The problem is that Sam didn't say what kind of warranty he was talking about, a manufacturer's warranty or an extended or after-market warranty.

A manufacturer's warranty rightly should not cover damage caused by the user; it should only cover the device failing on its own.

An extended warranty can range from something as simple as just extending the manufacturer's warranty for a longer period to a total loss policy (although that's more like insurance than a warranty).

If Sam's warranty was the manufacturer's warranty, it sounds like his treatment was correct. You wouldn't expect an automotive warranty to cover damage in an accident, right?

If he had additional coverage, we can't know whether his treatment was correct without seeing the actual terms and conditions of the warranty.

It's well known that electronics and water don't mix, so I wouldn't expect a lot of warranties to cover water damage. Now if I bought an umbrella, I would expect water damage to be covered. :D

Steve

As has been said Water damage is not a manufacturer defect but consequential damage. that is why the total loss coverage Zealot mentioned is important for expensive mobile devices like phones and laptops is important.

I always take total loss coverage, since I need it. I have sunk one phone in a fountain, had one run over by a car, smashed the faceplate of one on a doorknob, cracked the case of another on a broadsword (long story) and had two stolen.

Total loss...it's the only way to go.

What is interesting is that I had an extended warranty (through Assurion) for my son's phone and, when it broke outside of Verizon's one year warranty, Assurion would only replace it if it was physically broken, was lost or *got wet*. When I said that it just stopped working, the woman said that wouldn't be covered. When I asked if it would be covered if I dropped it in the backyard swamp, she said yes. Then she said that kids often break their phones by sitting on them, and that would be covered. That is what ended up happening. ;)

Back on topic, I think that water/liquid damage (as well as physical breakage) is not covered by warranty because it is almost always caused by consumer neglect of the device, rather than a manufacturing defect. Device manufacturers want to make sure that their customers are protected from a failure that they cannot control. Spilling coffee is something that you can control (whether it is an accident or deliberate.)

I did think it was funny, though, that Assurion's warranty is like a bizarro version of Verizon's.