Asurion and Sprint hell (Longish)

[Anakah]

About a month ago my husband's phone was stolen. So we had to use our phone insurance. We went through all the hoops of faxing over his ID and the paperwork. Flash forward to two weeks later (when it was supposed to be a one day delivery) we get the package and are excited.

Upon opening the package our expectations went down the toilet. They gave us the WRONG model (a downgrade from what we had) and withOUT a battery!

So we went into sprint asking what we should do since we could NOT get a live person on the phone for the insurance. The sprint supervisor had a hell of a time too. Finally got somebody and they said that the phone we have is being discontinued and so that's why we got the downgrade. Grrreat. They will send a battery though.

I don't know why sprint is discontinuing the EVO HTC 3D since its the best damn phone I've ever had. I asked since we were SOL for a month without a phone if they could make take one of the phones off the bill since we didn't have it. No such luck. Okay I can deal with that BUT I told them that their insurance sucked since it lied on the website saying how "easy" it is to get your shit done online. It lies, it still makes you call and you get stuck on the phone for like thirty mins going through the stupid motions of the electronic menu.

I emailed a few reps through sprint. Worst email replies ever. Here's my favorite. Honestly I understand if English is not their first language but they should have a grammar check or someone to re-read something before sending it to the customer...


This is what I emailed Sprint:

Original Message Follows:
------------------------
So here's how things ended up: Talked to Asurion and found out that the
phone I originally had is being discontinued and ended up with a
downgraded version AND it arrived without a battery.

So they will send a new battery but my only complaint is having to get a
different phone than what I had. Does sprint have any HTC EVO 3D's in
stock? Do I just suck it up and live with this downgrade of a phone until next july when I can upgrade?


I realize it's not sprint's fault but maybe Asurion isn't a good
choice for an insurance carrier. Also trying to get a live person on the
phone is like pulling teeth out of an angry five year old and
the whole time it says that the online process is faster. It's a lie
since they make you call anyway. Went into the sprint store and even the
supervisor had trouble getting a live person on the phone.


I am just frustrated. I don't know what I am supposed to do next. I just
feel kind of cheated for buying that specific phone and then getting a
different one. Thank you for your time and patience. I appreciate it.

And this is the reply:


Dear Anakah,

Thank you for your reply.

I understand that you have replaced your phone through Asurion the
insurance company. The Asurion always return the replacement phone with
the same model and feature phone. If it not in stock, then only in this
condition, the Asurion replace the phone with the different phone with
almost similar features. So, I request you to do not think that you have
given a downgraded version phone.

I am sorry to say that currently, we do not have any pre-owned HTC EVO
3D in stock. Therefore, you need to wait till your upgrade to purchase
the new phone at a discounted price.

I apologize for the convenience that you have gone through while
contacting the Asurion agent on phone. WE have taken your feedback for
future consideration.

We value your business and appreciate the opportunity to answer your
questions.

Sincerely,
Sprint



So let me get this straight, you "request" that I don't feel cheated? Really? And an apology for the convenience? I know you meant to the "in" in front of that but damn your grammar irked me.

Yeah, I am an angry panda and I may have been a bit immature and rude but they've been messing with out heads and terrible customer service on the phone. The lady kinda treated me like I was a moron when I asked her questions. *sigh*

[Andara Bledin]

Wow. Ouch.

I've only been involved with an insurance claim on a phone once, and that was for a malfunction rather than loss, but it only took the guy at the T-Mobile shop all of 20 minutes to get us out the door with a brand new phone.

^-.-^

[wolfie]

Normally, when a direct replacement can't be made due to it being discontinued, a company will UPGRADE to the next higher model. Downgrading is unacceptable - especially when the one they send is unusable.

You mentioned you'll be able to upgrade in July. Normally, upgrade eligibility is tied to the end of a contract (and renews your "lock in" period if you use it). In your shoes, I'd be likely to remind them of the contract expiry and shabby treatment, and suggest that if they couldn't "make me whole" I'd switch carriers rather than renewing.

[fma_fanatic]

While I ditched Sprint in March and never had to use the insurance, I have heard horror stories from others about Ausrion.

The Consumerist has a Sprint Escalations hotline and now might be the time to use it. They should be able to light a fire under Ausrion to get something done.

They should also be able to help with the credits you want on your bill as well.

[bainsidhe]

You're processing a claim for a stolen phone, yet you're required to call in?

And yeah, I'd push hard to have a credit for the time spent without service. Maybe talk to the supervisor in-store first? They might be able to provide some pointers. I question the reasoning behind paying for service (and taxes!) on service you're prevented from using.

[raudf]

I did a short stint in a call center supporting Sprint and I hated ever having to deal with Asurion. Yes, technically you should have gotten an upgrade, not a downgrade, but they do whatever they hell they want and were the source of a great many supervisor calls.

My husband just dropped Asurion off our phones due to what he's heard around work. It's great if they follow the phone company's requirements, but apparently they don't. Policy with his company is if the phone is no longer available, you get either an equivalent (stats and features must MATCH) or an upgrade... and Asurion just spits on that.

Unfortunately, they are the biggest insurers in the industry and in electronics.. even my home theater system has a 2 year with them!

[ExArtShopSlave]

Yikes! That sucks. The way I see it, they should allow you to get a phone that is the same value as your broken one, not a downgrade.

That's what happened when my husband left our phone provider. He got his Blackberry Torch about a year ago. Two months or so ago, it just stopped working. We've been with this cell phone provider (they're the ones who feature cute animals in their commercials) for about three years. We've been paying for 'phone insurance' which is a total joke. His phone just stopped working. So he took it into the store he got it from and told them the situation and they said phone insurance won't cover fixing or replacing it. Nobody knew what the problem was with the phone So we'd have to fork out the dough for a new device. So long story short, after talking to Customer Service and Retention, Hubby cancelled his part of the contract. New provider replaced his phone for free and got him signed up for service with the same features that old provider had for like 50 bucks less. Now I just have to wait out my portion of my contract and hope my phone stays working lol.

Sorry, hope this isn't thread jacking!

-ExArtShopSlave

[mhkohne]

Have you considered small claims court? You'd have to look at the paperwork, but if it explicitly says 'same or better features' then you might be able to at least get some money out of them for downgrading you. You'd surely need to show that it was a downgrade, not just a device you don't like, but it might be worth investigating. Though I guess they might have an arbitration clause, so check for that first.

[PepperElf]

So, I request you to do not think that you have given a downgraded version phone.

That right there is fucking rude.

You don't tell customers what they should think.

[Moosenogger]

So, I request you to do not think that you have
given a downgraded version phone.

Oh crap, I would have seen red if I had read that in a complaint response.

First of all, you don't think you were given a downgrade, you know you were given a downgrade. The phone you received as a replacement is inferior to your previous model in every way possible.

Personally, I'd find an escalation email address and forward the entire conversation to a supervisor. Let them know that "requesting you not think you were downgraded" when you obviously were is unacceptable.

[Anakah]

So, here's a great UPDATE. For the first time ever my hubby and I asked for someone in charge. We have never really "complained" or made a big fuss about anything.

So they did send a battery but they sent a dead battery! So we went to a sprint store to see what they could do. The guy said he could give us a new battery cuz they did send us a defective one. Even though he was technically breaking the rules but this guy was also the one who helped us get the phones in the first place with a great deal. He rocks!

So, hubby and I are defeated and just say okay to the battery but the awesome as hell sprint guy has other ideas...

We were asking if maybe there was a different phone insurance we could go through. Nope. Damn.

He calls the Asurion insurance company and says that we're ready to leave sprint and walk out. We weren't that upset but he knew what he was doing... We were nice and polite the ENTIRE Time too.

Long story short, hubby talked to another asurion employee on the phone that said he couldn't do shit for us. So, sprint guy told him to ask for "someone who could." aka the "specialist"

Sprint guy was writing down notes on a post-it and giving hubby props as to what to say. Sprint guy insisted that he not back down and stick to his guns about getting something better than a downgrade.

Well, Hubby did and he was stubborn about it. He broke through! He now as an upgraded phone and it's wonderful! Came the very next day too!! I love you sprint guy!!!

[raudf]

It never hurts to ask for a supervisor and yes, even use the "I'm leaving," with them. I had to once with Cingular, when two weeks before my contract was set to expire, the phone's speaker died and the battery was pretty much a goner. I had found a BOGO online and wanted to do it, which would still have cost money, but not as much as just cancelling the contract. I wanted to renew my contract anyways. So I called Cingular's support...

CE: I see that you're due for an upgrade in two weeks... unfortunately, I can't give you the BOGO and the phones are 150 each.

Me: *sigh* Okay, how much does it cost to break the contract at this time?

CE: 135 for each line.

Me: Okay, logic and math says that breaking contract is cheaper, so I'm going to go with that option.

Unsurprisingly the BOGO became available after that. Mind, I didn't actually play the card without the intent on following through. Alltel had the exact same phones, only not BOGO (but cheaper than Cingular's price per phone with two year contract) and I really wanted those phones.

[PepperElf]

CE: I see that you're due for an upgrade in two weeks... unfortunately, I can't give you the BOGO and the phones are 150 each.

I did an early upgrade once. Well if you count early by 2 days. (My previous phone was stolen ) They weren't sure if I could do it but they asked the corporation for permission and the answer came back "yes". Of course... the deciding factor was probably the fact that I was also 2 days away from the 2 year mark.

This was back in 04 when "early upgrade" hadn't really become an industry standard yet. So back then if you didn't like the upgrade options you really COULD walk away from your contract without any penalty.

Which is, I suspect, why they started upgrading people early... so that the customers had less leverage since the threat to walk over a bad upgrade deal would then come with an ETF.

[Gurndigarn]

two weeks before my contract was set to expire, the phone's speaker died and the battery was pretty much a goner. I had found a BOGO online and wanted to do it, which would still have cost money, but not as much as just cancelling the contract. I wanted to renew my contract anyways. So I called Cingular's support...

CE: I see that you're due for an upgrade in two weeks... unfortunately, I can't give you the BOGO and the phones are 150 each.

Me: *sigh* Okay, how much does it cost to break the contract at this time?

CE: 135 for each line.

Me: Okay, logic and math says that breaking contract is cheaper, so I'm going to go with that option.

Actually, the logic and math says that the cheapest option is saying "OK, please have our account cancelled effective [2 year anniversary]. By the way, where's the nearest [competitor store]?"

[smileyeagle1021]

I hate to say it, but the first mistake was in purchasing Asurion...
Oh, of all the relay calls I did to them, over three years, averaging one or two a week... I had one that didn't end up with the customer getting pissed on by Asurion. A future reference, a much better plan is to take the money you would pay to Asurion and squirrel it away until a phone does break/get stolen/ whatever, and then use that money to buy a replacement phone. The odds are you'll have saved up enough by then to be able to buy the phone (otherwise Asurion wouldn't stay in business) and you've cut out the poor service of a middleman.