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My phone was forcibly stolen from me this week, reported it to police/insurance/network. It was a 2022 iPhone 14 Pro which has been discontinued as Apple release new devices every year. I paid for it outright from Apple at the time. The equivalent device on sale now would be iPhone 16 Pro which costs the same as I paid for my stolen phone.

My insurance has offered 3 remedies:

1. a replacement phone of the same model, however as this phone is no longer available, it will be refurbished/second hand(!)
2. a “cash” remedy, they haven’t said how much yet but it seems they’re not going to give me what I paid for the phone
3. a currys gift card of higher value than the cash remedy

this is my first ever insurance claim, AIBU to think none of these remedies are suitable? If they give me the value I paid in cash, I’d be fine with it, but it seems they’re trying to fob me off with the second-hand value. I don’t think a second hand phone is a equivalent remedy to my stolen phone. Also Currys has poor customer service/high prices/shorter guarantee than John Lewis etc, I don’t understand why the remedy offered is higher via Currys. Surely they should decide on a value and keep it consistent. Instead it feels like the appropriate remedy may only be offered via a Curry’s gift card.

You had a two year old phone stolen. They’re offering you a two year old phone.

When did you buy it? The insurer will be valuing phone that has had a certain amount of use. As you say yourself, phones that have had some use are worth less than new phones.

You won't be getting an upgrade on your insurance. I'd go with refurbished as that's like for like.

unless you pay extra for a policy that gives you new goods for old, insurance will be like for like which is what you’re being offered

Unless your cover is new for old, you are being offered pretty much what you lost. If the Curry’s gift card is higher value, go with that, unless you want the same phone as you had, of the same age.

Unless you have a policy that specifies new for old the you will not get what you paid 2 years ago. You will get either a 2 year old refurbished phone which will.be equivalent of.what was stolen or you will get the value of a 2 year old phone.

Does the policy specify new for old

What would you be wanting? A new phone?

Insurance is designed to put you back in the position you would have been pre-loss, not make you better off.

Unless you have new for old as others have said.

I recently bought a refurbished iPhone 14 directly from Apple. You really can't tell as they replace the entire outer casing, original box etc. Unless your policy is new for old, that's about the best you can hope for.

It's a used phone. If you did not get a "new for old" policy, you are going to get the phone's current (i.e second-hand) value.

It is new for old in my insurance policy.

The phone isn’t available for sale anymore, so they can’t possibly offer me a new device. This is why I feel fobbed off.

I don’t want to buy something major via Curry’s as I know their warranty/guarantee isn’t good, and from previous experience they have been poor to deal with. It’s not just about the initial purchase, but the potential support from the retailer in the future. They’re not a retailer I’d buy something valuable from if I had the freedom to choose like I could with the cash payment. I don’t think think it’s an appropriate remedy to give me the value of my claim in the form of a Curry’s gift card instead, as that isn’t in the full insurance policy wording. I feel misled in taking out my insurance now.

It really depends on the policy wording. New for old doesn’t mean an upgrade but something to the same spec as what you had. Insurance is to put you back in the same position as you were unless you pay for a different sort of policy. If you were claiming for a TV that is 10 years old and was the latest spec at that time you wouldn’t get a new TV now which has the latest spec in todays world as that’s an upgrade- you’d probably end up with a TV that is now bottom of the range but still the same spec as your 10 year one. If you don’t want that TV then you can have the cash equivalent or pay the difference to get the upgrade.

Op - you will probably find if you read your policy that the insurers can replace via their preferred supplier or give you the equivalent to what it would cost them with their preferred supplier - they probably get a discount with currys. It’s all in the wording of the policy you paid for.

New for old just means you won’t be penalised for depreciation in value and can get like for like. The iPhone 16 even if the same cost as what you paid is an upgrade on the spec you would have had. You’re not entitled to an upgrade on spec unless you have a policy that says you can.

You have a downer on Currys, I've bought many things from there over the years and never had any problems at all. Are apple phones so poorly made that you're expecting to need a long guarantee? Although not apple I've had loads of phones and never had a situation where I've needed the guarantee. I dont think the insurers are being unreasonable

@Hercules12 I’m not posting about a 10 year old TV. My claims concerns a 2 year old iPhone, the capabilities are current - “bottom of the range” would not be not an appropriate remedy. My insurance documents are quite scant on details and doesn’t mention anything about Curry’s or preferred suppliers. There’s nothing to indicate their approach at all, which is frustrating as I would have cancelled the policy had the documents been clear.

I’m with an insurer with all the bells and whistles (and is premium priced), and I am not impressed with their approach.

I've never had a problem with currys. What is your issue with them?

I don’t think Apple phones are poorly made. However I have needed to use a warranty in general, across companies and products, to know it’s something I value in a retailer and would be silly to not look out for. Curry’s was awful with my washing machine and printer for example.

Plus my phone is fairly valuable and I’d use it heavily on a daily basis; I might not need/care for a guarantee for a cheaper item or something I don’t use as often.

@Hercules12 is right, your insurer will have a deal with Curry's that means they can offer you say a £600 gift card, but the cost to your insurer may be more like £450. That's why the gift card has a higher value than a cash settlement.
If you can afford to replace your phone yourself there is a way to force their hand, so that you get back what your replacement costs you less your excess.

Op - the 10 year old tv was an extreme example. The point was to show new for old still means equivalent spec to what you had. Insurance is to put you back to the same position you were in prior to the loss. I don’t know much about iPhones but I would think top of the range 2 years ago is not the same spec as top of the range now- technology advances. Maybe it’s midrange now.

The policy is unlikely to mention currys itself but more of what it costs them to replace it.

If you need to use an extreme example, then perhaps your argument is flawed. You also seem to be making assumptions but it doesn’t match up to my policy wording.

The iPhone Pro line in particular has had incremental upgrades in the last 2 years. The camera is still the same for example. Apple does sell midrange devices and my “Pro” premium line device is more high spec than eg the base iPhone 16 on sale now. I wouldn’t see that as an equivalent replacement.

thanks for the tip about informing them I have already replaced the phone - I can do that now and just use whatever they provide to offset the cost.

When I worked in insurance I recall thinking it was shit that we were offering someone whose expensive brand name tv got broken, another one with the same features but a much cheaper brand.

Felt a bit shit.

I thought you break a Sony you get a replacement Sony. Nope. You get a goodmans at a third of the price.

Delicious apples- I felt the same when offering hsamuels or goldsmiths jewellery to people who had beautiful family heirlooms stolen.

op - who is your policy with? They will have their policy booklets online