I'm so angry.
I've been paying for insurance through Verizon to Asurion for years for a blackberry, not getting any upgrades. Recently I lost my old 8350 Blackberry Curve. My contract had expired with Verizon in September but I kept paying my bill AND insurance @$5.18 a month for (single tier, whatever that is). I went to the Verizon store, and asked for a comparable phone I could replace it with. The 9730 BB Curve, a slight NEW upgrade was available to me for $79.00, but when i told them I had lost the phone they directed me to Asurion. I would have to call them and get my replacement next day.
Confident that I was paid up to date, i went online to that "phoneclaim" site and started filling in the onlne form... Until i came to the very end when I'm informed that I would be charged a $99 deductible! I nearly fell off my chair. All I wanted to replace my lost BB Curve, not buy a new iPhone or Android! I went to see if there were lesser choices, but that was it. I was being forced to pay 100 bucks for what would be a refurbished, outdated phone and that was that. I immediately called Asurion, thinking there was something else. I was not about to fork over a $100 deductible for an old phone, especially when i had been paying insurance on said phone for over 2 years. I remember signing up for the thing for $50.00. What the heck happened? An incremental raise in price was understandible but double the deductible for a used phone is absolutely preposterous!
The guy on the phone (at Asurion) was very nice, and gave me the scripted "I'm sorry you feel that way sir", schmiel and then insulted my intelligence with nonsense car insurance analogies that could not possibly compare to insurance on a phone! For one, car insurance is required by law, and phone insurance is not. If this is Asurion's only defense to ripping off customers Verizon better find another insurance company to push to their clients. I am considering going to TMobile or Sprint. Looking at thier plans... And not taking insurance if it's Asurion again. I don't care if I pay more if I lose my phone again.
My beef is the following:
- Insurance is for "in case shit happens" right? We pay a premium so that if something happens to your phone, they replace with like phone. Thats it, simple.in order to make more money (a.K. A rip off customers) they sometimes require a reasonable deductible. OK, what is reasonable? Well, I already pay nearly $70 a year in premiums, more than I pay for life insurance. $10, $20, ok $30 to make it a total of $100. For the year. That would cover the costs of the refurbished phone they are providing, which they get for free from customers sending in their broken phones and shipping. Add business overhead for a 10 to 20 employee outfit (according to http://start. Cortera.com/company/research/k3s3qvp7p/asurion-insurance-services-inc/). Not too bad. Make it $50 bucks, as it was not too long ago, and I think it would still be reasonable. How did they think doubling that would be ok. I'm not asking for an Android or IPhone replacement, it's an outdated, used blackberry for Christ's sake!
- There were no other choices! There were no cheaper alternatives. You pay monthly insurance, you lose your phone you STILL have to pay for the replacement... They just call it a "deductible". The phone is not worth anywhere near what they are asking. RIPOFF!
After a sprited discussion i requested a supervisor, who tried to hand me the same story, they "can't change anything", "it is what it is". Again, very nice gentleman, but not connecting as a customer... He only handed me the scripted comments they are told to repeat to justify overcharging a deductible. I wasn't having it.
Getting a new phone without insurance. Im better off. At least i know I'm not paying into something that will not payoff.
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