iDropped my phone: students tell their stories

When freshman Kaley Pon’s Pantech phone fell in the toilet, she just rolled up her sleeves and went in after it. Amazingly, it was still functioning. Until Pon got a new phone, she had to use her toilet phone. However, when Pon eventually did receive a new phone after her toilet phone, her new phone eventually broke as well. Upon receiving a new iPhone, Pon decided to start taking better care of her phones.

“When I dropped [the first phone] in the toilet I was scared, and when the other one broke in half I was scared, too,” says Pon.

While there isn’t an abundance of people dropping their phones in toilets, breaking or losing one’s phone is an experience many people are all too familiar with. And with new phones costing as much as $700, accidents can prove to be minor catastrophes. According to the PR log, a free press release distribution service, $5.9 billion were spent in America on iPhone repairs alone in the last 5 years.

“I left [my cell phone] in my pocket, and when the laundry came out, my phone came out too,” says Sophomore Mellisa Leong. Surprisingly, Leong’s cell phone, a Sprint Nokia, survived the wash. However, shortly after the washing machine incident, Leong dropped her phone on the sidewalk and cracked the screen. Leong says, “If [my phone] were a child, I [would be] a horrible parent.”

Senior Travis Kwee broke his phone earlier this year at lifeguard training. “I always take my [cell phone] with me to the pool in case my parents need to reach me, and I was running a few minutes late. At training, they told me to just jump in the pool and catch up to finish the 500-yard warm up,” says Kwee. “It wasn’t until I finished the warm up that I realized I had been swimming with my phone in my pocket, and I just kind of stared at it in surprise while my fellow lifeguards laughed.” Kwee’s Samsung slide-open phone short-circuited and he had to get a new one. “[When I brought my phone home] my mom was concerned and tried to save it by packing it in a container of rice, and my dad kind of laughed and then looked up how much a replacement would cost,” says Kwee. After some research online, Kwee was able to but a replacement phone on EBay for $30.

However, for those with more expensive phones, replacement isn’t always an option. While many coverage plans offer upgrades, or replacements when one loses or damages his or her phone, there are many stipulations, and many plans only allow upgrades after 18 to 24 months. Stuck with a broken phone, many people use an old phone until they qualify for an upgrade, like how Pon had to use her toilet phone until was eligible for an upgrade.

Obviously, avoiding the need for a new phone is the priority for most phone owners. There are a variety of ways to protect one’s devices. People can protect their phones by purchasing a sturdy case, buying cell phone insurance, and simply being more aware of potential dangers to their phones—such as open toilets and washing machines.