Cell phones now account for more than 40 percent of all thefts in large cities. A Fort Wright teen had his phone stolen and was surprised his insurance didn't cover it.
Local 12 Troubleshooter Howard Ain explains what you need to know in case your phone is swiped. It was stolen during an indoor rock concert April 7th. Debbie Dorning's 18 year old son Jeremy was sitting and watching the show. "Between 11:30 and 12:30 he felt somebody reach into his pocked and he's like oh oh. And he looked and he saw the person but they took off running and he has a broken foot."
Jeremy just recently bought the iPhone. When he got home he contacted Verizon and had the cell phone, similar to this, turned off. But now he needed a new phone, he called Verizon again. "He finally got to talk with somebody and they told him you're going to have to pay 169 dollars to get your phone back and he said what. And I'm like that doesn't make any sense if you're paying 9.99 dollars a month insurance for the phone."
The insurance policy Dornings son signed up for clearly states there is $169 deductible when it comes to replacing his $600 phone. Dorning was surprised because Verizon rolled much of the phones cost into the two year service contract. Her son only paid a little over $200 out of pocket for the phone. "I said is there a way to trace the phone maybe since its an iPhone. My sister has one and isn't it possible you can trace the pone. Well does he have this App. on it and all this stuff."
There are several apps that can help locate a phone, but Jeremy didn't have any on his phone. Meanwhile, Jeremy now has lots of bills to pay. "He's like now I have to pay $169 for a phone plus I have to pay a phone bill and I don't even have a phone."
Another way to cover the loss if your phone is stolen is to charge your monthly cell phone bill to a Fifth Third Bank credit card. Fifth Third will give you $150 you can use to buy a new phone. Meanwhile, the nation's cell phone carriers are teaming up with federal regulators to make sure your phone gets locked down if its ever stolen. And a database will soon prevent thieves from being able to reactivate it. that's expected to eventually dry up demand for stolen phones.
