Wireless Handset Insurance Now Available on the Samsung Blackjack

[Rocco Augusto]

<em>&quot;Samsung Blackjack is now eligible for Wireless Phone Insurance. As of August 7, 2007, the Blackjack is added to the insurance-eligible list. All portal eligibility listings are being updated at this time. All channels can begin offering Wireless Phone Insurance on the Blackjack to new activations, upgrades, and to any customer still within their 30 day enrollment period as of August 7, 2007 with this device. &quot;<br /><br /></em><img border="1" src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/500/spt/auto/1187634334.usr8.jpg" alt="" /><br /><br />All I can say is, &ldquo;It's about time!&rdquo; As long as I can remember, I have been annoyed with AT&amp;T/Cingular's stance on not allowing users to add insurance to smartphones &mdash; not just Microsoft Smartphones, but all smartphones! It seems as though AT&amp;T is finally starting to wise up by allowing all new customer who have purchased the Samsung Blackjack to add insurance to the handset. Unfortunately, if you are not a new customer, or out of your 30-day grace period, you will not qualify for this must have feature! Hopefully this changes in the <em>very </em>near future! During my time with Cingular, I have seen hundreds of water damaged and destroyed handsets. To not have insurance on a phone that is so expensive is ridiculous!

[Mike Temporale]

Awesome news. That's one of the things we routinely see people asking about around here. It's a very common question, so I'm glad that AT&T/Cingular has changed their policy. Now, who's the first one here to spill water on their phone to take advantage of it?? :D

[dwhitney]

Actually it isn't surprising that insurance hasn't been available. You have to realize that the whole insurance industry (regardless of what you are buying insurance for) is a for profit industry. When you understand that (whether one likes it or not...), it will come as no surprise that carriers haven't offered insurance on devices that would cost *them* a lot to replace. They have to have enough volume in those 'high end' sets on a sales basis in order to be able to make the insurance plans on them work (to their benefit cause - like it or not - that *is* what it is really all about....).

My guess is that between the increased sales volumes that smartphones are now seeing combined with a possible higher insurance premium for these more expensive phones, they are now finding it feasible to offer this option.

[Rocco Augusto]

T-Mobile has offered insurance on all of their handsets for years, even the high end ones. The insurance companies rarely send out new devices on an insurance claim. Usually the user gets stuck with someone else's broken phone that has been repaired. I would understand not offering the insurance because it would cost a ton to send out new devices, but when you're sending out already broken and repaired handsets, how much money are you really losing? Especially when you require the user to send in their broken handset so it can be fixed and resent out! ;)