A reader bought a Samsung Galaxy S3 and it was "my first proper expensive phone". Took out insurance with Mobilecover.ie, "in case the worst happened".

“I took out the highest level and most expensive policy just to make sure that I would be covered in all situations.”

Then the worst did happen. He had his phone in the pocket of a hoodie he was wearing while doing a bit of work in the garden. “I came into the house, took off the hoodie, left it in the kitchen with the phone still in the pocket and went for a shower. When I returned to the kitchen the hoodie was gone because my housemate, who was doing laundry, had put it in the washing machine.”

The phone was destroyed and our reader was devastated. He contacted mobilecover.ieand made the claim. It was declined on the grounds that the assessor felt he had not taken proper precautionary measures to ensure the safety of his phone. He appealed the decision only to be turned down again.

He says his policy is supposed to cover theft, loss, liquid damage, accidental damage and a few other items. He has read through the terms and conditions “and at no point does it point out that I wouldn’t be covered in the event of an accident that was out of my control”.

“In the event of something going wrong, a paying customer should have a sense of security with an insurance company but it turns out that I now feel completely ripped off and taken for a fool.

“I just can’t understand how they basically say, that’s it, no cover.”