Complain about a product or service

The Signal Insurance

Karen of Vernon TX (05/31/08)
My cell phone was damaged by water. I thought wow Im glad I have insurance. Well........little did I know that signal insurance isnt worth a dime.

I got my 2nd phone finally,, back from them yesterday. The first one they sent me lasted 2 days. I did not have a clue when I was paying for insurance monthly that you get refurbished phones.  I got my other phone yesterday. it was a different phone than I had sent them, twice,and now this new phone I got yesterday lasted 8 hours.

Now i have to go through all the mess I have gone through twice already. Im almost ready to just buy me a new phone, turn them in to the Better Business Bureau and NEVER TAKE OUT INSURANCE again. They dont tell you all this when you sign up for insurance, and actually U S Cellluar has not been a great deal of help either. They just say they have nothing to do with the insurance, but they certainly are there ready to take your money.. CUSTOMER SERVICE???? i THINK THEY NEED A COURSE. I am sooooooooooo frustrated

Cindy of Boone IA (11/28/07)
I turned in a claim for my kyocera strobe phone which I purchased from U.S. Cellular a couple of months ago. The inside lcd screen went partially out. So instead of sending me another phone like the one I have, and spent $230 on, they instead sent me a cheaper brand cell phone which I do not want. I want either the cell phone I have, which they say is no longer in stock because the its been discontinued, or I want a better quality phone. I am willing to pay the difference in price minus my deductable in which I've already paid.

If I cannot get the one that I turned in a claim for then I would like one of the smart phones or one of the newer razor phones. The feature that I liked was the texting keyboard feature it had. It was a full keyboard inside.

The inside lcd screen half way went out. I'm not sure exactly how it happened. I think it may have either got stepped on by my 3 year old, or it may have been dropped, but it was insured.

Julie of Winslow IL (11/23/07)
On 10/22/07 I went to a US Cellular Store in Freeport, Il and renewed a contract, and received an upgraded phone (a strobe) for my daughter. She took it to school and it was stolen within a week. I thought no problem we have paid Signal insurance premiums for years and the phone just came out, so we will just pay the $50 deductible and get a new one. Not so simple!  After many phone calls and going back and forth between US Cellular and Signal Insurance who not only gave us a wrong phone when we paid the deductible, but did this twice, claiming they had no strobe in the warehouse, then saying they did, and then did not.

I have now paid $100 in two deductibles and still have no phone which was my daughter's birthday present. I am advising everyone I know, NOT TO BUY SIGNAL INSURANCE! I also told the signal insurance that if they are treating everyone like this, it is a matter of time before a law suit is issued, and that I would be a part of it in a heart beat!

Julie of Kelso WA (11/06/07)
I am a nextel customer who thought I was doing the right thing by purchasing insurance for our cell phones. We were not given a choice of insurance when buying our phones. Nextel signed us up with The Signal insurance, what a joke!!! One of our workers called the office to report the volume button quit working on his phone, the phone is 1 yr, 3 mos old. I said no problem, it is insured and called nextel for the phone number.

After speaking with a representative and a supervisor for at least 30 minutes, they said they would not cover the phone because the worker did not have an accident with the phone or do anything to make the volume button stop working, how the heck do we know why the volume button doesn't work anymore! and who cares! I thought that's why I've been paying for insurance for the last year and a half.

I immediately dropped that insurance and am out to warn anyone who will listen. Do not let anyone sign you up for the Signal insurance on your cell phone, you might as well just throw away your money!!

Lori of Lahaina HI (10/02/07)
My son dropped his phone 2 months ago and broke the antenna.  A claim # 11320773 was issued by the Signal Insurance agent. They said the replacement phone would be shipped within 48 hours. ( I paid for express delivery.)  Two days later when no phone arrived, I called to check on the delivery and was informed the phone was not covered under insurance, that it was a defect of Motorola and Motorola would have to deal with the incident, which they would not agree to.  Signal Insurance deemed it mechanical breakdown--not covered by insurance. What a waste of time and money! The phones are garbage and not built to last and insurance of all types is a rip off. The governent should shut them all down for fraud! What are we paying for? Nextel informed us the phone would cot $278.00 to replace! Ha! Now we have an inferior phone that works sometimes and have been paying insurance all these years for nothing!

We have poor quality service and paying top dollar for garbage, to mention all the aggrevation and time wasted processing a claim that wasn't approved. . .AGAIN! Class action suits shoud be filed against all these companies involved!

William of Dearborn Heights MI (10/01/07)
In June 2007, I lost my Nextel I-836 Motorola phone. Signal Insurance was contacted, and my re-furbished phone and apparently new battery was sent to me. As we jump ahead 3 months, the end key, soft right key (messages), and O.K. key stopped working, as well as the battery holding 11 1/2 minutes on a full charge. Today, I spoke with two associates and three managers. Both associates and two of the three managers stated that they send BRAND NEW AFTER MARKET BATTERIES (i.e. not Motorola)and that the warranty on their equipment is thirty days. I contacted Sprint/Nextel, and they credited my account $40 to cover a new battery, and the service center replaced my phone free of charge. While at the service center, an employee noted that the 3 month old battery looked a little beat down. He peeled the sticker off of the battery that read Quality Control Battery INC., and to everyones supprise, it is a Motorola battery. And to top things off, according to the date code on the battery, it was over three years old! I called back to Signal, asked if they supplied new batteries with the re-furbished phones, and was told yes by an associate. But when I spoke with Terry (the second manager), I was assured that the battery was new. His supervisor Chrystal (7221) claimed the batteries could be re-furbished. What's the deal? I've been to the Signal website, and no where in their mission statement does it say anything about de-frauding their customers. And according to the Nextel service reps, the new Motorola batteries are lucky to last more than 2 to 3 years.

I am most concerned about the $100 deductible I was charged for what 3 of 5 employees of the Signal called a re-furbished phone with a new battery when in reality i received a 3 year old battery with a cute sticker wrapped around it to make it appear new. If they handle hundreds of thousands of claims, how much money has been stolen by their misrepresented claims? At what point can they be held liable?

James of Christiansburg VA (04/25/07)
April 25, 2007 I went to my local U.S. Cellular store where I came into to turn in my cell phone, which had broken into two pieces I spoke with the representative of U.S. Cellular and they called Signal Insurance which is the insurance company I carry on my phone and told me to speak to the customer representative and state to this person what had happened to my phone I spoke with a lady named Cathy and she asked me what happened to my phone I stated that I had dropped it yesterday and it had a crack in it and today when I pulled the phone out of my pocket it broke into two pieces and that the battery case had broken off.

The lady asked me if a specific incident occurred while pulling the phone out of my pocket. I stated other than it breaking into two pieces nothing else had happened The lady came back on the phone gave me a claim number of 10941697 and stated to me that my insurance would not cover it because it is considered normal wear and tear because I could not specify an incident that occurred I then stated that dropping it the day before did not help probably and that that definitely was not wear and tear.

She stated to me because I stated that I could not relate the phone damage on April 25, 2007 to an incident than it was normal wear and tear.

Jamie of Brookfield CT (04/02/07)
My phone was stolen over the wknd. This was a brand new I850. I have insurance on my nextels for 6yrs and counting..... I just went to hook up my extra phone, an older I730....which was a signal insurance replacement frm Sept 2005 (yep i have a problem w/phone stealers!!) well, these unbelieveably unhelpful people advised me that MY OLD PHONE was in the negative file (lost or stolen, along w/the sim card that came shipped inside of it!!!) now....im waiting for a new phone, which also they informed me was a 100.00 deductible, not 35! So now I'm doubly screwed...out the 4 bucks every month, out 100.00 deductible, and of course the icing on the cake......i cant even hook up my own nextel that was a signal replacement.... and i better not get a refurbished piece of garbage for 100.

Riki of Madison WI (03/24/07)

I purchased a Nokia 6255i phone, through US Cellular, with the $5.00 a month insurance. Due to mechanical damage, the phone's speaker ceased operating, so I called The Signal to claim a replacement phone. The Signal assured me that they would replace my phone with a comparable phone with the same features, since they had discontinued my phone.

When I received my replacement phone, it was not even near comparable (Did not have MP3, external memory, Radio or voice recording). I use the MP3 feature on my phone heavily, which the replacement phone could not do. I've called US Cellular to at least get a comparable MP3 phone from The Signal and they agree that I should have at least received a MP3 phone. I called The Signal again and spoke with a supervisor. She explained that if they do not have the same phone as a replacement, they could send whatever phone they wanted or I could purchase a new phone.

I've spent more than 4 hours total between US Cellular and The Signal, plus numerous trips between home, work and the US Cellular Service Center. I've spent around $120 on phone insurance, a $25 Deductible and the original purchase price of my Nokia 6255i was $200.00.

Jason of Port Richey FL (11/06/06)
My Nextel cell phone display went blank on Nov. 2, took it to repair center as I have both repair & incedental insurance on the phone. The repair center told me, after taking it apart that the board was crushed and it was non repairable.They informed me because of the damage I would have to go through my incedental insurance carrier to get it replaced. when I contacted the insurance company and told them I didn't know how the phone got damaged as there was no external indications.

The insurance company told me it would not cover the claim because I didn't know exactly when or how the phone got damaged.basically being honest is not the best policy. I pay for incental damage,the phone has incental damage, the insurance company looking for any fraudulent way to not honor the policy-I feel it's not fair and very wrong.

Bobby of Rockmart GA (10/27/06)
It has now been 12 days since i first filed my claim because i lost my phone.they said it would be here in 2 to 3 days.then they said i hadn't finished filing my claim so i did everything again and 3 days ago they said my phone would be here in 2 days.now i am going out of town without a cell phone.this is about the third time i have had problems getting a phone from them.i pay for insurance every month so that if i lose my phone i can get a new one, i don't think it should be so hard to get one every time.

i work full time for a construction company where i always need a phone for safety and work purposes.i also drive a racecar so i am always on the road and i just had a baby and have no way of being reached. i guess you can see what a hastle this has caused me. thanks

Timothy of Annapolis MD (10/12/06)
I purchased a phone that needed to be replaced, where I was charged a $50 deductible, after being charged monthly premiums.

Troy of Bonaparte IA (10/10/06)
I have insurance through Signal Ins. Co., on a cellphone. I have several cells that have been wet, dried them out, and all is well. My lastest phone got wet. I dried it out, like all my previous phones. All the graphics work, but has a data abort message. I tried my local provider, they opened it up, saw the red ink. Said there is nothing you can do, phone is bad. I called a nearby service center, where they actually repair phones. Didn't mention that it had been wet. Told them the code I was getting. They said with my model, it was usually repairable by reloading the software and to bring it in. I did, and as soon as they found it had been wet, they said there was nothing to do. I have a $50 deductible, they will replace it with a nearly obsolete phone that I can buy off ebay for less. After paying insurance for 2 years!! I have argued with Signal, they told me that they will not send out refurbished phones, I doubt that.

I feel the whole thing is a scam, I am currently using my old phone, and probably still paying for insurance that is ineffective and ill advised.

Dixie  of Beaufort SC (10/09/06)
My husband and I have phones through Nextel. I signed up for the insurance through The Signal, which is the insurance that Nextel uses. The first incident, my husband lost his cell phone. I contacted the insurance company and they replaced it, but I had to pay $30.00 for the new phone. This was about 8 months ago or so. Well, recently, my husband broke his phone. I am assuming that he broke it when he fell off his dirt bike, but I wasn't sure. Later that night, his phone quit working.

He took it to the Nextel store to see if they could fix it. The lady at the store said that the inside had been crushed. So, I called the insurance to file a claim. I told them that the phone had quit working, that we took it to the Nextel store, and that the inside was crushed. They asked how it happened, and I told them that I didn't know. They denied my claim stating that it was due to mechcanical malfunction, which is not covered by the insurance, and that I would have to buy a new phone.

Why am I paying for insurance if they are not going to cover me? We looked into buying a new phone, but since the model that my husband had, which was the Motorola i530 was no longer being made, we would have to purchase a new model at full cost. I looked into purchasing phones for his replacement. Since his SIM card was ok and not damaged, we pulled it out. We ended up losing the phone (which we later found), so I reported another claim because it was lost. The insurance company denied that claim because the SIM card was not in the phone at the time it was lost and technically we did not lose the whole phone.

Well, we ended up finding the phone and my husband then tried to call The Signal to straighten things out. When I tried to call to straighten things out, I was told that since the claims had been denied, that they could not go back and change anything in the system. Although I got a letter in the mail stating that they claim had been denied, but if I had any other information that they should consider, to contact them, they still would not do anything. My husband called and went through about six different people and was on the phone for over an hour. The lady that he talked to was stated that she closed the two claims that I made and entered a new one from my husband. All I would have to do is fill out the insurance paperwork stating what happened and they would send my a replacement phone for $35.00 plus $15.00 for express shipping, and send them the broken phone. I told them that we could do that. I sent the paperwork back to them.

Well I checked today and the claim again got denied.

Shannon of Yuma AZ (09/05/06)
Our company is a big customer of Nextel. All of our phones carry the Signal insurance and since we're a construction company, we have had to file several claims. Today I called to file a claim on a phone of one of our employees. He had told me what happened, dropped off the phone, and left for the day. This is normal company protocol and my job to handle such tasks. During the phone call with Signal I was informed that I could give my version of the incident that was said to have caused the malfunction of the phone but she advised me against it because if the actual user changed his mind or said something contrary the claim would be denied.

I felt I was being accused of intending to lie. I told her that as he had JUST told me what happened, I would be telling her exactly what he told me. So I told her what happened and she read my statement back to me and then asked Do you agree that this is what happened And it was absolutely NOT what I had just said. I said No. That's not what happened and repeated the details of the incident. Three times she read this false statement back to me and three times I told her no, that's not what happened. Finally she was rude and said haughtily, I really don't think it matters.

Now if it doesn't make any difference, why was she so adamant about filing the claim with HER version rather than the word-for-word statement I'd just given? I felt that she was determined to deny this claim, though we've been paying for insurance on a huge number of phones for years and have never had a problem. So I hung up and will be having a company owner call and speak to someone there.

Now our superintendent will have to wait at least another day before he receives a replacement cell phone, and being that's his only communication to necessary vendors and other parties when out on his job sites, this will prove to be extemely inconvenient.

Maria of Littlerock CA (08/05/06)
I called to report that I lost my phone. The person on the phone stated that in order to file a claim I would have to complete a report, sign it and return it. I would have to wait for the form to be mailed which was mailed to me on July 31 and received on August 4, 2006. The last time I reported I reported my for was stolen was back in 2004. The person on the phone stated that after receiving the form back it would then be submitted and it could take up to 72 hours to be denied or authorized. I have been paying for insurance on this phone since 2004 and maybe even before. But jet I have to wait for a phone. The person on the phone made me feel discriminated. He maid me feel like if I just wanted a new phone. I called the store were I lost the phone how ever no one turned in a phone.

I had to buy a phone because as you can see it took six days just to receive the form. It will then take 72 hours to see if it will be denied or approved. After that it will take 72 hours to mail the phone. During all that time something could happen to me and my baby and I would not be able to call for help. Please help in getting my money back since it is a problem replacing phones with this insurance company. Its faster to buy a phone. It is costing me more money to buy the phone, extend my plan and on top of that pay the insurance incase something happens to the phone.

James of South Boston MA (08/04/06)
On July 30th, I received water damage to my Motorola I930 cell phone (I was pushed in a swimming pool). Knowing that I pay monthly for insurance, I contacted my provider (The Signal) and reported a claim the next day (31st). They stated that I need to fill out a proof of loss form and send it back to them. They said that it would be reviewed and a new phone would be sent out w/i 24 hours. Well, days went by and no phone was shipped to me, so I called to check on the status. I was told that my claim was going to be reviewed and would take 3-5 days for this review. I asked repeatedly why and I kept getting the same answer that the computer either supports the claim or sends it to review and that it wouldn'y be acted upon until the 7th of Aug.At which time a decision would be made and send out a new(so they say) phone will be shipped out in 3-5 days or expedited in 2 days for $15 x-tra. Also there is a $100 deductible added to the $5.00 a month I already pay. So that puts me w/o a cell phone, that I pay $100 a month to Nextel, for 12 days. This is my primary means of phone usage.

Robert of Providence RI (07/24/06)
just like most people i pay my premiums and when i claimed a loss on 7-16-06 it is now the 25th of the same month and im still waiting for approval from the review dept i have never been so misdirected -- no one wants to tell me anything and all i get is the run around i would think that such a large well known company like nextel would use a company that makes thier customers happy instead i want to choke someone.

Angie of Freeport IL (07/06/06)
My phone stopped working after a short period of time after purchasing it from US Cellular. I filed a claim with The Signal on June 01, 2006. They then sent me prepaid postage through UPS. I then mailed the phone back to them on June 03, 2006. It is now July 6th and The Signal is claiming they have not received the phone. They said they keep no record of the UPS tracking number on their prepaid envelopes. Now they are threatening to charge me for replacing the phone plus and additional $50. I am not the first person to have a claim of this sort. I am firm that this is fraud.

They are threatening to put a charge on my cell phone bill with US Cellular and to damage my credit score.

Micah of Avenue NE (06/28/06)
I purchased two i830 phones in early May 2005. One silver and one bronze. We signed up with the Signal Insurance as we thought this would be a good deal. It was a low price for the, apparently great, service we thought we'd receive. We were informed by the Nextel Representative that the phone would be covered under most situations that would involve loss. Come to find out that when one of the phones was damaged, that wasn't the truth at all. In the form that we signed, it stated that the phone would be replaced with another one it for only the cost of the deductible.

We followed all necessary procedures to get the problem resolved. Two weeks after submission of the correct forms, we finally received the replacement phone. The replacement was the bronze model, and we were replacing the silver model. This was the first of a 6month battle between Nextel and Signal Insurance. We called to verify that the phone shipped to us was correct. Signal’s response is that the silver model was recalled and would no longer be given out. After an hour long conversation, we hit numerous road blocks and dead ends. We decided we should talk to Nextel. They told us there was no such recall, and that the silver phone was not recalled at all.

We then decided to be brave and call signal back. We had to explain our issues with them for the second time. They then told us that the replaced phone was what was guaranteed in the contract saying they were not obligated to send the same color. They said that if we wanted to, we could send that bronze phone in and incur all the prices for shipping and the cost of a silver replacement. Turns out that the bronze one we received, was a refurbished model. Yeah, it broke within 60 days. We called signal back and to our dismay, they told us that phone wasn’t covered since it was a refurb. Seeking a refund since the time I had the refurbished phone, I was told that I could only get 45 days back. Is this even right; paying for service that I’m not receiving? Now, I’m stuck with a phone that’s broken, mangled, and barely workable.

Dana of Phoenix AZ (05/31/06)
I called to report that my dog had eaten my cell phone and the woman I spoke to the first time said there is actually a section called damage caused by pets she would just need me to fill out a proof of loss form and fax back to them. I filled out the form and was told the information was not sufficient - they needed to know if I still had the phone - I said the claim form does not ask for that info. and I am paying $3.00 per fax. Of course, they sympathize with my situation but Cheryl, a supervisor stated that these forms are new and the Review Team is rejecting them every day and they never know what they are looking for or why they are rejecting them. I have since refaxed the new info. and am awaiting a response. I feel as though this company tries to do everything in their power to not cover a new phone - is there no recourse for consumers. you buy insurance for damages, loss and theft and NO WHERE in writing can you get what is covered!

Chase of Saint Cloud, MN (03/11/06)
I purchased a Nextel i860, and paid extra every month for insurance coverage from Signal Insurance. On 11/2/05 I lost my phone.

The insurance covers damage, theft, and loss so I called Signal and reported the loss. They requested that I send them the receipt for the purchase of my phone, which I did (I bought the phone at Personal Communications).  I also sent them the sworn statement of proof of loss that was required. When I called to follow up on my claim, they said I had sent the wrong form.  They wanted the receipt from Nextel, the Subscriber Agreement. I told them I would send the correct receipt, but they said it was too late.

They filed the claim as fraud, and I only had one chance to send in the right form, therefore there would be no refund of any kind.  They said it was too bad I didn't read my contract with them.

This smells of fraud to me.  I paid my insurance premiums, but cannot file a claim because this case can't be reopened?  When I asked to speak to the review dept, I was informed they do not take phone calls, but I should feel free to write them!

Teresa of Chester, VA (02/23/06)
I purchased insurance on my son's cell phone with the understanding that if anything happened to the phone it would be replaced. The charger will not stay in the phone, so the battery will not charge and is unusable. 

I called Signal to make a claim and was advised (after the insurance company spoke with my 17 year old son) that there was no incident of him dropping the phone so it was not covered.  I questioned that if the charger will not stay in the phone, even if we don't know exactly how it happened, it's still broken. I also asked what if it broke because my son was pushing the charger in too far into the phone and they responded that that would be normal wear and tear, not an accident.  How can it be normal wear and tear when the phone is only 6 months old?

Sadly, if my son had lied and said he dropped the phone it would have been covered.

Yvonne of Arlington, VA (01/20/06)
Signal replaced my broken phone. I mailed the broken phone to them in their envelope with their label. This was three months ago and they still haven't received it.

Shortly after the replacement phone was received, we cancelled this phone # on our Nextel account and I am offering to send the replacement phone back to them to offset the broken phone that was either lost in the mail OR not recorded as being received, but they say they can't accept it.  They want their $200 + $50 late fee because they haven't received the original phone.

After reading the other complaints and speaking to usually rude people at Signal, I don't see why Nextel keeps using them.

Scott of Clayton, NC (01/13/06)
My son's phone was stolen from a school locker room on 1/9/06. On 1/10/06 he was allowed by Signal to file the claim, he is only 14 years old.

When he filed the claim he reported the wrong model of phone, and when I faxed over the proof of purchase it was different from what he reported, so they denied the claim. Since my name is on the account, I argued that Signal should not have let him start a claim (the Signal rep said they only require the customer to know the billing address on the account to start a claim).

After several calls and conversations with two supervisors I hit a dead end. I argued that the bottom line was a I760 phone was stolen and I even have a police report to validate this.  But since the wrong phone was originally reported the claim has been refused and I have no course of action.

So after paying three years worth of insurance without a claim, they are refusing to replace the phone because we reported the wrong model phone.

Eduardo of Los Angeles, CA (11/29/05)
I purchased a Nextel i860 in 10/23/04 and also purchased the Signal insurance. About six months ago I lost my cell phone and Signal replaced it without a problem.

On 11/21/05 the screen on my cell phone was not functioning correctly so I took it to the repair center Nextel offers.  They told me they could not repair the telephone and that I should file a claim with Signal Insurance.  Signal asked me to fax the original purchase receipt to them, which I did.  My claim was denied because the information I faxed did not match the phone I originaly purchased!

Well, it was obviously not going to match because Signal replaced that phone six months ago.

Charles of Montgomery, AL (09/08/05)
We purchased a i730 Nextel phone for our son this past Christmas with insurance through Signal Telecommunications (used by Nextel). This past week, the phone was shipped via FED-EX to be repaired because of a screen problem.

We spent hours with Nextel and finally were told it had been lost in the system and for us to file a claim. We did and were told that if we were not notified within 24 hours to again call Signal Insurance.

Again, we heard nothing so we called Signal again (ANOTHER WASTED 2 HOURS). We were given a claim number and told to file this through our computer via (www.adobe.com). We attempted to bring this site up (ANOTHER WASTED AFTERNOON - TOTALLY).....we finally gave up.

This has been a joke all the way. If we had known this, we would have and still may choose another company to do business with. We are planning on contacting our Better Business Bureau as well as The Attorney General's Office with complaints.

Blair of Torrance, CA (07/13/05)
The volume button on my wife's phone would not work so we called Nextel, who sent us to Signal.   well signal said my phone was not covered and transfered me back to nextel nextel said they would add the 2.99 to take it to the nextel service i took it to them on friday july 8th and they said that the phone was not mine it was not on my contract that i had an i860 i said no i did not they called nextel and they said yes that the insurance had turned off my phone and that they were shipping the phone well i waited and while i was waiting my wifes phone was turned of and we could not use it well on july 13 i called and they said it was shipped on friday and tranfered me to signal insurance they said that they did not do any thing like that what happened is that they shipped the phone to someone else that they crossed the files that it was my fault for the problem not theirs there for the do not need to do a dam thing about it i did not even get an apolige i'll i got was your phone is back on so take a hike

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