Strange Phone Insurance Claims

Disasters in data

• Insurance data reveals dropping phones down the toilet is the most common way Brits damage their handsets
• Pesky puppies and dogs accounted for over 300 phone insurance claims
• Real case studies reveal some of the funniest ways Brits have broken their phones

The most common accidents in the data set came from people dropping their phone down the toilet.

While dropping phones down the toilet is one of the most common causes of damage, losing phones in taxis (505 claims) and breakages caused by dogs (302 claims) come in 2^nd and 3^rd on our chart.

The UK’s strangest insurance claims

Blame it on the kids

Children were often blamed for claiming on a phone insurance policy. One customer said: “I was at home after work in the evening and I was getting my children ready for bed. I put my phone on my bedside table whilst explaining the importance of brushing teeth. When I wasn’t looking, my 18-month-old son got the phone and decided to drop it into the toilet”.

Watch out for the portaloo

We’ve all been there, needed to use the toilet at a music festival - cue the portaloo. One unlucky person succumbed to this, claiming “Last Saturday I was at a party, went to the portaloo with my phone light on and accidentally dropped my phone down the toilet.”

That must sting

Animals also seem to be a major factor when it comes to people breaking their phones with reasons such as: “A wasp flew on me at a theme park, and I dropped my phone face down and now the top of the screen is cracked” and “my phone fell off my leg when a spider crawled on to me.”

Make a splash

It is one thing to accidentally smash the screen of your phone but watching it disappearing into the depths of the ocean is gut wrenching: “I was on a boat, slipped on a ladder on the back of the boat and fell, my phone slipped out of my pocket and fell in the sea.”

In a slurry

Probably one of the most unlikely places you might expect to drop your phone, one anonymous person explains: “I was at work and my phone dropped down a slurry pit.” They add: “This would not need reporting to the police as it was not lost anywhere except at the bottom of a huge slurry pit on a farm, no one is going after that phone trust me.”

Top 9 clumsiest mobile phone users:

The data didn’t only highlight some of the weird and amusing ways Brits are breaking their handsets, but also gave an indication as to some of the most frequently claimed models:

Richard Gray at Insurance2go commented: “When it comes to mobile phone damage, it is not always as straightforward as a cracked screen. Damage can be caused from most of our everyday activities including walking, physical activity, cooking and even going to the toilet.

“Now, people are reliant on their phones and other gadgets more than ever, so it’s important to select a specialist insurance provider that can repair your handset quickly and efficiently.”

Follow the link to find out more information about Insurance2go’s mobile phone insurance options.