SquareTrade, Inc.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/09/14) */
We are sorry the consumer had issues with their device.
As stated in out Terms and Conditions, "The total amount that We will pay for repairs or replacement made in connection with all claims that You make pursuant to this Protection...

Plan shall not exceed the Coverage Amount. In the event that We make payments for repairs or replacements, which in the aggregate, are equal to the Coverage Amount".
As the consumer stated the remaining amount on the warranty would not be enough to purchase a replacement computer with the features of their computer. To make the consumer whole we will reimburse them what they paid for the device. When possible this is what we try to do to ensure our consumers have a better experience.

SquareTrade is one of the classiest organiisations I have ever dealt with. Rapid resolution of a problem with emphasis on customer satisfication. [redacted] (Resolution Specialist) had only one goal: To make me happy and satisfied that my problem was fixed. I wish I could give them more than 5 stars. Their product is also at the top of the list for value. In the world of Insurance, they make you feel like you are getting what you pay for. I have recommended them to all my friends and family.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2014/08/11) */
Hi [redacted],
I am [redacted], the Resolution Manager at SquareTrade.
I am sorry for the delay on this reply, I had sent in a request for some photos of your phone. I wanted to review them first before replying to you.
From the...

photos sent, I do see the purple haze on your screen, but there is signs that the screen is physically damaged causing this haze as well as a burned in image.
This was noticed during the auditing process when we received your phone. The box the unit was sent in was not damaged, so the issue with the phone was present prior to shipping. Had the phone been damaged by our depot, we do have insurance that will cover errors caused by a tech. In this case, the unit was damaged prior to receipt at our depot.
Unfortunately, this damage is not covered by your warranty for this phone. We offer different levels of coverage under our warranty, and you only have the basic coverage for defects and wear and tear, not physical damage.
I'll ask our depot to ship your phone back to you, but we will not be able to complete repairs due the damage sustained by the phone.
Regards,
[redacted]
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 8, 2014/08/13) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I do not accept this response. My phone was NOT physically damaged before I sent it, and I placed that in the initial claim itself. The "burning" of the phone you say it has could have came from the 100 degree heat that it was sent in, did you think of that? This phone is a malfuction and I request for you to send me the money to repair it as well the money back that I paid you when I signed a contract with you to fix my phone when it had this issues. What you are doing is illegal by dening to fix it per the contract. I have the contract in my hand that states you will fix my phone even if it was an accident, like you say it was. I am requesting all my money to be sent to me. I will not settle until the check is in my hand. As I have stated time and time agian this was a malfuction of the phone, how can it all of a sudden of a haze on it when it was NOT dropped! YOu are not GOD, you can not tell me that I physical damaged my phone when I didnt. I want the money in my hand for what the contract says you will fix and then I will settle.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 10, 2014/08/15) */
Hi [redacted],
I'm sorry, but we can not provide a payout on this phone due to the damage. I did not say you damaged it, only that we received it damaged.
I was pointing out that the hazing and issues you described in your claim is consistent with the screen damage our techs saw when they reviewed your phone.
And generally speaking, cellphones and most electronics do not become physically damaged due to temperature changes due to weather.
I'm sorry, but we can only offer you a refund on your warranty as this case can not be approved for repair.
Regards,
[redacted]
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 19, 2014/09/03) */
The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Again, I do not accept your offer. I have done my research and I have provided you with the article that states, and I quote "the popular Galaxy S3, is often susceptible to burn-in or apermanent discoloration of particular areas of the screen. Burn-in's are generally caused by a combination of inconsistency in the material." This article proves that this was truly a malfuction of my phone and not an accident. In the article it also states that samsung has take full responsibilty of this malfuction. Meaning, By the contract I signed you have to fix my phone or you are going against the contract you signed with me.
So I am requesting that I can send my phone, all cost on you, back to your department for it to get fixed properly and sent back to me in a timely manner. Or you can send me the money to have phone fixed properly which is in cost of around $150.00. I also ask after you fix my phone for a full refund of my money for the time and hassle you have placed me through.
Here is the link to the following article http://vr-zone.com/articles/samsung-denies-responsibility-for-galaxy-s3-screen-b...⇄

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/07/01) */
Our Assurance Team has emailed the customer regarding this issue. That department can assist with any concerns if the customer replies back to that email. The team will reply within 24 to 48 business hours
Initial Consumer...

Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/07/03) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I have contacted SQT, over 30 times for this one incident. I've never received a call back, even though everything that you have said is exactly what I have been told. Like I mentioned [redacted] is the only one that I can get through to. Your system has it notated for him to only speak with me. He has never been polite, courteous, and has told me numerous times that I will speak with no one but him. Which I find absolutely ridiculous and absurd. I will NOT SPEAK WITH [redacted] ANY LONGER! Therefore, the only route of communication and resolution will be through the Revdex.com. I should not have to call more than once. Not to mention that all of my warranty plans have been canceled (with all decisions made by [redacted],)for frivolous reasons. I am willing to show phone records of how many times I have taken the initiative to make contact and resolve this issue, over a period of a month. On the other hand only one call from your Co., if that! [redacted] needs to be replaced, as far as any communication or decision making is concerned. With all said, I would greatly appreciate a prompt response, as to what your next plan of action consist of!
Thank you very much and have a great day.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 10, 2015/07/14) */
Our Assurance Team is looking into the customer's case and will reach out via email or phone call in the next 24 to 48 business hours
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 12, 2015/07/24) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
We have come to a mutual conclusion. I cannot at this moment say that I accept their resolution until I receive the check that was issued. I also am not very satisfied with a couple things. First of which being that all my warranties were canceled during the filing of this complaint. They were canceled days after this complaint was filed and before they responded to it. I did get a full refund for all warranties. However, if something happens to any of the devices that were cancelled, I am going to be up the creek.... I was told that there was no way they could re-warranty a canceled warranty. Of course I know that is not the case. [redacted], I must say was great in working things out with me. However, their regular customer service and claims specialist are, for lack of a better word, horrible. I will check that I accept their proposal once I receive the check. Also, I was the one that contacted them. If you have problems with this company, I highly recommend the Revdex.com! As they have made it possible for me get back what was owed to me! Again, I will agree that I accept the resolution once I receive the check. VERY MUCH THANKS TO THE Revdex.com!!!!!

I purchased an extended Square Trade Warranty on an office chair I purchased from staples. After having issues with the chair, I contacted Square Trade and they said that I had to return it to [redacted] as it still had a manufacture's warranty. So I returned the chair the staples and they said I had to contact Square Trade. I called them once again and they continued to say I needed to return the chair to [redacted]. I called the number listed on their Revdex.com profile, it is Square Trade's standard number that you would use to file a claim...
Square Trade isn't an honest company and neither is [redacted], they sell you the Square Trade warranty by saying how hassle free it is. I wouldn't recommend purchasing an extended warranty thru Square Trade to anyone!

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/04/22) */
We are sorry the consumer had issues with their device.
The claim was processed and does require a signed document for our records. Sometimes an attachment can get corrupted and becomes unreadable when received. We are not sure what...

happened to the signed document when first sent but the document was received in a format that was readable by our systems and we did process the payment. The consumer should receive a check by May 1.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/10/19) */
We apologize that the consumer had issues with their device.
We can not guarantee the availability of our inventory at a particular time. In this case the exact model was not available to the consumer.
To resolve, the consumer took...

their device to an authorized local dealer to be repaired. As a courtesy we also refunded the consumer's deductible.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/03/16) */
We are sorry the consumer had issues with the repair of his camera.
As agreed we did a full payout on the camera. The payment was processed on March 3.
Due to the poor customer experience this consumer had we are going to refund the...

cost of the warranty as well.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2015/03/17) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
Full payout was received

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/01/29) */
We are sorry the customer had this experience.
Sometimes the phones in our inventory have issues even after a final test. Because of this customer's experience we have paid the customer out so they can purchase a new replacement phone. ...

I have had 2 warranty through Squaretrade, for identical tablets bought on the same day. In July of 2014, in Aug 2014, one of the tablets screen was cracked because I purchased the accidental drop coverage it was covered I sent in on the 7th and by the 13th due to it not being able to be repaired the purchase price was in my paypal account. Later that yer Dec. To be exact I sent the second tablet in with a much more damaged cracked screen. Due to my previous experience with the first tablet I assumed that they would handle it the same way. They got the tablet on the 9th of Dec. After there claims of fast service, I finally went onto there site to track the claim because I had not heard anything. It us not the 17th of Dec. And the claim tracker showed that my claim was approved for repair and should only take 2 to 3 business days maybe a couple of days longer if the parts are not in stock. It is now Jan 2nd I called squaretrade to find out what is going on, they said they would have the repair facility cal me within 24 hrs almost 72hrs I finally get a call from some what seemed like a small time repair business saying that they had recieved a screen but did not like the way it fit my tablet, (which tells me they are not using oem products) I was told another screen was on order and they were expecting it within a day. Now were are at the 6th of Jan, 2015 on the 13th the repair facility contacted me and told me that they will not be able to repair the device and would be escalating the claim for full payout. After hanging up with them I called squaretrade, to inform them that my paypal account had been closed due to a negative balance and that I would want a check sent out instead, the sqtrd rep said she would hanlde it and started a task to have a check cut instead. This is after she contacted the repair facility and validated my claims of no repair possible. And I would be notified within 24hrs via email to let me know when the check is to be sent and it would only take 7 to 10 days for me to receive it. On the 17th I got an email saying that Paypal had returned the payment. I called them again and after apologizing they said they would it fixed and send my a check. On the 28th of Jan 2015 I called because I had not received a check or and email to state when it was sent, I was told it was sent on the 23rd and I should be receiving it any day. It is now Feb 4th after not receiving my check and receiving an email stating my address could not be verified I called them and was told that they were not sure why I got that email because upon looking up my address on Google they could see that my address in fact valid, the original check was canceled and a new one would be sent out. Within 48hrs I got yet another email stating my address was not valid. When I call sqrtd yet another time I was told that once again that they did not understand why I was told that except for the fact that the vender they use could not validate my address at this time I am talking to a resolution officer the look up my address and after spending 2+ hrs on the phone he said the they would use FedEx to send me my check. I was ok with that. Yet again about 24hrs later I receive another email(yep u guessed it my address could not be verified) I call yet again and it just so happen that after person that had just left my a voicemail 10 mins earlier was already gone. Finally I told tje after getting transferred to a senior cust rep. I gave them my wife's Paypal address he said the he would expedite it and I would have it the next day. Which would be Feb. 12th and it is now Feb 13th (exactly 1 month after I was told the tablet could not be repaired) nothing. I called yet again and was told that there payments are processed on Tuesdays and Fridays. I am really in doubt that I will receive my payment. If it doesn't I will be filing a complaint with the Revdex.com.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/10/12) */
We apologize that the consumer had issues with their device.
We can not guarantee the availability of our inventory at a particular time. In this case the exact model was not available to the consumer.
To resolve this case we made...

a one time exception and refunded the consumer for the price of the warranty. As a courtesy we also reimbursed the consumer for shipping fees he paid with a separate retailer.
We contacted the customer and he is aware of the solution.

(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)As I stated before, I don't have any other documentation to provide you. The receipt I gave you is all I remember being given. Please issue full amount reimbursement for phone that I had to purchase under warranty. Thank you

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 9, 2015/01/28) */
We are sorry the consumer has not received the credit.
When refunds are given they are given through the reseller. In this case it does not look like the reseller processed the refund. We are working with the customer to have the refund...

processed through our channels.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/07/30) */
We are sorry the consumer had an issue with their phone.
As there is a crack on the screen a technician would not be able to ascertain if the issue was caused by an accident. In any case there was an accident as is evident by the crack...

and the warranty does not cover accidents.
We are sorry but based on our Terms and Conditions for this warranty we would not be able to take a claim. Since the warranty was not of any use to the consumer we refunded the warranty price to them.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/07/31) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I do not accept the response but I want this information available to other consumers so this problem does not happen to them
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/08/12) */
Unfortunately there is nothing we can do about repairing a phone that has damage if the warranty does not have accident coverage as in this case.
The information showing what the warranty covers is in the warranty summary and the Terms and Conditions of the warranty.
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 11, 2015/08/14) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
The fact remains that they sold Me a warranty on a phone that had a damaged screen, and the phone worked fine for several months obviously the cracked screen did not affect the function. At this point I just want this information available to other consumers.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/08/18) */
Hi [redacted],
I am [redacted], the Resolution Manager at SquareTrade.
Unfortunately, after reviewing the invoice you submitted and reviewing the calls you've made to various agents at SquareTrade, I have to agree with our Fraud Department...

and deny payment for this invoiced repair. I've attached a copy of the invoice you submitted to SquareTrade so the Revdex.com can review also.
This invoice was denied for various reasons; cost of repair, repair service eligibility and conflict of interest.
The cost of repair for this unit is $975 for a phone that costs $699. In our experience, screen replacement for a Galaxy 5S does not cost more than $300. A repair that high would require that we investigate further and check into why repair was even processed. Most repair services would recommend a repurchase if repair was that high.
The service type, once we looked into it, was for a computer service company, not a cellphone repair service.
When we attempted to contact this repair service, there was no response. Further checking showed that you are the owner, but prior to this, we had no indication that this is the case. You've called us multiple times, and have not mentioned once that you were going to have your own company repair your phone. Had you mentioned this, we would have denied the claim and offered a separate solution.
I don't see where there is any information on your invoice indicating that you are the CEO of the company. But even if that was there, it would still be after the fact.
I'm sorry, but we do not believe this is a valid repair or invoice. We will offer you a full refund on your warranty.
Regards,
[redacted]
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2014/08/19) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
This is ridiculous. In an email from square trade to fix my phone it clearly stated:
"Find an authorized repair place convenient to you and arrange a repair.Wherever you choose to have the unit repaired, the SquareTrade warranty will reimburse you for repairs up to value of your warranty, which is: $999.99 plus any applicable gift card bonus.The SquareTrade Care Plan covers parts and labor only. SquareTrade will not reimburse for software installation, diagnostics that do not result in a repair, or shipping. If the repair estimate is less than the warranty value shown above, proceed with the repairs. If the repair estimate is more than the warranty value, call us to discuss your options."
After calling multiple cell phone stores that didn't have OEM parts, I called ST and asked what qualified as an authorized repair place. They said anyone that fixes electronic devices. I asked if a computer repair company would qualify - they said yes. You should have those phone calls recorded to verify that this happened. I asked if there are parameters around what it should cost and they said it doesn't matter as long as it's under the $999.99 stated in the email sent to me. I specifically asked why they would spend more to FIX a phone than it would cost to replace it - they said that's just how it is. I again asked if there are cost points to know if the repair cost is reasonable or not, they again stated as long as it's under the $999.99. If the repair cost really isn't authorized to $999.99 then you should misrepresent that to the customers.
The email clearly says "If the repair estimate is less than the warranty value shown above, proceed with the repairs. If the repair estimate is more than the warranty value, call us to discuss your options."
So a repair amount cap was agreed upon - yet now that the invoice was submitted it's being rejected for cost. Yet it's under the cost you assigned to it.
You also state that no one was able to reach someone at our company and that is 100% false. Multiple people from square trade talked to a 2 different people at our company. 1 person in accounting and a technician. Yet here you are still saying that there was no response. There is a [redacted] from customer service that called, there was a [redacted] that called, there was a [redacted] that called and a [redacted] that [redacted] identified as her manager that called. All of them spoke with someone in the company.
This is also the first time someone sites conflict of interest to me - even when I spoke with [redacted] and [redacted] they both stated that it isn't an issue that I owned the company since I didn't personally work on the phone. They state it should have been the FIRST thing I said to them - even after being on hold for FOUR hours. Also, I don't know any company that states who their CEO is on their invoice. My information is publicly available and not hidden in any fashion.
You say you had no indication that I was the owner even though you already had paper work from the receipt of the purchase of the phone stating my company name, my name, and my title.
I've recommended your services to many of our clients, and after being on hold for 4 hours I wanted to truly understand how bad the service was from the customer's point of view. It's beyond frustrating that the resolution people - [redacted] were some of the rudest people I've ever spoken to.
Having people purchase a warranty, telling them to get their phone repaired, and then cancelling their warranty is bait and switch. Is the goal for people to buy the warranty and hope they never use it? That is deceit full.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 10, 2014/08/20) */
Hi Mr. [redacted],
I mentioned that we were unable to reach your company because that was the case in at least two instances. One of our agents even messaged the same to you. During this conversation, you asked him which number he used and then you explained to our agent that you just attempted to dial the number and selected option 2 to reach a live agent.
During the period of time when you were asking all these questions, had you also asked, "Is it OK for my own company to repair my phone?" this complaint wouldn't have been necessary.
Conflict of interest is a reasonable denial in this case given the fact that the repair amount invoiced is so far out of the range of a repair from any other cellphone repair service.
Regards,
[redacted]
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 14, 2014/08/27) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Our phones go straight through to an auto attendant like most companies, and without selecting an OPTION as it says on the greeting you can't talk to anyone. It clearly says select option 1 for support and 2 for account. If you don't select an option, there is no way that someone's phone will ring.
Also, there are multiple times when your agents said to me the fact that I OWN the company is not a conflict since I didn't personally do the work on the phone. Have you listened to those call recordings?
Also, why put this language in emails sent to customers regarding their claim if it is simply untrue?
"If the repair estimate is less than the warranty value shown above, proceed with the repairs. If the repair estimate is more than the warranty value, call us to discuss your options."
The repair was below the amount shown.
An itemized invoice was requested, but you guys moved to cancel before it was ready. It seems like we are continually changing stories and jumping the gun.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/10/07) */
We are sorry the consumer had issues with their device.
We discovered that the consumer filed their claim on line and used a drop down description that the system recognized as an issue caused by an accident. The system denied the claim...

based on that error made by the system and interpreting the issue as an accident.
We are going to file a claim and payout the consumer based on the fact that this would be a third claim for the same issue and the device is defined as a "lemon" and under our no lemon policy the claim qualifies for a payout.
We have contacted our intention to the consumer and are awaiting their approval to proceed.

We are sorry for any confusion experienced during the claim process.SquareTrade requires proof of purchase for the warrantied items before a claim can be completed. The consumer submitted the necessary information and the claim was approved for repair. At this time the consumer item has been...

repaired and sent back to them as of [redacted].

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because: based on numerous similar instances from other customers posted on line, Square Trade is either unable to figure out the Postal System or they are practicing deceptive business practices at best or at worst criminal mail fraud.  Due to the incredible amount of frustration I encountered trying to get reimbursed, which did finally occur, I nearly gave up.  Instead, after filing a criminal complaint with the [redacted], notifying the Revdex.com, contacting [redacted] Corporate, and posting accurate descriptions of what I had to go through, even offering to pay the [redacted] charges myself to get a verifiable way to ensure they actually mailed the reimbursement check, Square Trade reimbursed me. Sincerely,[redacted]

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/05/01) */
Hi [redacted],
I am [redacted] the Resolution Manager at SquareTrade.
I am sorry for the delay on this case. While reviewing your complaint, I noticed that you were successfully helped by one of our chat agents, [redacted]
You should be...

all set at this point. If you have any problems, please let me know at [redacted]@squaretrade.com.
Thank you,
[redacted]

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/02/18) */
We cannot respond to this complaint as the consumer has told us that they are starting legal proceedings and we cannot make any statements until the issue is resolved legally.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/02/19)...

*/
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Here is the email in which you will read the d e was never a moment I said I was suing them. I clearly informed him that his allegationo could be disproven in the courtroom AND of how legal proceedings occur in a courtroom. They don't seem to understand English language and have quickly turned this into something that MAYBE a lawyer in fact needs to pursue.
This company refuses to take responsibility and is now hiding behind more lies saying they can't not only refund me, but also respond because I've sought legal proceedings. If that was the case I wouldn't have come to the Revdex.com.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 10, 2015/03/05) */
We are sorry the consumer had an issue with their device.
We do not know how the damage occurred on the device as when it left out depot it was operating and had no damage. As per our Terms and Conditions the warranty does not cover cosmetic issues so the damage would not have been covered. Customer called back to say that there were other issues with the computer after she just reported the damage.
We are willing to process a payout in this case to resolve this warranty. The consumer will get an approval email and when she sends the unit back we will reimburse her the purchase price.
Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 12, 2015/03/09) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
They are still denying responsibility for damaging my laptop.
They are still lying saying I've been the one inconsistent, but I have all the evidence (recorded phone calls, photos of before and after, and several emails).
I am relieved to finally get the justice I deserve. They have promised to pay me the full purchase price which is 699.00 via check by mail after they receive my laptop.
I will be sure to get a tracking number and receipt because I have a strong feeling they will lie saying they didn't receive to avoid what they have been for so long- a refund for my device, the 699 purchase price.
I will never use their service again!