How to replace my phone using TEP (Insurance)

[tehdefiant1]

I love my phone.. the thing is, my phone is pretty beat up. I have probably dropped it 3x and my girl dropped it once. On the top left near the power button is a bruise, the left top corner of the screen is scratched (the plastic screen cover is there though, thankfully), there is a bruise near where the camera button is and the "metal" finish on the side where the expansion slot is there are a bunch of tiny scratches(maybe from taking it in and out of my holster..) Did I mention that I barely got the phone in August? LOL

I do have insurance on my phone. I pay for SERO + TEP (Total Equipment Protection). I am wondering if I can simply go into to a Sprint store and tell them to swap my phone out for a nice clean one since its all beat up. I do pay them $7 every month, they SHOULD replace it just like that right? I heard somewhere that if its just worn out by personal use, you will be charged $50 no matter if you have TEP. I also heard that if you use a custom rom they wont even take a look at your phone (probably voided some sort of warrenty?) I'm not sure.

I think this question can best be answered by ppl who have sprint and probably dealt with this or know some information on this. I think I should make sure the stock 6.1 rom is installed no matter what, just in case. Maybe I can just say I am not satisfied with the "erratic performance" of my phone and stick with it (even though the physical condition of the phone might raise some eyebrows.) Or should I report it stolen? Pour water on it? Let it bake in the Texas heat? LOL

I think the best idea I had was to blow up my speakers on my phone. That way it will seem like it was a manufactures prob no matter what and get it replaced no questions asked. What do yall think?

[Fatal_Error]

I love my phone.. the thing is, my phone is pretty beat up. I have probably dropped it 3x and my girl dropped it once. On the top left near the power button is a bruise, the left top corner of the screen is scratched (the plastic screen cover is there though, thankfully), there is a bruise near where the camera button is and the "metal" finish on the side where the expansion slot is there are a bunch of tiny scratches(maybe from taking it in and out of my holster..) Did I mention that I barely got the phone in August? LOL

I do have insurance on my phone. I pay for SERO + TEP (Total Equipment Protection). I am wondering if I can simply go into to a Sprint store and tell them to swap my phone out for a nice clean one since its all beat up. I do pay them $7 every month, they SHOULD replace it just like that right? I heard somewhere that if its just worn out by personal use, you will be charged $50 no matter if you have TEP. I also heard that if you use a custom rom they wont even take a look at your phone (probably voided some sort of warrenty?) I'm not sure.

I think this question can best be answered by ppl who have sprint and probably dealt with this or know some information on this. I think I should make sure the stock 6.1 rom is installed no matter what, just in case. Maybe I can just say I am not satisfied with the "erratic performance" of my phone and stick with it (even though the physical condition of the phone might raise some eyebrows.) Or should I report it stolen? Pour water on it? Let it bake in the Texas heat? LOL

I think the best idea I had was to blow up my speakers on my phone. That way it will seem like it was a manufactures prob no matter what and get it replaced no questions asked. What do yall think?
I'm almost 100% sure you can't just walk into a store and swap it. I'm guess you will have to spend the $50.00 and insurance will send you a new one.

[VenumX]

I'm almost 100% sure you can't just walk into a store and swap it. I'm guess you will have to spend the $50.00 and insurance will send you a new one.

if you back everything up and then purposefully brick the phone they should replace it out for free. the only way they will charge you is if its physically damaged in a way that would make it not work. being beat up, alone, is not a good enough reason to replace it. :P

[Sh0wNuF]

yeah if you break your phone the insurance will cover it since you have the TEP but they will most likely give it to their tech if they have one in store and the will just fix the screen, if thats broken, they won't give you a new one...your best bet on getting a new one is to either brick it like venum says or pay the 50 dollars through asurion

[Fatal_Error]

one other method I have used in the past is stick it in the microwave for 10 secs and fry the board. Then take it in to the tech and tell them it keeps getting real hot and the last time it got hot it wouldn't turn back on. It has worked for me but its a shot. I know with tep if you break it you pay for it If its a default phone it will be free

[lordhelmet]

Also, if you don't brick it, you definitely need to have the stock ROM on there. They won't touch it if it has a custom ROM.

[tehdefiant1]

I think I would rather brick my phone.. but how would I go about doing that? I know the idea to "brick" a phone is to make it useless and just sit there like a brick.. but what do I do? install some wierd sh!t on there that wont take it off the boot screen or something? idk..

[Fatal_Error]

correct me if I'm wrong guys if he puts a titan radio on the rom wouldn't that brick it

[BiG JeW]

Yes it sure would... as he has a VOGUE/Touch and the titan ROM is for the MOGUL

[MikeyD]

does your insurance cover lost or stolen, before i got my mogul i had a cool slider phone that my wife wanted but we couldnt afford it so i went to the police got a report done for it( i had qwest at the time) called qwest they charged me 10 bucks for a new one and about a month later i call back and activated the old phone on my wifes number and i had the new phone pretty quick

[D/\SH]

does your insurance cover lost or stolen, before i got my mogul i had a cool slider phone that my wife wanted but we couldnt afford it so i went to the police got a report done for it( i had qwest at the time) called qwest they charged me 10 bucks for a new one and about a month later i call back and activated the old phone on my wifes number and i had the new phone pretty quick

you cant do that with sprint since they are cdma..... you would have to use it with alltel or verizon.... and also on this topic just bring it in and tell them you are dropping calls like mad and it happens randomly even with 3 bars or so and they will issue a new one too you.... but be careful and insist that you dont get a refurbished phone because those always suck.

[tehdefiant1]

oh ok, i never thought of that.. sounds very reasonable. ill give it a try.

--------- New Post Merged on 4/11/2008 at 01:44:31 --------

btw.. im trying out my first rom on this current phone b4 i try to swap it out. think that i should re-flash the stock 6.1 before i turn it in just in case?

--------- New Post Merged on 4/11/2008 at 12:24:45 --------

just bring it in and tell them you are dropping calls like mad and it happens randomly even with 3 bars or so and they will issue a new one too you.... but be careful and insist that you dont get a refurbished phone because those always suck.


I did that this morning and they said "oh well the tech said the setting was set on automatic and its suppose to be on sprint only" We paused for a second and I told him that I thought automatic was suppose to help for roaming. He replied, "if its on automatic it will keep on searching sprint towers and thats probably why it dropped calls - thats what the tech said". I just thought in my head that if I said more than I needed I might comeout as too knowlegable so I decided to leave.


I did mention that if the problems reoccur that I will return or call.. and will around 3 or 4p. I don't know if they will try to hard reset my phone but this time I'll come off as being frustrated and for sure the swap will happen.