18-30s most likely to smash their smartphone on holiday

 

Younger travellers getting sand in cracks sees mobile phone insurance claims shoot up in July and August.

If you’re going away on holiday this summer, you’re inevitably going to take your smartphone with you. However, you might want to think twice before taking it to the beach.

July and August are big months for mobile phone insurance claims, with more than half of those claims the result of sun, sand and sea damage as handsets are left at the mercy of the elements due to most beachwear lacking pockets.

This is according to 2011 data from Geek Squad, the technology support partner of mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse, which also showed that over a third of claims are blamed on theft and loss.

Unsurprisingly, younger travellers are responsible for the majority of claims, with 40% made during July and August attributed to those aged between 18 and 30. Young women were found to be the most careless.

Agent Hollie Brown from Geek Squad said: "For many people, their mobile phone is as an essential piece of their beach kit as their bikini. Many of us don’t even bother taking a camera on holiday anymore because we prefer to use a smartphone instead.”

Brown added that holidaymakers should think about protecting their phone by insuring it, getting a case and screen protector, or downloading a tracker app in case it gets swiped as it won’t cost them much more than the cost of a cocktail.

Photo by jardenberg

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