• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

Insurance?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Ze2o

Member
So my 2 week old EVO got accidentally soaked in water by my 6 year old cousins playing water balloon and used my phone as a target practice. So far, only the inside of the screen has water blotches. The water damage strip hasn't gotten wet, thank god.

Right now my EVO is in a Tupperware drying off with some white rice. So it just made me wonder if it was worth getting insurance for the phone. I've never gotten insurance on a phone before and i thought it would be helpful in a situation like this. I got some info from google and I found out the prices were about 7 bucks a month for Sprint's TEP. Do anyone have it and is it actually worth it?

Thanks :cool:
 
It is very much worth it. 7 dollars a month and a 100 dollar deductible is a much lower cost then the retail price of the phone.

Being a sprint premiere customer you can upgrade every year rather then every 2. So its really 7*12+100=184 at the very most you would spend.

Compare that to you breaking it and not having it and spending retail of 500...Its black and white when you look at it like that.

And you may want to get that ASAP. I believe there is a 30 day window from date of purchase that you can tack insurance onto the phone. After that your SOL.
 
Even if you get the TEP from Sprint, water damage(s) are not covered. So in your instance, you'd be SOL if you had insurance or not.

Regardless, get the insurance. I had to pay full price once for a phone after shattering the one I had. Needless to say it was a rude awakening!
 
I am getting close to my 30 day mark and wondering the same. Never had insurance on a phone, either.

Torn between Best Buy's and Sprints. Leaning towards Sprint. I would rather pay deductible and get a phone overnight to me, than pay nothing and wait 3 weeks or more.

Is it true, you only pay Sprint's deductible if it's your fault the phone breaks? Been told if it's a defect or phone malfunctions on it's own, there is no deductible.
 
Water damage IS covered by the TEP. You must purchase the insurance within 30 days of buying the phone, so I would do it fast. If your phone was under water, its only a matter of time before something goes wrong with it, even if you put it in rice.
 
Water damage IS covered by the TEP. You must purchase the insurance within 30 days of buying the phone, so I would do it fast. If your phone was under water, its only a matter of time before something goes wrong with it, even if you put it in rice.

So far, all the buttons, the screens, calling in/out, video camera, speaker and everything else seemed to work. When it initially got wet, the right side of the screen was unresponsive but its working now. The water seems to have spread throughout the whole screen as compared to only the sides when it first got wet. I'll probably jump on the TEP and not worry about breaking my phone. Thanks for all the info.
 
I had sprint tep for many years but now I use squaretrade for all my phones and my iPad. They are less expensive and have a strict no refurb policy. The only difference is they don't cover lost or stolen like sprint tep.
 
Since HTC device is covered by 1 year manufacturer's warranty, what is the advantage of getting TEP instead of just ERP?

I currently just have ERP which is only $4 compare to TEP which is $7. Anyone know what additional protection is offered by the extra $3?
 
Does this cover scratched screen? I accidentally dropped my phone and everything works but it has a big scratch on the screen...
 
The warranty will cover what the company acknowledges is wrong with it. For instance the Screen separation or light leakage. If that ever is acknowledged by HTC as a build issue then you can take it back any time with in that 1 year from date of purchase period for a new one.

Kind of like a recall by a car company. Your shifter is a known issue, take it to the dealer and they fix it. Cant be fixed then you get a new one.

To where as the insurance will cover the damage "you" inflict on the device. Meaning if you drop it, crush it, hit it with a nail gun what ever, then take it back and you get a new one. It may or may not be a refurb, but it works.
 
I am getting close to my 30 day mark and wondering the same. Never had insurance on a phone, either.

Torn between Best Buy's and Sprints. Leaning towards Sprint. I would rather pay deductible and get a phone overnight to me, than pay nothing and wait 3 weeks or more.

Is it true, you only pay Sprint's deductible if it's your fault the phone breaks? Been told if it's a defect or phone malfunctions on it's own, there is no deductible.

Yes. ONLY pay anything if you break it. Phone breaks on it's own, nothing. AND... pays for lost and solenoid unlike Best Buy.
 
Does this cover scratched screen? I accidentally dropped my phone and everything works but it has a big scratch on the screen...

That im not sure about. Probably not. I suggest getting a screen protector.

If you have the TEP insurance then make sure the place you bought it from has a phone in stock, proceed to back up your phone then have fun smashing the hell out of the screen.

When you go in say you dropped it or something. You pay the deductible and you get a new one.
 
Does this cover scratched screen? I accidentally dropped my phone and everything works but it has a big scratch on the screen...

There is a limit on how many times you can use your TEP to exchange phones. So if it's just a minor scratch, i wouldn't waste a TEP on it.
 
So i've decided to get TEP and then just exchange it if the water damage does not dry up from my phone after a few days. Kind of sucks I will have to pay the $100 deductible on a phone I've owned for about 2 weeks but shit happens.
 
That im not sure about. Probably not. I suggest getting a screen protector.

If you have the TEP insurance then make sure the place you bought it from has a phone in stock, proceed to back up your phone then have fun smashing the hell out of the screen.

When you go in say you dropped it or something. You pay the deductible and you get a new one.


So i've decided to get TEP and then just exchange it if the water damage does not dry up from my phone after a few days. Kind of sucks I will have to pay the $100 deductible on a phone I've owned for about 2 weeks but shit happens.

Nice to know you both don't have any issues commiting insurance fraud.

1. You buy insurance before you damage your phone.
2. You don't damage your phone more to be able to have a valid insurance claim.

It is because of people like you, that the deductable is so high...imo
 
So i've decided to get TEP and then just exchange it if the water damage does not dry up from my phone after a few days. Kind of sucks I will have to pay the $100 deductible on a phone I've owned for about 2 weeks but shit happens.

Only get the insurance if you plan on using it. I have the insurance and know in the next year I will use it. I always do.

Last replacement was for my sisters phone, she was standing on the street corner, a guy run up tried to grab the phone. The phone hit the ground, guy ran away, and screen shattered.

How is that her fault? Insurance covered it with out even the 100 dollar fee. Just walked in, told them it was dropped, and they handed me a refurb and even an extra charger.

Insurance is worth it, if you plan on using it. It is not if you do not plan on using it. If you are extra careful with your phones and upgrade ever 12 months, it does not make sense.

I will use it on this phone, it will happen. The screen will crack, I can feel it in my bones. I just hope it does not crack the whole screen, so I can really see how scratch resistant it really is, the videos I see, are just sad.
 
Only get the insurance if you plan on using it. I have the insurance and know in the next year I will use it. I always do.

Last replacement was for my sisters phone, she was standing on the street corner, a guy run up tried to grab the phone. The phone hit the ground, guy ran away, and screen shattered.

How is that her fault? Insurance covered it with out even the 100 dollar fee. Just walked in, told them it was dropped, and they handed me a refurb and even an extra charger.

Insurance is worth it, if you plan on using it. It is not if you do not plan on using it. If you are extra careful with your phones and upgrade ever 12 months, it does not make sense.

I will use it on this phone, it will happen. The screen will crack, I can feel it in my bones. I just hope it does not crack the whole screen, so I can really see how scratch resistant it really is, the videos I see, are just sad.

I don't really know what you mean by 'plan on using it'. I don't plan on using the insurance unless unforeseeable circumstances happens and I need to use it. I'm not going to purposely damage my phone so i can get a new one down the road.

Nice to know you both don't have any issues commiting insurance fraud.

1. You buy insurance before you damage your phone.
2. You don't damage your phone more to be able to have a valid insurance claim.

It is because of people like you, that the deductable is so high...imo

My phone is not even 2 weeks old and I was never offered or thought of purchasing insurance until i got some info in the forums about it.
 
Iv never had insurance. Iv also never needed it with my other phones. But i do have it now and have had it since day one.

Im not saying its a good thing to defraud the system.

What im saying is that if there is a window of 30 days to get it then have him try. Its why its there isnt it. Yes its wrong and a$$ backwards to do what he will try but its the system.

Remember: Dont hate the player hate the game. Made popular years ago. Same applies here.

It may not be the "right" thing to do, but blame sprint for allowing a 30 day window. They should shut that to 10 days or so in my opinion.

10 day to add TEP
30 day store warranty
1 yr manufacture warranty

Sounds fair to me.

Im still on my launch day Evo btw. I baby this thing like you wouldnt believe. Its naked too and doesnt have a scratch on it nor any issues (screen separation, light leakage).

So dont be blaming me for abusing the system. I havent tried nor will i try. Just gave a suggestion to someone in need.
 
People are going to abuse it and take advantage of it and that's the way it is. You guys are talking like this is a perfect world and you guys are heaven's angels or something. People take advantage of situations and things to their own benefit. People have always done this and people will always do this.
 
I decided to get the insurance on day 30 after seeing pics here of shattered screens. I've dropped a TP and it got damaged and I just know somewhere along the line, this will get dropped too so I figured I'd better be safe than sorry. Those cracked screens make me cringe.
 
Just because you can take advantage of a loophole in the system doesn't mean that it's right to do so, and Android Forums certainly doesn't want to be seen to condone or encourage such action.

Sorry, but this discussion is now closed.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom