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 Asurion is free from accountability
Posted Tue April 17, 2007 12:00 pm, by Joseph W. written to Cingular Wireless (now ATT Mobility)
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When I renewed my contract with Cingular last year, I had my first well-paying job and I wanted to splurge. I needed a camera and I liked the idea of playing videos and mp3s on my phone so I picked up the Sony sony Ericsson W600i. Since I dropped 400 on it, I thought I'd get insurance.
Well the W600i became discontinued because a lot of people were having the same problem I had. Where it rotated, the phone would break. And now, while my phone worked, the screen did not and it was dangling together by wires. So I had to contact Cingular about the equipment protection insurance to see if I could have this covered. Turned out I could and Cingular, via Asurion (third party coverage vendor), would be replacing my phone. Then, the problems started.
First, they couldn't send me a new W600i. I asked if I could apply my claim money toward a model of my choosing. "No" they say. "So what are you sending me?" They tell me the Samsung D807, and that it has comparable features. So I can't get my phone replaced, I can't pick the phone I'd like in lieu of the model that broke, and they get to choose. I explained that I was very dissatisfied with this but admitted I have no choice. The asurion rep asked me how I would like the phone shipped (DHL, UPS, or FedEx) and confirmed my address and I was told I'd recieve the phone in 3-5 days. While still at the Cingular store, I asked if I could get a "loaner phone" and the gentlemen there told me I couldn't because other customers were stealing those. Awesome. That was on a Friday and since I have only the cell phone andf no land lines, I did very little that weekend.
I waited beyond the "3-5" days I was told it would take to see the replacement. After my second weekendf without a phone, I called Asurion from work on Monday. They said they were waiting for me to confirm in fact, that it was okay to ship the D807. I asked them what they meant and was told that the previous rep put a note in there that I was going to research the model and confirm I wanted to replace my phone. That was news to me since I was already told I had no choice and they had confirmed my address and told me when to expect the phone. Livid, we went through that whole process again andf in 3-5 days, I should finally receive the phone.
When I did get the phone, I was immediately disappointed. First, it didn't connect to my computer the way the Sony did (via USB). And over every call, I could barely hear anyone and they told me that they could hardly hear me. The sliding mechanism is a little loose so when holding the phone up to my ear with my shoulder, it would slide shut and end the call. The batteries didn't last half as long as the Sony's. I called Asurion and told them that this was not the phone I insured. In fact, I would never pay money for this phone. I need something that does what I bought the Sony for, ie take pictures, record video, play mp3s and easily go back and forth to the computer. It would also be great if I could hear the people I was speaking with and that they could hear me.
The lady at Asurion assures me that she is sorry and they can send me another comparable model. I remember asking her three times "You're not sending me the same phone, right?" She said it'll be a new phone. "You sure you won't be sending the same phone?" "It'll be a different phone, sir." "You're sure?" "Yes sir it will be another phone."
Guess what?
Yup. They sent me the D807. I boxed it right back up and called them back as soon as I could. They would send me another phone. They sent me the Sony W300i. It's a phone they charge 19.99 for. It's a cheap little clamshell. It's .3 megapixels- down a whole megapixel from what I had. I was insulted. Replace my 400 dollar model with the $19.99 nonsense I wouldn't take if it came free with the contract. I spoke with a manager and after much discussion, she decided to send a W810i". She said once I got that, I couldn't complain and have the phone replaced any more. That waould be the last phone I could get.
Fine. I'll take my chances. This must be a decent phone for her to be so adamant that I not complain about it.
3-5 days came and went and no phone. I called them. They said I needed to send back one of the phones I had. I put the W300i in the mail and waited. Two weeks go by and nothing. I called them. "We're waiting for you to send one of your phones back." I old them I sent the W300i two weeks ago. She said she'd check and put me on hold. She came back saying "oh yeah, I am showing we did receive that so I will go ahead and have Sony 810 shipped to you and you should receive it in 3-5 business days". Okay.
Two weeks go by. I call them back. They tell me I need to send them the 300i. I told them I did and they confirmed that two weeks ago. They said they didn't get it. I asked them what I could do about this. They said I need to track the package. They gave me a number at least 30 digits in length. I call the post office. The post office doesn't know anything about it. I call them back. A manager says that someone over her will call me back. The next day, having not heard from them I call them back. They told me the same thing. They told me I need to send the 300i and that they will not be shipping anything until they get it. I ask them what they propose I do. Do I go to the post office and scan every box there? Should I buy another 300i to ship them? Why is this my fault?
Keep in mind, I have to explain all of this to them every time I call them. TWICE! Once for the person who answers and then again to the manager they connect me with. I have spent easily 20-30 hours on the phone and going to the post office dealing with this. They still refuse to believe I sent the 300i and when I asked "what if they (post office) never ship the package?" "We just have to wait." So I have to wait forever, and you can bet, they'll happily charge me the 50 dollar replacement fee.
I would like them to end their partnership with Asurion and actually replace my phone. Asurion has been nothing short of incompetent throughout this entire process, dropping the ball at every corner and quick to blame me each time.
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by m b Posted Tue July 24, 2007 @ 4:25 AM
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Hello Joeseph. Ill start off by saying I work for Asurion. However Ill
also say I have nothing invested in the company, Im just working there
for a summer job and Ill be leaving in a month or so, never to
return.
I am sorry to hear you had such a bad experiance with us, but I do
have a few things I would like to inform you of. Personally I do
claims with Verizon and Alltel...and every once and a while Cricket.
Hence I dont know that much about Cingular...however the policies are
usually similar between each carrier.
This all boils down to one thing: Terms and Conditions. In other words
read the fine print. This is insurance, its not like returning
something to wal-mart, people seem to forget that.
Most of the problems you listed here are the fault of human error,
unfortunately that a reality that is impossible to change, no matter
what you do.
Your story makes me sad because of the ammount of happy coustomers I
get rave reviews from everyday, Id say for every 100 customers (an
average day) I get usually around 5 that leave unhappy (or request to
speak with a supervisor to resolve an issue). 99% of the time this is
because they were not properly informed. Asurion asks the carriers
they deal with to hand out the information when the policy is
purchased, unfortunately 99% of the staff at the stores are 16 year
old kids who could care less whether you know there is a deductable or
not.
If you dont like the model the phone was replaced with be angry with
Cingular, not Asurion as the comparable model lists are all made by
them. In fact pretty much everything is decided by the carrier,
including wether they want a tiered deductable system (dif. deductable
for cheap and expensive phones). For example with Verizon there is no
tiered deductable, so a person with a cruddy Moto E815 pays 50$ and so
does the person with the Moto Q. With Alltel the E815 is 50$ and
higher up phones are 95$ (ex RIM Blackberry and the RAZRs). The
carrier also decides wether to do in-store replacements or not (ex
with Alltel you can pick up the replacement in a store or get it
shipped, whereas with Verizon its next day delivery only).
A final piece of advice: if you are concerened with time make sure you
dont send stuff ground mail with US Post, send it through a trackable
method such as UPS or FedEx, if they lose it they will help you out at
least.
I really hope you get a phone soon :)
M. Asurion Cx Rep.
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by S. Brown Posted Wed April 18, 2007 @ 12:11 PM
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I think if you read the paperwork associated with the insurance plan
you will see that Asurion is under no obligation to replace your phone
with the same model - - only with what they consider to be a
"similar"
model which may, or may not, be refurbished. Either way, Cingular
isn't going to "end their partnership" with Asurion because you're
unhappy with your experience of which I can't say is entirely
Asurion's fault. You appear to be expecting more than they are
obligated to offer.
With regards to your mailing the phone back - - did you insure it or
otherwise get some form of delivery confirmation so that you could
track the package or did you just slap on a label and drop it off?
My personal opinion is that a cell phone is just that - - a phone. If
someone wants a camera, they should buy one - - likewise with a video
and mp3 player. The more bells and whistles that are built into what
is supposed to be a phone means to me that there is a bigger chance
that one of more of them isn't going to function long term.
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You should read the terms and conditions of the insurance. It is up
to them and there discretion to send either the same or a comparative
model. If you have a top of the line phone (or close) there is
nothing that is actually comparable, and it is usually the next lower
model that they will sent. It is there discretion to send you a
refurbished phone in place of your phone. I cannot speak for the
shipping trouble but the terms and conditions can answer a lot of
questions for you.
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