Learn The Facts About Smartphone Mishaps

Smartphone mishaps seem to happen at the most inopportune times. You drop that new iPhone just days after a purchase, or wash that new Samsung Galaxy III right before heading off on vacation.

Asurion Corp., the largest global provider of wireless handset insurance and wireless roadside assistance programs has conducted extensive research in the field and today we'd like to share some of their results. Trust me these numbers might be a bit shocking for some, not really for me since it seems like I replace a broken device every couple of months.

Stats and Facts

• Asurion reports that 60,000,0000 people in North America will lose, damage or have their phone stolen this year. That is over 164,000 per day or 114 every minute or nearly 2 every second.
• According to mobile device technology protection expert Asurion, 50 percent of loss, thef or damage claims occur within the first 6 months of activating a new phone. That number jumps to 80 percent within the first 12months.
• People don’t often understand that if your mobile phone is lost, stolen or damaged, without insurance you’ll have to pay full retail price to replace that mobile device. In the case of an iPhone4S, that can cost more than $700.
• Best and easiest way to have peace of mind and to protect your phone is to purchase insurance from your wireless carrier when buying your phone or within 30 days of activation.
• According to a recent Asurion survey, 50 percent of parents said they have at least one child at home under 17 who uses a mobile phone for personal use, and nearly 30 percent of those required a replacement in the last year due to handset loss, theft, damage or malfunction.
• Savvy parents and guardians are putting their desire to stay in touch with their children well above their own needs, with 36 percent purchasing cell phone insurance for their children's phones, as compared to 26 percent of those who have protection on their own phones, according to Asurion.
• Understandably, people are eager to start using new mobile devices just as soon as they get them, but with more than 60 million phones lost, stolen or damaged each year, purchasing phone protection during the first 30 days of device use should be a priority. After that, the only chance to buy the carrier-supported insurance would be during an “open enrollment” period, and you never know when those might come along.

Protection Tips

• Asurion offers these easy summer tips to help minimize the damage to children's phones this summer:
• A good case or silicone protector can help protect the back and sides against scratches and provide some impact protection.
• A transparent film screen protector can prevent the screen from scratching and can also help remove glare.
• A growing number of waterproof cases are on the market designed to protect phones when submerged in water for a limited amount of time.
• Purchase cell phone insurance to protect your investment and stay connected with children. Many wireless carriers now offer Asurion’s downloadable application that can remotely locate, lock or wipe a phone, along with the insurance coverage.