I had my son's Nokia replaced by Asurion after a year of paying the monthly fee. The replacement arrived promptly but soon developed problems. After two weeks it would only take a charge if the charger cord was wiggled. Then my son showed me where the charger port on the phone had pulled completely out when he disengaged from the charger.

I called Asurion to complain about the defective replacement, but was told that I was past my 7 day return period. Did I want to pay the $50 and file another complaint?

This is a scam where defective phones are "fixed" and passed on to other people. They appear to have a quality control problem judging from the many complaints I've read on various sites. They're hard line to not replace their mistakes is going to catch up to them.

Write your phone carrier if you have problems with them. If you are considering insurance with them- be warned.

About two weeks ago, I lost my phone. I called Verizon, and they told me that I would have to call Asurion and file a claim. I went to Asurion's web page and filed a claim and paid the $50 deductible for a replacement phone. I received the replacement phone 4 days later. The refurbished replacement phone had a bad LCD that turned yellow whenever a certain area of the LCD was pressed. I called Asurion, and they apologized and sent me another replacement phone. Three days later, I received the second replacement phone. I sent back the phone with the bad LCD and began using the phone. I noticed right away that the hinge on the phone was loose, but it didn't seem to affect the prformance of the phone. After using the phone for about a week, I noticed that the screen seemed to lock up for no apparent reason. I called Asurion and was hung up on by the person who answered the phone. I tried calling back, waited about 15 minutes on hold, then decided I would call them later. Three days later, I called back and spoke to a person in claims, who told me that I would need to call back after 7:00 AM, since the department I needed to speak to was closed. I called back later that moring and talked to Joanna. She told me that she would have no problems replacing the phone. She asked me if the phone had been dropped and to remove the battery to make sure it had not gotten wet, then put me on hold for about 15 minutes. When she came back to the phone, she apologized that I had waited so long on hold, but that she was not permitted to replace the phone because it had been in my possession for more than a week. I asked to speak to her supervisor. After waiting on hold for about 10 minutes, she came back and said she was transferring me to her supervisor, Roger. I waited about 10 more minutes on hold, then Roger came on the line. He told me that all they could do is file another claim and charge me another $50 for a replacement phone. He began quoting the policy and said that since I had gone 1 day past the 1 week time period, there was nothing he could do.

BOTTOM LINE: DO NOT EVER EVER GET THIS INSURANCE UNLESS YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY SURE YOU CAN NAVIGATE THROUGH THEIR SHADY BUSINESS PROCEDURES.

If you want the short and simple, ignore my story

MY TIPS FOR YOU:
1) make sure you read the contract agreement
Asurion only covers the phone you first sign up with. The conditions are you have to be using that phone(kinda obvious) and that it's the phone you bought from your provider.
2) take a picture of the back of your phone w/o the battery & cover, it has to display the IMEI # clearly.
This is one of the accepted 'proof of ownership' they accept. I lost my phone so I didn't have this option.
3) call and make sure they get all your documentation, do not let them push you around
They are shady, read the asurion reviews of people who worked there. Most of them will tell you how Asurion workers are told to lie to customers.
4) make copies of your documents and keep them on file with all your information(claim id etc), this makes the process faster.

MY STORY:
Asurion has gotten worse. The first time I lost my phone, there were hardly any hassles or problems, and they replaced my phone quickly. However, now that the economy is getting worse, they're beginning to show their true colors. I filed a phone claim, which is usually done online and over the phone. However, they decided to have me fill out a hardcopy and either fax it in or mail it in. I don't have a fax machine, and it costs $2 per page to fax at UPS, so I mailed the documents. I waited a while and called back to find that everything checked out except my proof of ownership. Initially I considered this my fault and resubmitted the application along with the requested documentation. They wanted the IMEI number on the back of the phone, but apparently simply giving that number over the phone is not good enough. I spent a hour at a t-mobile store trying to something acceptable, and got a device history, which was 'acceptable' by T-mobile sales associate standards, I faxed that over. Hours later, I was rejected, saying that those forms were incorrect. I got a store receipt and faxed that over twice, both times stating that they did(the 'documentation' department) did not receive such documents. I finally did it a third time. Hours later I got a call back, and in my mind I believed I'd finally made it through, but no, some other person tells me that I've been filing for a different phone, a razor or some such phone I've never owned or used. I correct the person, he comes back and says nokia n75, I corrected him AGAIN, and finally he comes back saying that the phone claim I filed for was rejected again. Not only that, but because I had filed more than 2 times, they will not accept anymore phone claims for the lost phone...that's very shaddy.

Keep in mind this was about the 10th time I called, and the 15th person I'd spoken with. Finally after being frustrated out of my mind, I was transferred to the CSO, apparently the highest authority figure in the company (turns out Kenya was her name and she 'spoke on behalf' of the CEO). Her statement was that I should have read the contract more carefully and that they couldn't replace my phone, and that they would not accept anymore claims from me. Also, I had switched my phone, which they didn't cover. They had to wait an entire month to tell me that oh, by the way, your phone is uninsured. I went through all of that crap for nothing, essentially. I also lost a years worth of insurance money(like $70) because their premium is non-refundable..wtf

To all the people complaining about the insurance and the refurb phones they get, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FOR $50?

A NEW cell phone can cost from $150 to $500! What would you rather pay upfront? $50 or $500? Yeah, that's right, you would pay the $50. The reason why the cell phones are cheaper initially is because you sign a CONTRACT to get the cell phone at a lower price.

If you don't like having the insurance, GET RID OF IT. Then pay for your replacement phones at full price.

Or better yet. Take care of your cell phone and you won't have to worry about getting a replacement!

The warranty on replacement phones is worthless! In December 2008, I received a cell phone after filing a claim for a lost phone. Immediately the phone began to have freezing issues. On February 1, 2009 the phone would not unfreeze so we visited MetroPCS for repair. MetroPCS explained that the phone was under warranty since it was a replacement phone from the insurance carrier - Asurion. I spoke with Asurion who sent me a UPS label to return the phone. I returned the phone and NEVER received another one. After multiple calls and lengthy discussions, I was told today (March 25, 2009) that they would not be able to replace it. Asurion reported that the phone was damaged when received. I requested that the phone be returned since I paid the $85 deductible. I was then transferred to "The Office of the CEO". There I found a general voice mail box set up for customers to leave messages. I paid $299 for the original phone, $85 for the replacement phone, $120 for 4 months of service, and $30 for the insurance totalling $533. I DON'T EVEN HAVE THE BROKEN PHONE TO SHOW FOR IT ALL!!!

Is anyone willing to send emails to local news stations to give Asurion some additional marketing opportunities?