SquareTrade, Inc.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/04/16) */
Hi [redacted],
I am [redacted] Hua, the Resolution Manager at SquareTrade.
I am sorry for the delay on this. I'll get that reimbursement for your ice maker processed right away.
I did want to provide an explanation on the delay on this,...

though. It looks like your claim for this ice maker was approved in November of last year. If you had shipped it out last month, our system had already closed out the claim for inactivity.
I've reopened it and will get a payout for you ASAP. Please check your PayPal account in tomorrow to verify payment.
If you need any further assistance, please let me contact me at [redacted]@squaretrade.com.
Regards,
[redacted]

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/04/20) */
We are sorry the consumer had problems with their billing.
The consumer was able to resolve this by working with one of our resolution team members and a full refund of the payments was processed.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal...

/* (2000, 7, 2015/04/22) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/06/12) */
We are sorry the consumer had an issue with their claim. We are not sure why there was a problem with submitting the invoice but we will investigate and try to pinpoint the issue. In the meantime, we received the invoice and it is...

currently being processed for reimbursement. For the difficulty experienced by the consumer, we are refunding the warranty price so that it's free.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/06/15) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
They have addressed only one of three components of the desired resolution. Square Trade has paid the claim and refunded the warranty only because a complaint has been filed with Revdex.com and Consumer Watchdog. The company is engaging in systemic, evasive, claims procedures to which I would guess tens of thousands of customers are exposed daily. Forcing customers to complain to Revdex.com or file lawsuits is not good faith payment of claims. Punitive damages are necessary to prevent such companies from engaging in blatant deceptive claims payment practices. The June 12 response to Revdex.com from Square Trade denies that these evasive practices exist which is far from taking the steps necessary to overhaul their claims payment practice. The representative who responded shows zero interest in investigating what should be disturbing news to them about their claims practices and certainly does nothing to overhaul their claims procedures which is the third portion of the resolution I am seeking.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/06/23) */
We are sorry the consumer had issues with the process of resolving the claim.
No system is foolproof. The most important thing is that we addressed the issues in this case with the consumer and they were paid out as well as refunded the warranty price for the inconvenience that they experienced.
We are not satisfied that our process fails in some cases but the processes in place are able to resolve 95% of claims. It is not our intent to engage in blatant, deceptive tactics to delay payments to consumers. We gain nothing in doing anything like that. What we do have in place is a way for consumers to escalate their issues, be it through our internal procedure or through the Revdex.com, to resolve their issues and get the payment they deserve.
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 13, 2015/06/25) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
The second response from Square Trade continues to deny the existence of the problem by blaming the consumer, "We are sorry the consumer had issues..." and shrugs off their endemic claims problems with the platitude, "No system is foolproof." Who is the "fool" in their mind here, the consumer? The first response promised an investigation into their own claims process. Where are the results of the "investigation?" What statistics can they provide to support the seemingly arbitrary claim that 95% of their claims are resolved? My original claim, let's remember, required 13 emails, 6 phone calls, with the representative repeatedly claiming he could not "see" the receipt that clearly showed up in all of the emails. I still have a recording of the representative on my answering machine. The only reasons Square Trade responded ultimately was due to the complaints to Revdex.com and to Consumer Watchdog. I have yet to receive the refund of the warranty that was promised to me two weeks ago now. Square Trade has still only resolved one third of the desired resolution, payment of the claims. An overhaul of their circus of a claims process is still required. This would begin with an investigation and a report of the results of it and an real assessment of percentage of claims satisfaction, not a completely unsubstantiated number of "95%". Those would be first steps in the thorough overhaul of their claims process that is needed. And, punitive damages.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/12/18) */
We are sorry the consumer had an issue with his device. We do not know how the specialists input the emails incorrectly. It is not our policy, nor do we train our specialist to input incorrect data to delay claims. As per our Term and...

Conditions the value of the warranty, the settlement we are allowed to offer, is based on the purchase price of the item. The proof of purchase receipt that the consumer sent to us showed the item's purchase price. The price paid is what the price of the unit is after coupons and price override have been applied. We cannot sell warranties valued more that what the item was purchased.
We are also sorry that we did not inform the consumer of the possibility of during the diagnostics after a screen was replaced that the unit would have been restored to factory settings. The unit, according to records, "is not turning on". The main board was replaced so any data on the original board was not recoverable.
The retailer misinformed the consumer of the warranty coverage then that issue needs to be addressed with them.
We do have to admit that our specialist did not make it clear to the consumer that a box would not be sent when we process a claim for a payout.
We will contact the consumer to let them know that because they were misinformed by our partners, the delays experienced and our willingness to compromise with our customers, we will reimburse them the full value of the item once the unit is shipped to us.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/01/04) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
SquareTrade is continually exercising a pattern of bad faith in fulfilling the insurance contract they have with me. SquareTrades' management also appears to show indifference to the intervention of the Revdex.com, a government agency, which, at taxpayers' expense, is now involved in fixing SquareTrade's defective performance and bad faith negotiations.
As of today, 1/4/2015, I have not received any payment of my insurance claim from SquareTrade.
After SquareTrades' reply to my initial complaint to the Revdex.com the following occurred:
12/16 - I received an e-mail from SquareTrade as follows:
"Great news! We've finished assessing your claim, and you're eligible for a payout. We'll send you a reimbursement for the amount of $99.99 just as soon as you ship your damaged item to us."
The e-mail also contained a shipping label.
12/18 - I received an e-mail from [redacted] C. of SquareTrade saying:
"... We will reimburse you by 2 checks, one in the amount of $99.99 (the maximum value of the warranty purchased) and the other in the amount of $120.51. Please send the unit in and we will reimburse you by check and you should receive the two checks separately in 7 - 10 business days from when you send in the unit."
12/19 - I returned the Tablet computer via FEDEX.
12/23 - I received an e-mail from SquareTrade saying:
"A reimbursement has been sent to you by check. Please allow 7-10 business days for checks and American Express Gift Cards to arrive. For all other payment types, allow 2-3 business days."
12/24 - I received an e-mail from SquareTrade saying:
"Regarding your payment of $ 99.99, we were unable to confirm the mailing address you provided as valid
The e-mail contained my correct mailing address."
12/24 - I replied via e-mail to SquareTrade's e-mail telling them that they have my correct mailing address.
12/25 - I sent the following e-mail to [redacted] C. of SquareTrade:
I have returned the tablet computer to SquareTrade.
I received a response indicating that SquareTrade has already made payment.
I received another 2 e-mails asking me to confirm my mailing address.
I replied to both e-mails confirming my address and reminding SquareTrade that they have already sent me mailing labels and boxes and have sent my computer back to me at the address that they are now calling into question.
My response to the government agency that is now involved in monitoring the way SquareTrade does business must be informed of SquareTrade's bad-faith in resolving this issue.
I have a few more days to respond to the Revdex.com.
I hope that I will be able to indicate favorable results.
In case you need it, I have provided my address for you below.
12/25 - I called and spoke to [redacted] C. of SquareTrade to follow up my e-mail. [redacted] found the information relating to my insurance claim and confirmed that SquareTrade planned to make a payout. [redacted] also confirmed that the mailing address they have on record is correct. [redacted] said he would send out a payment via FEDEX and that I should receive it on Friday 12/30. I said I would wait until the deadline for me to respond to the Revdex.com to enter whether there was a successful resolution.
1/4/2015 - There is no reliable evidence that SquareTrade is making an effort to settle the insurance claim. For this reason, I hope that the Revdex.com will continue to intervene with SquareTrade to determine a responsible path forward.

Needs to be a double negative. I buy a square trade warranty with my iPhone SE. I accidentally spilled a little water on it and the screen had lines on it but phone still worked normally. Gave square trade a call and they said not covered by liquid damage sorry but we can refund your plan. That 57.99 doesn't cover the $350 I spent on the iPhone. I received an email when I bought the plan that clearly states that liquid damage is covered by my plan.
PROTECTION PLAN TERMS & CONDITIONS
Congratulations on purchasing this Protection Plan. Please read these Terms and Conditions carefully so that You fully understand Your coverage under this Protection Plan.
COVERAGES AND TERMS: CELL PHONES AND TABLETS:
This Protection Plan provides coverage for parts and labor costs to repair or replace Your Product where the problem is the result of a failure caused by:
Normal wear and tear;
Accidental damage from handling (ADH), such as damage from drops, spills and liquid damage associated with the handling and use of Your Product, if the coverage has been offered and purchased at the time of sale with your Protection Plan;
This is from their service agreement for my plan but they say its not covered. DO NOT BUY!!!!

We are sorry for any issues the consumer had with their device.  After looking into the account, a reimbursement has been processed for the device and the prorated warranty amount.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/01/22) */
We apologize for the issue the consumer experienced. An internal glitch caused the delay with uploading the warranty. The glitch has been resolved and the warranty should be uploaded with 2-4 business days. For the inconvenience the...

consumer experienced we will refund the warranty & still provide coverage for the warranty period.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2016/01/26) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
After making my complaint, I was immediately contacted by Squaretrade. They promptly apologized, and they honorably offered to honor the warranty for no charge to me.
This company has more than exceeded my expectations, and I look forward to doing business with them again.
[redacted]

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/08/04) */
We are sorry the consumer had an issue with receiving their reimbursement.
The claim was not processed properly when it was first filed. We were able to process the claim correctly and have the payment sent out to a Paypal account on...

July 31, however the payment was denied by Paypal. We are in the process of getting a check sent to the consumer.
As per our Terms and Conditions we do not reimburse consumers for personal time taken to resolve issues. What we will do in this case is make an exceptions and offer a one-time reimbursement for the price paid for the warranty.
SquareTrade's intent is not to delay payments to our consumers. In this case the system had an error and did not process the payment.
We have emailed the consumer to let them know what we intend to do.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2015/08/05) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/10/20) */
We apologize that the consumer had issues with their device.
The consumer's device was not replaced. It was repaired and restored to perform factory specifications.
As per our Terms & Conditions "Replacement parts will be new,...

rebuilt or non-original manufacturer's parts that perform to the factory specifications of the product at Our sole option."
We resolved the consumer's claim by repairing the device.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 8, 2015/10/28) */
Hello, just letting you know that [redacted] from squaretrade has only called me once and said she was going to look into my insurance policy and that was it I have not received anything not even a called back.

Final Business Response /* (4000, 10, 2015/10/29) */
We have reached out to the consumer on numerous occasions to resolve her claim. The consumer's contract was fulfilled by repairing her phone and it has been confirmed that the device is functioning properly.
As a one time courtesy we have refunded the consumer for her deductible and she has agreed to this resolution.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/08/27) */
We are sorry the consumer had issues with their chair.
The database showed that there was a 6 day waiting period. This is an automatic waiting period for the consumers that purchase their product online to allow for shipping. This is a...

usually a convenience for the consumer as the warranty does not start until after the consumer has received the product. On the actual warranty there is a one day waiting period. The consumer filed the claim in our online system and it automatically denied the claim, but did file it after the actual waiting period. We will take the claim.
We have contacted the consumer to let them know we will process the claim.

We have a on going claim that they do not want to take care off. We sent in our fax machine and had several email on it, they can NOT fix it. We have repeatedly sent them all the documentation many times and still nothing. DO NOT BUY IT

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2014/07/07) */
Hi [redacted],
I am so sorry for the delay on your claim. Unfortunately, we had some inventory issues with your particular model.
I see that one of our managers has offered to get you fully reimbursed instead, so you can buy a new...

phone for yourself.
You should be all set. If there's anything else we can do for you, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Regards,
[redacted]

(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)

We are sorry for any delays experienced during the claim process.Squaretrade wants to ensure that upon calling our customer service line, all consumers are advised that our calls are recorded for quality assurance. Moreover, if the consumer has still not received the reimbursement check, we will be sending a replacement check as of [redacted].

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 9, 2015/01/26) */
Received response via email:
The pro rata refund as it is written in our Terms and Conditions refers to warranties that are valid and the consumer decides to cancel. If the warranty is not valid to begin our policy is to refund the...

warranty fully.
We cannot find a warranty under the consumer's name so we can address a specific complaint. We are willing to work with the consumer if they did not receive the full refund.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/07/18) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted], Resolution Mgr
Contact Email: [redacted]@squaretrade.com
Hi [redacted],
I am [redacted], the Resolution Manager at SquareTrade.
I apologize for the hassle you've experienced, but for security reasons,...

we do have to be stringent with our registration process.
Our warranties are set up to protect the original warranty purchaser after the item has been registered and a receipt is submitted. The receipt requirement is an integral part of the registration process.
In order for SquareTrade to change the warranty to your name, we would need the original warranty holder's permission to transfer the warranty under your name. He also has the option to log into our website at www.squaretrade.com where he can initiate the transfer online.
Either way, the receipt submission is still required. SquareTrade offers multiple options for submission: it can fax or email it to us.
If you can provide me with the warranty holder's account info by email, I would be more than happy to contact him and get the warranty transferred for you.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
[redacted]
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2014/07/21) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
My position is that your position is deliberately and ridiculously complicated and probably results in your not having to honor warranties purchased in good faith. Why wouldn't the purchaser have been apprised of these requirements? I think you are a disreputable business and you can be sure I or anyone I know will never purchase your produce again.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2014/07/22) */
Hi [redacted],
The receipt and registration process is disclosed to the warranty buyer at the time of sale and also in our contract. Our website also provide convenient prompts and links to submitting the required paperwork.
But all of that still requires that the warranty holder act upon those prompts. I apologize that you feel this is overly complicated, but it really isn't the case. Had your friend registered the warranty, or contacted SquareTrade, we would be happy to assist with getting the warranty transferred to you. Unfortunately, without contacting him, we're not able to proceed with this.
Regards,
[redacted]
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 13, 2014/07/23) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
You have to live with yourself.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2015/08/13) */
We are sorry the consumer had an issue with their computer.
Under the Terms and Conditions of the warranty that the consumer purchased they do not have coverage for any accidents. The consumer admitted that the unit is bent, therefore...

based on the Terms and Conditions we would not be able to take a claim. If the customer was to have the issue of the unit being bent repaired and documentation provided that it was repaired then we would be normally be able to take a claim, however the warranty has reached its limit of liability based on the prior repair.
There are a number of steps taken to have a unit repaired. The unit will be looked at, cleaned and tested, no matter what the issue. This is part of the repair procedure. Taking a closer look at the prior repair we can see that, based on the cost of the repair, the device should not have been repaired, it should have been salvaged for the price of the item. Based on that we will make an unusual exception and approve a claim to have the unit repaired locally and reimburse the consumer the cost of repair.
We have emailed the consumer our offer.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 8, 2015/08/18) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I spoke to [redacted] at Squaretrade and explained to him that the unit was bent well after (as their records showed) the problem occurred.
He proposed a compromise solution in terms of reimbursement that I accepted. I appreciated the fact that it's a tough situation for them and they were really trying, so I was willing to meet in the middle.
He warned me that it would take 1 - 2 weeks to receive the check, and that I was to call him directly if there was a problem. I have not received the check, yet, but it hasn't been that long since I spoke to him.
Once I receive the check, I will be satisfied with the resolution.
Thank you for your help.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 10, 2015/08/31) */
We have processed the payment and the consumer should see the check by 9/1.
Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 12, 2015/09/02) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
It is not perfect, but is good enough as I described in my last entry. It's a decent compromise.

I filed a cell phone claim over a month ago. Numerous calls, constant incorrect information and false promises. Still do not have my reimbursement check even though it's been approved. However, I'm not surprised. Just got off of a 40 minute phone call with the manager who claims it's now on its way. I honestly won't be surprised if I end up not getting it and have to call for it again next week. Not one step of this process has been straight forward and I feel I've been at the mercy of people who don't want to do their job or at least, don't know how to. I will never buy into this insurance again. It's been a nightmare at best.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/07/27) */
We are sorry the consumer had delays in the return of their device.
We do not know why the device was not delivered. According to the shipping company they made numerous attempts to contact the consumer to arrange for delivery. They...

are returning the unit to the repair depot. Once the depot receives the unit they will ship it overnight to the consumer.
Due to the delay we are refunding the warranty price to the consumer.

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:
While I appreciate your timely response, I am still not in agreement.  I don't believe you have actually read completely through either my original complaint OR my responses since, because you seem to have missed my point entirely.
Your basis for denying this claim is that I did not return the item.  I understand this point and I acknowledge that it is in the contract that items may need to be returned using a pre-paid shipping label.  The wording you just quoted me says that YOU WILL PROVIDE a shipping label if the item will need to be returned.  That's great.  I understand that clearly.  The problem, AGAIN, is that the claim was made and approved - and I was told it was finalized - in APRIL.  The email with the shipping label was sent to me in [redacted] at 4:09am to be specific.  This was OVER THREE MONTHS LATER.  I had long since disposed of the item because I had already been told that the claim was finalized and the check would be sent.
Please respond specifically regarding this time frame.  If I was expected to return the item, why was I not sent the shipping label back in [redacted] when I still had the product?  Why did the representative that I spoke to tell me that everything was cleared and the check would be sent?
Sincerely,[redacted]