<p>Son is a freshman at College that is on the other side of country. We bought him new blackberry before he left. Phone malfunctioned and he has not sent it back yet. Tried to return to Best Buy near school but was not an ATT store. He borrowed phone from friend and that phone just fell in portapotty. Was able to get the phone back because he wanted the SIM card. I just went on e-bay and was amazed out how many unlocked cheap phones are available. Just bought nice Nokia replacement for $35 including priority shipping. It is a good idea to have a spare phone for your student because stuff happens!!! $35 is a cheap investment.</p>
<p>Dave,</p>
<p>If you have insurance on the phone, contact Asurion (who usually handles most of the cell phone insurance plan or who ever AT&T uses). If is accidental damage or malfunction they will charge you $50, and they will send him a new replacement phone (the same one he has) over night mail. He just has to send the old one back to them within 2 weeks.</p>
<p>It is a good idea to have a spare! Last time I upgraded my Verizon phone, the salesperson there recommended I hang on to my old phone for that very reason. If a phone is lost, it is very easy to take in the spare and have the number reprogrammed.</p>
<p>When my DD’s cell phone malfunctioned…it was HER problem…not mine. When she called to find out what to do, we directed her to the local AT&T Store nearest to her school. She paid for the replacement (her decision, her money, her cost). Having a spare on the opposite coast wasn’t really going to work anyway. We buy the first phone and when we re up on our plan and get freebies, the kids can have those, if they want them. Anything beyond that is on their dime. I guess we’re the meanest parents on the planet.</p>
<p>S2 is at a school four hours from home. His new cell phone that he got for h.s.graduation has already malfunctioned. Unfortunately we didn’t buy insurance and I think his efforts to remedy the prob. (or was it his extreme frustration?) only made it worse. It is a touch screen phone (not I-Phone) that I was afraid might be a little too delicate when he bought it …but what does Mom know? Anyhow…luckily he did take his old phone to school with him and was able to go to the Verizon store and get all info transferred back to the old phone. It cost him $15. Of course he is already talking about needing a replacement because the old one is not in perfect working order either. I told him to write Santa Claus a letter!</p>
<p>Most phones have a year warranty so don’t just assume you can’t do anything.
some of those touch screens are known for having issues. BTW, if you do the backup program on your phone, it is free to activate a new phone. My D called me to say the other D lost her phone while driving home from college…I had already decided NOT my problem since she was coming home…but I found it under her seat in the car…yep keep your old phone so you know it isn’t a hot phone.</p>
<p>We purchased the extended warranty from Best Buy. Just waiting to get the phone back from my son so we can take it in and he will get a new one. With so many available used phones on the market, I think in the future we will stick to used phones. The key is to back up the Sim card so that if the phone is lost you can keep all your contact info.</p>
<p>I don’t know about all cell phone companies, but we have Tmobile. </p>
<p>When my son had a problem with his cell phone (about 7 months after he got it), he went to Tmobile and they gave him another one to use ( a loaner) until his free replacement came in the mail (he just had to switch his SIM card each time). So, no cost or anything… we didn’t have any insurance… the phone was warranted for one year. </p>
<p>Tmobile did say that if his phone had been dropped in water, then that voids the warranty (and supposedly they can tell by looking at something inside the phone that changes color if the phone get wet). Lucky for him, his problem wasn’t “water related.” </p>
<p>However, I do think “insurance” does cover “dropping in water.”</p>
<p>I love the ebay solution. </p>
<p>And honestly Dave, a portapotty? That phone probably was the ball replacement during a game of beer pong!</p>
<p>We happened to have an old phone & sent it to S when his was stolen (since the spare wesn’t being used by anyone). We also had a spare unused SIM card so he was able to get that as well & have a phone. Over the summer, he was able to use several broken phones to make a functioning Rizer phone that works for TMobile. If he loses/has stolen the phone in the future, he’s on his own. Having a spare phone can be handy.</p>
<p>Just a word to the wise about purchasing phones off eBay: I haven’t been under a contract with AT&T in years (I have an old legacy AT&T plan that they just can’t beat with a stick, and I refuse to give it up!). I buy all my phones unlocked, directly from the manufacturer. When my D decided she wanted another phone she bought an unlocked, supposedly brand new, Motorola Krazr off eBay and it’s been nothing but intermittent trouble. I’d personally much rather just spend the money and buy directly from the company.</p>