Mobile Phone Insurance Review
CUSC
CUSC Mobile Phone Insurance is known as FoneGuard, and has been around for some time. It was probably the best policy before the
MPI UK policy entered the market.
CSUC is a reputable company, based in Chichester, West Sussex. Their FoneGuard policy's key failing was its lack of
loss cover.
A secondary failing they make is that their Terms & Conditions are not on their website, which leaves many questions unanswered for the customer.
We have heard of a few complaints from customers that their insurance claim was not honoured and not paid out, but we cannot vouch for that.
On the whole they are fairly reputable.
Why is the CUSC policy rated so highly?
CUSC is well priced at £39.99 for the year, or £49.99 for more expensive camera phones. Apart from the absence of any loss cover, it does give
good cover protection. As the old saying goes, "You pays your money, and you takes your choice". If you want loss cover, go for the
MPI UK, if you are not worried about
losing your mobile phone, the CUSC is a sound policy.
Similar to MPI UK, the company behind the FoneGuard policy has proved reliable and ethical.
Water Damage
Yes, CUSC cover you against water damage.
Theft
Of course, you're covered for theft. Theft claims have an excess of £25
Loss
They now cover for loss, although the exact terms are unclear. Loss under what circumstances? Insurance companies are known for 'wriggling' out of claims whenever they can. Always ask for FULL Terms and Conditions before you buy.
This is a major flaw in their policy, given how high the proportion of mobile phone loss is compared to theft.
If you want full loss cover and full Terms & Conditions cover get the MPI UK cover.
Fraudulent Calls
CUSC cover you for fraudulent calls that someone wracks up after they have stolen your phone, up to £1000. You must report your phone as stolen to the police within 24 hours.
They do not stipulate that they will cover calls made between the phone theft and the theft being reported (as
MPI UK do), so it is ambiguous. We will investigate and report back here.
International Cover
From the CUSC Frequently Asked Questions page - "FoneGuard is valid worldwide and you may therefore take your mobile phone with you when you travel abroad"
... Which is better than most policies, which either don't offer international cover, or charge through the roof each month for it.
Extended Warrantee
FoneGuard covers you for general breakdown of the phone. Nothing special here - it should be in any worthwhile policy.
Accidental Damage
They will pay repair costs if your mobile phone is damaged as the result of an accident. If it cannot be repaired or if they decide it is not
economical to repair (ie totally broken), they will replace it with an item of equal specification as the insured item.
Other key factor to consider
- The cost of the policy - At £39.99 for the year, or £49.99 for more expensive camera phones, it is good value SO LONG as you do not want protection against loss.
- The underwriting company - The company behind FoneGuard, CUSC, has been established for over 20 years, and are well respected in the industry.
- The speed of the claims procedure - They send you a cliams form when you call them. This means that the speed of the claims process is not great - they post the
form to you, you fill it in, and post it back to them. You have already lost a couple of days at least.
- Any no-claims bonuses? None. Take a look at our
money saving secret.
- Different payment methods? They have online ordering, and postal ordering.
- Monthly or annual installments? They offer annual instalments of £39.99 for the year, or £49.99 for more expensive camera phones, and monthly instalment payments of £3.99.
- Excess Payable? £25 on all claims.
Summary.
CUSC's website is clean, but fails to answer a number of important questions about their policy, such as exactly what phones are covered, up to what value,
is breakdown covered etc. We had to specifically request their full Terms & Conditions, in order to have these questions answered.
That said, the policy is sound, as is the company's reputation. Again, the key failing (apart from their websites ambiguity) is that they do not give clear outlines of the loss cover.
For this you will need the MPI UK policy.
An overall good policy, with good value for money.
You can order the FoneGuard insurance online at CUSC.co.uk
Top 3 Mobile Phone Insurance Companies
- MPI UK Mobile Phone Insurance
- Fonecare
- CUSC
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