What if you lose your phone?

Hi all, first of all I'm a first time poster. Been reading many of your threads regarding the iPhone 3g, and you guys have been very helpful providing info and I myself can't wait to buy it in a couple of weeks!

Now to my question: If you lose your iphone 3g, will it still cost $300 (I'm goin for the 16gb) to replace it? Or will it be more expensive? I'm not quite sure how it works since I know that the $200 & $300 prices are based on you initiating the contract.

If this has been discussed already, I apologize in advance, I'm new here

Good question. I'm pretty sure they wont sell you another one at the subsidized price of $299 with out some sort of 2 yr agreement. I got a feeling if you lose it, you will have to pay full price for it......whatever thats gonna be.

it probably depends on whether you're eligible for an upgrade at the time. If so, you can get another one for $199/$299 by signing another contract. If not, you can probably buy one for the unsubsidized price of around $500/$600.

He's probably right.

It would probably be pretty costly either way in the end, so be very careful. They might let you get another as long as you sign a brand new 2-year, but it could depend on the upgrade status, as cosmic mentioned.

If it's within the first 30 days, you may need a police report to have the first contract voided. This may help make way for a new contract. Rest assured there will be plenty of EIC threads about how to put one over on ol' AT&T shortly after launch. What I want to see is after the 30 days, if people can really cancel their contracts and pay just $175 more to keep the phone.

get phone insurance for $4.99 per month and it'll cover it lol

Are you sure the $4.99 will now cover the new 3G iPhone? It did not cover the last one.

i didnt know the last one wasnt covered. ive never bought phone insurance. i only know of it from my sales experience but we weren't exclusivlely AT&T so we never sold the iphone. was there a more expensive insurance for the iphone? it seems crazy they wouldnt offer any insurance for one of the most expensive phones...

My family has two V3xx's with the insurance, but AT&T would not cover my iPhone. I am pretty sure that Youngbinks has his iPhone insured through State Farm, which would cover loss or theft. I also think it strange that AT&T wouldn't offer any type of insurance for the iPhone.

any way to check on this? the att store knows my voice by heart and i dont want to call. lol..

so will they or will they not offer insurance for the 3g? how much?

this is absolutely correct.

I was never aware of any insurance for my original iphone..atleast not through at&t..the 3G might be different. There are some companies where they send you some type of label you put on the back of the phone and if someone finds it, they give them a reward and ship it back to you etc etc..all for a fee ofcourse...

There is also some wallpapers you can make so if you do lose your iphone..all your contact info is right on front for the finder to contact you. (although it's not very likely)

update.. this just taken from online chat through AT&T...


Ellen Gravett: Welcome to the AT&T Live Technical Support Chat. My name is Ellen I will be happy to assist you with any Technical issues you may be having today .
brian: for the iphone 3g i am switching to your company.... i am curious about the insurance for the iPhone.. how much will it be per month? also, how much will text messaged be avaliable for?
Ellen Gravett: Here is a link that has some helpful information for you about the iphone.
Ellen Gravett: http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/specials/iPhone.jsp
brian: ok thank you
brian: but could you answer my questions?
Ellen Gravett: This is a Technical support Forum, we have limited information on the iphone. The insurance for the phone is 4.99 per month. The texting plans are different prices.
brian: just verifying the insurance option
brian: and would be how much for a new phone with my 4.99 a month?
Ellen Gravett: I have just checked with the Insurance carrier and the Apple iphone is not insurable, so you would not be able to add the insurance to the iphone.
brian: so what happens when it is stolen? seriously, do i have to pay full price for it? why is there no insurance?
Ellen Gravett: The Insurance company choose not to insure that phone at this time. I do not know why it is not covered. You would have to pay full price to replace it unless you were eligable for an upgrade at the time or could get a refurbished one if it were available.
brian: thank you for the clarification

Ouch I will definitely use my AmEx to extend the short warranty.

wow, you guys are great! You guys replied quick, didn't expect to see 2 pages of response. Thanks all, plus the announcement of the ATT pricing guide today also helps a bit.

extend the short warranty???? what warranty???

Warranty

Apple does have a warranty on their iPhone:
www.apple.com/legal/warranty/iphone.pdf

American Express doubles the warranty, up to one year, on most items purchased:
https://www212.americanexpress.com/...e_allccsg_shareddetails&type=intbenefitdetail

"Automatic Protection - Charge your covered purchases that have a valid U.S. manufacturer's warranty entirely to the Card.

Extend Your Warranty - The Extended Warranty will extend the terms of the original U.S. manufacturer's warranty for up to one additional year on eligible purchases with warranties of 5 years or less.

Don't Think Twice - Coverage is available for eligible items for up to $10,000 (not to exceed $50,000 per Card account per policy year)."

And they will cover lost or stolen items for 90 days. I know, I know, but it's better than nothing.

ok, so you have to have an american express to do this then huh?
no other way to get an extended warranty?

If you lose your phone and you're still under the original 2 year commitment, the unsubsidized prices will be $399/$499 depending on which model you buy, but you will be required to extend your contract for two years. There will also be an unsubsidized price coming in the future of $599/$699 where you don't have to sign a contract at all.

Check out paragraph three of yesterday's press release from at&t:

Existing AT&T customers who are not currently eligible for an upgrade discount can purchase iPhone 3G for $399 for the 8GB model or $499 for the 16GB model. Both options require a new two-year service agreement. In the future, AT&T will offer a no-contract-required option for $599 (8GB) or $699 (16GB).

Hope this helps.

Along these lines of losing a 3G, i believe there is an app now called mobifind, you acivate it through another phone to lock your lost iphone so it cant be used..and since it has a GPS chip im sure there will be a tracking app to locate your lost iphone.