Insurance claim to upgrade phone

[MatAve]

Hello,

My fiancee's phone has been having performance and battery issues for sometime now. Yesterday we went to the AT&T store nearby and discussed options. We've discovered that though she is eligible for the upgrade our bill will go up regardless. Currently I am searching for work and we are saving for a wedding so having the bill go up is not really an option right now.

However the rep at AT&T mentioned that because she's had insurance on her phone since the contract has been in place (2+ years) she has a low deductible. He also mentioned that he has seen the iPhone 4s (current phone) get replaced with the iPhone 5c model. This would be perfect but when talking to the insurance rep today they are only offering a 4s replacement.

Has anyone heard of or run into this situation? If so were you able to get a 5c to replace a dying 4s through the insurance? Let me know your thoughts.

>Mat<

 

[question fear]

We had to do two insurance returns on the same line (toddler discovered water, now we have a lifeproof case). Both times we were sent the exact same phone (lime green 5c), and I got the impression the best they would have done was a lateral exchange (ie, if they were out of green we might have been offered blue).

Bear in mind that Assurion WILL drop you if you have two claims in one year, so use an insurance claim wisely. If you're going the insurance route, might be best to replace the phone with another 4S, sell the new 4S, and use the proceeds towards a subsidized phone.

 

[MatAve]

Thanks question_fear. I think we were given a bit of false hope from the AT&T rep. It would make sense that it is a lateral exchange and we've had the insurance for a while and made no claims so I'm not concerned on that end.

>Mat<

 

[GoCubsGo]

It sounds like this is a case if they have a 4S available then that is what you'll get. Next to that, they'd get you the next model up.

How much more will the bill go up? My bill is not going up with the 6 that I just ordered and I am moving from the 4S. The only think I am paying is the $30 upgrade fee and for the phone. I did not join the Next or Edge program...or whatever they call everything these days.

 

[MatAve]

The bill will go up another $300/year which might not seem like a lot but we are living pretty tightly right now on top of saving for a wedding. The reason for the increase is due to the fact that once I was added to the plan and we got mobile sharing she was grandfathered-in because her 2-year plan no longer existed and she was listed as "no contract." This makes for a cheaper monthly bill but once we upgrade it will renew the contract and bump her line to the contract price.

Our options, the insurance route we've discussed. Upgrade and pay more (defeats the point of saving money), or purchase a new phone out-right and stay with the same bill (also defeating the money saving goal).

 

[jeremysteele]

Hate to be the one to say it... but if money is that tight why not get a cheap "dumb" phone for now? I know quite a few couples that have downgraded and are a lot happier for it: no longer having to deal with annoying texts, facebook requests, weird phone glitches due to overcomplicated software, much better battery life, much lower bills, etc. You can always switch back later...

And please don't say you "need" an iPhone to survive - because that's a lame excuse - plenty of billionaires, politicians, etc still use "dumb" phones and are running giant organizations just fine. The vast majority of the world still uses them, in fact.

 

[Carlanga]

The bill will go up another $300/year which might not seem like a lot but we are living pretty tightly right now on top of saving for a wedding. The reason for the increase is due to the fact that once I was added to the plan and we got mobile sharing she was grandfathered-in because her 2-year plan no longer existed and she was listed as "no contract." This makes for a cheaper monthly bill but once we upgrade it will renew the contract and bump her line to the contract price.

Our options, the insurance route we've discussed. Upgrade and pay more (defeats the point of saving money), or purchase a new phone out-right and stay with the same bill (also defeating the money saving goal).

do the math and see if maybe the next program will work for you. GL

 

[MatAve]

JeremySteele,

That is another viable option we will look into. I am aware of a number of options that are in place but I made the thread hoping to confirm/deny what the sales rep told us in regards to the insurance replacement option.

Carlagna,

We've done the math and it is roughly the same. The amount of the bill plus the installment payments versus the increased bill are only off by a few dollars if I remember correctly. Thank you for the advice though.

 

[Asurion Cares]

Hello,

My fiancee's phone has been having performance and battery issues for sometime now. Yesterday we went to the AT&T store nearby and discussed options. We've discovered that though she is eligible for the upgrade our bill will go up regardless. Currently I am searching for work and we are saving for a wedding so having the bill go up is not really an option right now.

However the rep at AT&T mentioned that because she's had insurance on her phone since the contract has been in place (2+ years) she has a low deductible. He also mentioned that he has seen the iPhone 4s (current phone) get replaced with the iPhone 5c model. This would be perfect but when talking to the insurance rep today they are only offering a 4s replacement.

Has anyone heard of or run into this situation? If so were you able to get a 5c to replace a dying 4s through the insurance? Let me know your thoughts.

>Mat<

Hi Mat, It’s our goal to replace with the like make and model of the insured phone. In the event that device is unavailable at the time of the claim, we may send a comparable model. The good news is, all replacements do come with a 1 year limited warranty! If you have any other questions please let us know, we’d be happy to help.

 

[rdowns]

The bill will go up another $300/year which might not seem like a lot but we are living pretty tightly right now on top of saving for a wedding. The reason for the increase is due to the fact that once I was added to the plan and we got mobile sharing she was grandfathered-in because her 2-year plan no longer existed and she was listed as "no contract." This makes for a cheaper monthly bill but once we upgrade it will renew the contract and bump her line to the contract price.

Our options, the insurance route we've discussed. Upgrade and pay more (defeats the point of saving money), or purchase a new phone out-right and stay with the same bill (also defeating the money saving goal).

Or maybe if you can't afford it, you don't buy it.

 

[MatAve]

Rdowns,

As I replies to JeremySteele that is one of the many options and as a mature and capable adult I am researching and gathering facts on all of our options. I'll send you a medal if we choose the most basic option...not buying anything.

 

[happyfrappy]

When my parents were still with Cingular/at&t, insurance will typically have enough "old stock refurbs" for three years on low-end(ex: 8 & 16GB iPhones & Androids) and larger storage models(32GB+ iPhones & higher-end Androids) you'll have a higher chance of being moved to a newer model. Keep in mind the deductable on the insurance is reasonable if you don't want to be locked into a new contract.

In my experience with Asurion on Sprint, CDMA phones esp Android often result in being bumped to a newer model phone. At an old contract job I couldn't get another Moto XPRT with a BB-style keyboard so Asurion bumped me a Blackberry.

 

[velocityg4]

Buy her a cheap android phone. You can get a Blu Life Play 2 for $150 each on Amazon which will run circles around a 4S it probably is faster than a 5 as well.

You could also unlock your phone. Then with the two unlocked phones you could shop around for a cheaper GSM provider.

 

[jamesollor]

I dont think replacement can be done anymore. But yeah as you have the insurance running mode you can claim it and ask for a free maintenance like thing, they will repair it perfectly. Replacement cannot be done it can be done only by directly warranty of you iPhone by the Apple.