Tag: Cell Phone Reviews

When to Buy Cell Phone Insurance

When to Buy Cell Phone InsuranceIn our last post we talked about, “Cell Phone Insurance – Do you need it?”. This post discusses when to Buy Cell Phone Insurance and what situations might justify spending the extra money on cell phone insurance. For the majority of people we believe that cell phone insurance is expensive and not worth the money. The amount of money you  would need to spend to replace it is not a huge amount so why waste money on cell phone insurance?

What Situations Might Require Cell Phone Insurance

Consumers who travel a lot and have a tendency to misplace things might be candidates. Business people who work on construction sites and could easily lose their cell phone. If it is lost on a construction site, it will either be lost in the mud, crushed by something going over it or just disappear down a hole somewhere. If you have a tendency to lay your device down were it could easily disappear you might also want cell phone insurance.

People who get a cell phone through their business and use it for both business needs and personal needs usually can get their cell phones replaced at no charge, provided that it does not become a habit. Most companies have negotiated free cell phone replacements based on the total business that they do with the cell phone providers.  If you are a small business and provide mobiles for people in your company, carrying coverage is not a good idea either due to the high cost inf insurance. It is easier to split the cost of a replacement with your employee or the cell phone provider than pay for insurance for cell phones.

One additional point we would like to remind people when they are doing these calculations and making a decision is whether the insurance is tax deductible or not. Depending on your tax situation, claiming this insurance as an expense reduces the overall cost of the insurance, which just make it more palatable.

Fine Print Cell Phone Insurance Issues

Always read the fine print in a cell phone insurance coverage package. Will you receive a new phone or a refurbished phone which is essentially a used phone that someone else had? How long will it take to get a new phone to you? Days or weeks? What is the reputation of the insurance provider? Do they have a good reputation for paying on time and / or replacing cell phones quickly?

What is the deductible. If it is $50, which means you pay the first $50. Is it really worthwhile to purchase cell phone insurance? Everyone will feel differently about the answers to these questions and will make up their mines as to whether they want to go ahead with cell phone insurance. We believe that it is just not worth it based on all of these issues.

How Long will You Keep Your Phone

Some consumers like to replace their phones every year. They want the latest and greatest that is on the market. They are willing to pay for the newest phone. These consumers probably would not benefit from coverage. If they do lose their phone they do not want a replacement with the same phone. They will want another phone that is the newest release and may even change models.

If you keep your phone for a long time it is worth doing a simple calculation.  Calculate how long it would take to pay for your mobile replacement with your insurance. For example if you purchase another phone it will cost you $150 to replace the phone you have. The insurance is $5 per month, then it is going to cost $150 divided by $5 or 30 months which is 2.5 years.

In other words based on this example, you can afford to purchase a new device every 2.5 years if you avoid paying for the coverage. Every phone will be different in terms of cost and insurance, so take a moment to do your own calculations to see if it makes sense for your situation.

Let us know if you found this post helpful. Well written comments will be approved even with links back to your own web site.

For more information about cell phone reviews, click here.

Save


Cell Phone Insurance – Do you need it?

Cell Phone InsuranceEvery electronics store tries to sell you insurance for your new cell phone. In fact they try to sell insurance for just about everything you purchase these days and we were wondering if it is worth it? The consensus is that you should not purchase cell phone insurance, or for that matter any other insurance for electronics. There are a number of reasons for believing that this is the right approach and there are a number of situations were you may decide to go ahead an purchase cell phone insurance. We will try to cover these situations in this post and the next one, When to buy cell phone insurance. It will be out in two weeks time so come back to our web site to see the next post.

Is Cell Phone Insurance Expensive

Cell phone insurance to begin with is expensive compared to the cost of most cell phones unless you have an expensive PDA or smart phone. It can cost as much as 4 or $5 a month for some phones, which comes to $48 or $60 a year. I do not know about you, but I can use that money elsewhere! If you do lose your phone, you may have to go to the phone store and purchase another one at full price. However depending on your usage, your cell phone provider may partially compensate you for a new phone. Heavy users can get almost any phone they want any time due to the high fee’s they pay. Some cell phone providers automatically provide a free credit towards your next phone after one year so depending on when you lose it you may pay less than you expect.

Other Insurance Options

Depending on the type of credit card you have, your cell phone may be covered on your credit cards insurance. Usually they extend the manufacturers insurance by one year. They also cover lost or stolen items as well. It depends on the type of card you have. You must charge the cost of the cell phone to your credit card for the insurance to be active.

One thing we learned about out credit card is that it only extends the manufacturers warranty for the item, in this case your cell phone. If you purchase extended insurance from the store for your cell phone, you are actually covered twice, if your credit card also provides coverage. In this case it makes no sense at all to purchase an extended warranty!

Probability of Losing your Cell Phone or Having it Stolen

We really do not know what the probability is. However I am sure you know of or have heard of people losing their cell phones. In 30 years we have never lost one and none of my friends have ever lost a cell phone.  Electronics are so dependable these days that they virtually never fail unless you keep them for a very long time. They either work well right out of the box or not at all. So it is pretty easy to tell if you need your cell phone replaced under warranty.

We just do not think it makes financial sense to purchase cell phone insurance and pay the extra fees that are involved.  This applies by the way to all other electronics as well . Save your money to spend on other things. We can all use extra money these days and this is a way to save some money.

In our next post we will examine a few situations were you might actually consider purchasing cell phone insurance. Also what the fine print can say and deductibles that might be an issue for some people. We will have it out in two weeks time on this web site. Stay tuned!

For more information about cell phone reviews, click here.

Save


Apple iPhone 4

Stolen iPhones and SecurityThis weeks Cell Phone Review is the ” Apple iPhone 4″ offered by AT&T, Bell, Rogers and other wireless carriers throughout the United States and Canada. While this is an older iPhone, they are up to 7 now with 8 on the horizon, many people still use this iPhone.
With the iPhone 4, Apple again shows that it is a powerful player in the smartphone wars. It won’t be for everyone, the call quality and reception vary if you don’t use a case, and AT&T’s network remains a sticking point for US users, but the handset’s striking design, loaded feature set, and generally agreeable performance make it the best iPhone yet and a leader in the smart phone wars.

The issues with call reception and call dropping seem to have gone away. Users now know how to hold the device and they also know that they should invest in a case which not only helps with call reception / dropping, the case also protects the device as well. Overall a good investment. These are sought after devices and in the writer’s opinion is the best smart phone on the market. However that being said, it may not satisfy everyone’s need. If your prefer the tactile feel of regular keyboard, then the Apple iPhone 4 will not meet your needs. Once you get used to the on screen keyboard, I have found that you can actually type as fast if not faster than with other more tactile keyboards.

Apple iPhone 4

Price Range: is listed as $299.99, however if you sign a contract, you can get it for a lower price, so negotiate. If you want to buy it outright, it is probably going to cost you in the neighborhood of $700.00

Features:

  • Candy bar design with internal antenna
  • Polyphonic ringer,
  • Voice dialing,
  • Call timer
  • Conference calling
  • Voice recorder
  • Caller ID
  • Speakerphone
  • Video editor, multitasking, integrated digital compass
  • 32 G of memory
  • SMS, Skype, email, POP2 , IMAP4, GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA
  • Internet browser
  • App store, Itunes, video calling
  • Supports MS Excell, Word and PDF
  • Download iBooks, Audio files, Video files, Games, iTunes music
  • 5 megapixel camera, auto focus, Video recorder and GEO Tagging
  • GPS maps and compass
  • Alarm clock, calendar, reminder, calculator
  • LCD display, 900*640 pixels, scratch resistant glass with retina display
  • Digital player – Apple Lossless, WAV, MP3, AIFF , AAC
  • 1 x Headset jack – Mini-phone 3.5 mm, 1 x Dock connector – 30 pin dock connector, USB cable
  • Lithium Ion battery
  • Talk time – Up to 840 min (2G), Up to 420 min (3G)

The Good: The iPhone 4 offers enhanced performance, a lovely new display, and an improved design. It also adds a ton of sorely needed features, both by itself and through the iOS 4 update.

The Bad: Multitasking entails some trade-offs, and home screen folders are limited to 12 apps. AT&T reception continues to be spotty, and you’ll need a case for the best calling reception. Also, we’d prefer a 64GB model.

From Reviews:

Display: LCD display, 900*640 pixels, scratch resistant glass with retina display

Keyboard: Built in Qwerty keyboard on screen

Audio Playback: Digital player – Apple Lossless, WAV, MP3, AIFF , AAC

Video Playback: Digital player – Apple Lossless, WAV, MP3, AIFF , AAC

Capacity: 32 G memory

Connectors: 1 x Headset jack – Mini-phone 3.5 mm, 1 x Dock connector – 30 pin dock connector, USB cable

Accessories: 1 x Headset jack – Mini-phone 3.5 mm, 1 x Dock connector – 30 pin dock connector, USB cable and many 3rd party accessories

Sensors: GPS & Maps

Headphones: 1 x Headset jack – Mini-phone 3.5 mm,

Size & Weight: 2.31 inches wide, .37 inches thick and 4.5 inches high weighing in at 4.8 oz’s

Colors: Black

External Buttons & Controls: Most are on screen, however there are volume, power buttons on the sides

Cellular & Wireless: WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM in the following bands WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 850/900/1800/1900

Power & Battery: Lithium Ion battery, Talk time – Up to 840 min (2G), Up to 420 min (3G)

Languages: Multi language support

For more information about Apple iPhones, click here.

Save

Save


  • Copyright © 1996-2010 Managing Home Maintenance Costs. All rights reserved.
    iDream theme by Templates Next | Powered by WordPress