Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
Flagship-level Android smartphones are costly. As one would anticipate, fixing considered one of these pricey telephones isn’t low cost, both. For this reason yow will discover dozens of insurance coverage applications on-line to cowl any unintentional harm your cellphone would possibly expertise. One among these applications, Most popular Care, is run by Google.
I pre-ordered a Google Pixel 8 Professional on launch day in October and have been loving it. Having gone by way of a pricey restore of a smartphone prior to now (my Galaxy S21 Extremely was thrown onto asphalt at an amusement park), I impulsively signed up for Most popular Care with my buy. Sadly, just a few weeks after receiving the Pixel 8 Professional, I ended up dropping the case-less gadget whereas getting out of a automotive, shattering the again glass within the course of. I used to be not blissful.
On the time, I assumed getting the Pixel 8 Professional fastened could be a snap as a result of I had neatly signed up for Most popular Care. Spoiler alert: in the long run, I did get a substitute Pixel 8 Professional and it’s been clean crusing ever since. Nevertheless, my expertise getting that substitute and with the service, typically, was not almost as clean as I might anticipate from an organization as giant as Google.
Do you have got insurance coverage on your cellphone?
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What’s Most popular Take care of Pixel Gadgets, and the way does it work?
All smartphones include a restricted guarantee. The size and protection of that guarantee differ from gadget to gadget and even nation to nation, however virtually none cowl issues like unintentional harm. As a substitute, it covers manufacturing defects or different issues not brought on by the gadget’s proprietor. You’ll want a paid insurance coverage program in order for you safety from one thing you do to the cellphone or just wish to lengthen the guarantee interval past the default.
Google’s program for this, Most popular Care, covers something with the phrase “Pixel” within the title launched inside the previous 12 months or so (the oldest cellphone you may enroll in the intervening time is the Pixel 7). Signing up lets you get repairs or replacements on your gadget by way of Google’s companion, Assurant. The plan covers varied issues, equivalent to fall, water, or electrical harm. The one issues not coated are negligent harm (such as you actively hit it with a hammer) and loss or theft.
Most popular Care is insurance coverage on your Pixel product, providing you with peace of thoughts that no matter occurs, you can afford a repair.
Google primarily fulfills insurance coverage claims by way of a mail-order substitute system. After submitting a declare, you pay a payment (which varies based mostly on the gadget and harm), and Google sends you a brand new gadget that’s as shut as attainable to the one you might want to be repaired. When you obtain your substitute gadget, you switch your knowledge, toss your busted cellphone into the identical field, and ship it again to Google. You might have two weeks to finish this course of earlier than Google expenses you the entire worth of the substitute (within the case of the Pixel 8 Professional, $999). Assurant oversees this course of on behalf of Google. Assuming you do the whole lot appropriately, you’ll have a brand new cellphone at a decrease value than it could’ve taken to restore the cellphone with a third-party firm, equivalent to Asurion (previously often known as uBreakiFix).
On high of the one-time restore payment, you’ll additionally must pay for a Most popular Care subscription, which should be lively to file a declare. This worth varies from gadget to gadget. It prices $12 per thirty days for the Pixel 8 Professional or $249 for 2 years of protection.
For the Pixel 8 Professional, it is $12 every month for protection, however that does not embody your restore deductible.
To forestall folks from breaking their cellphone, signing up for Most popular Care, getting it fastened, after which canceling, Google limits enrollment into this system to inside 30 days of your authentic buy. As soon as that 30-day interval expires, you may’t enroll that gadget in Most popular Care anymore and might want to search repairs from a 3rd get together.
Lastly, a Most popular Care subscription is on a device-by-device foundation. In different phrases, you may’t enroll all Pixel gadgets you personal with one sweep. You’ll want to pay a person subscription payment for every supported Pixel product, which may very well be fairly costly in the event you personal, for instance, a Pixel cellphone, Pixel Watch, and Pixel Pill.
Now that you simply perceive how Most popular Care works, let me let you know about my expertise utilizing it.
Utilizing Most popular Care: Submitting a declare
Step one to submitting a declare is visiting Google’s Most popular Care portal, which appears to be like just like the screenshot above. This web page reveals you the gadgets you’ve at the moment enrolled in this system with some primary data, such because the IMEI and when your subsequent cost will occur. To begin a declare, you click on the File a declare button, which takes you to a website run by Assurant.
As soon as I received to the Assurant web page, I knew I used to be in for a wild journey. The Assurant web page, as seen beneath, provides you the choice of submitting a brand new declare or checking on the standing of an present one. This might sound innocuous, but it surely represents that Google’s Most popular Care portal and Assurant’s system don’t talk with each other. This will likely be a recurring theme all through this course of.
I clicked the blue File or Monitor a Declare button and was taken to a brand new web page with a textual content field the place I wanted to enter my cellphone’s IMEI (as soon as once more displaying Assurant’s system doesn’t talk with Google’s). I entered the quantity after which was requested when the incident occurred, what sort of harm there was, and different related questions. As soon as completed, I paid my restore payment (deductible) of $129.
Inside a couple of minutes, I obtained an e-mail from Assurant saying my declare had been permitted. Nevertheless, there was no receipt for my $129 cost from Assurant or Google. In truth, to at the present time, I by no means obtained a receipt, regardless that the cost undoubtedly went by way of; my bank card listed the cost as “AGI Most popular Care”). Notably, the Google Retailer’s “Repairs and replacements” part didn’t present (and nonetheless doesn’t present) any info associated to this declare, together with my receipt for the deductible cost. As such, I used to be left at midnight to marvel if Google would even acknowledge that I paid the restore payment. All I may do was wait.
After getting my declare permitted, I used to be left ready with no receipt or notification of the method.
And wait I did. Within the approval e-mail I obtained from Assurant, it stated I might be “notified when [my] substitute gadget has been shipped.” No notification arrived, although, even over every week later. To test on issues, on November 10, eight days after submitting my authentic declare, I attempted accessing the Assurant portal, however the info I discovered there was complicated and, in some instances, contradictory. Take a look at the small video clip beneath to see what it’s prefer to test on a Most popular Care declare:
Let me clarify some stuff you see (or don’t see) within the clip:
- There is no such thing as a login for Assurant. And because it doesn’t hyperlink together with your Google account, any time you wish to test on the standing of your declare, you might want to do what’s proven within the video: enter your full IMEI and ZIP code. That is actually cumbersome.
- After I lastly arrived on the Monitor a Declare Standing web page, there was contradictory info. The massive inexperienced icon on the high stated my gadget had been shipped, however the textual content beneath Your Alternative Gadget stated I might get monitoring info as soon as the gadget had been shipped. Keep in mind, I nonetheless don’t have any monitoring info. So which is it: Did the substitute ship or didn’t it?
- On the backside of the web page is a blue Confirm button that, ostensibly, ought to inform me extra of my declare’s particulars. After I click on this, although, I get a pop-up saying, “Authentication couldn’t be accomplished at the moment.” This pop-up can’t be closed, so as soon as it seems on the web page, you may’t do anything. Should you reload the web page, you might want to begin initially once more by coming into your full IMEI. I by no means received the Confirm button to work correctly.
Frankly, this complete system was extremely clunky. It additionally didn’t give me any of the knowledge I wanted. The place was my receipt? Had my cellphone actually been shipped? In that case, the place was the monitoring data? What cellphone am I getting? Even essentially the most primary details about my declare wasn’t there.
After two weeks of ready and nothing on this web page altering, I lastly reached out to Assurant.
Speaking with Assurant and wrapping up the declare
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
On November 16 — 14 days after submitting my declare — I initiated a chat with an Assurant consultant. After some verification of my identification and going over my state of affairs, the rep defined what occurred. Right here’s their clarification, with spelling and grammar errors unedited:
I can see that your declare was licensed, however for some motive the authorization didn’t make it to Google’s. i can reauthorize the declare to resend the request, so Google can obtain it to ship the substitute. would you prefer to proceed?
Hours after this dialog, I lastly obtained an RMA discover and a monitoring quantity for the cargo. I used to be additionally despatched directions on what to do with my damaged gadget as soon as I obtained the brand new Pixel 8 Professional and a reiteration that I had two weeks to get the outdated cellphone within the mail to keep away from a hefty payment. Fortunately, this info confirmed I used to be going to get the identical Pixel 8 Professional that I initially bought. The wonderful print of Most popular Care says this isn’t at all times attainable, so I may have gotten a unique shade, storage configuration, or each.
Whereas this was all excellent news, why did it take me reaching out to Assurant to get the ball rolling? The corporate’s website advised me the gadget was on its manner, in spite of everything, and it clearly was not. If I hadn’t reached out, would Assurant/Google have ever discovered that one thing wasn’t proper?
If I hadn’t reached out to the corporate, who is aware of how lengthy my declare would have sat in limbo.
Extremely, my new Pixel 8 Professional arrived the very subsequent day. (I reside in California, and the cellphone shipped from California, so this speediness won’t be the norm). I transferred my present knowledge to the brand new cellphone and received the whole lot wrapped up.
As a result of I wished to see how this is able to play out, I waited to ship the outdated gadget again. Would Google/Assurant immediately cost me on November 30 for the entire worth of the Pixel 8 Professional? Or would I get warnings? Positive sufficient, on November 30, 2023, I obtained a “First Reminder” e-mail from Assurant asking me to please return my broken gadget. Nevertheless, the e-mail stated I wanted to have shipped the gadget again by November 26! That’s solely ten days after Assurant shipped the gadget, and 9 days after I truly obtained it.
By this level, I used to be bored with the entire state of affairs. I popped the damaged Pixel into the mail. The following day, December 1, I obtained an e-mail from Assurant saying it obtained my damaged cellphone, thus concluding my restore order.
Most popular Take care of Pixels: A really messy expertise
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
From a purely monetary perspective, Pixel Most popular was a hit. I referred to as Asurion to ask how a lot it could value to repair the damaged again glass on a Pixel 8 Professional with none insurance coverage, and it quoted me over $300. The excessive value, the rep defined, was because of the process to repair the again panel, which primarily includes taking the entire cellphone aside.
Performing some serviette math, I paid $24 for Pixel Most popular (October and November at $12 every) and $129 for the restore, or roughly half what I might have paid at Asurion. Even when I made a decision to do the restore myself utilizing Google’s official kits from iFixit, a Pixel 8 Professional again substitute would have set me again $180 — and I might have wanted to take care of the stress of self-repair. So, all in all, Pixel Most popular Care did what it was designed to do: save me time and cash.
Pixel Most popular saved me cash, however would it not have been value it if I have been in a barely completely different state of affairs?
Nevertheless, the method was obscure and messy sufficient that I don’t know if I might suggest it to anybody. My state of affairs was pretty benign; my cellphone labored wonderful the entire time I waited. It was simply the again glass, in spite of everything. However what if that wasn’t the case? What if I had actually busted up my cellphone and wanted to attend for over two weeks to get the substitute? That might have been infuriating, particularly if I came upon that my case was caught in limbo that complete time for no obvious motive.
Likewise, if I had paid for the 2 years of protection ($249), the again restore added to that will have been manner over the price of strolling into Asurion and getting a same-day restore. Additionally, I’ve already burned by way of 50% of the repairs I can declare with my plan for the subsequent 12 months. Per Google’s clarification of Most popular Care, “There’s a declare restrict of two unintentional harm claims per rolling 12-month interval, starting with the date of first restore or substitute.” I’m not planning on breaking my cellphone once more anytime quickly, but when I do, I’ll have used up all my restore allotments, making persevering with to pay for the service a waste of cash.
Pixel Most popular Care wants to supply much more to be aggressive.
The actual drawback with Most popular Care, although, is that it’s merely not aggressive. For instance, AKKO presents a plan that covers one cellphone and 25 different objects, contains loss/theft safety, doesn’t restrict the variety of claims you can also make, and maxes out the restore deductible at simply $99, all for $15 every month or $10 for college students. I’ve not used AKKO, so I don’t know the way quick/environment friendly it’s at fulfilling claims, however that listing of options leaves Google’s Most popular Care within the mud. Moreover, in the event you’re a renter or home-owner, your property insurance coverage probably covers private electronics, or, on the very least, you may name and add that protection to your present plan for a lot lower than Most popular Care.
If Google’s Most popular Care plan actually stepped it up, it could be value it. If the service had been excellent or included perks (perhaps a Google One membership?), it could be simple to suggest it to Pixel followers. However, after this expertise, I’ll in all probability cancel my subscription and search out different safety strategies.