She is hardly alone. While there are no readily available statistics indicating how many phones are lost each year, a Yankee Group survey of 2,900 households with wireless phones last September found that 19 percent had bought cell phones in the last year to replace lost ones.
Most wireless providers offer insurance plans to cover loss, theft or damage.
But consumers who have tried to replace lost or stolen phones covered by such plans say they have some drawbacks. But the biggest complaint seems to involve the requirement that a customer file a police report in a case of loss or theft. Brenda Raney, a spokeswoman for Verizon Wireless, said the company offered insurance as a convenience to its customers, but she pointed out that the programs were administered by independent insurance carriers. When a cell phone is lost or stolen, she said, the phone company makes sure that the service is suspended. A Sprint PCS customer is responsible for charges incurred before the company is notified about a lost or stolen phone.