Dropping a smartphone is basically inevitable, but it’s usually one of those mistakes you want to handle in private, and move on like it never happened. Instead, it usually involves a long journey to the repair shop that forces you to toss the mangled phone on the counter and fess up to your butterfingers.
A new app from Peach is looking to make the whole experience less excruciating, and save some time in the process.
Using the sensors in a smartphone, DropBot performs an assessment to detect damage to phones. Then, it provides ways to get started with a claims representative right away, who can remotely guide the customer through options like scheduling an appointment with a technician, or ordering a new phone.
Download for iOS
The free app, which is available on the App Store, keeps with Peach’s mission to disrupt the insurance market for device warranties. The company’s first app lets customers compare device warranties. With DropBot, instead of paying a deductible when customers break their phones, the app offers a way to get repairs free of charge.
“We are holding the insurance company that warrants the phone to the agreement so there is no run around and the customer ultimately benefits,” said Luke Cooper, a former in-house counsel at State Farm Insurance who cofounded the company with Chris Garvis following a stint at Techstars.
They’re also marketing to businesses as a way to save time when employees break their phones. Cooper said the app is already supporting a large number of Lyft drivers. For them, downtime would mean they couldn’t be on the road making money.
While DropBot currently focuses on smartphones, the Peach team is currently working on expanding the service to other devices, Cooper said.
Stop dealing with crappy insurance companies when you break your phone. Download DropBot now: https://t.co/ttErLvEROz @DropBotKnows
— Eric Sauter (@theEricSauter) July 9, 2015
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