Another reader (also named David) points out that, when it comes to considering insurance for phones, "replacement cost" can be very different from what the phone actually cost you. "The cost of most smartphones is actually very high since the advertised price for most phones are the 'subsidized price' that you get only after you agree to a two or three year service contract -- plus the required data-plan and, usually, text-service fees," he says.
If that phone gets stolen or destroyed before you are eligible for an equipment upgrade from your service provider, you will be shopping for a replacement with a significantly higher sticker price. "Replacing my Touch Pro 2 would probably cost $900," he estimates. His point? He insures all his tech gear through SquareTrade.
"The insurance cost has, in every transaction to date, been a very small fraction of the total purchase price. This makes the cost of getting the insurance so affordable that it becomes insane NOT to get it," David says.
Got gripes or questions? Send them to christina_tynan-wood@infoworld.com.
This story, "Weighing the merits of tech-gear insurance," was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Read more of Christina Tynan-Wood's Gripe Line blog at InfoWorld.com.