Mobile Insurance question

KIIS102 · 26-11-2005, 15:35

hey

right i got a vodafone contract out on the sharp 903. Its 18month (First 6 months its £30 then after that im going to drop down to the lowest price plan which is either £15 or £16 a month) so about £360 over the 18months.

Anywho so i got 3 months free insurance, the 3 months is up so im going to get charged £6.95 next month for my insurance. Now i didnt plan to keep insurance because its going to push up that £360 to about £450 over 18months, however within 2 weeks of me getting my phone it died so lucky for me i had insurance and Vodafone got me a new one.

I want to cancel my insurance but im worried if my phone breaks down again i wont be able to get a replacment. Can i cancel it and then say it breaks down next week i ring Vodafone and say i want insurance ? Is there a like set period i have to have insurance for or can i cancel/join at any time ?

KIIS102

mark_b · 26-11-2005, 16:13

If the phone breaks within 12 months you should insist on a repair anyway, insurance or no insurance. The insurance is only to cover you if it gets stolen or if you break it etc.

ianoel230982 · 26-11-2005, 21:14

the FSA (financial services authority) have brought out new guidelines which state you can only purchase mobile insurance within the first 14days of a new contract or first 14 days of an upgrade so if u cancel then u're stuck. hope this helps.

pyphon · 27-11-2005, 10:22

insurance is more worth having incase you lose your phone and the twocker rings up a huge bill, your covered then.

mattworld · 27-11-2005, 12:04

Thats the main reason I had insurance, to stop people ringing up a huge bill when I was on contract. I figured that for the price of the policy plus the excess on the insurance I could pick up a half decent PAYG phone to put my contract SIM in anyway, so it certainly wasn't to cover the phone.

Now I'm on PAYG I don't bother at all.

Voda and/or the phone manufacturer should fix the phone if it breaks within the warranty period anyway.

27-11-2005, 13:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by pyphon

insurance is more worth having incase you lose your phone and the twocker rings up a huge bill, your covered then.

I think you are referring to the abbreviation TWOC - Taking without owners consent.

TWOC only applies to motor vehicles.

The word you really mean is THIEF - someone who dishonestly obtains the property of another with the intent to permanently deprive them of it.

The reason TWOC is applied to motor vehicles is that it also encompasses 'joyriders' who, because of the legal definition of THEFT, are difficult to convict of such offence.

In respect of the problem of having a huge bill on a contract phone following its loss or theft, thats easy to prevent purely by calling your service provider who will block the SIM. Also the networks look for unusual activity on any particular contract account and may block outbound calls if they fear the phone is being used without the owners consent - Vodafone have done this to me in the past after making £60 of calls in 2 days.

mattworld · 27-11-2005, 15:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by dawson

In respect of the problem of having a huge bill on a contract phone following its loss or theft, thats easy to prevent purely by calling your service provider who will block the SIM. Also the networks look for unusual activity on any particular contract account and may block outbound calls if they fear the phone is being used without the owners consent - Vodafone have done this to me in the past after making £60 of calls in 2 days.

The problem is that in the short time between the person taking your phone and you actually realising it is gone and reporting it to the network the thief can still run up huge bills.

Going back a few years now but a friend had his phone stolen, realised a few hours later (no more than about 4) that it was gone and reported it to the network, the person who nicked it had already run up a few hundred quids worth of calls calling Canada which he was liable for.

27-11-2005, 18:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattworld

The problem is that in the short time between the person taking your phone and you actually realising it is gone and reporting it to the network the thief can still run up huge bills.

Going back a few years now but a friend had his phone stolen, realised a few hours later (no more than about 4) that it was gone and reported it to the network, the person who nicked it had already run up a few hundred quids worth of calls calling Canada which he was liable for.

I think your friend was particularly unlucky.

A 4 hour call to Canada would only cost me £40.80 Thats because I have ITS (free offer by O2

) so calls cost 17p per minute. Without ITS, it would cost me £240.

But to be honest, I don't think most phones are stolen so that the thief can then call Canada immediately for 4 hours non-stop. Bear in mind too that that would also only be possible if I lost the phone and someone immediately found it and started that call - very unlikely, though not impossible. I think if someone wanted to steal the phone to make such a call, I'd know they took it.

Even in the unlikely event it does happen, how often do you think it occurs. At £6.95 per month that means you are paying insurance of £83.40 per year. Thats more than twice the current cost of a 4 hour call to Canada for me. Over the 10 years I've had a contract mobile the insurance would have come to nearly £1000

Anyway, I think most mobile phones are stolen for the value of the handset rather than the possible benefit they'd obtain from the short period the SIM was unblocked.

Last edited by dawson : 27-11-2005 at 19:06.

lalaland · 28-11-2005, 15:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by dawson

I think you are referring to the abbreviation TWOC - Taking without owners consent.

TWOC only applies to motor vehicles.

The word you really mean is THIEF - someone who dishonestly obtains the property of another with the intent to permanently deprive them of it.

Or to be precise, to dishonestly appropriate property belonging to another with the intention to permanently deprive the other of it.

Sorry, was petty of me I know but...

The best way to cover your mobile phone, in my view anyway, is to have it included in your house insurance. I did this by calling Barclays and adding it to my policy. It didn't cost any extra, but if it's lost, damaged, stolen or in any other way removed from me then I get a brand new one and they cover costs to my service provider for replacement sim etc. too.

The best thing is there's no daft small print like with some of these excuses for mobile insurance, "the phone must be handcuffed to you, you must be gaurded with the sas and be sucking a humbug at the time for a claim to be accepted" etc.

Oh yeah, as it's contents insurance you can add your phone to it at any time, doesn't have to be in the first 14 days.

26-11-2005, 15:35	#1
KIIS102 Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Coventry Posts: 6,992	Mobile Insurance question hey right i got a vodafone contract out on the sharp 903. Its 18month (First 6 months its £30 then after that im going to drop down to the lowest price plan which is either £15 or £16 a month) so about £360 over the 18months. Anywho so i got 3 months free insurance, the 3 months is up so im going to get charged £6.95 next month for my insurance. Now i didnt plan to keep insurance because its going to push up that £360 to about £450 over 18months, however within 2 weeks of me getting my phone it died so lucky for me i had insurance and Vodafone got me a new one. I want to cancel my insurance but im worried if my phone breaks down again i wont be able to get a replacment. Can i cancel it and then say it breaks down next week i ring Vodafone and say i want insurance ? Is there a like set period i have to have insurance for or can i cancel/join at any time ? KIIS102

26-11-2005, 16:13	#2
mark_b Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Manchester Posts: 817	If the phone breaks within 12 months you should insist on a repair anyway, insurance or no insurance. The insurance is only to cover you if it gets stolen or if you break it etc.

26-11-2005, 21:14	#3
ianoel230982 Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Lovely England Posts: 139	the FSA (financial services authority) have brought out new guidelines which state you can only purchase mobile insurance within the first 14days of a new contract or first 14 days of an upgrade so if u cancel then u're stuck. hope this helps.

27-11-2005, 10:22	#4
pyphon Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Teesside Posts: 2,545	insurance is more worth having incase you lose your phone and the twocker rings up a huge bill, your covered then.

27-11-2005, 12:04	#5
mattworld Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Portsmouth Posts: 701	Thats the main reason I had insurance, to stop people ringing up a huge bill when I was on contract. I figured that for the price of the policy plus the excess on the insurance I could pick up a half decent PAYG phone to put my contract SIM in anyway, so it certainly wasn't to cover the phone. Now I'm on PAYG I don't bother at all. Voda and/or the phone manufacturer should fix the phone if it breaks within the warranty period anyway.

27-11-2005, 13:39	#6
dawson Posts: n/a	Quote: Originally Posted by pyphon insurance is more worth having incase you lose your phone and the twocker rings up a huge bill, your covered then. I think you are referring to the abbreviation TWOC - Taking without owners consent. TWOC only applies to motor vehicles. The word you really mean is THIEF - someone who dishonestly obtains the property of another with the intent to permanently deprive them of it. The reason TWOC is applied to motor vehicles is that it also encompasses 'joyriders' who, because of the legal definition of THEFT, are difficult to convict of such offence. In respect of the problem of having a huge bill on a contract phone following its loss or theft, thats easy to prevent purely by calling your service provider who will block the SIM. Also the networks look for unusual activity on any particular contract account and may block outbound calls if they fear the phone is being used without the owners consent - Vodafone have done this to me in the past after making £60 of calls in 2 days.

27-11-2005, 15:12	#7
mattworld Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Portsmouth Posts: 701	Quote: Originally Posted by dawson In respect of the problem of having a huge bill on a contract phone following its loss or theft, thats easy to prevent purely by calling your service provider who will block the SIM. Also the networks look for unusual activity on any particular contract account and may block outbound calls if they fear the phone is being used without the owners consent - Vodafone have done this to me in the past after making £60 of calls in 2 days. The problem is that in the short time between the person taking your phone and you actually realising it is gone and reporting it to the network the thief can still run up huge bills. Going back a few years now but a friend had his phone stolen, realised a few hours later (no more than about 4) that it was gone and reported it to the network, the person who nicked it had already run up a few hundred quids worth of calls calling Canada which he was liable for.

27-11-2005, 18:51	#8
dawson Posts: n/a	Quote: Originally Posted by mattworld The problem is that in the short time between the person taking your phone and you actually realising it is gone and reporting it to the network the thief can still run up huge bills. Going back a few years now but a friend had his phone stolen, realised a few hours later (no more than about 4) that it was gone and reported it to the network, the person who nicked it had already run up a few hundred quids worth of calls calling Canada which he was liable for. I think your friend was particularly unlucky. A 4 hour call to Canada would only cost me £40.80 Thats because I have ITS (free offer by O2 ) so calls cost 17p per minute. Without ITS, it would cost me £240. But to be honest, I don't think most phones are stolen so that the thief can then call Canada immediately for 4 hours non-stop. Bear in mind too that that would also only be possible if I lost the phone and someone immediately found it and started that call - very unlikely, though not impossible. I think if someone wanted to steal the phone to make such a call, I'd know they took it. Even in the unlikely event it does happen, how often do you think it occurs. At £6.95 per month that means you are paying insurance of £83.40 per year. Thats more than twice the current cost of a 4 hour call to Canada for me. Over the 10 years I've had a contract mobile the insurance would have come to nearly £1000 Anyway, I think most mobile phones are stolen for the value of the handset rather than the possible benefit they'd obtain from the short period the SIM was unblocked. Last edited by dawson : 27-11-2005 at 19:06.

28-11-2005, 15:18	#9
lalaland Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: UK Posts: 11,539	Quote: Originally Posted by dawson I think you are referring to the abbreviation TWOC - Taking without owners consent. TWOC only applies to motor vehicles. The word you really mean is THIEF - someone who dishonestly obtains the property of another with the intent to permanently deprive them of it. Or to be precise, to dishonestly appropriate property belonging to another with the intention to permanently deprive the other of it. Sorry, was petty of me I know but... The best way to cover your mobile phone, in my view anyway, is to have it included in your house insurance. I did this by calling Barclays and adding it to my policy. It didn't cost any extra, but if it's lost, damaged, stolen or in any other way removed from me then I get a brand new one and they cover costs to my service provider for replacement sim etc. too. The best thing is there's no daft small print like with some of these excuses for mobile insurance, "the phone must be handcuffed to you, you must be gaurded with the sas and be sucking a humbug at the time for a claim to be accepted" etc. Oh yeah, as it's contents insurance you can add your phone to it at any time, doesn't have to be in the first 14 days.

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Mobile Insurance question