Survey suggests your phone is likely to be broken, lost or stolen by end of the contract.
Almost half (48 per cent) of mobile phone users are locked into 24-month contracts and a fifth of us are locked in for 18 months. However survey results from mobile insurer Protect Your Bubble suggest that the average mobile phone doesn’t last to see the end of that contract.
The survey indicates that the average ‘survival time’ for a phone is just 15 months. Of those phones that don't make it to the end of their contract it seems a third are broken while one in seven is stolen. One in six is permanently damaged by liquid.
Not surprisingly it seems phones are particularly at risk when they're in the hands of children. Almost one in five under-16s either lose their phone mid-contract or have it broken or stolen.
You'd be hard pressed to buy a decent mobile for less than £200 if you pay for it outright – and for top-end models expect to spend in the region of £500. The beauty of contracts is of course that they enable you to spread the cost of the handset. The downside though is that if something happens to your phone you could find yourself paying for a handset you no longer have.
The problem is worse for children; almost a fifth of under-16s had their phones broken lost or stolen with their average handset lasting 11 months. Of these children more than four in ten break their phones while almost a quarter lose them or have them stolen. It's estimated that 3.3 million people – (12 per cent of those on pay-monthly deals) – are left without a working phone by the end of their contracts. Many make do with an old handset or cast-offs from friends and family.
How do you ensure your mobile lasts at least as long as your contract? For one thing it’s worth having a read through our guide to prevent your phone falling into the wrong hands.
So far as drops and spills are concerned you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to protective cases and covers here at Mobile Madhouse. Find your phone by clicking on the manufacturer here. Next click on your phone and see what we've got available. You won't be disappointed!