iPhone 6 - AppleCare+ or gadget insurance

stimpson

My missus washed her 5s by mistake yesterday which got me thinking about insurance. I was planning on buying AppleCare+ but after looking at the plan it doesn't seem like such a good deal. I've no need for phone support and the excess seems, well, excessive. You're not covered for a lost or stolen phone either. What are you all doing to protect your new shiny thing?

Heisenberg1

stimpson wrote: »

My missus washed her 5s by mistake yesterday which got me thinking about insurance. I was planning on buying AppleCare+ but after looking at the plan it doesn't seem like such a good deal. I've no need for phone support and the excess seems, well, excessive. You're not covered for a lost or stolen phone either. What are you all doing to protect your new shiny thing?

I had my 5s and the Wife's 5 insured with gadget insurance with loss cover for €140 per year. I'm due for renewel I see they have the priceing for the 6 up so I'll go with them again so.

Kaizersoze81

8.99 a month for gadget insurance including loss and accidental damage. On ac64gb 6+ worth 900. Haven't had insurance before,but the cost of this Pune is so much I couldn't replace it if I lost it. Are gadget insurance reputable or do they try anything they canto avoid paying out? I must read their t&c's later.

stimpson

Kaizersoze81 wrote: »

8.99 a month for gadget insurance including loss and accidental damage. On ac64gb 6+ worth 900. Haven't had insurance before,but the cost of this Pune is so much I couldn't replace it if I lost it. Are gadget insurance reputable or do they try anything they canto avoid paying out? I must read their t&c's later.

They confirmed to the missus today that they are proceeding with her claim. Sermed pretty straightforward - she just sent them her reciept. There is a €50 excess too.

Dades

I've never come close to losing a phone so I'd only really be interested in accident insurance.

AppleCare does seem cheaper bar the slightly bigger excess... but the comfort of knowing you're calling Apple rather than some call centre employee whose job it is to decline claims...

Gadget insurance are 7.99 per month for the iPhone 6 and it's appears to be 12.99 to get insurance from the network when buying it.

Question is how reliable are gadget insurance have many people used them and do they pay up? Personally in think the insurance is a much better option than the AppleCare+ as you are paying for much less cover than with insurance.

lm01

Insured my 6+ through the carrier (Vodafone), same as my last two phones.

Claimed a few years ago when I lost my phone and was able to replace it with an upgrade (before I was due one) for a small fee. Simple process, no run-around. Nice for peace of mind if anything does happen.

stimpson

I went with gadget insurance. €96 and €50 excess is good value as it comes with loss cover. I've never lost a phone either, but there's a first time for everything. Unlimited repairs and 2replacements a year seems like a good deal.

Bob24

I haven't heard much of Apple refusing cover under applecare plus (as far as I understwnd as long as you pay the excess they'll give you another phone even if your problem is just a slight scratch or something like that) , but if you look at the mobile forum you'll find some threads about gadget insurance companies dragging their feet and making things difficult until people give up on their claims. Personally I don't want to have to fight a company to get compensation if something goes wrong so I'm going applecare+. This is also because I know my home insurance will cover theft when I am on the go though ... Had my iPhone 5 stolen this year around Dublin City centre and I was glad to get some money for it.

godtabh

Isn't apple care for 2 years also?

stimpson

Does claiming on your house insurance not affect your premium ?

Bob24

godtabh wrote: »

Isn't apple care for 2 years also?

Indeed ...

Bob24

stimpson wrote: »

Does claiming on your house insurance not affect your premium ?

It is a french insurrance for an apartment I own there. To be perfectly honest I don't fully know how it works and I was surprised it could conver my propery stolen here, but they did cover it and it doesn't seem to have affected my premium (the excess was quite high - 100 euros - but their estimate of the value of my phone was quite generous so overal I feel like I am well overed).

godtabh

Bob24 wrote: »

Indeed ...

If you aren't worried about loss seems a better option

Loss would be one of my bigger fears (especially when it's brand new) I have only lost one iPhone a while back but I've been lucky on a few occasions when out on the beer, getting it back the next day, just realising I'd left it behind etc.

I'm thinking about the gadget insurance option and paying monthly (so I can cancel if I feel like it) but I'd feel better hearing some solid feedback. Even the insurance organized by the carrier can be awkward for paying out from talking to people so if gadget insurance are half reasonable I'd chance them.

ComeraghBlue

Paloma Uneven Fizz wrote: »

Loss would be one of my bigger fears (especially when it's brand new) I have only lost one iPhone a while back but I've been lucky on a few occasions when out on the tear, getting it back the next day, just realising I'd left it behind etc.

I'm thinking about the gadget insurance option and paying monthly (so I can cancel if I feel like it) but I'd feel better hearing some solid feedback. Even the insurance organized by the carrier can be awkward for paying out from talking to people so if gadget insurance are half reasonable I'd chance them.

I juts signed up for the insurance with this crowd as my last iPhone had two cracked screens and I also lost my 500e GoPro kit at Palma Airport while on holiday.

its 7.99e including loss cover. I have read through the policy and its seems pretty straightforward

jamesd

An issue my sister in law had with gadget insurance is that the item has to have the insurers name on the purchase receipt.
I purchased her iphone on my credit card and she insured it under her name but when she claimed for a damaged phone and they saw the invoice with my name they voided her claim and gave her nothing.

Bob24

jamesd wrote: »

An issue my sister in law had with gadget insurance is that the item has to have the insurers name on the purchase receipt.
I purchased her iphone on my credit card and she insured it under her name but when she claimed for a damaged phone and they saw the invoice with my name they voided her claim and gave her nothing.

Yes that's the part of the issues I was alluding to (all with they claim processing time sometimes being very long for a phone which many people can't live very long without). I also think they will decline claims if the phone was not purchased in the ROI (so probably not a good idea to get a policy for phones from Belfast or the UK online store), or a few other details they won't ask you about when you subscribe but will hold against you when you try to claim something.

stimpson

In fairness that's all spelled out in first page the policy document:

Proof of Purchase means an original receipt and any other documentation required to prove your electronic gadgets were purchased as new by you. If the supplier was a supplier in the Republic of Ireland or UK, they must be a VAT registered company. Any receipt must show the date of purchase, make, model, IMEI/ Serial number of your electronic gadgets.

If they didn't have that clause then what's stopping you claiming on someone else's policy?

Bob24

stimpson wrote: »

In fairness that's all spelled out in first page the policy document:



If they didn't have that clause then what's stopping you claiming on someone else's policy?

I assume the policy is not for one person's name but for on particulate device for which you have to provide the serial number. Am I wrong?

If it was just based on the name on the receipt it would also be very open to abuse - one person could hold one single policy and purchase devices under their name for all friends and family, which would all be eligible for a claim.

stimpson

Bob24 wrote: »

I assume the policy is not for one person's name but for on particulate device for which you have to provide the serial number. Am I wrong?

If it was just based on the name on the receipt it would also be very open to abuse - one person could hold one single policy and purchase devices under their name for all friends and family, which would all be eligible for a claim.

They don't ask for the IMEI but it's on the reciept from Apple so I don't think that would work.

kaerobe

hmm I may look into this company.

I am currently paying 12.99 a month with mobilecover (who I am currently having a dispute with for replacing my simfree apple bought iphone 5 with one that is locked to meteor).

Gadget Insurance are covering same model for 6.79 a month. Big gap!

How long have these guys been around?

Sheep Shagger

Be careful thinking your house insurance will cover an expensive iphone - often the limit they will pay wouldn't cover say a iphone 6.

Have insurance through www.mobilecover.ie (about the same cost as gadget insurance), dropped by 5 and they replaced the screen no problem.

Gadget Insurance is part of Blue Insurance who have been around for years, they are also regulated by the CBI.

kaerobe

Sheep Shagger wrote: »

Be careful thinking your house insurance will cover an expensive iphone - often the limit they will pay wouldn't cover say a iphone 6.

Have insurance through www.mobilecover.ie (about the same cost as gadget insurance), dropped by 5 and they replaced the screen no problem.

Gadget Insurance is part of Blue Insurance who have been around for years, they are also regulated by the CBI.

Are you also considering moving from mobilecover.ie?

Bob24

Sheep Shagger wrote: »

Be careful thinking your house insurance will cover an expensive iphone - often the limit they will pay wouldn't cover say a iphone 6.

After deducing the excess I got 450 euros for my stolen 32gb iphone 5 6 months ago (the phone was a bit over a year old) I thought was fair enough.

But yeah that's my particular insurance and people should check what kind of cover they have.

F34

The big positive of applecare for me is that they don't charge for express replacement which is 30 odd without it so could pay for itself over the two years.

Eire Go Brach

FBD cover mine. It's an extra cost. Special item insurance. I already claimed when my gf's got stolen.

Just lost my no claims bonus. It's still very cheap though. Well if your wanting your contents covered anyway.

Snake Plisken

Think I'll be going with AppleCare plus when my 6 arrives, anyone know if it covers 2 years from date of purchase and if do can you extend it out if you wanted to?

F34

Snake Plisken wrote: »

Think I'll be going with AppleCare plus when my 6 arrives, anyone know if it covers 2 years from date of purchase and if do can you extend it out if you wanted to?

It covers two years from date of purchase. Unlike applecare which you could buy within the first 12 months applecare+ has to be purchased within 30 days.

Don't think you can extend it beyond the 2 years.

stimpson

Eire Go Brach wrote: »

FBD cover mine. It's an extra cost. Special item insurance. I already claimed when my gf's got stolen.

Just lost my no claims bonus. It's still very cheap though. Well if your wanting your contents covered anyway.

Does your house insurance premium go up after a claim?

Deep Thought

was going to get Applecare, buying it online, but it wont let me..

says it needs additional item to be purchased and then rejects it.