Actually, it only cost £18 to repair the phone, the back comes off in a surprisingly easy way (just two screws, and on my phone they were normal Philips although Apple have now "encrypted" them to a weird Pentalobe to increase customer frustration)
Anyway, the iphone5 failed to appear as Apple were extracting some more revenue by pretending they had upgraded the iphone4 by adding a letter S to the name, so I decided it was time to jump ship and go over to Android. The Galaxy S2 didn't disappoint and I have been very pleased with it. It is really robust, its dropped it many times without issue, not even a scratch. The build is certainly very plasticy but that is the very reason that it stands up to so much abuse.
On a morning I have a set routine which is my way of making sure nothing is left at home. My phone, wallet and headphone pouch go into the back left pocket of my cycling jacket. The other day this went wrong, and somehow when I got to school (a fifteen minute journey), the phone had gone.
My wife retraced the route, but the phone had gone. Time to ring Protect My Bubble!
They didn't seem to know who I was, even when I gave them an account number, but eventually I was put through to a claims department. They sent me an email with some forms to fill in. They said I had to get the phone blocked and get a crime number from the police. Of course, the police wouldn't give a crime number because it was a lost phone not a crime. They also wanted proof of purchase, but didn't accept that I didn't have this. I've had an O2 contract for ten years and upgraded regularly, getting any documentation emailed to me. Protect My Bubble wouldn't accept a forwarded email so I have to wait for O2 to send me an paper copy of the phone invoice, scan it and email it to them.
It took five days before I had a phone call from them and they said they were ringing to just go through the details of my claim.
I told them what had happened again, and they said they would be in touch. Two days later I got a letter saying they wouldn't cover me because my written statement said that the phone was in my trouser pocket whilst my verbal account said it was in my jacket!
I then Google'd Protect My Bubble and came across hundreds of similar accounts, whole web sites and even a whole Watchdog episode about them, all saying that they renege on paying out at the slightest reason and even when you successfully appeal, they then take six months to pay out.
My advice to anyone insured with them is to either switch companies, or put the payments into a glass jar until you need it!
Ive now ordered a Nexus 4, which has the benefit of when Im out of my contract, my payments will halve, (3 currently do a fifteen pound unlimited data plan), so the savings will also go into the jar so I can still upgrade every year!
Oh, and please tell everyone about this post so they learn all about how protected your bubble actually is!
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