Complete Equipment Protection

"*Complete Equipment Protection Program includes the Equipment Insurance Protection Plan and the Enhanced Warranty Protection Plan, each available separately. The Equipment Insurance Protection Plan is underwritten by Continental Casualty Company, a CNA company (CNA), and administered by lock\line, LLC (lock\line Insurance Agency, LLC CA Lic#0D63161), a licensed agent of CNA. May not be available in all states. $50 non-refundable deductible per approved insurance replacement applies. The Enhanced Warranty Protection Plan is a service contract administered by lock\line Warranty Services, LLC or one of its affiliates. $5 non-refundable processing fee per approved Enhanced Warranty replacement applies."
-- Source: www.cingular.com

By the looks of that, the information on their CEP program says that there's a fee for a replacement?

Is this true? I have to pay a fee to replace my phone when I'm already paying for the CEP program itself? What's up with this?

It'd just be cheaper for me to rebuy my phone without buying a CEP?

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Yep, it is true, there is a $50 deductible on top of your monthly charge. However, I've never really heard about a $5 processing fee, it is a possiblity that that is tacked on to the deductible after the fact, or that information is old on cingular's website...
If you were to buy another phone and you were not eligible for an upgrade, you would be looking at paying retail cost, which is signifigantly higher than the 1 or 2 year agreement and much higher than the $50 deductible. When you sign a 2 year agreement, Cingular gives you around $150 off the price of the phone. The phone is really worth the 150 or 200 bucks, it's just free or reduced when you sign up, to entice you to sign up, and to ease the burden of buying an expensive piece of equipment to use the service. Cingular eventuially gets that money back thru your plan in time. That's why the early termination fee is always around $150, to get the price of the phone back.
It's unfortunate because that is a common misconception about phone prices that leads to a lot of unhappy customers that were not educated during the initial phone purchase...

$50 - Sounds like a 'deductible' to me. I think this is pretty standard in the insurance business.

Also, what phone can you 'rebuy' for less than $50. I hope you realize that the 'real' price of a phone is not what you pay when signing a contract. For instance, my lg c1300 was free w/ activation, but retails for around $100. I believe it is $99 for a 'GoPhone' model.

Ah, so I'd be paying the retail price of my Razr. $100-200.

Okay, now, let's say I have the CEP, and I say I lost my phone, but really I didn't. Point of this being so I can give my old phone to my friend who also has Cingular, but wants my old phone. They can just put their SIM in, and I get my new phone, and everyone's happy?

Will that plan work? Downside to it?

Thanks.

Originally Posted by 628

Ah, so I'd be paying the retail price of my Razr. $100-200.

Okay, now, let's say I have the CEP, and I say I lost my phone, but really I didn't. Point of this being so I can give my old phone to my friend who also has Cingular, but wants my old phone. They can just put their SIM in, and I get my new phone, and everyone's happy?

Will that plan work? Downside to it?

Thanks.

1. Razr retail is way higher than $100-$200! Closer to $350 I believe.

2. 'Losing your phone' is fraud, and we won't have that type of discussion here.

3. 'Everyone's happy?' We have to have higher rates and deductibles to cover scams like this.

Let's all play by the rules!

4. Bad Karma....

Originally Posted by 628

Ah, so I'd be paying the retail price of my Razr. $100-200.

Okay, now, let's say I have the CEP, and I say I lost my phone, but really I didn't. Point of this being so I can give my old phone to my friend who also has Cingular, but wants my old phone. They can just put their SIM in, and I get my new phone, and everyone's happy?

Will that plan work? Downside to it?

Thanks.

Can't believe how some folks openly discuss what they plan on doing...

thanks to folks like our friend here we have such high deductibles now...
and on top of that he still complains that he has to pay a fee.

Originally Posted by n1ckel5

1. Razr retail is way higher than $100-$200! Closer to $350 I believe.

2. 'Losing your phone' is fraud, and we won't have that type of discussion here.

3. 'Everyone's happy?' We have to have higher rates and deductibles to cover scams like this.

Let's all play by the rules!

And instead of buying the MPT program for 20$, I found it for free here. Mmmm? Just me or that isn't right either?

Originally Posted by 628

And instead of buying the MPT program for 20$, I found it for free here. Mmmm? Just me or that isn't right either?

MPT comes as a free software with some unbranded or special edition Razrs, so if anyone wants to share that software with the community here then it is appreciated, now if they were posting links to MPT with means to make money then no it wouldn't be right and they would be banned as well as anyone trying to cheat their cell phone insurance carrier.

Originally Posted by zender92gsr

4. Bad Karma....

I tend to agree.... I'm not a big copyright freak, but when someone chooses to share software (even if it came "free," I mean, I got windows xp "free" didn't I?) they have to realize that the are, at least, bending the rules. I, too, have directed people to places where someone less honest than myself has shared out of the goodness of their hearts (or maybe hardness of their hearts towards corporate America?) so I won't be throwing any stones - and I would appreciate if no one else broke my house either!

amen, jeanie. who hasn't 'shared' free software, or at minimal a link to a shared location.

but when someone is asking about a fraudulent act, we have to draw the line and make it known that it is unacceptable.

whether you're for or against corporations, committing insurance fraud reflects on all of the insurance users and in the end, the customer pays for it, not the company.

Originally Posted by 628

Ah, so I'd be paying the retail price of my Razr. $100-200.

Okay, now, let's say I have the CEP, and I say I lost my phone, but really I didn't. Point of this being so I can give my old phone to my friend who also has Cingular, but wants my old phone. They can just put their SIM in, and I get my new phone, and everyone's happy?

Will that plan work? Downside to it?

Thanks.

I forgot to address the main issue.... the insurance company reports the phone's ESN number and lists it as stolen.... your friend tries to activate it and ends up getting asked a lot of questions... is he/she isn't too bright they mention your name... you get nailed with some fines and lawyer fees that make the $200 you "saved" look like a school kid's lunch money... and my girlfriend Karma bites you in the tookus!