phone insurance gripe

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guyz

232 posts

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#15126 5-Aug-2007 20:58

Had my car broken into the other evening while training at the gym. Upon finding the smashed lock .open glove box and mising cell phone i drove home and rung telecom service to barr the phone. rung police and they took details then said i would need to report in person to local station. saturday morning i,m waiting at the police station at 8 am. got my incident report and headed off to nearest telecom retatil store. once they had opened i walked in explained what had happened and that my phone was insured by them and urgently needed a replacement phone. iwas gutted to be told mobile phone insurance only open for business from 8 am to 4 pm mondays to friday. i was even more angrier as i explained to the guy in the storemy premium is paid 24 hrs 7 days a week, the telecom stores are open for bussiness 7 days, state insurance who covered the damage to the car are 24/7..so my gripe is..wh the heck doesnt telecom provide the service for the phoneinsurance thats not bases on 1963 glide time? it is extremely unaaceptable in our time now to have a service already paid for in advance by customers and get only 40 hours coverage per week..will telecom credit me time for the fact i have no phone because they failed to provide a 24 hr back up service for customers who do have misfortune? the telecom store guy pfferedme a loan phone, but for me, why the heck should i take another 2 hrs off work to shase a phone that should have been replaced on the spot had the phone insurance people (telecom) been on the job...your comments ..

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#81210 5-Aug-2007 21:10

Get some quotes for all your contents from a real company, just make sure Mobiles are covered. for example, my excess is lower and my premium for a full 30k are 2.65 times what Teleco insurance charge. (I'm now on better, more pricey cover with a much higher value)

I dealt with these idiots once and it was awful....
Never again (it was placed on my account without my asking by an overzealous sales rep, and he wonders why his company ceased to exist 3 months later ;-))

freitasm

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Geekzone

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#81212 5-Aug-2007 21:20

I wouldn't bother with phone insurance. My Home Content insurance covers all my goods - including the mobile phone. And it was replaced once, very quickly.

guyz

232 posts

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#81223 5-Aug-2007 23:22

i rang telecom customer service and asked them to forward my complaint regarding the unacceptable phone insurance process and lack of support. i also fired off an email with similar comments and i take your advice and once phone is replaced will cancel said mobile phone insurance with telecom

cheers

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#81225 5-Aug-2007 23:37

I currently hold phone insurance and fortunately have not had to claim from it. I've had phone insurance with both Vodafone and Telecom and understand that the process is quite similar. While it is unfortunate that you have had to experience that, many businesses do not 'operate' 24/7 otherwise costs of operation could be significantly higher, and of course these would likely be passed onto the customer (regardless of the margin made).

That said, I have contents insurance however the excess is quite higher than what mobile insurance covers currently and I'm in the process of reevaluating my insurance arrangements as currently AMI have given me an excellent experience in both cost and customer experience.

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riahon

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#81236 6-Aug-2007 07:05

I think mobile insurance is great value when I found out that coffee and Harrier dont mix too well. For $85 I was back in the game. I am still puzzled as to your gripe. Are you stating that any other insurance (Home Contents) would've replaced the phone on the weekend?
When bad luck happens then sometimes there is a price to pay. My thought here if you place such a high value on being in contact 24/7 why was the phone left in a car? Why did you not take it with you and put it in a secure locker, or leave it at the front desk or even left it at home. If you had your car stolen are you claiming that you could have gotten a replacement that day? It takes me about 3 days to actually fill in their stupid forms.

When I claimed for the Harrier, I spilled coffee Monday morning, tried to revive it that day, rang insurance company the next morning and picked up the Harrier lunchtime. My excess and losing no claims bonus with my home contents insurance rules out even thinking about a claim.

I also doubt you have such a vital need to have phone service when the store offered you a loan phone and you declined because it would have taken a couple more hours out of your day - I find that to be very bizarre unless of course you live 1 hour drive from you closest store. I personally would have taken up the offer, rung the insurance company on Monday - asked the store to ring me when it is ready and plan my day (or next day) to drive in and pick up.

psychrn

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#81247 6-Aug-2007 08:52

Ive has Vodafone Phone Insurance for many years.
Seeing I trend to have higher priced equipment I thought it was well worth it.
Ive had to make 2 claims over the years and ive had excellent service both times.
A braND SPANKING NEW iMATE jASJAR THE LAST CLAIM LATE LAST YEAR WAS IN MY HANDS THE NEXT DAY.
The excess was $125 if I recall and I thought well worth it.

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#81248 6-Aug-2007 08:52

riahon: I am still puzzled as to your gripe. Are you stating that any other insurance (Home Contents) would've replaced the phone on the weekend?

Indeed - in my experience I could only request forms in the weekend, not actually get a replacement. Insurance claims do take time and a loan phone during the time is surely a reasonable option while you go through the insurance claim process.

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johnr

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#81250 6-Aug-2007 09:13

guyz: Had my car broken into the other evening while training at the gym. Upon finding the smashed lock .open glove box and mising cell phone i drove home and rung telecom service to barr the phone. rung police and they took details then said i would need to report in person to local station. saturday morning i,m waiting at the police station at 8 am. got my incident report and headed off to nearest telecom retatil store. once they had opened i walked in explained what had happened and that my phone was insured by them and urgently needed a replacement phone. iwas gutted to be told mobile phone insurance only open for business from 8 am to 4 pm mondays to friday. i was even more angrier as i explained to the guy in the storemy premium is paid 24 hrs 7 days a week, the telecom stores are open for bussiness 7 days, state insurance who covered the damage to the car are 24/7..so my gripe is..wh the heck doesnt telecom provide the service for the phoneinsurance thats not bases on 1963 glide time? it is extremely unaaceptable in our time now to have a service already paid for in advance by customers and get only 40 hours coverage per week..will telecom credit me time for the fact i have no phone because they failed to provide a 24 hr back up service for customers who do have misfortune? the telecom store guy pfferedme a loan phone, but for me, why the heck should i take another 2 hrs off work to shase a phone that should have been replaced on the spot had the phone insurance people (telecom) been on the job...your comments ..

If you crashed your car Saturday at midnight would you expect the car to be fixed in the middle of the night or even a loan car to be delivered straight away to you.

If the phone was that important you would of purchased some cheap thing and requested a ESN swap or taken the loan phone.

This was very good of telecom to offer you a loan handset.

Nightwyrm

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#81275 6-Aug-2007 12:28

Sounds like some of you guys have had good service. My experience with VFNZ phoneInsure the few times I've had to deal with them has been a bit iffy quality-wise...

Process
- lose phone
- contact VFNZ to block phone
- visit Police to register phone as lost and get document for insurance
- submit form to phoneInsure with $250 excess payment
- wait about two weeks for replacement phone to arrive (with no offer of loaner - separate company you know)

Admittedly, when I lost my P800, the replacement was an upgrade to a P900. However, I reckon I'll look at maybe dropping phoneInsure and using my H&C (at least the excess would be better).

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nzbnw

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#81283 6-Aug-2007 14:12

lugh:

Process
- wait about two weeks for replacement phone to arrive (with no offer of loaner - separate company you know)

I'm not sure about Vodafone's Insurance, but with Telecom Mobile, once the claim is approved the phone is either sent to repair or replaced from the Telecom Dealers stock, so there is hardly any down time.

2 Weeks seems quite a long time to get something as simple as this sorted.

nzbnw

Nightwyrm

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#81284 6-Aug-2007 14:20

nzbnw: 2 Weeks seems quite a long time to get something as simple as this sorted.

You'd think so, wouldn't you? I guess that includes approving the claim and arranging for the replacement to be shipped from storage.

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guyz

232 posts

Master Geek

#81298 6-Aug-2007 15:45

riahon:
I think mobile insurance is great value when I found out that coffee and Harrier dont mix too well. For $85 I was back in the game. I am still puzzled as to your gripe. Are you stating that any other insurance (Home Contents) would've replaced the phone on the weekend?
When bad luck happens then sometimes there is a price to pay. My thought here if you place such a high value on being in contact 24/7 why was the phone left in a car? Why did you not take it with you and put it in a secure locker, or leave it at the front desk or even left it at home. If you had your car stolen are you claiming that you could have gotten a replacement that day? It takes me about 3 days to actually fill in their stupid forms.

When I claimed for the Harrier, I spilled coffee Monday morning, tried to revive it that day, rang insurance company the next morning and picked up the Harrier lunchtime. My excess and losing no claims bonus with my home contents insurance rules out even thinking about a claim.

I also doubt you have such a vital need to have phone service when the store offered you a loan phone and you declined because it would have taken a couple more hours out of your day - I find that to be very bizarre unless of course you live 1 hour drive from you closest store. I personally would have taken up the offer, rung the insurance company on Monday - asked the store to ring me when it is ready and plan my day (or next day) to drive in and pick up.

why i left the phone in the car is (a) we are not permitted tpo take camera phones into the gym (b) after 10 yeras of going to the gym and leaving my phone in the car..why change and dont you think i would have taken it in had i known my car would be damaged and phone stolen? maybe i should have left the car in the garage under manned security and walked to gym perhaps? come on mate..people get ripped off burgled and things stolen unfortunately its a fact of life..get real if you want to sit n your glass ouse and cast dispersions on others

guyz

232 posts

Master Geek

#81301 6-Aug-2007 15:53

johnr:
guyz: Had my car broken into the other evening while training at the gym. Upon finding the smashed lock .open glove box and mising cell phone i drove home and rung telecom service to barr the phone. rung police and they took details then said i would need to report in person to local station. saturday morning i,m waiting at the police station at 8 am. got my incident report and headed off to nearest telecom retatil store. once they had opened i walked in explained what had happened and that my phone was insured by them and urgently needed a replacement phone. iwas gutted to be told mobile phone insurance only open for business from 8 am to 4 pm mondays to friday. i was even more angrier as i explained to the guy in the storemy premium is paid 24 hrs 7 days a week, the telecom stores are open for bussiness 7 days, state insurance who covered the damage to the car are 24/7..so my gripe is..wh the heck doesnt telecom provide the service for the phoneinsurance thats not bases on 1963 glide time? it is extremely unaaceptable in our time now to have a service already paid for in advance by customers and get only 40 hours coverage per week..will telecom credit me time for the fact i have no phone because they failed to provide a 24 hr back up service for customers who do have misfortune? the telecom store guy pfferedme a loan phone, but for me, why the heck should i take another 2 hrs off work to shase a phone that should have been replaced on the spot had the phone insurance people (telecom) been on the job...your comments ..

If you crashed your car Saturday at midnight would you expect the car to be fixed in the middle of the night or even a loan car to be delivered straight away to you.

If the phone was that important you would of purchased some cheap thing and requested a ESN swap or taken the loan phone.

This was very good of telecom to offer you a loan handset.

obviously your perceptions of the difference from a $600 cell fone and a $32000k car is somewhat disjointed..let me see..and speak your speak..if you went to farmers bought a coffee machine on thursday ...it blows up on you after 3 uses on friday and you have friends coming over for the weekend (a) would you wait till monday to go back into farmers and have it replaced (b) go in friday eve or sat morn to replace it (c) forget about it be a mouse and not complain but say to yourself..thats just the way it is?...i bags you would take (c)

n00dy

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#81345 6-Aug-2007 20:23

thats not a similar situation, the farmers issue would be a warranty claim, & I agree with johnr, insurance companies like state & ami etc although having a 24/7 phone service dont have a 24/7 replacement service, sure you can make your claim but it takes 2-3 days to get a replacement and in some cases they send you a voucher so you still have to go into another store to pick up a replacement therefore more of your time taken up. I can understand the anger at having your stuff stolen however I think the offer of a loan phone to tide you over was quite reasonable. I think that Telco phone insurance has its place but like all things there is so much fine print and conditions that you might not always get what you want when you want.

guyz

232 posts

Master Geek

#81349 6-Aug-2007 20:52

n00dy: thats not a similar situation, the farmers issue would be a warranty claim, & I agree with johnr, insurance companies like state & ami etc although having a 24/7 phone service dont have a 24/7 replacement service, sure you can make your claim but it takes 2-3 days to get a replacement and in some cases they send you a voucher so you still have to go into another store to pick up a replacement therefore more of your time taken up. I can understand the anger at having your stuff stolen however I think the offer of a loan phone to tide you over was quite reasonable. I think that Telco phone insurance has its place but like all things there is so much fine print and conditions that you might not always get what you want when you want.

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