AT&T to Begin Offering iPhone Insurance on June 6th? $13.99 Per Month Plus Deductible

[indychris]

The policy is as fair as fair can be. For the imbeciles who are either too lazy or lacking in common sense to shop elsewhere, it fills a gap and provides some assurance. For those with the wealth that the extra $$ is worth keeping all of their phone stuff strictly with apple/at&t, then consider it a 'convenience' fee.

No one HAS to take the insurance, and whereas the cost seems exorbitant to me, it obviously won't to some, or they'll lower the cost once it's introduced and stumbles at the currently reported price point.

Personally, I'll stick with my personal articles policy via State Farm for which I pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $60 annually for both my 3Gs and my wife's 3G.

 

[TheNorthWaves]

My insurance policy: Otterbox defender case + don't leave phone unattended or in plain sight in the parked car. One-time fee of $35 on amazon. If I lived in a dump where people stole my phone every 6 months, I'd take the freebie-phone when I renewed the contract instead.

 

[wjlafrance]

I also keep a special savings account as my "insurance fund" for a replacement iPhone. I've been "paying" that account $20 a month for years now, it has plenty of funds now, never had to use it.

That works great with the iPhone, and in fact, I think I'm going to start doing this for "emergency funding", but it for your house burning down, or your car being totaled, it won't add up. Not to mention car insurance is mandatory in many states.

This does, however, display exactly how much you're being ripped off by AT&T. Let's say you subscribe to their program at $15 per month, for ease of calculations. You only did this for fear of your iPhone being stolen - you otherwise take great care of it. You go 24 months and look, your iPhone is still in hand. You're out to AT&T for a total of $360.

I'd much rather have that $360 in my bank account. I've never been pickpocketed in my 19 years of life, even when people know I'm carrying a MacBook around. Adding a smartphone to the equation won't change anything.

 

[nagromme]

My renter’s insurance is a little over US$100 per year, and covers all my property, including my phone and items in my car, all the time even when I’ve taken them outside my home.

As near as I can tell, this AT&T insurance offers far less and costs far more. And salespeople will gouge people for it all the same!

I won’t switch to Verizon, because they’re even worse, but I DO wish they would get the iPhone just to generate some competition. Maybe we’d get craziness like some free SMS/MMS messages each month

 

[cvaldes]

They are trying to be like the credit card companies. They take $14 from your pocket every month, you get nothing for it, and they spend the $14 times thousands of people on excessive wealth while people's lives are destroyed and people starve. Same thing with BP Oil executives. ....okay, I don't want to get started, but I could go on and on.

You need to find new credit cards. I've never paid a cent in fees or finance charges (obviously I never carry a balance) on my five cards.

 

[stagi]

I never really get insurance even with computers (other Ghana my main which was expensive). With tech cost always going down it just never makes sense to me and this plan is very pricey

 

[cvaldes]

And so does american express, for 90 days free when you buy with an Amex card.

Between 90 and 360 days, there are 270 days

If you lose your iPhone once, you've paid for a new one regardless.

If you never lose it, you've paid for another one through your premiums

If you lose 2 or more iPhones in that 270 day time period, you've got more important problems to worry about.


The iPhone enables me to do so much and saves me tons of aggravation and probably brings me about $3000 worth of utils each year. I get a new one every year, if I lose one past 90 days, I'll just chalk up the cost of a new one as a cost of living.

I also keep a special savings account as my "insurance fund" for a replacement iPhone. I've been "paying" that account $20 a month for years now, it has plenty of funds now, never had to use it.

Please be aware that logical reasoning is not well received in this forum.



The vast majority of MacRumors readers are living in a dreamworld where Apple can suspend the laws of physics and disregard the economics of consumer electronics manufacturing. It's a bizarre place where the individual opinions of fanboys are far more important than the interests of Joe Consumer, and where businesses have no responsibilities in increasing shareholder value, but are docile pets and servants to the aforementioned fanboys. Oh yeah, supermodels in pink lingerie ride unicorns to the fanboys' mom's basements when they go out on a date.

 

[callmemike20]

You need to find new credit cards. I've never paid a cent in fees or finance charges (obviously I never carry a balance) on my five cards.

Exactly. And no one ever forced you to get a credit card. You agree to the interest and fees when you apply.

As for the AT&T warranty problem...

We need more competition. The iPhone is the hottest phone out there. It's a simple supply and demand issue. If there were more carriers selling the product, there would be more competition between the two, thus causing prices to go down.

 

[bumpobumpu]

My insurance policy: Otterbox defender case + don't leave phone unattended or in plain sight in the parked car. One-time fee of $35 on amazon. If I lived in a dump where people stole my phone every 6 months, I'd take the freebie-phone when I renewed the contract instead.

It's not living in a dump, it's called going to work in any large city, going to college or any other situation where something could get stolen.

 

[spyda]

AT&T, along with this insurance plan can lick my fat old dog's balls.

 

[kallisti]

One of the regulars (can't remember who at the moment though his avatar was an african american male done in a Simpson's skin) kept making comment after comment, whining about the lack of insurance with an iPhone. Every single iPhone thread saw several posts about how this was a deal-breaker for him, how Apple sucked, how AT&T sucked. One would have thought the world would end because AT&T didn't offer an insurance plan for the iPhone. I never understood what exactly he was doing with his phones that would require the need for an insurance plan. Anyone that is careless enough to routinely damage their phone in a way that makes an insurance plan necessary has other issues that need to be addressed in my view. But the constant posts about how the iPhone sucked, solely because an insurance plan wasn't offered made me want to scream. I kept wanting to say: maybe you should learn to take care of your personal property and treat it with respect? If you find yourself repeatedly dropping your phone into the toilet, maybe you should learn to be a bit more careful?

God I hope this rumor is true. Just so that one little whiner will finally shut up after all these years. Though he will probably create a new whine fest about how the rumored insurance plan is more expensive compared to other plans and Apple/AT&T is still screwing him over.

 

[cvaldes]

Exactly. And no one ever forced you to get a credit card. You agree to the interest and fees when you apply.

As for the AT&T warranty problem...

We need more competition. The iPhone is the hottest phone out there. It's a simple supply and demand issue. If there were more carriers selling the product, there would be more competition between the two, thus causing prices to go down.

Yes, more carriers means more points of distribution and more potential customers.

Personally, I'd like to see the iPhone on the T-Mobile USA network since I get zero bars of AT&T reception at home.

Speaking as an AAPL stockholder, Apple would increase shareholder value by ending carrier exclusivity in the United States and bringing aboard more mobile operators. Addressing the interests of the shareholders is more important than my personal desires.

C'mon, Apple. Make it happen. End U.S. carrier exclusivity so your shareholders can endanger themselves from the trip hazards of large sacks of money strewn all over the place.

 

[bumper]

Self insurance

So, thats great, I end up paying more than an Apple Out of Warranty replacement.

I water damaged my iPhone, had it recovered for less than what they are asking with this for a premium in 30 minutes.

Stay away from this "insurance" scam, just do as I did, find your local iPhone repair shop, for me iPhoneLosAngeles.net worked like a charm

 

[zachlegomaniac]

riight

d-bag move, brah. i'm actually happy with my service and the att customer service in boston, but have been bummed with the no insurance thing. $7/month + a $100 deductible might make this reasonable enough for my 32 3gs. obviously not worth it for me. i'd rather have to shell out the money for a new or used phone before i paid for this junk.

 

[BertyBoy]

Can anyone explain what is actually covered here ?

A deductible (called excess in the UK) nearly equal to the price of the phone ? so what do I get for a lost phone ?

And a premium EAP (equivalent annual premium) equal to another 50% of the cost of the phone ?

I guess only those not spending their own money, ie. government, or public sector business customers. If the premiums were any less you'd just be encouraging people to lost the phone every 2 weeks.

 

[madmax_2069]

Why in the hell would one pay a monthly fee and still have to pay a outrageous deductible. oh i get it to make even more money.

why cant they just use one or the other. like allot of cell company's don't have you pay a monthly fee and only pay around $100 to get the phone replaced. or they can just have you pay the monthly fee and pay no deductible.

They rape you only to rape you again. This is why i wont ever own a iPhone as long as its on AT&T. they can eat a dead dog.

 

[cvaldes]

Why in the hell would one pay a monthly fee and still have to pay a outrageous deductible. oh i get it to make even more money.

why cant they just use one or the other. like allot of cell company's don't have you pay a monthly fee and only pay around $100 to get the phone replaced. or they can just have you pay the monthly fee and pay no deductible.

They rape you only to rape you again. This is why i wont ever own a iPhone as long as its on AT&T. they can eat a dead dog.

Calm down. The iPhone insurance isn't required. It's an added service. If you don't want it, you don't pay for it.

Not a big deal.

 

[synth3tik]

AT&T is nothing but a bunch of scammers.

 

[fox777]

My homeowners insurance for a $130,000 house is about the same cost. What a rip off. Now, how about if you pay the iPhone insurance and never use it... you should get a new iPhone for free after 2-3 years with your new contract.

You people have to realize this:


You cannot lose your house somewhere on the street and it cannot get stolen by some random stranger.

Iphone risk is over NINE THOUSAND higher than any of you assets such as car, home even though they cost 100x more than iphone.

 

[cobie454]

this coverage is a joke

 

[mizzouxc]

Where do you guys live?!!!??

I have full coverage (liability/collision/comp) on my ~$3000 2001 Honda and it's about $66/mo.
I do live in DC, which may be the 2nd most expensive in the country, so that could be it.
Phooey!

I live in New Mexico, one of the higher insurance states. I'm also in my 30's and keep it garaged. If you're younger, haven't had any MSF training and years of riding experience, motorcycle insurance is expensive. It also depends on the type of bike. Crotch rockets = expensive over 600CC.

 

[mizzouxc]

You people have to realize this:


You cannot lose your house somewhere on the street and it cannot get stolen by some random stranger.

Iphone risk is over NINE THOUSAND higher than any of you assets such as car, home even though they cost 100x more than iphone.

OVER 9000????

 

[tigress666]

I live in New Mexico, one of the higher insurance states. I'm also in my 30's and keep it garaged. If you're younger, haven't had any MSF training and years of riding experience, motorcycle insurance is expensive. It also depends on the type of bike. Crotch rockets = expensive over 600CC.

Depends on your insurance company.

State Farm does not go by type of bike, size of engine only. Which is why they are 1/3 the price of Progressive's Collision Insurance for full coverage on my Ninja 500 (which isn't even a sport bike but most insurance companies see that Ninja name and hike it up a bunch just for the name. I've heard people tell me to tell the company it's an ex500, technically true, and that sometimes they won't clue in it also has a Ninja name).

State Farm though will only insure your motorcycle if you have other insurance with them though.

 

[DaREdBaRoN]

Waaaaaa I have an option to insure my phone, with no obligation, and its too expensive. Its not good enough. I could buy a new one. ****. If you don't think its worth it, don't buy it. Quit whining you f****** bitches. ATT's deductible is way to high, but BB's plan isn't too bad, 12.99/ mo, anything other than lost of theft covered, sounds good to me.

 

[ronweathers]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Mobile/7E18)

Talk about price gouging, this takes the cake. I hope consumers refuse to buy the insurance from Assurion. Second. AT&T needs to speak to these poor business practices as this directly reflects on them. I am a pretty loyal and longtime ATT customer, but if they don't right this, then I maybe one of the 40 percent of current ATT customers speculated to jump to Verizon when V gets the iPhone.