Complaint Review: Assurion ATT cell phone insurance

I am writing this report today because I feel victimized by ATT and ASURION by purchasing a service that is not what was described at the time of purchasing a cell phone.

My son damaged his cell phone and instead of repairing it we entered into an ATT Next agreement for a new Samsung Galaxy S5. The sales rep suggested obtaining insurance since my son already damaged his phone once, for peace of mind.

This past weekend, the phone was stolen and ATT was contacted immediately and suspended the phone and reported it as stolen. The nice ATT rep said “oh good you have the extended coverage so let me put you through to ASURION so they can help you get your phone back.”

ASURION said well it's not that easy. Your son never downloaded the locate app that was texted to him so we can't locate the phone. If you want a new phone you have to file a claim and if it's approved then we will charge you $199.00 and send you a refurbished phone.

I thought I was going to have a stroke... The charge for the phone is $199.00, forget that wanting to be nice to my kid I bought into the Next crap and agreed to be taken advantage of, by paying $600 for a $200 phone. Now I have to pay $200 and get a used phone?

After fuming for a week, I called again today to see what they are talking about. This is insurance, right? The deductible can't possibly be the cost of the product. Well I found a few things out... Insurance is obviously not insurance for me, but for ATT so that they can continue to squeeze $$$ out of their customers.  And you find out how good customer service is when you have a problem.

Here is what ASURION had to say, when I offered to pay my $199.00 deductible and have them terminate the contract of the non-existing now phone without getting a new phone, I was told that they are not in that type of business and they are not part of ATT, they are only a company that offers a replacement phone if the claim is Approved...

When I asked to be put through to the CEO's office and I asked the same question, I was told that this can't be offered to me because they would be held liable for deceptive insurance practices…I guess since this is not something they offer to any other sucker that pays them $6.99 and up for non-existent insurance, they could be held liable for deception....

So here is the summary:

I will still be paying $25.00 per month for a device I do not have.

The insurance premium that I have been paying and the insurance coverage I enrolled in, is obviously not insurance, since they will not pay off your device rental fee after you offer to pay the deductible.

The replacement device you are getting is not guaranteed to be free of defects or new like the one you had lost/stolen and the process and length of time it takes to replace is not reasonable under any insurance standard.

Even though the device has been stolen and you can't get a new one since there is no guarantee from ASURION you will, you are still expected to continue to pay not only the rental fee but to continue and have service on the non-existent now line.

If the stolen device is taken into any cellular store, it is not confiscated because ATT is there to sell services not confiscate phones. The thief is told that the phone can't be turned on and then send on his happy way to get on the internet unlock the phone and start using it.

Even though your device was stolen, deactivated and you are obviously a little irate with the non-existence of insurance coverage you thought you were paying for, they continue to charge you an insurance premium. It's your responsibility to remove the service...

Lastly let me say that I read the insurance terms. My fault was that I did not click on the "click here" to view my deductible.

I also specifically asked the sales rep for any hidden costs. He suggested the extended insurance coverage for an additional $3.00 so that we don't have any issues if something happens to the phone. His exact words, you get a new phone if the phone is damaged or stolen "no questions asked".

I will go back to the same store and ask the same rep or his replacemrnt the same questions so that I can tape record him saying these exact words.

Their sales reps are there one day and gone the next. They either don't know or knowingly are giving misinformation when they are asked for specifics.

I believe that in order for them to claim," well you should have read it better before you signed”, they have to clearly state the deductible amount. Click here to see your tier is not disclosure. They have to specifically disclose what happens to your lease with the Next plan and what your options are in regard with insurance coverage and your device lease.

I think if my car insurance deductible was my cost of getting a new car, someone would have something to do about it.

If my car was stolen and taken to the dealer for service, I don’t think using the excuse we are not law enforcement we are just here to sell and fix cars, would cut it.

Unfortunately our Federal Government has taken our ability to sue cell phone companies as a class away, so these forums are the consumer best way to get their message across, since we can’t make them change their practices.

There is a certain level of expectation on how insurance coverage works and by simply calling ASURION insurance they are deceiving the public.

I feel this is a deceptive business practice because it's disguised and named to represent something it's not, Protection for the paying consumer.