Usability of phone insurance

Monzo,

I am generally a supporter of yours not a whinger so it’s taken something for me to start a new topic here.

On Tuesday this week I dropped my phone onto the tiled floor in my bathroom and the screen shattered, just ahead of a telephone first interview for a job on Wednesday. Panic assuaged as I have Monzo Premium account and the phone is covered… so I put in a claim immediately and paid the £75 excess. The phone is barely useable, but I get through the interview whilst I wait for the expected loan phone so I can send my old phone to the insurance company for a new screen.

Oh dear. What loan phone?

Tell me, who in this day and age can live with having to post their phone and wait for about a week for it to be returned with NO loan phone in the meantime? Apparently not part of the cover and I can’t even pay for a loan phone from insurance people…

So, I have had to cancel the claim and now I must find someone else to repair the screen on my iPhone 7 (so not in any warranty).

Is it just me, or is the repair bit of this policy not practical at all?

I’m more boomer than gen x, y or z… but even I do not have a land line to my property, I give my old phone to charity when I finally get around to getting a new one and therefore have no way to use this bit of the policy.

As phone break cover is one of the selling points of Monzo Premium it kinda lacks something in the execution… how disappointing.

And by the way… moving my account management to my iPad whilst I find somewhere to repair my phone is problematic as well, but I shall see if there is a topic about that in the forums/fora/forae (whatever) already…

Whether a loan phone is provided or not seems like something I would checking for in the policy document, if that was something I wanted, before I signed up to a mobile phone insurance policy.

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Which I why I don’t bother with any of these types of insurance. Sending it away and waiting for it to come back isn’t something I can cope with.

But I’ve never heard of any of them sending a loan phone. By the time you’ve asked for a loan then you’re going to have been a day without a functioning phone already.

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There have been plenty of people requesting this. To no avail so far.

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I didn’t take out a phone policy, I bought a Monzo product that covers more than simply phone repairs

I have an old backup phone for this situation. I used my old iPhone 4S when I sent my iPhone X to Apple for a warranty repair last year.

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But either way no where in the Monzo product description does it include a loan phone.

I have to say you are correct. I never said it did. It was an assumption on my part on how the world works

Do other insurers offer loan phones as standard? Personally it’s not something I would have expected from an insurance policy.

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It’s also meant as a potential product improvement suggestion to make it more useable for everyone

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Other policies don’t expect you to post it off and wait a week. I will get someone to repair whilst I wait, probably for the same cost as the £75 excess on the Monzo policy.

It woukd have been easier to lose or have the phone stolen. I would havehad a replacement by now.

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How will they repair the phone then if you don’t send it off?

This might be useful for you though. I guess if you speak to Assurant they can arrange an alternative repair, they may even cover your costs… Do remember there’s a pandemic on though so it feels like sending it off is your only option right now.

Sadly You’re right. And I’m sure a difficult and inconvenient repair process, is ultimately bound to lead to an increase in claims costs for Assurant as people twig this.

I feel your pain. However, in response to your question, I think the answer is anyone who still has a previous phone in working condition, or a tablet.

I would not even consider not having an old phone that I keep for emergencies. I’m just too risk averse. If the same happened to me, I’d go back to using my iPhone 5S for a few days, or handle any calls on my iPad.

Update. I took it to a local shop who replaced the broken screen with a compatible (ie non apple) screen for £55 in 30 minutes Phone is out of warranty anyway so Iwont be getting Apple to do many repairs now anyway

So overall I saved £20 against the insurance excess of £75. Just have to wait 5 days for its return.

Thanks folk!

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