Planos de Reparação e Substituição de Produtos Sphero: As Suas Perguntas Respondidas

Quick answer

Sphero offers two repair coverage plans: a 3-year plan for accessories and prepaid items priced under $500, and a 1-year plan for items valued under $7,000 that includes ACC and prepaid shipping. Match the plan to the value of what you own, because the plan's dollar threshold, not the product name, decides whether a repair is covered.

Repair coverage is one of those purchases that only feels urgent after something breaks. Sphero sells two plans, and the catalog descriptions are specific about what each one covers, so the decision usually comes down to the value of the item you want protected and how long you want that protection to last.

This FAQ answers the questions buyers ask most often about Sphero product repair coverage, including how the thresholds work, what ACC and prepaid shipping mean in practice, and when a plan is worth adding to a cart. The answers below use only what Sphero publishes about these plans.

What repair coverage options does Sphero offer?

Sphero lists two product repair plans. The 3 Year Product Repair under $500.00 (ACC + PREPAID) covers eligible Sphero accessories and prepaid items priced under $500.00 for three years from the date of purchase. The 1 Year Product Repair under $7,000.00 (ACC + PREPAID) covers items valued under $7,000.00 for one year from the date of service activation and includes ACC and prepaid shipping for repair logistics.

The two plans differ in both duration and ceiling. The three-year plan is built around lower-value accessories and prepaid items, while the one-year plan is aimed at higher-value products. Neither plan is described as covering every Sphero product, so check the item's price against the threshold before assuming it qualifies.

• Both plans include accessory and prepaid item coverage per their catalog descriptions.
• Coverage periods start differently: the 3-year plan runs from the date of purchase, the 1-year plan from the date of service activation.

How do the dollar thresholds change what I should buy?

The threshold is the deciding factor. If the item you want to protect is priced under $500.00, the 3 Year Product Repair under $500.00 plan is the one whose description matches it. If the item is valued under $7,000.00 and you want coverage that includes ACC and prepaid shipping, the 1 Year Product Repair under $7,000.00 plan is the closer fit.

That means a single classroom can reasonably need both plans. A low-cost accessory and a high-value robot are not covered by the same option, so build the plan choice around the specific item rather than around a general sense of what a warranty should cost.

• List the replacement cost of each item before choosing a plan.
• If an item's value sits near a threshold, confirm which side it falls on before purchase.

What does ACC and prepaid shipping actually mean for a repair?

The 1 Year Product Repair under $7,000.00 plan's catalog description states that it includes ACC and prepaid shipping for repair logistics. In plain terms, the plan is designed to handle the shipping side of a repair rather than leaving you to arrange and pay for it separately.

The 3 Year Product Repair under $500.00 plan carries the same ACC and prepaid designation in its name and description. What the descriptions do not specify is a repair turnaround time, a claim limit, or a list of excluded damage types. Treat those as open questions to confirm with Sphero support before you rely on the plan for a critical classroom device.

• Keep your purchase or activation date handy; the coverage clock starts from it.
• Ask support about turnaround expectations if a device is needed for a scheduled lesson.

Is a Sphero replacement plan worth it for a classroom?

It depends on how hard your devices work and how much downtime costs you. A plan makes the most sense for items that are handled daily, shared across multiple classes, or expensive enough that an out-of-pocket replacement would disrupt a budget. For a single low-cost accessory used occasionally, the math is less compelling.

Sphero's catalog shows these plans at a discount from their comparison prices, which changes the break-even point in your favor. Even so, coverage is a budget decision, not an automatic add-on: compare the plan price against the cost of simply replacing the item once.

• Count how many students handle the device per week.
• Compare plan price with replacement price before deciding.

Which Sphero products pair well with a repair plan?

Curriculum and classroom hardware tend to be the items educators protect first because they are used across many lessons. The Computer Science Foundations Educator Guide (Courses 1–3) is a supplemental, standards-aligned curriculum taught alongside the BOLT robot, covering 3 courses and 72 lessons; almost all lessons are fully compatible with BOLT+. The Computer Science Foundations Educator Guide (Course 2) is the single-course version, where students master block programming by manipulating sensors, loops, conditionals, variables, and functions.

On the hardware side, the littleBits micro:bit Adapter connects micro:bit and littleBits to add coding through free Microsoft MakeCode or Python, and the Blueprint Engineering Threshold Bit sets trigger points for motors, LEDs, and sensor outputs. These are lower-cost parts, so they sit squarely in the range the 3 Year Product Repair under $500.00 plan describes.

• Protect the items that would stop a lesson if they failed.
• Match each item to the plan whose threshold it falls under.

Repair plan decision checklist

Item priced under $500.00

The 3 Year Product Repair under $500.00 (ACC + PREPAID) plan is described as covering eligible accessories and prepaid items in this range for three years from purchase. Best fit for Bits, adapters, and other low-cost parts.

Item valued under $7,000.00

The 1 Year Product Repair under $7,000.00 (ACC + PREPAID) plan covers items in this range for one year from activation and includes ACC and prepaid shipping. Best fit for high-value classroom hardware where shipping logistics matter.

Coverage start date

The three-year plan runs from the date of purchase; the one-year plan runs from the date of service activation. Record the correct start date so you know when coverage ends.

Unspecified terms

The catalog descriptions do not state repair turnaround times, claim limits, or excluded damage types. Confirm those details with Sphero support before relying on a plan for a scheduled lesson.

Plan and product facts at a glance

• 3 Year Product Repair under $500.00 (ACC + PREPAID): Provides repair coverage for eligible Sphero products under $500.00, includes accessory and prepaid items, and is valid for a three-year period from the date of purchase. This is the plan to check first for accessories and lower-cost parts, and its three-year term starts at purchase rather than activation.
• 1 Year Product Repair under $7,000.00 (ACC + PREPAID): Provides one year of repair coverage for items valued under $7,000.00, including ACC and prepaid shipping, with coverage running one year from the date of service activation. The higher ceiling and prepaid shipping make this the option to consider for expensive classroom hardware, but the term is shorter and starts at activation.
• Computer Science Foundations Educator Guide (Courses 1–3): A supplemental, standards-aligned curriculum taught alongside the BOLT robot, spanning 3 courses and 72 lessons, with almost all lessons fully compatible with BOLT+. It is a multi-year teaching resource, so protecting the hardware it depends on keeps the curriculum usable across the full course sequence.
• littleBits micro:bit Adapter: Connects micro:bit and littleBits to enable coding with platforms like the free Microsoft MakeCode or Python editor. A low-cost Bit like this falls under the under-$500.00 threshold, so it is a candidate for the three-year plan rather than the higher-value option.

Choose the plan by the value of the item, not by habit: the under-$500.00 three-year plan for accessories and prepaid items, and the under-$7,000.00 one-year plan when ACC and prepaid shipping matter for expensive hardware. Confirm the details the descriptions leave open, then buy the coverage that matches what you actually own.