Sprint preparing an iPhone warranty?

[dgstorm]

Good news for the more clumsy Apple customers on Sprint. Rumor has it that Sprint is working on an iPhone warranty service entitled “Total Equipment Protection”. The announcement was made public on SprintFeed which explains what will be included in the service.

For those unfamiliar with TEP this represents an insurance program with a monthly premium of $8 a month which covers your device in case of it being lost, stolen and more importantly damaged. The TEP tops over AppleCare+, thus extending the number of accidental repairs by two (which still cost $49 servicing fee) for a one-time payment of $99. To acquire TEP customers have a 30 day period after purchasing their devices. So basically it means, that interested parties would have to pay $192 compared to just $99 for AppleCare+’s two year coverage. The publication goes on to say that:

“There’s no word yet if the iPhone’s variant of TEP will carry a different premium or deductible from current offerings, but hopefully we’ll hear something official from Sprint and Asurion very soon.”

There is yet no clear indication why Sprint decided to bring back the service. Nothing official has come out of the carrier yet. Back in 2011 the company announced that it will not provide complete coverage for the iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S, leaving customers only with the option of paying $99 for the standard AppleCare+ package!

Source: Sprint reportedly working on iPhone warranty | TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog