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Sprint Will Not Offer Total Equipment Protection for iPhone

Posted In News - By Mark Hearn On Friday, October 7th, 2011 8:03pm PDT With 39 Comments

 

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Are you ready to pony up an extra $99 with your iPhone purchase? Well, we suggest you reconsider if you care about the saftey of your shiny new investment. One of our beloved Super Spies has passed on an internal memo confirming that Sprint will not offer their Total Equipment Protection service on any iPhone device. AppleCare+ just became a lot more appealing, didn’t it? Hopefully this setup isn’t permanent, but we’re not going to hold our breath. Just as a reminder, that $99 AppleCare+ can only be added at the time of purchase. But ask yourself, what’s worse? Paying $99 (the price of an iPhone 4) upfront, or paying an extra $649.99 for a new 16GB iPhone 4S after dropping your phone? If you really want the phone that badly, we’re sure you’ll figure something out.

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About - Mark is the founding father of SprintFeed. He is a nerd's nerd if ever such a thing existed. His love affair with the Now Network started with the release of the Treo 600 back in 2004 and has been going strong ever since. Highly opinionated and somewhat eccentric he shares his ramblings about his network of choice here at SprintFeed.

  • Tommy Thompson

    I was expecting this. AT&T didn’t offer insurance when they first got it either. I don’t know about Verizon…

  • Anonymous

    Lol! Apple you sly dog you…

  • Anonymous

    There are insurance options for people other than applecare…do a google search and you find places with 1 year coverage for accidental and theft for $89 bucks and a 50 dollar deductible

  • Jason Bryan

    The AppleCare+ is only $99 for two years versus – what – $200 ish for TEP. AppleCare also covers two “accidents” with a $50 deductible. What would be the TEP advantage?

  • Trusting_him

    HELP!! I pre-ordered my phone a few hours ago not realizing that I HAD to get AppleCare+ at the time of my purchase. I have already contacted Sprint Customer Care and received two different responses. 1) I can contact Apple upon receipt and add the protection at that time; 2) I can contact Sprint Activation and add it upon activation. If I cannot get this added, do I really have to return the device and repurchase??? There must be a work around to prevent this. Any ideas or suggestions? I plan to call 800-APL-CARE later today. Jeez, this phone is already giving me a headache and I don’t even have it in my possession!!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Alex-Rodriguez/1385750750 Alex Rodriguez

    the rep told me i can do it when purchasing or activation. so i am going to do it upon activation.

  • Trusting_him

    Update…great news!! I purchased my white iphone 4S 32G using my AMEX Gold card. As such, my purchase is protected under the card for 90 days plus a 1 year extended warranty! Since I pay a yearly card fee, I can’t say it is free but I will take it. Looks like I don’t need Apple Care+ after all. Whew…what a mini ordeal. :-)

  • Trusting_him

    Thanks for your response Alex!!!

  • Anonymous

    Man, so that 32gb iPhone 4s is gonna cost me $299 + $99 for Apple Care. But if you do the math, $99 for 2yrs of Apple Care coverage beats $7/mo over 2 yrs for TEP. Apple Care will actually save you $69 over the life of your 2 year contract.

    Guess it’s not so bad after all, and my monthly bill will drop by $7.

  • Meatregulator

    best buy offers protection on the iphone

  • Anonymous

    The joys of dealing with Asurion and paying them a larger deductible :p

  • Anonymous

    Lol. iFags on Sprint now. Tis a sad day.

  • Dreamcasting

    If you can afford the iPhone, why are you worried about insurance?

  • http://www.facebook.com/partysource Christopher Chavez

    Does Apple Care cover Lost and Stolen? I think that would be the big disadvantage to me personally.

  • Trusting_him

    Well I think being able to afford $299 is a lot different than affording another $700 if something happens to it and it can’t be repaired…

  • Dreamcasting

    That’s part of the inherent risk of buying any expensive electronics, you risk losing your investment to accidents. This sort of thing has to be considered in advance.

  • Trusting_him

    And the purpose of insurance is to hedge that risk…I have car insurance too. Anyhoo, appreciate the feedback.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Alex-Rodriguez/1385750750 Alex Rodriguez

    yes they do basically one accident per year at 50$ a pop

  • Anonymous

    What you all need to realize is that when you buy apple ,you buy apple technical support. U get to go to the genius bar,and they REPAIR or REPLACE.sprint technical support are a bunch of clowns.most times when I have gone to them for help with my ANDROID phones, they say im the problem,and are rude! Theyhave a bunch of ex convicts working for them.(here in los angeles anyway).

  • Td

    Amex is always the way to go for an extra year of manufacturer’s warranty coverage. Normally I do not buy the Apple Care on Apple products because of the Amex extension. Otherwise I am only paying for the added Apple 3rd year of the warranty (Apple 1st year, Amex 2nd year) However the accidental damage and theft is only good for the first 90 days of ownership. Whereas the Applecare for the iPhone covers 2 accidental damage occurrences for 2 years ($49 deductible). In my experience you will drop your phone at least 2x in 2 years. Get the coverage vs. buying a new phone at full retail price ($850).

  • Mame4

    Take a look at what AT&T and Verizon sell Asurion’s coverage for iphones…the cost is far higher than insurance for other phones….some as high as $12 per month. In my opinion, if Sprint ever offers TEP for the iphone it will be way higher than what we pay now. Asurion’s coverage has a special category for iphone. Makes Apple Care look a lot better….

  • Lenjorge

    can someone on this blog post what the sprint fees are…i was going to switch to sprint but was concerned about the 15% fees on the fine print. The same fee on my Tmobile account is only 3% and on a $79.99 plan…youre talking bout $20 in fees and taxes at least…and they don’t tell you that up front – it doesnt show up on the cart….Also would like the editor to look into the fine print the stays unlimited data plan ends on Oct 30…NO ONE IS REPORTING ON THIS FINE PRINT

  • Sajam100

    Call Apple or go to a local Apple store if theres one near you and talk to the manager…but do this ASAP. T hey should be able to help you. They’re usually good about that stuff, esp for a new customer who didn’t know about Applecare. i just found out about apple care this year when I got a mac. FOr years, I had iPods but had bought them on amazon and didn’t even know apple care existed. Ihad iPods I had to throw away and replace ($250) that could have been saved by Applcare. Every single person Ive spoken to who has Apple products – consumers and Apple store employees – have all told me to always buy the Applecare…It seems to be the one warranty that you should be; everyone has told me how much money its saved them

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_IOEJM7H6PUAIJMTOZSGZ65VRWY Anton Frost

    You’re kidding, right? $99 at time of purchase for Apple care? REALLY? Will Apple care replace the phone with the glass back if I drop it?

  • Strategist

    AppleCare does NOT cover lost or stolen. AppleCare is a warraty, not an insurance product. The ATT and Verizon handset protection plans cover loss, stolen, and accidental damage from handling. As people on here have mentioned, it’s more expensive over 2 years, but it covers a lot more, too.

  • http://twitter.com/405jeff Jeff Karl

    I can’t speak for what everyone pays (taxes & fees wise) with Sprint, but I CAN say that as someone living in Oklahoma City, my monthly taxes and fees on a Sprint account whose MRC (Monthly Recurring Charge) before any fees are added is $90 comes to about $9.85 each month, so barely 10%. And that is for taxes AND fees. I would assume it’s close to that everywhere though I know taxes can vary considerably from state to state and even city to city, but I also know Oklahoma’s are quite high (there are several “calculators” online that tell you what the rate of taxes and fees are for cellular phone service across the US). So for $79.99 plan I would say your taxes/fees would average about $8, maybe less depending upon where you live.

  • http://twitter.com/405jeff Jeff Karl

    Sorry, but to me, this is yet another reason NOT to purchase the iPhone (not just on Sprint, but on any carrier). I mean, come on, you can’t even replace the battery yourself! And that is clearly a deliberate ploy by Apple to get more money out of its clueless customer’s pockets. I only own one Apple product-an iPod Touch 32GB and I only own that because I won it in a contest. It’s a great product, but not so great I would have paid what it costs at retail, considering (again, just like the iPhone) I can’t replace the battery myself.
    I’ll take my Samsung Galaxy over an iPhone any day-at least I can replace the battery and if it’s lost/stolen/breaks I have insurance (TEP) on it. Oh yeah, and it has a bigger screen and 4G access.

  • http://www.facebook.com/davejramos Rave Damos

    Applecare + can be added post point-of-sale i believe.

    at the time of purchase i was not yet aware sprint’s total equip protection didn’t extend to the iphone, and passed on applecare+. Now, without insurance on my pre-ordered iphone 4S, i called and spoke to an apple rep who informed me that i may bring my new iphone into an apple store to be inspected and may purchase applecare + when i recieve the shiny new phone.

    Im assuming i can’t take my grand ole time once i recieve it the phone.

  • http://www.facebook.com/davejramos Rave Damos

    yes. $199 is not $649. all of my previous cell phone’s were insurable with sprint’s Total Equ Protection. Not the iphone. this is a change not welcomed.

    Total Equ Protection covered lost or stolen phones, Applecare+, best buy’s black tie protoection, do not. No more coverage for lost or stolen is unwelcome change.

  • Anonymous

    Yes, up to two times for a $49 deductible

  • Anonymous

    Even then, the coverage extends to 2 years, IIRC, with Applecare. Sprint costs about $8 / mo. With a $100 deductible for accidental damage replacement for smart phones (Applecare is $49, but only can do replacements for accidental damage twice for the period).

  • http://twitter.com/jxflyer jxflyer

    We just called Sprint and if you did not purchase Applecare+ at the time of purchase, it CAN be added at the time of phone activation. Also, it can still be added to pending iPhone orders placed through the Apple Store.

  • Tim

    I’m in Florida, Sprint Surcharges amount to $3.30, Government Fees & Taxes are $8.17. My plan is $69.99. They force me to pay $10.00 premium add-on charge (When I switched from Treo Pro to HTC Hero they added that charge). My total bill comes to $91.46. $70 plan. $90. Hmm.

  • Edi

    Well, my husband and I are both sprint customers and are currently looking at getting an iphone for daughter, but since sprint does not offer coverage for lost or stolen and we are not ready to pay $649 or similar if phone is lost or stolen, we have to consider verizon or att. That is a shame

  • Dominique Moore

    I would suggest you do your research first. Sprint is not the only company to not provide insurance for the Iphone. When Iphone was exclusive to At&t they were not offering insurance outside of applecare that just started doing that in July of this year 4 Iphones later, so I don’t see why everyone is making such a big fuss about it. There are third party insurance companies that cost just as much as applecare and provide twice as much. Beware applecare does not cover lost or stolen so if this happens you are still going to be SOL!!!!

  • Maribby143

    *****Attn: if you preordered the phone and didnt get the applecare+ call apple and tell them you were NOT OFFERED APPLE CARE AT TIME OF PURCHASE they are accepting people that preordered because of a glitch in the system because of how many people ordered them in a day.*****

  • Irritated

    Sprint basically doesn’t offer “total equipment” protection for anything actually. It certainly doesn’t cover the battery that comes with the phone. Until it does, they legally should not be allowed to name this plan “total equipment” protection. It is totally deceptive.

    Total Equipment Protection plan is a total ripoff. Do not purchase it regardless of what phone you have.

  • Iwrk@Apple

    You have 30 days from the time of purchase of an iPhone 4s (this is tracked by the serial number) to get the $99 2yr AppleCare+ coverage, which includes unlimited technical support and two instances of handset replacement at a $49 deductible per. Moreover, this covers all repairs covered under warranty, so if your volume button goes out, it’s repaired free of charge. You can only buy this at an Apple Store, and I recommend making an appointment online within that 30 day window or else brave the usually long lines. Overall, this is a much better deal than the complete protection plans offered by all the major carriers.

  • Drasimo100

    what if i lost my phone does my insurance with sprint cover it