AT&T Insurance Plan or Apple Care?

A few months ago I purchased an iPhone 4 for my daughter. I did not purchase Apple Care but my wife purchased insurance through AT&T for $6.99/month. As expected, my daughter dropped her phone and the screen shattered.

Yesterday I took it to the AT&T store and they said because I have the insurance I can get a new phone for $200 instead of $650. What? I don't need a new phone, I need a new screen on a phone bought in April. If I bust my car windshield my insurance pays to replace the windshield, not make me pay a high price for a new car. I told them I thought they were running a scam and I instantly cancelled the insurance (hope that doesn't bite me in the butt).

Does Apple Care do the same thing or would it just replace the screen? Like I said, I cancelled the AT&T insurance and maybe the Apple Care is what I need.

As for the screen replacement, the dude at the AT&T store told me there is a place around where I live that does it for $80. I haven't been to the Apple Store yet.

I appreciate any help!

Thanks!

Bob(by)

AppleCare for the iPhone must be bought within 30 days of the iPhone's purchase. More details here:
https://www.apple.com/support/products/iphone.html

It does cover up to 2 incidences of accidental damage.

EDIT: I'm curious what their idea of a "new" phone would have been. Would it truly be new, or refurbished? If it's refurbished, then what's their idea of refurbished? Something Apple sends them, or are they taking in iPhones with broken screens and simply replacing those screens themselves to be used as replacements for customers who bought this "insurance"? I definitely agree that they should be replacing that screen, not offering a discount on another phone. But I don't know what the terms are of that insurance either. You should look it over in more detail to be sure of what they should be doing.

You obviously got screwed any way you look at it, but if you truly would have gotten a new iPhone, and more importantly a new iPhone 4S, then you may as well have gone for that. Right now, you have nothing to show for your money, nor can you add AppleCare at this point. At least with the trade-in, if it truly was a new iPhone, you should have then been able to get AppleCare.

Tarheel Fan said:

A few months ago I purchased an iPhone 4 for my daughter. I did not purchase Apple Care but my wife purchased insurance through AT&T for $6.99/month. As expected, my daughter dropped her phone and the screen shattered.

Yesterday I took it to the AT&T store and they said because I have the insurance I can get a new phone for $200 instead of $650. What?

Click to expand...

What exactly does this $6.99/month insurance thru AT&T cover? And if the iPhone is busted...why doesn't this insurance either replace it for free or replace the screen for free (is there some sort of deductible)??

I'm sure you wound agree...getting the broken phone repaired or replaced for free still sounds much better than paying $200 for a new phone. So what the heck does the AT&T insurance cover?

Thanks,

- Nick

If I'm not mistaken, the Apple Care damage coverage for the iPhone and iPad not only covers two incidents but also has a deductible charge that must be paid when you use it. I'm trying to remember what I was told when I bought my iPad at our local Apple store.... I'm thinking that the damage deductible was $50.00 but not certain. And, I'm not about to drop my iPad to find out!

Also, when Apple replaces the damaged iPhone or iPad, I believe it's refurbished.

Right, so... AppleCare as stated is out of the question for you now, as it has to be purchased within a 30 day period after the initial phone purchase. If bought via Apple, I'm sure they positioned that. If bought via ATT, I'm sure they didn't!

I'm pretty sure that ATT's insurance covers damage, but their idea of a deductible in this case sounds like the normal price one would pay when subsidizing a new phone. On top of that, unless they give you the phone in a new box, it is surely refurbished. Ask them if the phone they're giving you is a 4 or 4s, since it's a $200 deductible. That's a big rip if you asked me.

Apple, charges $99 up front, and gives the user two instances of physical or water damage with a $50 deductible each of the two times. However, and most people don't realize this... The damage incurred can not be so great that pieces of the phone or iPad are all over the place. The device must be in "one piece", so to speak...

Verizon on the other hand, I believe offers not only damage, but theft protection. At least they did the last time I checked.

Doug