Smartphone replacement purgatory is a dreary and tragic state. When the tiny and fragile creatures called smartphones are defective, people who have come to depend on the pocket-sized computers and who are trapped in data plans are stuck. Their warranty or phone insurance plan might provide them with a replacement, and sometimes that replacement works fine. Other times, that replacement is just as their original phone, throwing the customer into a cycle of replacements that never ends. This is what happened to reader B. when she got a Motorola Droid less than two years ago. [More]
asurion
Former Asurion Staffer Shares Insider Tips On Making Cellphone Insurance Claims
By 12.17.12
Anyone who has seen our numerous stories about readers dealing with Asurion, the insurance provider for an awful lot of wireless companies, knows that it might not always be the most pleasant experience. Now, a former front-line customer service rep at Asurion has written in to shed some light on what CSRs can and can’t do, and the best (and worst) ways to file your claim. [More]
Verizon And Asurion Can’t Agree Whether I Have Insurance
By 11.8.12
N.’s Samsung Galaxy S3 misses and drops calls. That’s okay, though: the phone has insurance with Asurion in case the damage was accidental. As it turned out, the phone was cracked underneath its tough Otterbox case, so this issue is an insurance problem. Only Verizon can’t find any record of N’s insurance policy. Asurion assured N. that everything was fine and sent him back to Verizon. Verizon insists that there’s no insurance plan. [More]
Verizon Uses Warranty-Voiding Photo To Sell Protection Plan
By 10.25.12
The Verizon/Asurion Total Equipment Coverage Plan looks neat sitting there on the shelf, with its pretty photo of a smartphone making a splash in a cool bin of water. As tipster and photo-taker Eric points out, though, why are they showing the phone plunging into a bin of water when the protection plan doesn’t cover water damage? We’ve heard from some people who know the plan well and who have pointed out that the plan has separate components: the Verizon part doesn’t cover liquid damage, but the insurance component from Asurion does. . However, intentionally throwing your phone in water in order to take a picture is still a bad idea. [More]
Insurance Company Making It Impossible For AT&T To Replace Damaged Phone
By 8.24.11
One would think that the purpose of purchasing an insurance policy for a cell phone would be to make it easier to replace said cell phone in the event of loss or damage. AT&T seems to understand this, but Asurion, the company that provides the insurance for its cell phones, appears to have a very different view on the topic. [More]
In Case Of Nuclear Strike, Your Cellphone Insurance Is Void
By 10.29.06
Your cellphone is not insured against loss in a nuclear crisis or a warzone.
