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You Can't Be Insured For Every Disaster
Although it's possible to be home insurance and life insurance for many things, nothing can insure you for this disaster.
Posted on June 5, 2008
Beware of extended warranties like the Apple Care Protection Plan
True story: I was staying at a family member's home one weekend and I brought along some business to take care of. At the time I had a state of the art Apple PowerBook. Not being in my usual work environment and without a Wi-Fi conncection cords were strung from my computer to awkward outlets around the room. I was absorbed in my work when the phone rang. I stepped away from the computer to get the phone, stepped on the ethernet cord, and then stepped in the proverbial "it" big time.
I was aware of what was happening and time slowed down to a frame by frame crawl. If you have ever been in a car wreck and conscience of your situation you know exactly what I'm talking about. In slow and excruciating motion my beautiful laptop flung off the desk, body slammed LCD first into the ground, and split in half. One half LCD, one half computer and keyboard. Just like in the movies, I rushed over to my love, got on my knees, looked to the heavens, and in agony yelled "Nooooooooooo!" "Whyyyyyyyyyyyy!".
I don't know the statistics, but I'm sure that it is far more common that a laptop is damaged due to user stupidity and or accident, as was my case, than manufacturer or part defect. What I do know was that my blunder was not covered under my Apple Care Protection Plan.
I'm not trying to say that extended warranties such as Apple Care or Dell's Extended Warranty have no use. They are often very useful for novice computer users who need help with operating system issues, training, and the occasional part defect. What they don't cover is damage due to disaster, accident, or theft.
The best solution to solve the inadequacies of those plans are home owner's or renter's insurance plans. You can set up a policy that will meet your needs and cover all of your equipment. Even if you frequently travel extra coverage can be purchased to protect your equipment when about or not at home.
The major benefit of a home owner's / renters insurance plan vs. a computer manufacturer or big box store extended warranty is the flexibility to add the coverage you need ala carte. The cost of a policy is surprisingly affordable and will often cover most of your other possessions and your home.
Be sure to check with your agent to get a full overview or what and how much is covered by your policy, as well as under what circumstances.
A final thought concerning Apple iPhone users. AT&T will not offer insurance for the iPhone.
Q. Is iPhone eligible for Wireless Phone Insurance?
A. No. iPhone is ineligible for the Wireless Phone Insurance program offered to AT&T customers. iPhone is covered by the Apple Warranty. If you have Wireless Phone Insurance from AT&T, it will be removed from your line of service.
All other phones including the Blackberry models are insurable through AT&T.
Do yourself a favor and protect the equipment that you use day to day. Backup your data regularly and get yourself some insurance. You never know when you might need it and chances are you probably will some day.
Posted on April 7, 2008
