Extended warranty - accidental insurance

[burtcom]

Let's have a discussion about the above topic -- I'd like your input on what you have had experience with.

I just bought a new device from Expansys (and yes, I did go though the PocketPC Thought storefont!) I'm thinking about getting an extended warranty with accidental coverage.

Expanys offers coverage through Consumer Priority Service -- 2 Years for $94.99. Seems like a good deal but a little web searching has found a lot of dissatisfied customers.

SquareTrade has extended coverage for $89.99, and you have to add another $90 for accidental damage, plus a $50 deductible. More expensive, but on the other hand the user ratings I've found for SquareTrade are much more positive.

Normally I don't bother with extended warranties -- but for a $500+ phone that I want to use for at least two years (maybe by then WM 7 will be out) I'm seriously considering it.

What coverage do you have? What kind of experience with making a claim can you relate?

[ironguy]

I have AT&T for phone service - family plan with 5 phones. I also have a teenage daughter. She is currently 15. She is very hard on phones. As a precaution, I signed up for the accidental loss/ddamage insurance plan with AT&T. Cost me about $5/month. Her first phone, a blue razr, was given to her just before graduation of 8th grade. The day before she graduated - after having the phone less than 2 weeks, she left it in her common use PE locker at school. POOF! Gone, stolen, swept away - who knows. At the time, a replacement Razr was $200. Insurance deductible was $50. New phone arrived overnight. She had to pay the deductible - that hurt!

Last year - new aquarium in her room. Phone sitting on shelf ABOVE aquarium. Reach up to grab fish food. KERPLUNK! If you are wondering - phones are NOT fish food. Another $50 - new phone.

Her current phone - still a RAZR, has a cracked cover screen with clear packing tape wrapped around it, the keyboard plate is bent as is the battery cover. She has 'painted' it with nail polish.

<sigh>

[PPCTechs]

You should always get insurance, in my opinion. Even if it costs $5 a month, it's worth it. If you go directly through your carrier, you usually get a refurbed unit out of it, which is worth the $50+ deductible.
If you go through a 3rd party, chances are if you break your unit it will come to us to be fixed. So say you break the LCD, you pay a $50 deductible to the insurance company, but you get a brand new LCD.

The other option - don't take out insurance. Pay $500 for a new device or pay a repair center to fix it.