Oops! We did it again. We killed another industry. The computer insurance industry that is.

We’ve been known to piss off a few people, or industries shall we say.

First, we improved the computer service industry when Best Buy and CompUSA were charging crazy diagnostic fees and sending equipment out to depots. We offered free diagnostics and on premises repairs. Then, we improved the boring iPhone 4, 4s, 5, 5s, 6, and 6s models by pimping them up with different colors when it was still in its monochrome era. We also were the first to replace Microsoft Surface cracked screens after we heard complaints that Microsoft doesn’t fix their own equipment! As you can see, it gives us a kick to stick it to the big guys, especially when their style is flawed and the consumer is unfortunately the one who loses out.

Now, we’ve set our eyes on the computer insurance industry.

For years, we’ve had existing and new customers stop in to get a written assessment of their damaged computer. Before this, they had to file a claim with their insurance company and then wait a couple weeks before being assigned a claims rep. Then, after the claims rep reviewed their case, they would then request a third party (us!) to assess the repair cost so the customer can send along this to them. After another couple of weeks, the insurance company would say yay or nay. If they approved, then the customer would be informed what deductible to pay and how much was going to be paid out. At that point, the customer would have us perform the work. Finally, the customer after showing their paid receipt would be reimbursed by the insurance company within another 2-3 weeks. All in the all, the process would take anywhere from 4 – 8 weeks! Long, arduous, and ridiculous!

Well, we couldn’t stand for it. So, we looked for companies out there that we may be able to refer to our customers. Certainly, there had to be a company who does all of these steps to make this insured computer repair process easier?!

SquareTrade

We first checked out SquareTrade. They work with Allstate, Amazon, eBay, Costco and other online sites. They seemed like the heavy hitter in the tech insurance field.

Here’s their process:

1. File an online claim
2. Wait for approval
3. Get a shipping label to send your device to them. Phones may be eligible for you to seek out a local repair shop to perform the repair.
4. Wait for your device to be shipped back to you.
5. Note that the standard plans don’t cover accidents like drops and liquid spills. You’ll have to pay a premium for this accident protection.

Here’s a sneaky fine print: During your first year of warranty, although you paid to SquareTrade, you’ll be referred to your manufacturer for service. Talk about smoke and mirrors!

Hmmm, sounds like a failed insurance plan to me. And definitely not a fan of the 5-step process that could take up to weeks for a repair.

Next, we checked out Asurion.

They bought out the whole uBreakiFix franchise and make insuring all their customers’ devices their main objective.

Let’s see what their process entails:

This plan favors phone insurance, gearing towards replacing your device. Ship it in and get a comparable refurbished model along with a steep deductible. Well, I guess data and your family photos don’t matter, right?! Our investigation ended after learning this. Who wants to lose their info for a used, similar device? Not me! And I’m sure you wouldn’t be interested either.

What about BestBuy / GeekSquad?

Seriously?! The process revolves around bringing your computer to one of their stores. From there, it ships out to their undisclosed depot location. Expect a 1-2 month turn-around. Case closed! Next?

Is AppleCare worth it?

First of all, this just covers Apple products, not Microsoft laptops, PCs, or other non-Apple equipment. That being said, it’s definitely worth it for your iPhone since you’ll only pay as low as $29-$99 per screen replacement. You get up to 2 incidents that are covered. The annual cost is $200 – $270 depending on the level of warranty. Now, AppleCare for your MacBook is a different story. Most repairs are shipped to an Apple repair location and don’t expect your data to be safe. As for pricing, you’ll pay up to $399 for protection with a deductible every repair costing up to $299 each incident. Oh yeah, after your repair, you’ll typically get a clean slate MacBook with no files. You’ll ask, “Where are my files?” Your Genius rep will answer you, “You don’t have an iCloud backup?” Turn-around failure. Cost failure. Service failure. Who’s next?

Any others out there?

A further check shows some online start-ups like Upsie, Safeware, and TechInsurance.

Unfortunately, they all refer you to a local repair shop and then coordinate in between. The process and reimbursement of out of pocket fees usually takes 2 -4 weeks.

Yup, as you guessed it, we were not really impressed. The most important factor of using your computer or device is ACTUALLY USING IT! These tech insurance plans don’t get it! Alright, I know the suspense is killing you. How have we killed the tech insurance industry?

To learn more about our tech insurance protection plan and how you can sign up, click here:

New York Computer Help’s Computer Insurance Protection Plan