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What To Do When You've Lost Your Cell Phone
Disturbing, but true. Asurion Insurance Service Inc., a popular cell phone insurance provider, estimates that approximately 25% of wireless phones are reported lost, stolen or damaged in any given year. Wondering what to do if you cell phone is lost or stolen? Read ahead for your blueprint.
Have an Action Plan
Step 1: Contact your wireless service provider IMMEDIATELY to suspend your service and report your missing cellular phone. Note that you will be responsible for any charges incurred from the time your phone was out of your possession up until the time your service is suspended.
If you purchased a monthly insurance plan at the time you activated your cell phone, the rest is fairly painless. Your next step is to call the insurance company's customer service line within 60 days and request a replacement cell phone (most wireless providers use Lock\line or Asurion Insurance Service Inc. as their insurance administrator). Once your replacement request is approved and you pay the $35-$50 deductible, they will send you the same or a comparable cell phone with similar features and functions. If, however, you do not have an insurance plan, go to Step 2...
Step 2: Check your wireless provider's corporate policy regarding lost or stolen phones. Some providers (such as Verizon Wireless) will grant you a courtesy suspension of service and monthly fees for up to 30 days until you replace or recover your wireless phone - provided that you haven't been granted one within the previous 12 months. Most service providers however do not offer courtesy suspensions, and may require that you present documentation to them, such as a police report or a sworn statement, within 14 days of having reported your cell phone lost or stolen.
Step 3: The next step for the uninsured is to buy a brand new cell phone. This can be costly, given that you will need to pay the full price of the phone excluding activation or rebate offers. For this reason, replacing your wireless phone is likely to cost more than your initial investment. And if you choose to cancel your contract with that wireless provider, you'll still be stuck paying cancellation fees.
Take Preventive Measures
The best way to avoid having to buy a new cell phone is to purchase an insurance plan. Most run between $3.99 and $5.99 a month and are charged to your monthly bill. Unlike warranties, insurance policies cover damages due to loss or theft. Some wireless providers, such as Sprint/Nextel, offer total equipment protection for $5.99 a month, which also includes repair and replacement services. If you're curious about what types of loss or damages the insurance underwriters will not cover, read more here.
Some last words of advice: In addition to purchasing insurance, consider locking your wireless phone to deter others from using it to make calls or access confidential information. On most cell phones, the "phone lock" or "keypad lock" feature can be found under the "settings" menu, though you should consult your instruction manual if you have trouble finding it. It should take less than 30 seconds to access the phone lock feature and let it guide you through the process of password protecting your handset.
Another option is installing software that allows you to remotely lock your cell phone or erase the data if your wireless phone is stolen or lost. Also, phonebook contacts are stored on your SIM card by default, so be sure to back up that information by downloading it to your hard drive, for example. Lastly, make a note of your SIM card password or change it to one you can remember. This may come in handy if you end up finding your missing cell phone.
Watch video of a recent network news story on the subject of device protection.
Comments
I lost my nextel phone tonight. I tried to call customer service but the message said that they were closed for the night. What should I do? I know they reopen for service at 7 a.m.
Posted by: Peter DiNota at March 20, 2006 10:32 PM
I found out my phone was lost, i did try to call but they told me to call when the office are open, i don't want to be responsable for any charge on my phone, since i am trying to report a lost with no success.
Posted by: Jean-Pierre Martinez at April 2, 2006 1:29 PM
it was about a month ago i filed about my phone being stolen, i was wondering if anything is going to happen?
Posted by: nasha newcom at April 7, 2006 9:47 AM
can a phone be found by gps if t he sim card is in it
Posted by: joe ryan at April 23, 2006 3:15 PM
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