Does phone replacement warranty cover 'modded' BBery's?

**bumblesbounce** · 06-04-2009, 04:09 AM

My refurb is about to go off its 90 day waranty, if I modify my Bold with trackball, bezel, housing and stuff like that (dig the whiteout, but I'm gonna go for a RED OUT) will the phone replacement insurance still cover it as far as lost, stepped on, dropped in the sink or such...I'm figuring they won't cover any mods that I add that break.
Sorry if this is a beat to death thread but I couldn't find it elsewhere...

**dictoresno** · 06-04-2009, 05:12 AM

no it most likely wont. if you have read the millions of threads concerning disassembly of the BB in order to mod/customize it, you will learn that taking the housing apart to expose the main board will void your warranty. theres a small sticker over one of the screws where techs will be able to tell it was removed and disassembled. some people are able to replace it carefully, but im sure if you returned it, RIM will know and not cover your warranty claim.

**bumblesbounce** · 06-04-2009, 05:24 AM

Originally Posted by dictoresno

no it most likely wont. if you have read the millions of threads concerning disassembly of the BB in order to mod/customize it, you will learn that taking the housing apart to expose the main board will void your warranty. theres a small sticker over one of the screws where techs will be able to tell it was removed and disassembled. some people are able to replace it carefully, but im sure if you returned it, RIM will know and not cover your warranty claim.

Um...yes I've seen all the threads regarding dis-assembly and rebuilding; that's why I was very specific in my post. Did you read my one single post; or just glance through it? I said my Bold was out of warranty soon and was curious if the phone replacemnet insurance would cover a 'modded' Bold...phone relacement insurance is different from the warranty.

**bumblesbounce** · 06-04-2009, 05:29 AM

Originally Posted by thedirective

i dunno
why dont you read your service providers TOC

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

could not find the situation directly addressed in my TOC...

**dictoresno** · 06-04-2009, 05:32 AM

ah missed the replacement insurance bit. i would say that its iffy on if it will or wont be covered. the insurance company might specify they will only cover unmodded phones, things that would void your warranty also may void claims for insurance. its kinda like having your auto insurance claim getting tossed out the window when you crash your car, because you were driving on non DOT approved, off road only racing slicks during a rainstorm. catch my drift? insurance companies will do ANYTHING to avoid paying out. if they can prove you tampered with the device in a way inconsistant with their guidelines, they can toss your claim and say you caused the damage even if you didnt. but then again, maybe they are very lax with their claims and dont care. you will have to talk to them. some auto insurance companies pay out for modded cars, some wont, and you will be stuck with just the value of the car minus other parts.

**noaim** · 06-04-2009, 05:43 AM

Originally Posted by bumblesbounce

My refurb is about to go off its 90 day waranty, if I modify my Bold with trackball, bezel, housing and stuff like that (dig the whiteout!) will the phone replacement insurance still cover it?
Sorry if this is a beat to death thread but I couldn't find it elsewhere...

I would say its probably unlikely. The reason being it could be put into the "intentional damage" type thing

as you are not a certified technician.. to install such modifications..

I can't guarantee this but your best bet would be to call them.

**bambambedrocks** · 06-04-2009, 06:07 AM

I had an 8900 from which I had used my fingernail to scratch off the silver paint off of the plastic bezel that goes around the phone. It had a radio hardware issue and dropped calls on the daily. I took it in and the rep. from TMobile explained that it was still covered under insurance granted that I did not open up the device or "abuse" the device in any way to have a hardware issue.

**ilovemileyyy** · 06-04-2009, 06:30 AM

I'm sure if you change the housing back if it broke, they wouldn't care. Asurion get's like, 15,000 claims a day, and they make money off of them, so I highly doubt they would really pay attention to one phone.

**Syco54645** · 06-04-2009, 06:38 AM

say that it was stolen or lost. if that is covered then you can still claim. lost would be better as you dont have to file a police report.

**chelseytx** · 06-04-2009, 09:39 AM

i did see another thread on this a few days ago, from what i understand, no it wont. warrenty covers manufacturer defects for one year. and insurace is a catch-all for anything else. and you can not void that as .... well i dont know where i was going with this, but yeah, i dont think it will void it.

let me see if i can try and find the post.