Destroyed Phone. What are my options?

Mobile Tech Phones & Tablets
1

So i have tmobile. Recently my phone got a train run on it by a bunch of cars on a busy street. RIP Xperia Z3.

I used my mobile protection service for the first time (after paying $10 every month for 2 years) and found out that

1) I will have to pay a deductable of 175 for a new device.... so much for phone insurance.

2)And that the Z3 is no longer in stock. Which means i can get bumped up to a phone of equal or greater value.

When i called i was put off by the $175 price tag especially when i loyally paid my bill and never ruined or lost my phone until this moment. However the lady did offer me the Samsung s6 Edge + as my replacement. I had no idea what kind of opportunity was in front of me. I said i would call back and finish the transaction. That was 2 days ago.

I called today because price tag or not being a family man means i need a phone. And this one lady (who sounded very unhappy and like she just could not be bothered) told me i was eligible for an HTC one......... What? Apparently it's based off of what they "have in stock" at the time of the call. So in 2 days all of the Samsung 6's just up and disappeared and now i have to settle for a 3 year old phone.

Should i just continue to play this phone tag game until they have a Samsung available again? I feel like i missed a golden opportunity and I may never see it again. T_T

Edit: I forgot to ask. How in the blue hell do i go about retrieving data from an xperia that ONLY charges. I honestly dont know if its powered on or not.

Situation Edit: Status update:

Called the claims people back, they are really cheap and unsympathetic. They said i could not receive anything better than the HTC one m8 or honor the previous offer of the S6 Edge + because my phone has an equivalent in value phone available in stock. Then because of that I am also not eligible for their reimbursement program where i buy a phone outright and they send me a check for the difference between its price and the $175 deductible.

Sooooo basically there are no options to upgrade through the insurance system. They were very forward about saving a buck and not making an exception even though i was promised better. Honestly was a little humiliating and almost like a slap of reality. This is a dog eats dog world.

I called tmobile and they did say i could go forward with the claim, pay my deductible and receive the new HTC one. Then go ahead and use my plan's jump feature to upgrade that phone for free (if within a certain scope) or pay the difference of the HTC's value for a phone outside of said scope.

This is all just an elaborate system to get me to invest more and more money and it's really annoying. I may be getting a new phone from tmobile, but I'm going to be looking for every opportunity to break free of that ugly market.

2

Call them up and tell them when they get a Samsung in stock to hold it for you, and then to call you.

3

I would rather have the HTC tbh. That said, for not much more money you could have a NEW phone of the nexus or one plus variety (they will send you a refurb through the insurance).

4

Join Ting. Buy a phone out-right. Don't pay for phone insurance.

5

Why a 3 year old phone versus a one year old phone with a 1440p display? Am i missing something?

6

I'd personally rather buy a phone outright than deal with contracts and other BS, but that's just me.

I mean at $10/month for two years and an additional $175 you're out $415 total, which is enough for a rather nice phone.

Also, [insert generic usage questions here]. Would you actually completely utilize a high end phone?

7

Just buy a like new note 4 for around 200 and slap a 10mah battery in it and have it for at least another 3 years.

8

I would never take a samdung unless it was a note, Id take that maybe. I personally like having freedom to do with my phone what I want. Which is why im still rocking the Nexus 6p which cost me $350 straight up.

This so much this. My phone bill with my wife on it is like $55 a month (were on project fi so it fluctuates based on data usage).

This also not a bad idea. (dont know about that battery size though LOL)

9

My wife is a slave to the apple market.

And i would definitely love to try some indie data stuff but i really want to avoid any headaches from potential garbage options or my wife nagging because service is garbage.

If ya'll could get me on track to cheap realiable service that compares to 4glte then I'd happily consider it and even cheaper phone options.

Honestly, i would not use any smartphone to its full potential atm, but i like the option of being able to do a lot if i do need to. Plus, 1440p screen, dayum i would love that. Really the samsung s6 edge + bump was a golden opportunity and im super salty i missed it. That doesnt mean i need that phone. I just dont want something older than 2 years.

10

Note 4 is one of the easiest to root and put a custom rom on because it's such a popular phone. So if you like you can go completely stock android.

That's what I did after my phone broke because it's the only phone I've really been in love with other than some Chinese ones in a while.

Only downside is if you don't want to deal with custom rom Samsung ruins android with their bloated shit.

11

Note 4 has a better camera than newest iPhone and 1440p

12

Dayum, you're really making a case for this phone.

You've, peaked my interest. How about service assimilation, would i be able to just buy it anywhere and use it? Or would i have to consider lesser known service options. Are there services on par with tmobile/verizon?

13

Thats just a designation of signal. I get LTE just about everywhere I go in around town. Project fi in particular is using TMo, Sprint, and US Cellular towers. They are whats known as MVNO (mobile virtual network operator). Theres lots of carriers like this. If you are on Verizon or ATT then you probably wont get as much reliability per se but that entirely depends on the area. TMo and Sprint are big where I am so I dont have any issue, but if youre kinda out in the boonies it can be a different story.

I dont get why though. I mean I guess an argument could be made about the quality of the battery in a used device but if its new theres no reason why the phone wouldnt be good.

That really isnt hard to find even in a 3 year old phone. QHD has been out on phones for some time now.

Last time I looked into them, doing that broke the stylus functionality. Is this still the case?

14

I live in NYC/Yonkers so i assume service is fine. However, my 2-phone service plan from tmobile gives us 20 gigs (10 each) for 170. On Project Fi thats $200 for the same amount of data and thats not even getting into the service fees of 20 dollars each. So 240 a month. Not sure that it benefits me.

That is pretty clear now. So i thank yall for that.

15

They're all over online. Like most phones you have to go with a CDMA or GSM option unlocked or unlock it yourself. If you go CDMA you'll be able to use just about everyone other than verizon and sprint. You can have any provider on the phone.

16

That is true, if you use a lot of data project fi isnt great. I was merely using them as an example of what an MVNO is. I'm on wifi most of the time so I have no need for tons of data. The service fee is 20 for the first line and 15 for the rest. Just a correction, but yeah you probably wouldnt want to switch network providers. TMo is currently the best AFAIK for tons of data.

The point I'm mainly trying to drive home is you're going to save yourself money in the long run by buying your phone straight up. Make sure its unlocked, and you're all set.

17

Depending on how much you use your phone, you might want to go for something cheap and simple. I got myself a Blu Advance HD 5.0 from amazon when my Oukitel's limited bands prevented me from using it in the US. It's a $70 phone with just 8GB of onboard storage and 1GB of RAM, but it runs near-stock android and is perfectly snappy for my use. Much faster and more useful than many iPhones of days gone by at the very least. It has dual SIM card slots and microSD expansion as well, so the lack of onboard storage is less of a concern imo.

Only has a 720p screen but at that pixel density, I don't feel a need for higher res, and the phone is so inexpensive that if I accidentally dropped it off a cliff or it got run over by a car, I wouldn't feel completely gutted.

It's no flagship, but it works really well for me.

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18

Blue energy phone was great, 5000mah battery and 1080p with fingerprint scanner. Their phones are getting better and better and are amazingly cheap.

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19

Phone insurance is literally just a scam, went through the same thing myself said fuck it and grabbed a used HTC One m8 for $100 off eBay

20

Yeah, it's really looking like that.

I have a lot of trouble searchign through all the listings. Would you be able to help me find a Note 4 on ebay

New/Used Mint/Manufacturer Refurbished
Black/White
Price- 250 or less

Would really appreciate the help.