Shattered screens, robot voices and broken buttons – just some of the dilemmas faced by the typical British smartphone owner, as current repairs total nearly £1billion due to lack of insurance.
Four in ten (42%) of those polled have damaged their devices at some point
As mobile phones rapidly become one of our most pricey lifestyle investments, new research has uncovered that approximately 2.4 million people are currently walking around the UK with a broken screen. According to the new survey, commissioned by Nationwide Building Society, more than two thirds (68%) of mobile phone owners do not have any insurance on their handset; leaving them at risk of being out of pocket should an accident occur. This is leading to us ‘putting up’ with smashed screen, poor battery, faulty buttons and below par sound; despite more than a quarter (26%) saying they couldn’t last up to a day without their handset.
Four in ten (42%) of those polled have damaged their devices at some point, with the three most prevalent issues being broken screens, battery and software issues. When it comes to how people damage their phones, dropping it was the most likely reason (45%), with a fifth (21%) dropping it in the toilet and a further tenth (11%) dropping it into a full sink.
The most likely part of a phone to be damaged is the screen, with the research showing six per cent of the adult smartphone population are currently using handsets with shattered or split glass – equating to 2.4 million Brits3. Of those who had cracked their phone screen in the past, almost a quarter (24%) have done so three or more times.
Due to this lack of cover, many are left with lingering issues until they can afford often expensive repair jobs. The poll of 2,000 UK smartphone owners shows Brits go an average of six months without repairing their broken screens, while two per cent go two years or more before getting their phones fixed.
The cost of fixing typical mobile phone problems can be expensive, particularly where more than one type of damage is experienced at the same time. The average costs per item according to the poll are smashed or cracked screens (£55), water damage (£54) and cracked reverse of the phone (£43).