As we all know,Mobile phone insurance first appeared in the early 1990s.It was offered by Mobile phone retailers such in a reaction to the contracts that network operators were asking customers to sign to get handsets that were heavily subsidised.
The same is true today as customers look to get top end handsets such as the iPhone or Nokia N Series at a low price or even free. Many customers sign a contract for as long as 24 or even 36 months when they purchase a new mobile. This allows the retailer to offer the mobile at a discount or even for ‘free’ as they subsidise the price of the handset from the guaranteed income which will come in over the duration of the contract as line rental and call charges. This is great news for the customer when they sign up, however, the retailer, on behalf of the network operator, is only able to subsidise one handset per contract. So if the customer was to have their mobile stolen, lost or damaged within the contract period they might be in the situation of either not having a mobile phone, or having to pay the unsubsidised price or using an old mobile phone until the contract period had expired and they can then get another handset which is subsidised by signing a contract extension. Potentially this could happen on day 1 of a 36 month contract, not good news and could leave a customer feeling very disappointed. This is why cheap cell phones insurance makes sense for those signing up to a contract.
Many of the high street retailers offer their own insurance but it can be very expensive, that is the reason many people turn to the internet to find web based insurers who offer really competitive insurance for a fraction of the price.
It is now not uncommon for businesses to look to insure their cell phones to protect employees against the embarrassment of having to tell the boss that they had a mobile phone stolen or damaged. The business market is growing all the time.
Nowadays many people are looking to insure items other than cell phones that are also carried around outside the home such as laptops, netbooks, Tablet PCs and MP3 players. It goes without saying that whenever something is taken out of the house becomes far more vulnerable to damage and theft. These days if someone is out with an iPhone and £600 laptop they can be walking aroud with over £1,000 worth of stuff with them, these days someone’s wallet may not be the most attractive thing for a pickpocket!