Just like any other form of insurance, there are many mobile phone insurance companies out there all offering slightly different levels of cover. In selling they are called USPs or Unique Selling Points. The idea is to be able to differentiate between each insurer. There is nothing neither new nor wrong about this practice, but it can sometimes lead to mobile phone owners finding out to their cost that the package of benefits in their mobile phone insurance policy does not cover their particular mishap.

To offer a case in point, I have a very good friend with whom I went to school. He was always chubby at school and these days he is very `large`. He keeps everything on his person as you are supposed to for security reason, but it is where he keeps things that was his undoing.

You see, he kept his mobile phone in his back pocket. Evidently putting bulky items in his front pockets made him look even wider than he actually was!

This was fine until he decided to sit down one day whilst he was in the local pub. The seats were quite hard and as he lowered himself onto the seat, there was a resounding crackling noise! Everybody fell about with laughter. Most unkind I thought, especially the jibes about his mobile phone now being a slim line model!

Once the frivolity had died down he realized that he had damaged the facia and screen of the phone beyond repair. “I’ll have to bin it” he said dejectedly. “Why, I asked” trying to look concerned. “You have mobile phone insurance don’t you?” I continued.

He went home to tell his wife and to check his policy. Fortunately for him the policy DID have the necessary cover for it to be repaired, but he did not know that until he had called the service provider.

The moral is, do not be blinded by sales hype when taking out mobile phone insurance. Get an expert to make sure that your cover suits you other wise you may end up with a bum deal!