Clumsy Brits are hanging onto smashed smartphones as concerns over the cost of repair means consumers are putting off paying for fixes, according to research from gadget insurance provider Protect Your Bubble.com.
Three in 10 (28.6%) mobile users are currently walking around with their devices broken in some way – 15.9% of busted devices have cracked screens while one in 10 (10.2%) are losing battery power quicker than they should be.
Worryingly, more than a third (36%) of compromised devices are damaged so badly that they actually impacted the ability of consumers to use their handsets.
When asked why they were putting off these key repairs, a third (33.1%) said that they couldn’t afford to fix them right now while a quarter (25.7%) mentioned that they were waiting for their current contract to run out to they wouldn’t have to pay additionally for repairs.
Those hanging around for their current smartphone contracts to run out might be in for a long wait – 55.8% of Brits damaged their handsets in the first six months of owning them, despite the average pay-monthly contract running to 24 months. Over a third (35.1%) of mobile users are currently in these two-year deals.
With the price of smartphones pushing ever-higher – and the Samsung Galaxy Fold threatening the £2000 mark when it was revealed last year – consumers are more and more worried about the cost to fix their devices. Over half (57.3%) say that the thought of having to pay increasing amounts to have their mobiles repaired in the future fundamentally concerns them.
James Brown, director of gadget insurance providerProtect Your Bubble.com, comments, comments: “As more premium brands release smartphones with four figure price tags and technology of ever-increasing complexity, the cost to fix smartphones has continued to rise in step with the technical know-how required to make these repairs.
“Unfortunately while phones are now smarter than they were a decade ago, they are also more fragile than ever. When you think that half of smartphone accidents are down to simply dropping them on the floor, it’s easy to see why so many Brits are walking around with dinged devices.
“Of course, all of this serves to highlight how UK mobile users need to be especially careful when handling their handsets. Clearly waiting for your pay-monthly contract to run out so you can upgrade to a new device isn’t a practical thing to do in the long term. For Brits who balk at the idea of shelling out lots of money for fixes, it’s worth considering that the longer they wait, the more likely a damaged handset becomes irreparable. Whilst unexpected repair bills are always difficult to swallow, what may feel like a cash saving tactic could result in having to buy a costly new handset.”