Bell releases phone insurance called “Smart/Phone Care”

No other carrier to our knowledge has offered “phone insurance” in Canada. Bell, with all its corporate changes, has released a new service (effective October 24th) that gives you protection from loss, theft and damage.

The service is called “Smart/Phone Care” and offers 2 plans to choose from:

1. Premium: for $7/month it covers failure due to defective parts and workmanship, Normal wear and tear, Accidental damage, power surge, loss and theft.

2. Plus: Covers failure due to defects in parts and workmanship.

To enroll in this service you either have to upgrade your current phone or purchase a new plan. There is a “replacement fee” though… $50 for a phone, $150 for a smartphone. The fine print says: “A non-refundable replacement service fee applies to each approved replacement. The replacement service fee does not apply to failures due to defects in parts or workmanship within 12 months of date of phone or smarphone purchase”.

We browsed through the info page fin print and found what is covered and not covered in this plan:

“6. What is Covered. If the Covered Equipment suffers a Failure, We will replace it with a device of comparable kind and quality. If the Replacement Equipment is a different model than the Covered Equipment or if a Failure affects a Battery and/or Charger in conjunction with the Failure of the Covered Equipment, We will also replace the Battery and/or Charger. If Your Covered Equipment utilizes a Bell SIM Card, we will also replace the SIM Card if it suffers a Failure in conjunction with the Failure of the Covered Equipment. THERE IS NO ASSURANCE, REPRESENTATION, OR WARRANTY THAT ANY REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT WILL BE IDENTICAL OR OFFER THE SAME FUNCTIONALITIES AS THE ITEM BEING REPLACED. REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT WILL BE NEW OR REFURBISHED, IN OUR SOLE DISCRETION. The Replacement Equipment immediately becomes the Covered Equipment. In addition to any applicable statutory warranties, Replacement Equipment will be warranted (see warranty provided with Replacement Equipment for details) to be free of defects in parts and workmanship for a period of 120 days from the date it is shipped to You, or for the remainder of the manufacturer’s warranty period for the device originally identified as the Covered Equipment on your Plan contract, whichever is greater (“Replacement Equipment Warranty Period”). If, during the Replacement Equipment Warranty Period, the Replacement Equipment fails to operate due to defects in parts or workmanship, it will be replaced with a device of comparable kind and quality and such replacement shall not be subject to a Replacement Service Fee, nor shall it be counted toward the Service Limits set out in Section 10.

7. What is not Covered. The Plan does not cover: (1) Incidental or consequential damages; (2) failures caused by war, revolution, acts of public enemy or terrorist, labour difficulties, including without limitation, strikes, slowdowns, picketing or boycotts, civil commotion, embargo, acts of government, or military authority; (3) abuse, misuse, or intentional acts; (4) pre-existing Failures of the Covered Equipment
occurring before the time it was established as the Covered Equipment; and (5) changes or enhancements in color, texture, finish, expansion, contraction, or any cosmetic damage to Covered Equipment however caused, including, but not limited to, scratches and marring, that do not affect the mechanical or electrical function of the Covered Equipment; (6) Failure of the Covered Equipment caused by computer viruses or similar unauthorized intrusive codes or programming. Further, Covered Equipment does not include and the Plan does not cover: (1) Contraband or property in the course of illegal transportation or trade; (2) Property in transit to You from anyone other than Us; (3) Routine maintenance and consumable items, such as batteries (one standard Battery will be provided with Replacement Equipment if the Replacement Equipment is a different model than the Covered Equipment or if the Battery has also failed); (4) Battery Chargers (one standard Charger will be provided with Replacement Equipment if the Replacement Equipment is a different model than the Covered Equipment or if the Charger has also failed); (5) Antennas, unless there is also a Failure of the Covered Equipment; or (6) Any accessories (except as otherwise provided with respect to the Battery and/or Charger), including but not limited to color face plates, personalized data, or customized software, such as personal information managers (PIMs), ring tones, games, or screen savers.”

This is certainly a step in the right direction. There is more info at Bell at this link here (PDF)