As smartphones have become our daily companions and are an increasingly frequent “toy” of younger users, then increasingly often there are times the couple of hundred euro worth toy falls on the ground, gets broken or otherwise damaged, which punches a decent hole in the family budget. The number of claims paid by BTA Baltic Insurance Company (hereinafter – BTA) for damages to smart devices and computers in August of this year has been 15% higher than the same month last year, and this number keeps rising from year to year. Particularly often the ones damaged are devices used by children.

In nearly every company of friends or class you can see a smartphone with a cracked screen or even a full-screen “cobweb” of cracks. This is also confirmed by statistics. BTA most often receives claims attributing the damages to phone dropping from the pocket, slipping out of hands, being pushed off the table or even run over by a scooter. The range of accident sites is diverse – sports grounds, yard, school, stairwell and even one’s own apartment, which only confirms that you cannot feel absolutely sure about a smart device being completely protected anywhere.

Dropping a smart device most often results in a cracked screen or internal damages, why the device can no longer be turned on. Repairing one requires an average of 120 euros, according to BTA’s data. But, not unfrequently the device is damaged beyond repair, and then a sigh of relief is the luxury only of those, who have had their device insured, receiving indemnity for repair or purchasing a replacement device.  

“Although parents often give their previous smartphone to their children, comforting themselves that damaging it will not hurt so much, when it actually breaks… you anyway face the chance of being urged to buy a next one. Even adults themselves are not always able to protect their smart device, be careful as you want. We have learned from insurance claims that accidents happen in the most common daily situations, and often the one to blame is not the owner, but someone other. Things happen – someone accidentally takes a seat right on a device left on the couch, or children topple a flower vase on the device while playing, or even the device’s own vibration mode pushes a more slippery device over an edge to the floor. Insurance protects against unexpected expenses and allows to face the bad news more relaxed,” explains Kārlis Liepiņš, Director of BTA Insurance Claims Handling Department.

This year we see laptops getting more often on the damage list. Dropped while taking from one room to another, liquid spilled on the keyboard, a glass of drink splashed on the device. The increase in the number of damaged computers can be easily explained by the working from home and remote learning, due to which the portable devices are used in a variety of places, including the kitchen.

About BTA

BTA Baltic Insurance Company is one of the leading insurance companies in the Baltics, offering the broadest range of non-life insurance services in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. BTA employs more than 1,000 employees in the Baltics. The sole shareholder of BTA is Vienna Insurance Group AG with close to 200 years of experience in the insurance business. With about 50 companies in 30 countries and more than 25,000 employees, Vienna Insurance Group is a clear market leader in its Central and Eastern European markets, and takes care of more than 22 million customers. Vienna Insurance Group is the best-rated company of ATX, the leading index of Vienna Stock Exchange (since 1994) with a rating of A+ with stable outlook from Standard & Poor’s; its share is also listed on the Prague Stock Exchange. Vienna Insurance Group works in close partnership with Erste Group – the largest retail bank in CEE.

Additional information:
Elīna Zvejniece
Marketing and Public Relations Department Director
BTA Baltic Insurance Company AAS
e-mail: elina.zvejniece@bta.lv