Forum Discussion
Assurant Damaged Device Returned - Not Recived
I filed a claim with Assurant in early February 2020- they denied it at first then after another call they approved it. I received the replacement and returned my damaged phone on 2/7/2020 via USPS using the label they provided.
I called after receiving the second notice that the phone was not received as it should have been delivered by then. Turns out it had been delivered on 2/11/2020, but there was no phone inside the envelope.
I called Assurant and was told that the envelope was sealed, but that the ends were opened. Sounded to me like the way they probably open these when they arrive and process the claim. Regardless, they said i would have to file a claim with USPS and that if they did not find the phone i would be charged non returned fee for it. I asked them to share there notes with me, so that i could use them when filing a claim with USPS, she said she could not. I asked that the call be escalated and the manager proceeded to tell me that was correct and that USPS has a contact with them and they could share information directly with them. At this time she also said that the envelope was not opened, but referenced tampered claim.
As requested I have submitted the claim with USPS, but we are almost at the 30 day mark so they will be passing a fee to T-Mobile and 15 days later it will be billed and they can not undo it even if USPS finds the phone. To say i am unhappy with Assurant is an understatement as they are going to charge me up to $600 for the damaged phone that i know was returned.
I have been a long time custom with T-Mobile and have had a couple of claims over the years and have had no issues with the damaged phone being received by Assurant. I do not want them to pass a charge over to T-mobile for something that i know is incorrect. I am asking T-Moble to review my account and help me resolve this with Assurant.
I know this post is kind of old now but my fiance is going through the exact same thing right now and it's absolutely ridiculous. He sent back the phone and apparently it wasn't in the package. Obviously not his fault. Now they want him to call USPS for an investigation. After looking at all these posts I say we just return his current phone to t mobile and surely that will take off the charge and we can just go get a new phone somewhere else with a different carrier. I hope this issue got resolved for some people but from what I am reading looks like nothing was ever resolved for anyone. If anyone has any suggestions for what to do that would be great!
Well, now my suspicions are confirmed. I just had the exact same thing happen. I got a replacement phone and sent the old one back. According to Assurant they received the package at the warehouse but now, two weeks later, it still hasn't been "scanned" back in so they are saying that I will have to pay a missing device fee if they don't find it. It sounds like they have a pretty big issue in their warehouse. The rep told me that the scan was all-important because I could have sent back an empty envelope. I'm still trying to figure out what benefit, exactly, I gain by doing that when they have my name, address, phone numbers and credit card information. This appears to be a pretty good scam they have running where they make the customer pay for things that are completely out of their control. I say this because I'm also trying to figure out why a USPS employee would want to risk a good paying job to steal a phone that is A) already broken and B) they have no idea what is wrong with it. I give credit where it's due, their replacement speed is lightening fast, but then to get hammered on the back end of that by them basically treating me like a scammer kind of cuts the enthusiasm of their replacement efficiency. Thankfully it is a cheap phone so I will just send the replacement back to Assurant and buy a new one from T-Mobile, but I will be damned if I'm going to pay Assurant for what is obviously an issue on their end. I'm also not going to pay new retail for a reconditioned replacement phone they sent me. The $50 replacement cost already covers the cost of the reconditioned phone plus what I pay every month for insurance.
Exact same situation. Package "received but already open and no phone inside" Still happening.
For those who said they would file claims with BBB or consult with a lawyer – any update??
Just want to say thank you to the last response. It appears to have work. I'm not seeing a charge on our upcoming bill.
Everything was done via email. We followed all of the steps that Assurant told us we must do (even though we knew what the outcome would be)… filed a report with USPS.. you can't file an actual claim with them because they don't buy insurance on the box they provide (we politely pointed out the irony of this.. the insurance company not paying for insurance). In our email we suggested that they take a look at the security footage since it appears the package was indeed delivered.
Thanks again for the advice. Hopefully someone puts an end to this. Until then, we will be looking for a new company to insure our phones.
One more word of advice… it didn't come to this for us, but file a complaint with the BBB if you must (this is why we followed all of the required steps, so that they couldn't blame us for anything). I noticed that they have an A rating on BBB. This is because they have resolved all of the complaints submitted. So it appears they are willing to play ball in order to keep their good rating.
It's terrible. So after I posted my last update saying we finally got it resolved - apparently we did not. They still charged us for the phone. I called Assurant and talked to 2 managers in 2 different departments. They told me that the representative who said we would not be charged was lying. And I asked what policy do they have in place to reprimand the employee who lied - she said there is not policy in place for that. Basically they are not going to do anything about it. Plain and simple. Nobody gets in trouble on their side and we have to pay the charge.
I was furious. I spend several hours on the phone that day trying to get algo to happen. But I'm not wasting any more of my time on this BS. We are looking for a new company to insure our phones.
This happened to me as well. They said is my responsibility to get a confirmation at the drop off. But usps doesn't do that. LMFAO!
robbyd44 wrote:
I filed a claim for a cracked screen in Feb. 2021. The claim was approved and I was sent a new (most likely refurbished phone). This, after I paid a $99 deductible, not to mention hundreds of dollars in insurance premiums, over the years.
A week after I shipped my old phone back to Assurant via USPS, in the Assurant prepaid envelope that they had sent me, I checked the tracking number on the USPS site. The package had been delivered. I thought no more about the matter.
About a week later I received a letter from Assurant, saying that they had not received my package. I called them, and gave them the tracking number and delivery date. The rep thanked me and said that he would take care of the situation.
This was back in Feb. Heard not a thing more about it, until now. On my May bill from T Mobile, I have a charge of $510 from Assurant for the old phone that I sent back to them in Feb.
I called T Mobile immediately, asking what the charge was for. The T Mobile rep said that he would transfer me to somebody who could help. He transferred me to Assurant!
I was then told, by the Assurant rep that they had found the package, but that there was no phone inside. So, the EXACT same story that I am reading all over the internet, as well as on this site, concerning this company.
Assurant says that they have opened a new investigation, and it should be complete in 3 days. What this means, I have no idea, but guess I will find out. Outrageously, they want me to call them back after 3 days, to find out the results of the investigation.
I have contacted a lawyer, who after seeing all of the EXACT same complaints from, literally, hundreds of people on the internet, is considering a class action law suit.
I have also contacted my representatives in the U.S. Senate, in the U.S. House of Representatives, my State Legislators, and have filed complaints with my state’s consumer protection bureau, as well as the Better Business Bureau.
Was there Resolution to this? Unfortunately, having the same issue for past 3 months and haven't been able to resolve it.
I'm going through this right now. Any update on what the lawyer said?
Same issue, they are liars and thieves. I will be contacting my representatives and all other avenues to have them investigated as well as the BBB. Stole nearly $1000 from me. And I have all documentation and photographs as well as witness to verify. I hope others pursue this the same way. Unethical business practices are becoming common practice in the U.S. and we need to stop allowing it. Strength in numbers. So follow through. Even if they eventually fold and correct the issue for you it shouldn't deter you from contacting reps and atty general to file a complaint. Attempted robbery is still a crime. And it may help the next person not get robbed.
Same thing is happening to me. I returned a device December 15th. They are saying they haven't received it and can't find tracking info on it. Told me to talk to usps. Usps can't do anything without a tracking number. I gave them the tracking number assurant gave me and they can't find anything. This is so frustrating I refuse to pay for a phone I returned and someone else lost.
