Is it worth it?

[Guest AusHusker]

OK, here's one for long time HTC product users...

I am about to purchase a Vario II but a colleague of mine has strongly recommended getting insurance on it as he has an older Vario and after 12 months use it is needing repairs. He didn't get insurance and now it will cost him a fortune to get it repaired or to upgrade with T-Mobile, as he is on an 18 month plan.

So it got me thinking. If I am paying out 80 quid, plus another 140-odd quid for insurance maybe I would do better going for another smartphone. I like to keep my gadgets for about three years and if I get the Vario II I would be looking to do the same. But if it isn't going to last I'd rather not put out the money in the first place.

So, for those who have used HTC devices for a while, what are they like for longevity and reliability in the long term?

Thanks.

[Guest RossDargan]

OK, here's one for long time HTC product users...

I am about to purchase a Vario II but a colleague of mine has strongly recommended getting insurance on it as he has an older Vario and after 12 months use it is needing repairs. He didn't get insurance and now it will cost him a fortune to get it repaired or to upgrade with T-Mobile, as he is on an 18 month plan.

So it got me thinking. If I am paying out 80 quid, plus another 140-odd quid for insurance maybe I would do better going for another smartphone. I like to keep my gadgets for about three years and if I get the Vario II I would be looking to do the same. But if it isn't going to last I'd rather not put out the money in the first place.

So, for those who have used HTC devices for a while, what are they like for longevity and reliability in the long term?

Thanks.

Well I have a c500, a c550 and a vario 2 - and untill my number gets ported I am using all three! (1 work phone, 1 personal) - so the c500 is two years old now and still working a treat.

I have never taken insurance because I have always had a spare phone - if the vario 2 broke, I would be gutted - but I would go back to using one of my others which is why I didnt take it in this case.

One thing maybe worth checking is with your bank - sometimes for

[Guest AusHusker]

Thanks RossDargan.

My home insurance covers things such as accidental damage and loss for my phone but not defects such as the screen not working.

Does anyone know how long the T-Mobile warranty is on these devices without the insurance?

[Guest 888]

What differnce will it make if he had bought insurance?

As far as I;m aware, insurance only covers the cost of loss, damage or theft. it doesn't cover hardware failure, unless TM are offering a enhanced policy.

[Guest AFK_Matrix]

Thanks RossDargan.

My home insurance covers things such as accidental damage and loss for my phone but not defects such as the screen not working.

Does anyone know how long the T-Mobile warranty is on these devices without the insurance?

Hi mate,

The warranty for the Vario 2 is 12months so u won't have cover for 6months. Also the when I was ordering my phone with telesales the guy said that the Insurance can be canecelled any month as its run on a monthly basis, so if you find something better you can cancel it. Thats what I was told at least.

EDIT:

What differnce will it make if he had bought insurance?

As far as I;m aware, insurance only covers the cost of loss, damage or theft. it doesn't cover hardware failure, unless TM are offering a enhanced policy.

The guy I talked to says that the Tmobile Insurance does extend the cover to last the full 18months its also worldwide coverage. I can try and dig out my insurance documents I got just to make sure.

Edited September 8, 2006 by AFK_Matrix

[Guest AusHusker]

AFK_Matrix,

Thanks for that. If you could confirm those details I would really appreciate it. What was the monthly cost?

The guy I talked to says that the Tmobile Insurance does extend the cover to last the full 18months its also worldwide coverage. I can try and dig out my insurance documents I got just to make sure.

[Guest richard_d]

Hi mate,

The warranty for the Vario 2 is 12months so u won't have cover for 6months. Also the when I was ordering my phone with telesales the guy said that the Insurance can be canecelled any month as its run on a monthly basis, so if you find something better you can cancel it. Thats what I was told at least.

EDIT:

The guy I talked to says that the Tmobile Insurance does extend the cover to last the full 18months its also worldwide coverage. I can try and dig out my insurance documents I got just to make sure.

AFAIK - The warranty is for 12 months. If you take out the insurance with Fonesafe, then I think if you renew it for a second year (it's a 12 month renewable policy) then their insurance also covers device failure outside the warranty period. I looked at the insurance and it didn't look bad, but as I've got loss, theft and accidental damage outside of the house on my home insurance it didn't suit my needs. I'm not sure what would happen if i needed to claim on my home insurance - presumably they'd have to replace it with a Tyty as i don't think T mobile sell the Vario II without a contract...

[Guest zoidster]

Well I have had an XDA , XDAII , Qtek S100 , XDA exec, MDA Vario, MDA pro , and now an SPV M3100

And so far I have not had one hardware issue (touch wood ! )

Maybe I have just been been lucky ? but looking at my nokia history - 3310 , 3330, 9110i , 9210i , 9500 - I have had one total loss , 5(!!) broken screens (two internal) and a flickering screen caused by a ribbon cable - which Orange care would not issue a replacement on the basis of

I must admit , the buid quality of HTC devices is not what it used to be (I reckon original XDA's are bulletproof ! ) - but it is still "good enough" IMO -

I'd feel safer with an HTC than a Nokia in my pocket

[Guest Trancemaster]

I wouldn't worry too much about build quality if I were you, they're fairly good in my experience. My original SPV lasted me a good 14 months or so before I sold it on ebay with only minor "wear and tear" damage (ie missing paint, dust under the screen etc). My E200 was even better and survived being dunked in a sink full of water and being thrown against a wall twice in quick succession by a crazy ex girlfriend. It did not however survive my attempts to take it apart and dry underneath the screen, but I'm pretty sure I snapped off some critical components in the process. I only had minor problems with my M2000, like the keyboard peeling away at the edges. I dropped it quite a few times and it hardly got a scratch! The only problem I forsee with the M3100 is the keyboard slider getting loose, but I guess it will depend on how much it is used.

Edited September 8, 2006 by Trancemaster

[Guest AusHusker]

OK. I have ordered my Vario II. They only had 26 in stock when I ordered it.

I didn't take insurance as the warranty goes for the first 12 months and covered defects while my home insurance covers loss and accidental damage. Come month 12 I can phone T-Mobile customer services and they can give me the details of the insurance company for me to contact in order to put insurance on it from there on to protect me against defects, should I so desire.

For the record, I was told that HSDPA is automatically on WnW std.

Thanks for everyone's feedback.

[Guest RossDargan]

OK. I have ordered my Vario II. They only had 26 in stock when I ordered it.

I didn't take insurance as the warranty goes for the first 12 months and covered defects while my home insurance covers loss and accidental damage. Come month 12 I can phone T-Mobile customer services and they can give me the details of the insurance company for me to contact in order to put insurance on it from there on to protect me against defects, should I so desire.

For the record, I was told that HSDPA is automatically on WnW std.

Thanks for everyone's feedback.

Good news - you will love the phone!

Still worth checking to see if it is on your phone - I got WnW and it wasnt on mine - getting 1.2mb per sec in places now:)

Ross

[Guest Dooks]

I got my insurance for 5.99 per month when I bought my VarioII, although strangely enough the website no longer lists insurance as an option when buying the VarioII! Maybe they've temporarily disabled it for today... anyway I don't see the monthly PRICE of the insurance listed anywhere on the documents I've received from T-Mo or Fonesafe... if they do a dodgey and raise the price from 5.99 I'm cancelling it!