DS15 has ruined his mobile phone - IPHONE 5

[user1473872482]

My son has completely ruined his mobile phone. Dropped on pavement lots of times and dropped in the sink full of water as well. At the moment it is in a bowl of rice to see if it absorbs the water. His contract runs out in January and it is his birthday in a couple of weeks. Would it be worth getting him a new phone for his birthday?

I am going to step aside and away from the blame and judgement that seems to make so many people happy here and go straight to the measurable things.

1. would you have re-signed a contract for him if he hadn't damaged his phone?
2. was the damage willful or due to negligence, or accidental?
3. are you comfortable paying for his phone?
4. what sort of phone would he like?

If you would have bought him a new phone when the contract expired, what about asking him to contribute the cost of insurance, and the cost of a rugged case (water and shock resistant)? Aside from being frustrated at the clumsiness of a teen, have you talked with him about it?

Due to the damage history, can he understand why you might be hesitant to buy him a newly released, top of the line phone? How is he willing to bridge that gap?

He will soon be an adult. This is a good way for him to get a taste of making an adult decision.

Or, you can follow the punitive recommendations of other knee-jerk posters... I guess that is up to you.

As for water resistance, LifeProof cases are fantastic. My DD's iPad (which is her main mode of communication) has been through the bath tub, a swimming pool, many rainstorms, countless drops etc, and is still pristine. They are available for many different devices.

I got my Dd an I phone 4, next month we will be upgrading it. Not sure what to, it depends on price.

But she is only getting another one because she looked after this one. She was fully aware that if she didn't she would be getting a cheap phone.

No she doesn't 'need' one. But that's what she asked for and it was a cheap contract as the 6 was out.

Updates don't work anymore and I assume the 4 is obsolete.

I seriously dont understand why anyone has a smart phone, even an adult. Just get him a phone that texts and phones. Surely the phone is just to keep in contact in case of a emergency. My last 99p phone did that job well. Am i in the dark ages or something but when at uni i remember queuing to use the phone as a good way to make friends. Take it that doesnt happen now. ☹️

I gave my 10 year old my old iPhone 5, as we have now allowed him out to play where his friends live (about 3 streets away) he phones us when he what there and he phones us when he gets returning, it also had the added bonus of finding my iPhone.

He had it 8 months and the screen cracked after the ball hit his pocket with the phone in, and then about a month or so ago, we went camping and our now replaced tent leaked and he woke the next day with it in a puddle.

We are buying him a new one for Christmas, as the iPhone is everything we want for him as a parent and everything he wants for a phone.

Does he want a new phone for his birthday?

LOL @ a 15yo doesn't need an iPhone - very few people need an iPhone. Which is maybe why the OP is suggesting it as a birthday present?

I'd probably get a replacement 2nd hand phone to get you to the end of the contract. I'd also get him a very tough case. My 11yo managed to smash 2 iPhone screens in a week. She doesn't need an iPhone but it's the best phone for what we want her to be able to do.

I don't have contracts for my DC though, I'd rather by up front and PAYG....but I have insurance on my phone.

Insurance and a hefty case is the way to go

Londonrach, the most obvious reason for getting a smartphone is that so much teen communication happens over Whatsapp, Snapchat and Instragram which you can't do on a dumb phone.

I'm forever dropping my iPhone's and I'm 44 lol, mines on contract and also insured which is very necessary for me lol, is that an option? Both my sons phones are insured as well those they are smartphones tho expect dad will get 14 yr old an iPhone next as we r now separated and it will make him look good lol

Londonrach reasons why people have a smartphone:
Checking email on the move
Looking up train times and delays when commuting
Shopping
Reading
Listening to music
Browsing the Internet
Taking pictures
Watching films/tv on long commutes

Not that hard to imagine really why someone would want one is it?

OP I would get him a cheap mobile to tide him over until his contract runs out in Jan and then upgrade (assuming you were going to keep the contract anyway?) apparently otter boxes are good cases for clumsy users. Alternatively it might be cheaper to buy him out of the last 4 months of his contract then get a new contract and phone with another network. I've just done this for my neice who had her iPhone stolen it was £270 to buy her out of the contract vs. £300 for a second hand phone.

Did he have an iPhone that got ruined? My Dd is a clutz and she broke every iPhone through dropping. Samsung seem more robust.

I smashed my phone screen, paid £60 to get it mended, then smashed it again a week later. It's easily done!

I am now looking at all the recommendations of robust screen protectors - I'm 42.

Op - has your son got a job or savings? Can he pay to get the phone repaired? Seems like a good compromise...

See if you can upgrade the contract early. I always ask a few months before and they let me. Sometimes I've had to pay, other times I haven't. Just paid £90 to upgrade my contract 11 months early but got an iPhone 7 so it was worth it.

I seriously dont understand why anyone has a smart phone, even an adult. Just get him a phone that texts and phones. Surely the phone is just to keep in contact in case of a emergency. My last 99p phone did that job well.

Nobody needs a smartphone. Nobody needs a television or a washing machine or, well, any number of things. Your 99p phone may well have done a Sterling job of phoning and texting butit didn't do any of the other useful things a smartphone can do. A smartphone is not just a phone.

OP with that track record, I wouldn't be getting him another. DS1 is hard on phones. I bought him an £8 phone when he lost his first iPhone and, TBH, it didn't really teach him anything. I leave it up to his father to replace them now, which he does as birthday/Christmas presents - only ever secondhand or refurbished returns though. I have not bought him another since that cheap phone about 5 years ago.

I've had a 3s, 4s, 5s and a 6s and, despite dropping them all a few times each, I have only just cracked my first screen. I don't think they are anymore "notoriously delicate " than any other phone. A friend has smashed each of his last 3 Samsungs.

DC are with GiffGaff. £10 a month for about 100 minutes (and no more if you have no credit but they are nowhere near that amount ever.) unlimited texts and 2gb of data. No contract, just a rolling monthly "goody bag" that you can change or cancel whenever you want. They can't go over the data allowance either as it just runs out, although they are offered the option to pay for more. I would never go back to a contract.

Hi and thanks everyone for some useful comments apart from GabsAlot for implying my son is a brat just because he accidentally/clumsily dropped and ruined his phone. If you have nothing useful to say then say nothing at all.

Anyway getting back to the point my son has said if he could have another phone as a early birthday present. He doesn't mind if it is not a Iphone as long as it is a decent phone. I have told him that he has to take care of his phone if we get him one as next time he will have to save up and pay for it himself. We are looking at getting him a second hand phone.

This happened to DS, except he left it in his swimming shorts and jumped in to the pool.......

That was in August, contract (shared sim) due to finish end of September. He bought himself a £20 PAYG cheapest smartphone to tide him over, then had his new phone when the contract finished. It's on the understanding that it's his very early Christmas present.

Would that work for you?

Have you spoken to your contract provider? Some allow to upgrade earlier. And get some good insurance and shockproof case.

Oh come on - how many adults have smashed their phone or dropped it in water??

Stop being so sanctimonious.

I'd get him a 2nd had iPhone 5 to replace it with - and a good case - and probably switch into a giffgaff aim only deal in Jan.

My DC at that age were dreadful with phones, by the time the contract was nearly up they would have a smashed, battered, barely working phone. I never got it, my phones still look new when a few years old.

I would buy him a sim free phone for his birthday then when the contract runs out switch to a sim only deal, that way instead of buying his phone over two years on a contract and a birthday present as well, you are on,y buying the one phone. I did that for DD in a similar situation only it was last Christmas. Win Win for you.

As a teen, my sister deliberately flushed her phone down the loo to get a new one! It's not unheard of for the status-conscious youth to try such things to get an upgrade .

I would maybe initiate a little period of waiting for the new swanky one - he can cope with a cheap £10 phone til January, surely? And if he looks after it and doesn't break it, THEN he can have an upgrade. Learning to care for expensive stuff is an important part of growing up, maybe?

can get a reasonable refurbished iphone off ebay

I seriously dont understand why anyone has a smart phone, even an adult. Just get him a phone that texts and phones. Surely the phone is just to keep in contact in case of a emergency. My last 99p phone did that job well

Uh, right ho love.

Music, iplayer, camera, email, maps, fucking around on the Internet...

So if I didn't have my smart phone and got your 99p thing I'd also have to buy an MP3 player, camera, a laptop or iPad to do email and Internet on, and I'd have to go back to using a paper AZ.

Also people use their phones to keep in touch with friends and family in non-emergency situations. What a strange viewpoint. It's not 1989 any more.

🤔 Is it just me - or is that emoji on londonrach's post an Apple emoji? Which would suggest they have either an iPhone or an iPad? Do you get the "emoji keyboard" on a Mac?