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11:31 am
02/07/11
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alimal
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|  Newbie | posts 3 | |
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Just wondering if anyone here has had the need to claim on their phone insurance and if so if they think the whole thing is a total con job?
I recently dropped my iPhone 3GS and smashed the screen. No problem, I'm insured so it won't cost much, if anything, to get it repaired. So I take the phone into a vodafone store and they tell me that if I'm insured I'll get a replacement phone. Sweet!
I ring the insurance people – this is the insurance company vodafone puts you with – and I make a claim. All going well. Until I decide that after paying phone insurance since 2003 perhaps I could make a bid to get an iPhone 4 instead of a 3GS. So I ring the insurance company and make my pitch – hey, it's got to be worth a try. Imagine my surprise when I'm told they not only won't do that, but vodafone prohibits them from doing that. I was also told that I won't be getting a new, out-of-the-box 3GS, rather a refurbished 3GS! What! A second hand phone!
It gets worse. I have to pay $125 excess on my claim. This is total BS. I have done some quick research and found I can have my phone screen repaired for anywhere between $80 and $200 – the higher amount being a fix from apple itself.
So after paying $6.95 a month for almost 8 years I have to pay an excess of $125 to get a second hand phone. I could have saved myself more than $600 by not taking insurance and just sending my phone off to apple for a fix.
Imagine if a home and contents insurer acted this way and gave you refurbished tvs and sofas after your belongings are destroyed in a fire. No one would accept that.
I'm going to pursue the insurance company and vodafone over this – the problem is every time I call to discuss the issue I'm told by vodafone i need to speak to the insurance company and the insurance company says i need to speak to vodafone.
Does anyone else feel this is a major con? And any advice from those who might have been in this situation themselves?
Cheers
Alimal
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1:31 pm
02/07/11
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Topes
| | Auckland | |
|  Trusted | posts 116 | |
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Alimal
Good to see you've done your research with looking at costs, but did you research the phone insure policy document, which does tell you that they are Remanufactured devices for any insured handset, not just iPhones. It's on the website at http://www.vodafone.co.nz/phon…..insure.pdf.
I work in the Mobile industry and have also had my iPhone 3Gs replaced under phone insure because it was beyond economical repair and was going to cost $450.00ish if not insured or $125.00 excess for a remanufactured replacement, so plus the 2 years in insurance and the excess mine cost $400.00, while only having to pay out $125.00.
Insurance is exactly that, insurance. With your car insurance, it's like having a fender bender, you weigh up whether it's worth paying the excess or paying for the repair, plus you can make multiple claims over time with insurances.
Do I think insurance is a con? No I think it's a choice, that you have to weigh up with your research, PLUS it's not contracted so you can cancel it without penalty.
I'd be assuming your Vodafone contract is possibly nearing renewal (based on your handset type being a year or so old and the amount of time you have been paying insurance), you now have the opportunity to upgrade on a resign get the iPhone 4 you want and have an iPhone 3Gs to either sell or hand down, or look at your options in the market. Again I'd research handset insurance policies before making a decision to purchase.
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4:41 pm
02/07/11
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alimal
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| Newbie | posts 3 | |
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Thanks Topes, appreciate reading your comments and I hear what you are saying. I had read my policy, only after getting the news about the refurbished phone, and I notice it also says one of the replacement options is a phone with similar features. In my mind that would be an iPhone 4 if no new iphone 3GS' were available. Do you agree with that?
I still have a year to go on my contract so I won't be able to upgrade to iPhone 4 without paying a penalty. I just see this whole insurance issue as being one more way the telecom companies screw us over. Regardless of what the policy says, it is not morally right to replace someone's valued possessions with a second hand item. The whole idea of insurance is to protect you and replace those items you treasure should something go wrong. I bought a new phone, and I should get a new phone.
At the very least there should be no excess to pay. After all what is the value of a refurbished phone? It makes me wonder if the insurance company has just made another tidy sum off me.
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7:07 pm
02/07/11
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Daniel Burgess
| | Christchurch | |
|  Administrator | posts 458 | 
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It is not a second hand phone as such. Let me explain why.
I just got my iPhone 4 replaced via AMI as I smashed the screen. It was still under warranty and so they couldn't just get it 'fixed' (which would have cost them less) as it would have voided the warranty. They had to get it replaced so that I would still have my manufacturers warranty. However the way it works is like this…. The insurer has to give it to an Authorised Apple Service Centre (in this case YooBee). They then give it to Brightpoint, the *only* authorised iPhone service agent in New Zealand. They will then confirm the damage is not a warrantable repair and will advise your insurer it will cost $399 to resolve.
The $399 basically "buys you in" to the warranty process and then it goes down the standard process for a warranty repair for an iPhone, which just so happens to be…. Apple do not repair iPhones, they replace them, always. Now what they replace them with is what you are interested in. They replace them with either a brand new iPhone or an Apple Refurbished iPhone (more than likely).
The Apple refurbs are as good as a new handset and you get to keep either your original warranty or you get a 3 month warranty, whichever is better for you (so if you only had a month left on your warranty, as I did, then you get the 3 months instead). When I checked about mine apparently everything on it was brand new with the exception of the motherboard. So new battery, screen, back, camera etc etc. Basically they take the good parts from iPhones that are broken and then build a new one. They then go through the standard Apple pre-sales checks that all new devices go through.
From Apple.com:
What are Apple Certified Refurbished Products?
Apple Certified Refurbished Products are pre-owned Apple products that undergo Apple's stringent refurbishment process prior to being offered for sale. While only some units are returned due to technical issues, all units undergo Apple's stringent quality refurbishment process.
Each Apple Certified Refurbished Product:
- is fully tested (including full burn-in testing).
- is refurbished with replacement parts for any defective modules identified in testing.
- is put through a thorough cleaning process and inspection.
- is repackaged (including appropriate manuals, cables, new boxes, etc.).
- includes the operating software originally shipped with the unit and the custom software offered with that system. See each products "Learn More" for more details.
- is given a new refurbished part number and serial number.
- is placed into a Final QA inspection prior to being added to sellable refurbished stock.
Refurbishment procedures follow the same basic technical guidelines as Apple's Finished Goods testing procedures.
So whilst I see what you are saying about getting a brand new one out of the box, it's unlikely this will ever happen (even if it is for warranty) as the refurb ones they get replaced with are as good as a new one. They are not 'second-hand' pre-se.
Oh and BTW, I had to fight AMI to get them to do this as they wanted to send it to a company that can repair them (which would have cost about $200). I wasn't happy with this as I still had my warranty and my insurance is to repair or replace back to the way it was prior to the accident (which includes having a manufacturers warranty). After a couple of weeks they finally agreed to it.
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10:27 pm
03/07/11
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kiwiadventure
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|  Member | posts 40 | |
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Your house contents insurance would pay to repair or replace the phone if damaged, lost or stolen as long as you have it notified on your insurance policy.
Their is always an excess this stops you no what! or you pay more for your insurance which lowers the excess.
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7:31 am
04/07/11
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Topes
| | Auckland | |
| Trusted | posts 116 | |
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Hi Alimal
I would expect that a remanufactured 3Gs of same or greater capacity be provided or an iPhone 4 if none were available. As an example, I recall someone getting an 8gb 3Gs when your claimed for a 3G because there weren't any 3G refurb units available at the time The reason (in my opinion) why they don't give the option to request the type of phone you want is because the number of claims they would get every time a new iPhone comes outs would go through the roof. I don't see it as being a Telco screwing you issue, I see it more being the insurer protecting themselves against possible fraudulent claims and costing a fortune, which would increase the premiums or as has happened with the iPhone 4 force them to exclude handsets due to the potential financial exposure.
Also as Dan mentioned, the refurbed units are in as new condition, and my replacement was definately in better condition than my pre claimiPhone. As yours is about 12 months old then the refurbed unit would be in better condition than the one it's replacing.
With contents insurance I'd just check the impact on no claims bonus and excess, premiums etc.
Cheers
Topes
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5:57 pm
04/07/11
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alimal
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| Newbie | posts 3 | |
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Hey everyone, thanks very much for your comments and advice. I realize I was being a bit irrational at first so you helped restore sanity to the arguments raging in my head.
Anyway, I've an exciting update – last week, before i got on this forum, I fired off an email to vodafone explaining how disappointed I was with the options. They took my letter to heart because I got a call this morning from them saying they understand where I'm coming from and they offered to upgrade me to an iPhone 4 plan for free. I was blown away – I got a $500 voucher to purchase the phone and a rebate on the early termination fee I had to pay to cancel my iPhone 3GS plan and upgrade to the iPhone 4 plan. Funny thing is I read an article in the nz herald today about how, because of increased competition, you can fight for better deals from the telcos, so that's a case in point!
I'm totally over the moon with vodafone's response. I just had to sign up for an extra two years.
I feel very lucky but still think I was correct to complain – not just because of the result, but because on the face of it I was getting a raw deal. The comments above have since tempered that view, but vodafone has done the right thing and it's a win-win for them and me.
Cheers
A
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7:53 am
17/07/11
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Topes
| | Auckland | |
| Trusted | posts 116 | |
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Alimal
Great result. Glad it worked out. Now remember to cancel your insurance as the iPhone 4 is not covered by Phone Insure.
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