A pleasant experience with lock\line mobile phone insurance 10 May 2005

30 comments Latest by DIANA

It’s easy to complain, but how about something complimentary for a change.

I’ve been paying $4/month to SprintPCS for equipment insurance. Thankfully. My Treo recently fell off my desk (well, ok, I nudged it off the desk) and the screen shattered. It still works, but the screen is about 25% usable.

So, I called up Sprint to make a claim and get a new phone under the equipment replacement policy I’ve been paying for. I went into the experience dreading it, but came out very satisfied.

Sprint gave me the number to their insurance carrier (lock\line), I called them up, spent 3 minutes on the phone (I was never even on hold), and I’ll have a new phone on Friday. It cost me $50 for the deductable, but I was aware of that (and seeing that the Treo is $400 or so, I’m fine with that). Pleasantly painless (assuming I get my phone on Friday as promised).

Faith has been restored.

30 comments so far (Jump to latest)

J 11 May 05

I have actually been through 5 (yes I know I break things very easily) phones and every time I get an ugraded version of my old phone from Lock/Line. They actually just started charging $50 recently when in the past it was only $30. My record is breaking 3 phones in a 12 month period. In fact it turns out that they will stop replacing them after that and you need to wait another 12 months before you can get another replacement. All I can say is I have been nothing but happy with Lock/Line.

Nice Paul 11 May 05

I recently dropped my old style iBook whilst moving house and the screen started flickering constaltly. Luckily, my home insurance covered accidental damage, and to my delight they replaced it with the latest model iBook with no fuss whatsoever. It makes me realise why insurance fraud is so rife (cheap upgrades) but I’d still be too scared of getting caught… and besides, the reason I pay for insurance is in case of situation like this.

Enjoy your new Treo (is it the same model or a newer version you’re getting?)

CCC 11 May 05

FYI: I have had to get my sprintpcs Treo 600 replaced twice … first time the screen went dead and second time the battery was dying within 24 hours after being charged … not sure if you realize this or not but the replacement that they give you is not a brand new phone but a remanufactured phone. I was very pissed when I heard this … you buy a brand new phone that ends up failing and they give you a replacement phone that also at one time had some sort of failure … very annoying. Just have to see how long this one will last.

Dan 11 May 05

Nice work admitting to the world (well, ok, the people who read this blog) that’s you’ve defrauded an insurer. You’ve even made fraud prosecution easy!

Andrew 11 May 05

Dan, what are you talking about? Jason used the service exactly as it was intended.

I dropped my phone in a puddle once, and boy was I glad I had lock\line. New phone a week later.

Ryan 12 May 05

I have used lock/line twice in four years with sprint. The first time was great. This last time i got my phone and it was already activated to someone else’s line. So someone else had received my phone (fully activated but locked). Since to unlock all you have to do is punch in the last four of your phone number, I thought i was ok. But they had put a sticker with the phone number on the Box of the phone.

Once this person had figured that out, (i did and unlocked the one i got but didn�t use it) he called his friends in Europe on my dime. Sprint took care of it but Lock/line basically told me “Sorry but there’s nothing we can do ” I even offered to pay for overnight of my phone that was activated to me instead, but i was told that was not an option. Overall I felt the company would not own up to it’s own mistake, I understand things like this happen but it’s how you fix it that�s Important.

So hopefully it’s activated to you instead of some freeloading jerk!

Enmanuel Rivera 12 May 05

Well how should i start, lock line it’s not what i was expecting, it’s a total failure. I’ve being with cingular for 6 months and a month ago while i was working my phone feel on the floor and a fork lift ran over it, i call my girlfriend to let her know about what happend then i call lock line my GF decides to go out and buy me a new phone instead of reporting it to lock line wich i did anyways, i had a motorola v551 and she bought me a sony ericcson S710a so i switch the insurance to the sony right, and like 5 days after i got the sony i lost it in a crawded mcdonalds so i call them to report it and they said they coulnd’t replace it cuz i only use it for 5 days and the normal is for 7 days what kind of S***T is that >? do people know when something it’s about to happend ? i’ve been without a phone for 8 days now waiting for them to make and ” investigation ” how the hell are you gonna make an investigation ? i’m paying 4 dollars a month not for LOCK LINE to investigate what happend to the phone ? i’m paying that so when i lose my celphone they replace it. LOCK/LINE IT’S A TOTAL FAILURE AS A INSUANCE COMPANY

JF 13 May 05

Wow, my phone arrived a day early too. Promised Friday, delivered Thursday.

TheDeicide 19 May 05

What you fail to realize, Emmanuel, is that ALL insurance companies have the right to ask for additional information prior to repairing or replacing your equipment. Check your auto policy, for example. And according to lockline’s Cingular policy that is available on their website, that condition is in effect for them too. By paying your monthly premiums each month, you are agreeing to the terms of the insurance. Whether it’s for your phone, house or car, the polcies are basically the same.

IRATE!! 23 May 05

okay, i’m glad to see this site so i can vent!!
long story short….my husbands phone fell in water…i called to LOCK/LINE…once i got home that evening that phone was fine (someone fixed it at his job)…a replacement phone was delivered w/n a day or two but of course i declined it b/c i no longer needed it…well now i have a $50 charge on my bill that I refuse to pay!!! LOCK/LINE is throwing all of this lingo at me and I think they are FULL OF GARBAGE!!! if this is not cleared…my next step is the better business bureau!!

PhoneGuy 24 May 05

In response to IRATE’s posting of 5/23/05…what part of the $50 NON-REFUNDABLE Deductible do you not understand? When you called lock\line, you obviously agreed to the terms and conditions, as they were explained to you by the CSR who completed your claim, otherwise you would not have received a replacement phone. Food for thought…you filed a claim for the damaged phone..it’s great the phone started working again, however, as all water damaged phones do, it will stop working. Since you refused your replacement, you have forfeited your right to file another claim on the water damaged phone as it is now an uninsurable product…see you can only file a claim on a phone once, then it becomes uninsurable. My advice would be to contact lock\line, again, beg and plead for them to send you another replacement because of your bonehead mistake..that way, when your phone stops working in a few weeks (or months) you won’t have to go through the aggravation of calling lock\line to be denied and referred to the store for your purchase options. Been there, done that, bought the new phone because of MY stupidity!!!!! Learn from my mistake!!!

HateLockLine 31 May 05

Took me 4 hrs to get through to lockline, cingular couldnt get through either using 5 differnent numbers they had. Now Im on hold for 30 minutes. Cingular NEVER told me there would be a 50 service charge, else WHY in the Hell would I have bought insurance that I ONLY paid 69.00 for (and no, i didnt sign a contract, bought it outright for that price, EL Cheapo nokia because I didnt want a contract. will be canceling insurance today.

New2Lockline 05 Jun 05

I am going off to college and a CSR told me if I wanted to keep my ATT plan I would have to have a new phone sent to me via LOCK/line (so I my horrible flip can be replace). I’ll update the blog after I call LOCK/line 2morrow.

Hate Lock Line 22 Jun 05

I dropped my phone and the screen went blank on 6/12/05. I called lock line on 6/13/05 and paid the $50 deductible. They told me I would have the phone by 6/17/05. On 6/17/05, I called back to lock line and they said the phone was on back order and I would have it by 6/19/05. I called back on 6/19/05 and they still did not have my phone in stock but would send me a different phone and I wold receive it on 6/22/05. Well guess what? Today is 6/22/05 and when I called today they told me it will be another 7 - 10 days before I get my phone because it is on back order. So in the meantime, I have paid $5/mo for Sprint’s ins. and a $50 deductible and still have no phone. I could have kept my $50 and the $5 I have been paying every month for the years I’ve had Sprint Service and just went to the Sprint Store and brought another phone.

Tut 07 Jul 05

Just got off the phone with Lockline and have to say I was very happy. Did actually only spend 2 or 3 min. on the phone with no time on hold. After telling the kind lady what happened and verifying the mailing address (of course paying the 50 bucks also), she said I’d get the phone fedex’d tomorrow already! Of course it hasn’t happened yet, but if it does it’s nice to get the new phone the next day already. Assuming that it actually happens then this was a pretty impressive experience.

Steve Henderson 22 Aug 05

I bought the $5 per month insurance plan with my Sprint phone and there was no mention of a deductible in the contract we signed or any of the literature they gave me. I learned about the $50 deductible when I went to make my claim for a lost phone and they refused to send me a phone unless I agreed to their “extortion” fee and not to ask for it back. So I was stuck between paying the “extortion” fee and getting another phone, which I had already been paying insurance for, or not paying the “extortion” fee and having to buy another phone that I thought that I would receive for free! I contested the charge on my credit card and today that charge was reversed. I am far from done fighting this issue. I don’t know how they can legally charge you a deductible without letting you know in advance in the contract. They could have made it $100 or any other figure they wanted. My car and home owners insurance clearly states the deductible in their contracts. I will never do business with Sprint or lock/line ever again and I will continue to pursue getting back my $50 they extorted from me! I will continue to call Sprint and lock/line until they give me action or I get my $50 worth of hassling them. I will also spread the word about their extortion to my friends, family co-workers, online communities, consumer groups, etc.

Joe 02 Sep 05

For those not familiar with their policy, visit this link at lock\line so that you may view it. You will need to select from wireless, wireline, or debt protection first.

https://www.lockline.com/tf/LLCORP?tx=Home&cz=407141204&ReqPage=LEARN

Anonymous Coward 28 Sep 05

what does lock line cover

james oliver 01 Oct 05

Where the heck is my phone. I’ve paid my $50.00 deductible over a week ago and I’m still without my phone.

How would you feel?

Linda 25 Nov 05

I have been very unsatisfied with Lockline, most recently i called to have my daughters phopne replaced when it stopped charging. They deducted their $50 from my account…and 5 days later i recieved the replacement, which did not work. My daughter has now been driving back and forth to work late at night with no ohone in case of an emergency. I call them back…to tell them about the problem, foolishly HOPING…that in a case of extreme inconvience like this, they would have some way to expidite the SECOND replacement phone. Instead, the time frame they gave me was even longer than the first one was. I then called My carrier, SPrintPCS hoping since they solicit their customers for this insurance, they would have a complaint process or something availabe to help me out with this. Sprint seemed to know nothing about Lockline or its policies. They basicall shrugged their shoulders after passing me to 3 different representatives and might as well have said “sorry, thats what you get for listening to us on insurance carriers” I will cancel my Lockline insurance now, and am considering fighting with SprintPCS to discontinue my 5 lines of service with them even tho my contract is not up at this time. I also intend (for all the good it will probably do) to file complaints with the Better Business Bureau against both companies. Consumers BEWARE!

Amy Lynn 02 Dec 05

I love lockline. They upgraded my phone to a include video when I broke mine.

mindlessrules 23 Dec 05

Lockline, like some other companies, prefer to recite their rules instead of considering the sometimes unique circumstances of their clients that nullify those rules. Granted, their bottom line (and their collective bottom) stay fat that way, and as a bonus, the customer service reps can quickly dispense with a client’s “problem” to move on to the next. However, it makes for lousy customer service.

It’s not unusual to find responses like the one that attempted to berate the customer for declining a replacement after finding their original phone still worked. But that kind of viscious loyalty to a greedy company lasts only until THEY are the recipients of a rules recital.

I am wholly dissatisfied with Lockline and will never use them, or Sprint, again!

San Antonio, Texas 25 May 06

I hate lock line they always send people broken phones that do not work or break in a week or 2 , somebody really does need to do something about this. They also have very very rude customer service, and no communication skills whatsoever. People please stop wasting your $50.00 on the deductible and put it to good use. Like getting yourslef a drink and missing your old phone. You could also save it towards buying a new phone. Cause after the three they send you im sure youll have enough.

San Antonio Texas 25 May 06

I hate lock line they always send people broken phones that do not work or break in a week or 2 , somebody really does need to do something about this. They also have very very rude customer service, and no communication skills whatsoever. People please stop wasting your $50.00 on the deductible and put it to good use. Like getting yourslef a drink and missing your old phone. You could also save it towards buying a new phone. Cause after the three they send you im sure youll have enough.

Jerry 21 Jun 06

I have Sanyo MM7400 that I busted the flip on. I called lock line to get a replacement, well, they do not have the MM7400 but will send me a Sanyo MM8300 which doesn’t have all the options I had on the more expensive 7400. I sent the 8300 back with out even opening it. I plan to fight this because i paid to insure my 7400. If they could not replace the 7400 they should notify you of that instead of letting you pay the monthly fee only to find out later. I plan to fight this to the end. Lock line is a scam!

Anonymous Coward 28 Aug 06

I accidentLy put my LG 550 in da washer … ya i knw dats not very smart LOL i CANT BElIEVE I ONLY HAD IT 4 3 WEEKS ! …AFTER AII DA FEED BACK FRM ALL OF LOKC LINE COSTUMERS IT LOOKS LIKE IMA HAVE TA BUY A NEW PHONE AT RETAIL PRICE !!! OH WELL I GUESS MOST INSURENCE COMPANIES R LIKE DAT … BUT ITS AL GOOD IM STILL GONNA GIVE DEM A CAL HOPING DEY REPLACE MY PHONE ! EVEN IF MOST EVERYBODY ON DIS WEB SITE THINKS LOCK LINE SUX … I BEEN PAYING INSURENCE 4 A LIL OVR A YR SO I HOPE DEY REALLY CONSIDER DAT ! ….. DEY BETTER

DIANA 28 Aug 06

I accidentLy put my LG 550 in da washer … ya i knw dats not very smart LOL i CANT BElIEVE I ONLY HAD IT 4 3 WEEKS ! …AFTER AII DA FEED BACK FRM ALL OF LOKC LINE COSTUMERS IT LOOKS LIKE IMA HAVE TA BUY A NEW PHONE AT RETAIL PRICE !!! OH WELL I GUESS MOST INSURENCE COMPANIES R LIKE DAT … BUT ITS AL GOOD IM STILL GONNA GIVE DEM A CAL HOPING DEY REPLACE MY PHONE ! EVEN IF MOST EVERYBODY ON DIS WEB SITE THINKS LOCK LINE SUX … I BEEN PAYING INSURENCE 4 A LIL OVR A YR SO I HOPE DEY REALLY CONSIDER DAT ! ….. DEY BETTER

DIANA 28 Aug 06

I accidentLy put my LG 550 in da washer … ya i knw dats not very smart LOL i CANT BElIEVE I ONLY HAD IT 4 3 WEEKS ! …AFTER AII DA FEED BACK FRM ALL OF LOKC LINE COSTUMERS IT LOOKS LIKE IMA HAVE TA BUY A NEW PHONE AT RETAIL PRICE !!! OH WELL I GUESS MOST INSURENCE COMPANIES R LIKE DAT … BUT ITS AL GOOD IM STILL GONNA GIVE DEM A CAL HOPING DEY REPLACE MY PHONE ! EVEN IF MOST EVERYBODY ON DIS WEB SITE THINKS LOCK LINE SUX … I BEEN PAYING INSURENCE 4 A LIL OVR A YR SO I HOPE DEY REALLY CONSIDER DAT ! ….. DEY BETTER