As smartphone manufacturer and mobility management vendor BlackBerry turns its attention to the commercial market and gets less love from carriers, it’s launching something carriers may have traditionally offered: a hardware protection plan.
BlackBerry has unveiled the BlackBerry Care Protection Plan, which the vendor tours as an affordable hardware protection plan offering extended coverage from damage on BlackBerry’s Leap, Classic and Passport models.
“We know our BlackBerry users are productive mobile professionals who rely heavily on their smartphones to power them through the day,” said Ron Louks, president of devices and emerging solutions at BlackBerry, in a statement. “The BlackBerry Care Protection Plan gives our customers that extra confidence in knowing that repair costs are covered should they experience a mechanical or electrical failure or damage from a liquid spill or accidental drop. With convenient monthly payments, covering a device has never been easier, giving users peace of mind so that they can focus on what matters most – doing and achieving more.”
The plan’s features include:
- An extra year of coverage for mechanical and electrical breakdowns due to device defects after BlackBerry’s standard one-year warranty.
- Coverage for accidental damage from handling, from a device drop, liquid spillage or screen breakage
- A handset replacement option to minimize downtime when making a claim, as soon as the next day.
The BlackBerry Care Protection Plan is available in Canada at $4.25/month for Leap users with a $49 deductible, $4.75/month for Classic users with a $99 deductible, and $5.25/month for Passport users with a $129 deductible.
The plan must normally be purchased within 30 days of smartphone purchase, but for a limited time customers that bought a Passport or Classic since Nov. 23, 2014 can sign up until Apr. 12, 2015.