<p>njfootballmom, glad that it worked out!</p>
<p>We had a claim for a cracked computer screen. They paid the claim in full less the deductible. Other years we paid and did not have a claim. I guess they are still making money.</p>
<p>northeastmom, I just assume everybody has a son like mine–cell phones never make it 2 years!</p>
<p>I’m so glad to have found this thread as my son is in exact same position. About a month ago he lost his smartphone, which was found in the dorm parking lot a week later (during which time his college town experienced the only real rainstorms of this very dry winter!) Needless to say, the phone didn’t work. He wasn’t up for renewal, so we used my husband’s upgrade to get him another smartphone. We do have CSI insurance, which we’ve had for the past two years.</p>
<p>Based upon what I’ve read here, it sounds like we might be able to make a claim if we send in his broken phone and receipt. The replacement phone was around $200 plus taxes.</p>
<p>I’m a little concerned about using a claim, however, if it will mean the policy might get cancelled, or not renewed next year. The cost of the replacement phone didn’t break the bank, however, if it had been either his laptop or his musical instrument (we pay a little extra for a separate rider on this one), the replacement costs would have been considerably more.</p>
<p>My question is, should I go ahead and submit a claim or “save” it for a possible more expensive future loss?</p>
<p>I’m sorry if this is a dumb question, but I’m thinking along the lines of car insurance in which people sometimes pay for their own relatively minor repairs, just so their rates don’t go up, or their insurance isn’t cancelled.</p>
<p>jgoteach, I had the exact same dilemma, but decided they probably won’t cancel after ONE claim, but possibly after the second. I decided that the second claim might never happen. Many times I have thought like you and never collected, so this time I decided to take a chance and collect. I always overthink things…You’re already through 2 years so your chances of being ok are good. I’m in my first year.</p>
<p>If he reported it lost to someone then a copy of that report would certainly look good in the file.</p>
<p>Remember, you are entitled to the cost to replace the old phone, so if the model of the old phone has a higher current cost than what you got, you should submit the cost to replace the same phone. I think they will require that because they need to know that you aren’t submitting to replace with a higher cost phone. If you can’t find the same phone they will tell you what to do. I used the Verizon online no-contract price.</p>
<p>njfootballmom, I have one son who was “hard on phones”, and another who tends to take better care of his phone. The one who was hard on phones is now taking better care of his phone. He learned the hard way when we did not replace his barely usable destroyed phone. My attitude was that he should pay to replace his own phone if he was not going to use a protective cover (it was not a smartphone) because it was not “cool”.</p>
<p>The computer screen was an expensive repair! Thank goodness for CSI insurance!</p>
<p>
We submitted the main claim to the phone insurer, and the deductible to CSI. If we had submitted both to CSI and to the phone insurer, we would have gotten a windfall, which is not what we were looking for. (It could also be considered insurance fraud.)</p>
<p>We submitted 4 relatively expensive claims before CSI cancelled the policy. Luckily, it was one per year, so by the time they cancelled, she had graduated anyway.</p>
<p>njfootball mom, thanks so much for the advice. Overthinking things is my specialty!</p>
<p>We replaced the phone using my husband’s upgrade (he’d be happy with a rotary dial-tone model if they made them!). I’m going to have the dig up the receipt, but I think the cost of the broken phone when we bought was the same price as the replacement phone. (They don’t make the model of the old phone anymore, so I’m not sure how they would determine replacement price.)</p>
<p>My son didn’t report the loss to to anyone except Verizon, who must have records of his service being suspended for a week. I think I’ll stop by a Verizon store in the next week or so to ask them for a copy of the records and have them take a look at the phone to see if they can tell what’s wrong with it.</p>
<p>I guess I should give CSI a call, and ask them how I might proceed. I’m really an insurance company’s ideal customer - one who pays premiums every year and never wants to make a claim!</p>
<p>CSI paid to replace my D’s camera during her freshman year and for a very expensive computer repair her sophomore year. Her premium didn’t go up (or if it did, just a couple of dollars) and they didn’t hesitate to renew her policy. Happily, she didn’t make any claims during her last two years of college but we still came out well ahead as I think the two claims together totaled around $1700. I found CSI to be incredibly easy to deal with and would recommend them to anyone.</p>
<p>jgotteach, definitely ask Verizon for a price for a comparable phone if the one you bought was a lower model (features etc). At the very least you need the retail price of the phone, not the “upgrade” price. They will probably ask for a comparable model price if they thing the new phone is a definite upgrade in features from his old one.</p>
<p>Chedva, I’m fuzzy on the fraud angle. I think that if you pay for two policies that you might be able to collect on both. Some types of insurances specifically state that they are secondary, or that they only cover what another policy doesn’t. Not sure what CSI or phone ins. policies are. I wish I could remember the example of a case where you can collect from all policies you pay for…and yes, collecting a windfall is probably not the right thing to do regardless.</p>
<p>Oooh, I think it might be disability insurance…that if you paid premiums to more than one company (private insurance) that they have to pay based on you contract. Yes, that is different than this property type of thing.</p>
<p>Looked up CSI policy, they state that they shall be the primary insurer and also states that they “shall not be liable for that part of a loss which has been paid for or made good by others”. So, collecting twice should NOT be an option. I’m sure they don’t really mind not being primary!</p>
<p>Yes, njfootballmom, disability insurance may be different. But property insurance is designed to pay the amount of your “loss” or the amount to replace the item lost. If you’ve been compensated by another insurer, then you don’t have the loss any more. (Kinda like how, if you get a merit scholarship, you don’t have as much “need” any more.)</p>
<p>Trying to get compensation for the same monetary loss from two companies is generally considered fraud. Even if you’ve paid the premiums on both. One is always secondary to the other; if the policies don’t say which, you have your choice of which to claim as primary.</p>