trackball problem and equipment protection plan question

So my bb curve 8320 is a year and 30 days old which puts it just out of manufacturers warranty. The problem is when i roll the trackball sometimes it wont scroll. I took it to the store and they replaced the trackball, cleaned it with the air can, reset the phone, and the problem still occurs. Luckily it seems intermittent as today it seems to be working fine, but of course i want it to work all the time.

So the cs rep tells me to file a claim with the insurance company since i have the protection plan. Then i find out i have to pay a deductible!?!?! I was not aware of this and i am shocked! After i pay $72 a year for the protection i still have to pay $165 to get a new phone?!?!?!

I am going to hold onto the phone i have for as long as i can get by with it, but i imagine someday it is going to quit working completely unless i can find a repair solution. Is my only option to pay the stupid deductible? And what are your thoughts on equipment protection plans? Worth it? Or throwing money out the window?

Fo rmost people insurance can be a bad thing. Remember that the insurance company has to make money, so for a normal person, they will lose money. If you are one who has a habit of dropping phones, leaving it on the car when you drive off, etc, insurance can be a good thing.

The benefit for a normal person is that they limit their expense. If you are on AT&T for example, you have several choices at this point (assuming your phone totally dies) (I assume Cinci Bell is similar). Go to the store and get a new phone. Since you are under an existing contract, you pay full price for the phone, maybe $300-$500. Here the insurance saves you some cash since you are only out your $165 (+monthly fees). So the cost is smaller at a given time.

Now, you could if this is a GSM phone, buy one on ebay for example, and just swap the SIM card. This might get you a used phone for the same price as your insured cost. Note that you might be buying someone else's headache.

Other options are available.

For me, the plan isn't worth it since I take pretty good care of my phone. My son might be a different matter. He has a habit of not treating the phone with the best care, and I expect he would see some sort of failure.

thats a good point ericvn...i appreciate your thoughts, thx! Its true if the phone becomes unuseable i will not have to pay full price for a new phone. I cant believe they cost $300 in the first place:O

Is this trackball scrolling problem a common one? I saw a couple of threads about it but most people seem to have been able to solve it with a cleaning or a new trackball. that hasnt helped me so im not sure what to do next.