Assurant Damaged Device Returned - Not Recived

P
Userlevel 2

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.

32 replies

C
Userlevel 2

I am going through similar issues and I notice no rep has replied to your questions and concerns here. I do not recommend this company to anyone after the treatment I have had, and experience with system glitches, poor paper trails, people breaking policies to cover their mistakes. We as customer is paying the price. Its sad bc they have protocols in place to show it the phone is being used still, where, by what company est. So if it was never reactivated then clearly the phone is of no use to the claim filer and it would make no since as to why the phone was not returned on the customers end back to the insurance company. Why would we want those fees for a phone we can't use?  

1
Userlevel 2

Im dealing with the same problem right now. I returned it and they are saying it wasn't in the package.  Usps says I cant file a claim because insurance for the package wasnt purchased or available to purchase.  They are trying to stick me with a 575 dollar device non-returnable fee. Im getting a lawyer. This is extortion brought on by a large company that thinks they can get over on hardworking Americans that need there services!

C
Userlevel 2

I filled paperwork with usps and tmobile im waiting on replies.

V

I am having the same issue, insurance company says they received the envelope but with no device in it.Looks like i am not the only one facing this issue, We all used the prepaid envelope provided by the insurance. When i filed the claim they said i can drop the device in any t-mobile store when tried to do so have been told to use prepaid envelop. 

L

Assuring said there was no phone in my box aswell they charged me 860! And T-Mobile won’t help

 

M

My Daughters Phone was STOLEN and after filing a CLAIM on line ASSURANT Denied my CLAIM. After trying several times to get a Reason why they Said the GB was incorrect. I have BEEN paying for INSURANCE for my 4 phones for past 15 years and NEVER FILED a CLAIM. I had a T mobile REP stay on the phone and explain to the ASSURANT REP the phone type, color and GB on file. After 1hr and 15 min the rep left me with the ASSURANT REP. Two days Later my CLAIM was AGAIN DENIED> I have Been with T MOBILE for 19 years and they ALWAYS have had GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE> If i had known that the INSURANCE was Thru a 3rd PARTY I WOULD NEVER PAID FOR THE INSURANCE for all my PHONES> I have SINCE CANCELLED MY INSURANCE ON ALL MY DEVICES…. T MOBILE PLEASE DO AWAY WITH THE ASSURANT COMPANY. THEY REALLY ARE NOT HELPING ANY ONE OUT HERE BUT THEMSELVES> I have to BUY A NEW PHONE thru T MOBILE because the LACK of CUSTOMER SERVICE ASSURANT has towards people that need their HELP after paying $$$ for YEARS!  I am VERY UPSET and NOT a HAPPY CAMPER>

M

I’ve had a similar problem with Assurant. Got replacement phone in Dec and sent back the old phone in January. Assurant claims they do not have it. I have been with Tmobile for over 20 years and they are great. They’ve been working on doing research about the phone, but Assurant tells me not to talk to Tmobile, because onlty Assurant can issue the refund!! I have a rep from Tmobile working on it, anyway, and hoping that Tmobile can resolve the issue from their end. Assurant is awful to deal with regarding phones.

L
Userlevel 1

Husband put my damaged device in a drop-box at a post office and it has been lost from there. This was at the very beginning of Feb. 2021. We have been stuck with a $500 charge for the damaged device not being received. The tracking # they provided is no help and doesn’t come up with anything at all with USPS. The person I spoke to on the phone for USPS said that the tracking number didn’t come up with any information at all which was very odd for a prepaid label. She said that normally prepaid labels have some kind of either origin info or at least some info on where it is supposed to be shipped to. I called Assurant and they confirmed that it was the same tracking # they have on file for the damaged device they claim not to have received. They have said that the charges are valid since it isn’t showing the device in their warehouse or in transit with USPS. USPS says there’s nothing more I can do since I filed a missing mail request a month ago that hasn’t turned anything up. When I straight up asked the Assurant rep “So I’m going to have to pay for a device that I no longer have because the post office lost it before it could be scanned” they just said yes. 

It feels like there’s something really fishy going on with that. I also received the replacement device at the end of January, but it says that my claim was approved April the 2nd, which was 2 days before I filed the missing mail report. But they say that they still don’t have the device. Weird that it would be approved a full two months after I had received the new device and sent the damaged one back. 

I will no longer be using any phone insurance so long as it’s through Assurant.

R

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.

 

M
Userlevel 1

I'm dealing with this exact issue.   Assurant logged the package received feb 20, 2021 but has not processed refund.   I have been speaking to tmobile for months and then this week Assurant said they are putting trace on it.   She said just because they logged package doesn't mean a phone was in it.   Wtf are you kidding me. Now Iam waiting for them to find response from tracer,  allegedly next week.   I'm over this.   If they come back with nothing was in package I will lose it.   I have been a loyal customer for years. I will change to another carrier,  even if my bill goes up. 

M
Userlevel 2
Badge +1

There's another company who is questionable as well . I would contact the state attorney general office file complaint and also with the better business bureau

Y
Badge

Same. Returned a defective phone that I fully own and paid off which never made it to their warehouse. They hit me with a 550-600$ charge for 1) a device I owned and pay a monthly fee to be insured and 2) a device that was lost/stolen after it left my possession which was packaged in their provided packaging and shipping label.

Now i have a collection charge of $8xx messing up my credit I'm disputing and lost my service because I refused to pay for a situation like this, especially being a long time, happy client of tmobile.

In these situations, the insurance company needs to step up and instead of charging the client practically the full cost of a new phone, change the original claim from defective replacement to lost/stolen device, deactivate the defective device, and call it a day. 

The deductible we pay is no different whether the device is reported lost/stolen vs. defective replacement.

***Beware*** The following is just me venting 😠🤪😂😅😕😐🙄

The only difference is in one situation the person gets a replacement phone right away and walks away without any further responsibility for the insured device, whereas, the other situation requires the claimant to take further responsibility for the unusable device and return it safely to the insurance company by walking into the post office, requesting and paying for certified/signature required delivery to ensure the paperweight arrives at the insurance warehouse so they dont get hit with an extravagant charge that would buy a new phone.

 

What's the point of replacing a phone if the whole time you can just buy a new phone using the money saved from the monthly insurance coverage payments, deductible, and fee for unreturned device?

Y
Badge

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.

Tmobile couldnt do anything for me but close my account for delinquency which went to collection because i refused to pay for my phone a second time. 

Its stupid because I filed a lost/stolen claim before my last claim, paid the same deductible and got my replacement with no hassle. 

Lesson learned. Always file as lost/stolen device when you need a replacement. Any other claim is just a trap!

A

same thing happened to me . I filed a claim in Feb 2021 damaged phone and shipped it to assurant with the same prepaid label and tapped it up. it shows delivered March 12th to their warehouse. it's now June and I was billed 500.00 in May from tmobile stating they didn't receive the device. I called tmobile and they had me speak to assurant and they stated that they got the package but no phone inside??? they stated there was nothing that could be done and now my phone bill has skyrocketed . I feel like I'm being treated like a criminal. I had my act for 6 years and never had anything like this happen.  I'm seeing the same exact stories online and now I'm concerned. 

W

I have been with T-Mobile for 10 years I have traded in my phone with Assurant multiple times I have never had a problem besides them sending faulty phones to me they will not do any do anything pass checking their database for the package that was sent  they cannot find mine They are charging $300 on top of my regular phone bill they will not help. I sent the phone I followed the instructions how's the liability on me how come I have to call the USPS station if I followed their direction  canceling our over $300 a month account because if they don't care about me I will not be a part of their service

A

I have been with T-Mobile for 10 years I have traded in my phone with Assurant multiple times I have never had a problem besides them sending faulty phones to me they will not do any do anything pass checking their database for the package that was sent  they cannot find mine They are charging $300 on top of my regular phone bill they will not help. I sent the phone I followed the instructions how's the liability on me how come I have to call the USPS station if I followed their direction  canceling our over $300 a month account because if they don't care about me I will not be a part of their service

 

try to submit a better business bureau claim to assurant they will fix it then. Goodluck sorry to hear this. my claims and credit has been refunded

 

V

Absolutely all valid comments. Exactly same thing occurred to me: phone screen cracked- used my insurance to replace (because thats what its there for!)- sent in phone- assurant/ tmobile claiming they did not receive it even though there is proof through ups (the prepaid package TMOBILE/assurant) that it was delivered and signed for! - now going through the process of them “attempting” to find it. 
i have contacted the better business bureau. I will not pay the $700 they want me to pay (it is not my liability to find a phone i Sent them!) 

do not let assurant inc. get away with this! It is not your responsibility that they do not have a way to to receive and processes phones and cannot keep accountability of their own items! 
 


(i am still going through the process if anyone has suggestions i am all ears) 

M
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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!

N
Badge

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 😎 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.

E

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??

N
Badge

I ended up getting this all straightened out without having to pay anything. Assurant tried to hit me with the charge on my T-Mobile bill so I called customer service and immediately asked to be transferred to a manager. The manager that answered couldn’t have been any better. After I explained everything to her she called assurant and got to a second or third tier manager there and told them that, given my account history and time with the company, T-Mobile wasn’t going to let me get stuck holding the bag. She left me to talk to the Assurant manager and I asked if there were cameras overlooking the receiving department. She said yes so I asked if they would send me the footage from the day my package was received so I could include it with a mail fraud complaint. About 2 minutes later all was forgotten and the charge was removed from my bill.

Don’t give up and, for the love of God, do not try to get anywhere with the first person who answers the phone when you call. Demand that they connect you with a manager. If that person can’t help, demand another manager. I bet I spent a total of three hours on the phone but I finally got high enough on the food chain that I got it dealt with. That’s been the case with a couple of issues I have had with them. Keep pestering until you get someone with the stroke to handle your problem.

Also, from the tone of the conversation I had with the T-Mobile manager, they are well aware that there is a serious problem with Assurant but you have to keep in mind that they, on their level, have no say in who T-Mobile corporate decides to do business with. I was polite and didn’t blame or yell at the manager and she went out of her way to help me out. Be firm, but nice.

E

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.

F

I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH TMOBILE. IN MAY 2023, I HAD A HANDSET WARRENTY EXCHANGE. I GOT THE REPLACEMENT. I RETURNED THE DEFECTIVE PHONE. TMOBILE HAS THE NERVE TO SAY I DID NOT RETURN THE CORRECT PHONE. I DID RETURN THE CORRECT PHONE. NOW MY ACCOUNT HAS BEEN BILLED $845.45. THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS. THIS IS SCREWING UP MY CREDIT REPORT. I HAVE SPENT 40 HOURS OVER 6 WEEKS ON THE PHONE WITH TMOBILE’S REPS. EACH PRMOMISED TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE, AND EACH PROMISED TO CALL ME BACK. ALL WERE EMPTY PRMOMISES. NOBODY FIXED THE ISSUE, AND NOBODY HAS EVEN TRIED TO CALL ME BACK. I AM A SENIOR CITIZEN, ON A FIXED INCOME. I DO NOT HAVE EXTRA MONEY TO PAY FOR A PHONE THAT I ALREADY RETURNED ON TIME. I NEED HELP. I HAVE RUN OUT OF OPTIONS. ONE SO CALLED “MANAGE”, CALLED ME A LIAR. HE SAID THAT I NEVER RETURNED THE PHONE. IS THIS HOW YOUR LOUSY COMPANY TREATS A LOYAL CUSTOMER FOR OVER 20 YEARS? I THINK NOT. TMOBILE HAS TO MAKE THIS RIGHT. I HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO SUE THIS POOR EXCUSE FOR A COMPANY. HOW DARE YOU TREAT ME SO HORRIBLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SHAME ON YOU TMOBILE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

E

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 something 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.

S

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!

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