.
It's quite nice of you to make such a hasty generalization. It also doesn't help hide the fact that you're eating your own words.
I myself don't have phone insurnace, but homeowner's and car insurance has saved my ass plenty of times. Just because they charge me money for insurance doesn't mean that they are all thieves now, does it?
Posted by kimcheeboi
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well, if you're wrong, you're wrong. Since this is a forum, i'm taking the time to show you that you're wrong, and why.
Anyhow you've made some statements that contradict each other, statements that were made up and then you tout it as fact,...
thats what im pointing out
Posted by methylated_spirit
Are you MAD? ok, i wont insure my car, because i'll take care of it and wont crash it. I dont think i'll insure my home either, instead i'll put up a big neon sign "Dont rob me im not insured" that should do the trick. Oh, and i dont think i'll bother with life insurance, i dont plan on dying.
Posted by Vlammetje
Make sure to leave out health insurance as well
Not going to get sick or injured after all.
Posted by RichLok
@ bikeme74: Growing up as a kid, I took the bus and the Metro Blue Line to school, work and to Pasadena / Rowland Heights. Does this make me homeless or an Immigrant?? Watch what you say cuz you'll get burned. You don't like phone insurance, that's your problem. I love it. Wouldn't have a phone without one cuz @ $50 a claim, I get a my $300+ phone replaced if I lose it/ break it or have it stolen. The "house" doesn't always win. Check the facts homie before you rant to people that know what's up...
@ everyone else: Sorry about that. Tend to speak with a little ignorance when someone that doesn't know the complete facts starts yakking off.
[ This Message was edited by: RichLok on 2004-11-01 17:57 ]
Posted by tranquil
I've allways have had, and will allways have, incurance on my phones.
I've needed it twice and it's saved me a lot of money.
Once I had my P800 nicked out of my pocket on the bus, on the way to work in the morning, I reported it to the incurance company and had a new one at lunch time the same day.
Never will I have an unincured phone! You never know what might happen.
Posted by manunitedfan
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ur weird
Posted by kimcheeboi
Lol!
Posted by dave_uk
Geez, it's lucky I didn't look at this thread for the last couple of days. This just gets more bizarre...
Look, bikeme, whatever your motivation for posting in the first place, you're getting roundly lynched. Therefore, it is probably advisable to accept that, whatever YOU may think, the vast majority of people (admittedly, I have not conducted an independent survey, but I hope this will be accepted as statement of fact!) think your argument is ridiculous.
Listen to Kim - your point's been made, you're wrong, I (and everyone else) am right and everybody's happy
Posted by mkush
Well in glad i got insurance as my fone weren't work proper 1 week after i had it so i just took it back for a new 1 :-D
Posted by Sammy_boy
Suffice to say that it depends on the person and what phone they have - cheaper ones not really worth it, P910s/S700s probably a good idea!
Posted by fannypad
Bikeme, you come across as a bit of a plonker really. Sort it out.
Anyway, phone insurance is quality. I go to London squat parties every weekend, and have lost my phone countless times stumbling about in grimy old warehouses in the middle of Hackney.
I pay about £70 a year for cover, and god knows how much I would have had to spend on new phones had it not been insured. I bet the insurance company loves me.