Letter from insurance carrier and Alltel that 7135 would not be replaced with same as stock is low and the product is being put to pasture so to speak. Have not had this phone even two years and paid a premium $399. Currently pursuing someone other than customer service to lodge my gripe but am not holding my breath.

The insurance company did offer a replacement phone but stated very clearly in bold letters that it would be a Non-PDA phone.

That is precisely the reason I dropped my insurance entirely. I could hear the screw-you juggernaut coming. About a year ago before they changed the plan and increased the rates, Alltel said it would stop covering the 7135 at all. Then they changed the plan and upped the cost (they charged more for a PDA-phone than for a non-PDA phone) and put the 7135 back under coverage. Now it is, in effect, being dropped again since any claim will, as glennyarbrough points out, not be honored with an equivalent PDA-phone unit. At least Verizon replaces the 7135 with a Treo 650. You would think that Alltel would do the same. If I still had insurance and if my Alltel 7135 crapped out, I would insist that it be replaced with a Treo (both being PalmOS based).

I am surprised that they are replacing them with non-PDAs. If it is based on comparative costs - i.e. the new V710 costs wholesale as much as the 7135, but 1/3 as much as a Treo, then they need to SUCK IT UP! Losses are part of the risk supplying insurance. If I was insured, I would place a claim today and INSIST that the replacement MUST be a 650, as it is the only phone of comparable features. The insurance stipulations have always stated in the fine print of the policy that if an exact replacement is not available, then a COMPARABLE phone will be substituted.

Looks like its time for the Alltel people w/insurance to be proactive!

The letter states that the following phones would replace the 7135 but again stating that these phones do not have integrated PDA Functionality:

Motorola V710
Nokia 6255i

Most companies try to take advantage of customers if the customers let them. Alltel is no exception. As thaxman points out the insurance agreements specify a "comparable" replacement. I would not accept anything less.

Contacted Alltel's VP of Product Management today and will see if I get any response related to my extreme dissatisfaction. Again, not holding my breath.

you might be able to buy a warranty through squaretrade. i got a 2-year replacement warranty on a 7135 i just got off ebay today for $9.99... i figured for $10, what the heck?

__________________
yes... i'm a newbie...