Has anyone ever USED their SquareTrade warranty?

[sherry7]

I've seen plenty of people here on Dis recommending Square Trade warranties for electronics, but has anyone actually filed a claim on a product?

I have a 2 year warranty on my iPad (1st generation), which thankfully includes accidental damage protection. Last night, DD(age 2 1/2) gave my iPad a bubble bath. Literally.

So, I started the claim with Square Trade today and they emailed me a prepaid UPS packing slip to send the waterlogged iPad in for repair. If they can't repair it, the rep I spoke to said they'll send me a check for "the current replacement cost for the item". I really doubt they can fix it, as it lay in a tub with bubble bath soap for at least 10-15 minutes before I discovered it. It's still dripping water 24 hours later, and I can see bubbles under the screen. Of course, it won't turn on.

After I got off the phone with the rep, I started wondering about the meaning of that phrase "current replacement cost". You can't even buy a 1st generation iPad anymore, so how is the current replacement cost figured out? I initially paid $699 for it, so is that the amount they'll use? Or, are they likely to use a significantly lower figure? The newest 3rd generation 64GB iPads sell for $699, the same that I originally paid for mine. Does anyone have personal experience with the reimbursement amount?

On a related note, it's probably not a good idea to mention to a 2 1/2 year old child, "Mommy's iPad screen is dirty. I need to clean it." When I asked her why she put the iPad in the bathtub, she gave me the sweetest smile, and proudly exclaimed, "I clean Mommy's iPad!". I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

 

[owl0306]

yes for my broken laptop a few months ago. they were amazing and i got a check pretty fast

 

[sherry7]

yes for my broken laptop a few months ago. they were amazing and i got a check pretty fast

Thanks for the reply. Was the check for the original amount you paid, or a decreased "replacement cost"?

 

[wvhokies]

Hubby's kindle got stepped on by our 5 year old. Crunch! A check was sent to us really quickly without any deductions!

 

[Neesy228]

My laptop took a nice big drink of fruit punch thanks to my then 4 year old daughter. We sent the laptop in, they couldn't fix it, so they quickly direct deposited the amount we had originally paid for the laptop. My laptop was only 2 years old, so I don't know if that affected the amount we received or not.

 

[Fyrefly]

I believe when I got a warranty for my tablet it said that I was insured for either the repair of the tablet or the replacement cost, whichever was more feasible. In my paperwork the replacement cost appeared to be the cost of the tablet itself (and thus the amount I paid for a policy for), because one of their selling points is they give you back your money to buy a new one, not a depreciated value of what the item is actually worth as happens with many in-store warranties. Hence the term "replacement cost."

Hopefully someone who has cashed in will be able to clarify.

 

[tinkerbelle77]

My husband shattered the screen on his iPad and they were great repaired in and had it delivered back to us within a week of me sending it to them. No problems at all!! Good luck! I have a 2 year old that sounds a lot like yours!!