mobile phone insurance

kier333

Hi,
I have just upgraded with 3 to a Samsung galaxy s2- which i am loving. i took the 3 insurance as i tend to lose phones, but its costing 9 pound a month which seems a little steep. i know phone insurance can be a grey area as they have many exclusions. can anyone advise what 3 are like or am i wasting 9 pound a month. maye some recommendations of better insures. i bank with hsbc who do not cover phones with the advanced account.

Thanks in advance

grumbler

http://www.three.co.uk/Help_Support/About_my_mobile/Insurance

Loss (excludes laptops) theft and malicious damage

You or the authorised user must report it to the Police (or relevant local authorities if you or the authorised user are outside the UK) and obtain a crime reference number

IMO, loss is not and cannot be a crime. The police seem to share the same opinion:

deannatrois wrote: »

....the insurance that u pay £7.99 a month for provided through mobiles.co.uk, only covers for a lost phone when u have a crime number. I had a Desire disappear out of my handbag but because it wasn't taken at knife point with witnesses, the police wouldn't give me a crime number (seriously, this is what the police told me), only a loss number. The insurers would not replace the phone. When I bought a phone and insurance from Orange, the insurance cost £6 a month and the phone was covered against theft even if u didn't have a crime number.

kier333

does that mean that the insurance 3 provide is a waste of money. it seems to me that most of the phone insurance is a waste, i means it seems like they just make any excuse not to pay out, which is annoying

DUTR

kier333 wrote: »

does that mean that the insurance 3 provide is a waste of money. it seems to me that most of the phone insurance is a waste, i means it seems like they just make any excuse not to pay out, which is annoying

Well put the monthly into a savings account so that when you next lose your phone, you already have some money saved towards a replacement.

starlight_xx

Phone insurance isnt just for if your phone is stolen though. I have insurance with Orange and have used it a couple of times when phones have developed faults. Most recently my Blackberry Torch started freezing. Orange tried several fixes, none of which worked, so because I have insurance with them they couriered out a brand new handset that same day. Im only paying about £4 a month mind you for mine but IMO its money well spent.

grumbler

Don't know about BB, but most phones come with 24 months warranty. So, insurance is needed only to cover accidental damage.

macman

Check the cost of adding it to your home contents insurance policy.

Guys_Dad

grumbler wrote: »

Don't know about BB, but most phones come with 24 months warranty. So, insurance is needed only to cover accidental damage.

If only that were true ! You have seen enough MSE members struggling to prove that broken phones out of the 6 month warranty period were manufacturing faults. Usually water damage is claimed.

grumbler

True, but usually it's the retailer who uses dirty tricks and excuses, not the manufacturer.

starlight_xx

Yes but if you use the manufacturers warranty you inevitably have to send the phone back to them for repair etc. One of my colleagues was phoneless for 2 weeks while his phone was being repaired. at least with Insurance you get a brand new handset within hours.

grumbler

I think you are over optimistic about 'hours'.
You have to send your claim first and it has to be approved. The above '3' policy seems to say nothing about what happens next and how long it takes.

Personally, I would be happy to use my basic replacement handset for, say, 2 weeks, if this saves me £100+ every year.