Service plan term: 2 YearService plan covered value: $ 200-249.99Change
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PLEASE READ STORY MUST BE TOLD. DO NOT BUY SQUARETRADE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SQUARETRADE IS FRAUDULENT!!!!!
on April 24, 2017
I am a behavioral biology/computer science student at Johns Hopkins University, I run art/garden camp in the summer for children. Square trade is positively evil. They straight up lied to me and used their weight as a large institution to ensure that I wasn't able to do anything. Alright time for specifics, I sent my laptop in three times for the same issue--the laptop would shut off unexpectedly because of a loose screw. Every time they sent it back it would turn off within an hour. The first time was pretty bad. The second time I was near loosing it. But the third time? the third time was personal. This was of course infuriating in itself, but oh, oh nononononon it gets worse far worse. Every time I sent it I had to go through an arduous negotiation process taking upwards of two hours. More specifically, when I asked whether or not I would be able to be compensated in any way for having my laptop in transit back and forth from square trade for four months, the answer was no (this is slightly understandable but it gets worse). They failed continuously and did nothing to make up for the mistakes THEY made. The third time they sent back my device, they replaced the hardrive, yet the computer still turned off within an hour of having received it. But wait, theres more. They happened to install the wrong hardrive the second time they send back the device--they gave me a similar i7 processor but one without a turbo drive. I called on the third time furious at their service to complain. If you have a serious issue, FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT, they have people higher up in the chain--the people you are first sent to are trained to tell you no. After much arguing they told me that I would be able to talk with a manager the next day (after waiting and arguing for 2 hours). I didn't receive a call. Awesome so great of you squaretrade what good customer service ("we'll just wait them out!!"). So I waited a week or so and called back (only to have to wait for another hour). In the end they promised me 800$ for my laptop and the amount that they had made me wait, they had also violated a little something known as the Lemon law (look it up), and yes I was quite happy for a brief moment. EXCEPT AFTER HAVING SENT IN MY DEVICE THEY RESCINDED MY CLAIM!!!!! THEY SAID THAT I HAD CHANGED THE HARDDRIVE ON MY COMPUTER DEVICE!!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME MY VERY COMPLAINT WAS THAT THEY HAD PUT THE WRONG HARDRIVE BACK INTO MY DEVICE? WHAT ELSE CAN I SAY?!?!?!?---NO I DIDN'T REPLACE THE HARDRIVE?!?!? WELL APPARENTLY THATS NOT ENOUGH AND AFTER MONTHS OF WAITING WITH MY LAPTOP IN TRANSIT AND HOURS OF WAITING ON HOLD I WAS TOLD THAT NOTHING WOULD BE DONE AND THAT WHAT I HAD DONE IS BORDERLINE CRIMINAL. This was a mistake on their part. It’s obvious that they hadn't kept good records so of course when its their tech team's perspective over that of a customer, their gonna take the tech team's side. What you did was fraudulent Squaretrade. What you did was using the weight of a large institution to squash an individual. You make it purposefully difficult to get the money you deserve. Your website is not user friendly. Your customer service is trained to make it as difficult as possible. and none of you have any accountability. The mechanism that is square trade is not looking out for your best interest. Luckily I am not the most needing person and had the time to argue my case. I can only imagine how horrible this would be for a family with a real claim that does not have the time for this bureaucratic maze.
I have no reason to try and steal a hardrive from squaretrade, I simply wanted a working laptop. It is obviously in squaretrades best interest to set up a mechanism that prevents them from being predated upon by people looking to make a quick buck. It makes sense. However, because it seems they are poorly organized, it can, and will blow up on you. There is no accountability on their part and because of this I am stuck with a laptop with the wrong hardrive, that shuts off periodically, and the cherry on top was that I was accused of criminal activity. YOU GO SQUARE TRADE!! I had to run lessons that were on the computer, but because it took so long **shrugs oh well too bad that’s on you valued customer.
I wish I could give square trade a lower rating than one star. What they did was criminal. What they did was corrupt. What they did was fraudulent. Sorry also, I'm a student and don't have much time for things like this so its a bit rushed. I will be spreading my story on to reviews of laptop insurance sites. again, Squaretrade, this is personal ;).
I have no reason to try and steal a hardrive from squaretrade, I simply wanted a working laptop. It is obviously in squaretrades best interest to set up a mechanism that prevents them from being predated upon by people looking to make a quick buck. It makes sense. However, because it seems they are poorly organized, it can, and will blow up on you. There is no accountability on their part and because of this I am stuck with a laptop with the wrong hardrive, that shuts off periodically, and the cherry on top was that I was accused of criminal activity. YOU GO SQUARE TRADE!! I had to run lessons that were on the computer, but because it took so long **shrugs oh well too bad that’s on you valued customer.
I wish I could give square trade a lower rating than one star. What they did was criminal. What they did was corrupt. What they did was fraudulent. Sorry also, I'm a student and don't have much time for things like this so its a bit rushed. I will be spreading my story on to reviews of laptop insurance sites. again, Squaretrade, this is personal ;).
on July 28, 2015
Do not buy a plan here, I just got my laptop from repair and it looks like they beat the shit out of it. I called them and they going to see what they can do but before I ship it out there was no marks and after I got it back stuff was missing and tons of marks. They had me take photos and it doesn't boot. All Photos I put in this is stuff that they did to it and what I get everytime I load the pc
on October 13, 2016
This is the worst experience that I have ever had with a product. Amazon clearly did not perform any due diligence before permitting this vendor to sell products on their website. I have had such an awful experience that I will never purchase another computer from Amazon ever again.
I purchased a Lenovo laptop from Amazon and was duped into purchasing a 3-year warranty. At the time of purchase I received an offer from Amazon to purchase an extended warranty from Square Trade. Shortly after the purchase the computer stopped working. My first attempt to file a warranty claim was denied because Square Trade indicated it was a problem that would be covered under the Manufacturer's warranty and that I needed to contact Lenovo. After several calls to Square trade they reluctantly agreed to acknowledge our claim and the computer was shipped to them. Based on the warranty agreement the computer was to be repaired in 3-5 business days and returned to me, The warranty also indicated that in the event the computer could not be repaired a cash payment would be provided for the replacement cost of the computer. Long story short, I still do not have a computer and SquareTrade is constantly providing us with false information about when our computer will be repaired. We have asked to speak to a manager on two separate occasions and were promised that a manager would return our phone call. Unfortunately, a manager has never returned our call. We still do not have a computer and Square Trade will not issue us a check for the replacement cost of the computer. They did refund us the price of the warranty but only because they failed to meet the contract requirements included in the warranty agreement. If you are in need of a computer. do yourself a favor and purchase it from a local retailer that provides its own warranty services.
I purchased a Lenovo laptop from Amazon and was duped into purchasing a 3-year warranty. At the time of purchase I received an offer from Amazon to purchase an extended warranty from Square Trade. Shortly after the purchase the computer stopped working. My first attempt to file a warranty claim was denied because Square Trade indicated it was a problem that would be covered under the Manufacturer's warranty and that I needed to contact Lenovo. After several calls to Square trade they reluctantly agreed to acknowledge our claim and the computer was shipped to them. Based on the warranty agreement the computer was to be repaired in 3-5 business days and returned to me, The warranty also indicated that in the event the computer could not be repaired a cash payment would be provided for the replacement cost of the computer. Long story short, I still do not have a computer and SquareTrade is constantly providing us with false information about when our computer will be repaired. We have asked to speak to a manager on two separate occasions and were promised that a manager would return our phone call. Unfortunately, a manager has never returned our call. We still do not have a computer and Square Trade will not issue us a check for the replacement cost of the computer. They did refund us the price of the warranty but only because they failed to meet the contract requirements included in the warranty agreement. If you are in need of a computer. do yourself a favor and purchase it from a local retailer that provides its own warranty services.
on June 14, 2016
About a year and a half into owning my HP Chromebook 14, I noticed that there was something under the track pad that was swollen or something. I can't even close it completely. I never dropped it, and if someone else did, I don't know about it (I have the accidental drop protection even if it was dropped) That area on the laptop's frame was bulging upward. On top of that, the battery will not hold a charge and wont work without being connected to the charger. I saw that the battery wasn't working and there was something swollen in the computer, so I discontinued use immediately.
Square Trade refuses to fix it, saying that the battery isn't covered because it's "consumable". Important thing to not about this Chromebook is that they aren't user accessible - if you opened up a Chromebook to work on it, you would void the manufacturer's warranty. It isn't a matter of buying a new battery and just popping it into place. How can an integrated battery be considered consumable or an accessory?
So, since I refuse to use this out of fear of it being a fire hazard, I can either buy a new Chromebook or buy a new battery and then hire a professional to install it. I put in a ticket and Amazon had Square Trade contact me with a note that said I was dissatisfied with my service. My only response was three days later, and it was only a copy pasted summary of how to file a claim. Square Trade, do you know how insulting that is? How could I be unhappy with my service if I hadn't already filed a claim? I replied back and haven't gotten an answer as of yet. I paid $50 for this warranty, and it has been nothing but a nightmare. I call to file a claim, and the rep tells be that I'll have to be the one to call back and check on it. Do you know how troublesome that is when you call a place that will connect you to a different rep every time? I call back, and find out they have closed my claim, so they had to reopen it. Finally get it sorted out by repeating the same information over and over, and send them the laptop, only for them to say they won't fix it.
I would give this zero stars, but sadly that isn't an option.
Square Trade refuses to fix it, saying that the battery isn't covered because it's "consumable". Important thing to not about this Chromebook is that they aren't user accessible - if you opened up a Chromebook to work on it, you would void the manufacturer's warranty. It isn't a matter of buying a new battery and just popping it into place. How can an integrated battery be considered consumable or an accessory?
So, since I refuse to use this out of fear of it being a fire hazard, I can either buy a new Chromebook or buy a new battery and then hire a professional to install it. I put in a ticket and Amazon had Square Trade contact me with a note that said I was dissatisfied with my service. My only response was three days later, and it was only a copy pasted summary of how to file a claim. Square Trade, do you know how insulting that is? How could I be unhappy with my service if I hadn't already filed a claim? I replied back and haven't gotten an answer as of yet. I paid $50 for this warranty, and it has been nothing but a nightmare. I call to file a claim, and the rep tells be that I'll have to be the one to call back and check on it. Do you know how troublesome that is when you call a place that will connect you to a different rep every time? I call back, and find out they have closed my claim, so they had to reopen it. Finally get it sorted out by repeating the same information over and over, and send them the laptop, only for them to say they won't fix it.
I would give this zero stars, but sadly that isn't an option.
on January 22, 2014
This review is from a person processing a claim, and that person is me. I have read many reviews on this company, but very, very few are from people who have actually processed a claim. That is telling in itself.
I wonder how many bad experiences go unnoticed with this company. SquareTrade has a good website interface with clear language. However, today I was told I would receive a call back by a supervisor, "...in 24 business hours." That was a first for me. I have an extensive past career as a technical support person and having been a manager at a phone support center for a major company as well as a trainer and quality assurance officer, I was more than a little annoyed, surprised and drawn into action. Suffice it to say, you may stop reading at the end of this paragraph and know that the rest of the story fills the details in for your amusement and perhaps the management at SquareTrade. This company failed in providing the service and communications to this end user at many points in the warranty claim cycle and the tipping point was the courteous, apparently hard working, phone support person who read scripts to great annoyance. Quite simply, SquareTrade talks the talk, but does not walk the walk. From 24 business hours to business days to business weeks, it makes little difference how much time SquareTrade says it needs to repair and ship something back if no business actually happens. In my case, the repair of my laptop.
My laptop was in receipt for 9 business days with no update other than it was to be fixed. This is my first encounter with this company and they have very clear milestones denoted in the claim process. Unfortunately, no one individual really handles your claim, follows up with the repair depot or updates the customer with delays. All seem to fall through the proverbial crack. Today, I gave them a call and spoke with Tracy in customer service. She authenticated me five different ways and then proceeded to finish her script stating she would put me on hold and check on the laptop. She came back after a few minutes and alerted me that the repair depot had to order parts and that repairs were being made and it would ship out in 2-3 business days. Wow. You have had the laptop for 9 business days, not made any update even though you said you would if there were delays, and now you have the parts in hand and still won't be able to ship it for 2-3 business days? The website indicates five business days for repair and up to 2 business days for shipping. Shame on me for not following up at 7 business days! It would seem this should be a priority for a company to repair, but perhaps not. I was going to accept that the laptop would ship out in a few days and then take unknown amount of days (up to 2) to be delivered. Then, I realized the repair takes less than a couple of hours, probably a lot less as it was just a bezel, but certainly not 2-3 business days. Why am I not getting the laptop shipped today? I asked to speak to a supervisor. Mind you, very politely and acknowledging that I was not angry at Tracy. I was told by Tracy that I would be contacted by a supervisor, "...in 24 business hours." Huh? What does that mean? Is that a fancy or sneaky way of saying 3 business days? I told her I was not happy and would take the matter up with the seller of the warranty and make it known to the world. Then, all of a sudden, Tracy says I can talk to a more senior representative. Huh? Is that a fancy way of disguising supervisors as "senior customer service reps?" I said, "Ok, please let me talk to this person." She put me on hold and then one minute later the line gets disconnected. Sound familiar? To her credit she called me back, but I had already called them back and asked to talk to Tracy and was informed there were many call centers. Not surprising to me. No authentication this time and I moved right into checking if there were any updates to the account with the new representative. He checked and nothing there. He indicated maybe Tracy had not yet posted anything to the account. Tracy was on hold while we figured this out, perhaps a bit of payback. I gave her my work number and asked if they could call me back in half an hour at that number. It must take some number of business minutes to get the call back as I have yet not heard back and it has been several regular hours.
And so the dance continues. I did not pay $99 to go dancing and spend hours on the phone. Save your hundred bucks, buy a good case, and be careful. Do this and most of the time you will get your three years and then some out of your tech. If it breaks and is not related to your handling, then it probably will do so within the manufacturers warranty period. Are extended warranties a bad idea? For laptops, I say yes. Probably for most all electronics.
Updates to follow as my claim unfolds.
UPDATE: 1/23/2014
The representative indicated they would send me an email, ask a senior representative to contact me, and nothing happened. This was yesterday.
Talking to Ashley now to ask what's up. Ashley says they have no leverage with the repair depot as they are contracted out and would I like to call them. Huh? One person calling a big company to spend more time on the phone with a company that could care less. The failure, is with communication to me from SquareTrade, the failure of the repair depot to communicate up to SquareTrade (which I could never know if that happened or not), and the failure of the systems used to process a claim. Yes, I am talking to you web communications person.
All that is needed is a fair assessment of how long things take and the reality is that it takes 2-3 times longer than they say. If it is going to take longer update the claim! Of course, it could be longer as I am still without a laptop and the repair depot approved the claim of repair on 1/8/2014.
I wonder how many bad experiences go unnoticed with this company. SquareTrade has a good website interface with clear language. However, today I was told I would receive a call back by a supervisor, "...in 24 business hours." That was a first for me. I have an extensive past career as a technical support person and having been a manager at a phone support center for a major company as well as a trainer and quality assurance officer, I was more than a little annoyed, surprised and drawn into action. Suffice it to say, you may stop reading at the end of this paragraph and know that the rest of the story fills the details in for your amusement and perhaps the management at SquareTrade. This company failed in providing the service and communications to this end user at many points in the warranty claim cycle and the tipping point was the courteous, apparently hard working, phone support person who read scripts to great annoyance. Quite simply, SquareTrade talks the talk, but does not walk the walk. From 24 business hours to business days to business weeks, it makes little difference how much time SquareTrade says it needs to repair and ship something back if no business actually happens. In my case, the repair of my laptop.
My laptop was in receipt for 9 business days with no update other than it was to be fixed. This is my first encounter with this company and they have very clear milestones denoted in the claim process. Unfortunately, no one individual really handles your claim, follows up with the repair depot or updates the customer with delays. All seem to fall through the proverbial crack. Today, I gave them a call and spoke with Tracy in customer service. She authenticated me five different ways and then proceeded to finish her script stating she would put me on hold and check on the laptop. She came back after a few minutes and alerted me that the repair depot had to order parts and that repairs were being made and it would ship out in 2-3 business days. Wow. You have had the laptop for 9 business days, not made any update even though you said you would if there were delays, and now you have the parts in hand and still won't be able to ship it for 2-3 business days? The website indicates five business days for repair and up to 2 business days for shipping. Shame on me for not following up at 7 business days! It would seem this should be a priority for a company to repair, but perhaps not. I was going to accept that the laptop would ship out in a few days and then take unknown amount of days (up to 2) to be delivered. Then, I realized the repair takes less than a couple of hours, probably a lot less as it was just a bezel, but certainly not 2-3 business days. Why am I not getting the laptop shipped today? I asked to speak to a supervisor. Mind you, very politely and acknowledging that I was not angry at Tracy. I was told by Tracy that I would be contacted by a supervisor, "...in 24 business hours." Huh? What does that mean? Is that a fancy or sneaky way of saying 3 business days? I told her I was not happy and would take the matter up with the seller of the warranty and make it known to the world. Then, all of a sudden, Tracy says I can talk to a more senior representative. Huh? Is that a fancy way of disguising supervisors as "senior customer service reps?" I said, "Ok, please let me talk to this person." She put me on hold and then one minute later the line gets disconnected. Sound familiar? To her credit she called me back, but I had already called them back and asked to talk to Tracy and was informed there were many call centers. Not surprising to me. No authentication this time and I moved right into checking if there were any updates to the account with the new representative. He checked and nothing there. He indicated maybe Tracy had not yet posted anything to the account. Tracy was on hold while we figured this out, perhaps a bit of payback. I gave her my work number and asked if they could call me back in half an hour at that number. It must take some number of business minutes to get the call back as I have yet not heard back and it has been several regular hours.
And so the dance continues. I did not pay $99 to go dancing and spend hours on the phone. Save your hundred bucks, buy a good case, and be careful. Do this and most of the time you will get your three years and then some out of your tech. If it breaks and is not related to your handling, then it probably will do so within the manufacturers warranty period. Are extended warranties a bad idea? For laptops, I say yes. Probably for most all electronics.
Updates to follow as my claim unfolds.
UPDATE: 1/23/2014
The representative indicated they would send me an email, ask a senior representative to contact me, and nothing happened. This was yesterday.
Talking to Ashley now to ask what's up. Ashley says they have no leverage with the repair depot as they are contracted out and would I like to call them. Huh? One person calling a big company to spend more time on the phone with a company that could care less. The failure, is with communication to me from SquareTrade, the failure of the repair depot to communicate up to SquareTrade (which I could never know if that happened or not), and the failure of the systems used to process a claim. Yes, I am talking to you web communications person.
All that is needed is a fair assessment of how long things take and the reality is that it takes 2-3 times longer than they say. If it is going to take longer update the claim! Of course, it could be longer as I am still without a laptop and the repair depot approved the claim of repair on 1/8/2014.
on September 22, 2016
Avoid this product at all costs.
I was told it would take two days to process my receipt upload. It took two weeks.
When I sent my computer to the warranty center with a faulty hinge and a damaged USB port, I was told it would take 2-5 business days. It took nine. I called midway through the process to ascertain my computer's status and was told parts were back-ordered, and that I should have received an email. I received no such email.
I received my computer and found a checklist in which SquareTrade claimed to have examined all the I/O ports and found them to be in working order. Yet the USB port had the same damage it had when I sent it to the facility. It's not that they did a shoddy job fixing it--it's that they simply did not look at the port and claimed they did.
Furthermore, the screen flickers on and off now. It never did that before I sent it in.
It took me over an hour on the phone to make any progress. I will say that the customer service representatives I spoke to were courteous. Eventually, I got a partial refund on my product and a guarantee of repayment for a local repair. Before I secured that, the representatives offered to send the device to their "top technicians." I explained I had zero faith in their company to even examine the problems their customers report.
When you pay for a warranty, you pay for peace of mind. On this front, SquareTrade completely fails to deliver.
I was told it would take two days to process my receipt upload. It took two weeks.
When I sent my computer to the warranty center with a faulty hinge and a damaged USB port, I was told it would take 2-5 business days. It took nine. I called midway through the process to ascertain my computer's status and was told parts were back-ordered, and that I should have received an email. I received no such email.
I received my computer and found a checklist in which SquareTrade claimed to have examined all the I/O ports and found them to be in working order. Yet the USB port had the same damage it had when I sent it to the facility. It's not that they did a shoddy job fixing it--it's that they simply did not look at the port and claimed they did.
Furthermore, the screen flickers on and off now. It never did that before I sent it in.
It took me over an hour on the phone to make any progress. I will say that the customer service representatives I spoke to were courteous. Eventually, I got a partial refund on my product and a guarantee of repayment for a local repair. Before I secured that, the representatives offered to send the device to their "top technicians." I explained I had zero faith in their company to even examine the problems their customers report.
When you pay for a warranty, you pay for peace of mind. On this front, SquareTrade completely fails to deliver.
on March 12, 2017
We bought a 3 year plan to cover a gaming laptop. No problem with purchase price or getting coverage information. The screen went bad after about a year. We filed a claim and we were told after they receive the computer it would be shipped back in 5 days or less. We called regularly and were told many stories but the computer was never fixed. We had to contact our state attorney generals office who got Square Teade to reimburse us the cost of the computer and the cost of the Warranty. This whole process took about 2-3 months. Buyer beware.
on February 21, 2017
Second time using Square Trade. Had same issue with laptop I bought both times. First time they took care of it with no problem. Bought new laptop bought new accident protection. Second time, they said it was covered by manufacturer and would not honor. I called manufacturer and I would have to ship to CA from FL and be without a daily school laptop for up to 3 weeks, and if it turned out to be accident related (which it was) it would not be covered. Totally got hosed on both sides from this one. I will never buy another ASUS laptop and I will never use Square Trade for insurance. Wish I could give them a negative score.
My experience with filing a claim: good peace of mind, but there's room for customer service improvements
on January 15, 2016
As another reviewer mentioned, if you go into this understanding how SquareTrade works, you will be a lot more satisfied with your purchase. Repairs will be made until you have reached the coverage amount that you purchased. So if you purchase a protection plan that offers you coverage up to $599.99 for 3 years, you can file several claims over a 3-year period as long as the cost of the repairs collectively does not exceed $599.99. If you would like to read a detailed (and pretty long) review of my experience filing a claim with SquareTrade, here it goes.
I purchased a SquareTrade protection plan for the first time in January 2013 after I had purchased an HP laptop for my final year of college. I had been through 2 other HP laptops within 4 years. For each laptop, they started to fall apart about 6 months after the manufacturer’s warranty expired. So in January of 2013, I stumbled upon SquareTrade. At the time, the 3-year Protection Plans were discounted, so I purchased one directly from their website with Accident Protection. Like clockwork, about 6 months after the manufacturer’s warranty expired, issues slowly began popping up. I did not want to file a claim with SquareTrade at that time because I had just started graduate school and really needed my laptop for my practicum as well as my classes and could not part with it for the 5-7 days it would require to be repaired.
Fast forward to this past December. I received a new ASUS laptop for Christmas. I was still in possession of my HP laptop. Nothing was wrong with the software, and it still functioned for the most part. However, by this time, the left corner was broken exposing the inside of the keyboard area, the optical drive stopped working and the outer covering fell off, the +/= key on the keyboard suddenly stopped working, one of the USB drives stopped working, it was overheating and the fan was noisy, and the left button on the touchpad had gotten stuck so I had to use a wireless mouse. Since I had a new computer, I decided to file a claim with SquareTrade to see if my laptop could be repaired (this was 2 weeks before my protection plan would expire). The process went as follows:
When I purchased the plan in 2013, I created an account on SquareTrade to manage my plan. On Dec 28, I signed into the website, and clicked the “File a Claim,” button. From there, I filled out the online form indicating what was wrong with the laptop. The next events are the major reasons I give them 4 stars instead of 5. After you submit your claim, you have to wait for a rep to email you to let you know if your claim is approved or if they need more info. Less than an hour after I submitted the claim, a rep contacted me. The email that was sent was full of misspellings and grammatical errors to the point where I couldn’t even understand most of what was being said. The email also did not contain any SquareTrade logo or header, so I was skeptical about even responding to it. The rep told me that the serial number I entered on the website and claim form could not be verified, so I needed to send them a picture of the serial number on my laptop before they could approve the claim. I sent an email asking where I needed to send the info and received an automated email response that basically said I couldn’t reply to that email address and should contact SquareTrade and provided a link to the website’s contact page.
On the page, there was no email address to contact them. There was only a phone number to call or you could enter your info to have them call you, supposedly within an hour. I was at work and could not take phone calls. So I went to their Twitter page and saw an interaction they had with a customer telling them to email them at their Social Helps address, and they gave the email address, so that’s where I sent an email explaining my ordeal. This all occurred on a Friday, and my final email was sent after 5pm on Friday, so I had to wait until Monday for a response as their reps only work during regular business hours. That Monday morning, I received an email (that contained their logo this time) from the Social Helps rep, and he said he looked at my info and went ahead and approved my claim with no explanation as to why another rep requested me to send a picture of my serial number before processing the claim.
Anyhow, about 2 days later, I received the shipping box from SquareTrade for my laptop. The box came with a return label and another claim form attached to it, so I filled out the claim form, packed it with the laptop inside the box, and taped the return label to the top of the box. I scheduled a pickup with FedEx, and they came to my home to pick up the package (free of charge). I received an email about 2 days later saying they had received my laptop and would notify me if they were able to repair it. I received another email about 24 hours after that letting me know that they could repair it. About 3 days later, they notified me that the laptop was repaired and had been shipped back to me. I received it the next day. I kept up with the status of the repairs on the website.
Upon its return, the repair depot (mine was sent to one in Massachussetts, I live in NC) included a checklist of things done to the laptop, as well as a list of repairs that were made. I can honestly say that my 3-year-old laptop looks like it did the day I purchased it. They replaced the optical drive, they replaced the keyboard, they replaced the paneling on top of the keyboard, they replaced the rubber stoppers that had fallen off the bottom, they fixed the touchpad, they cleaned the fan, and they replaced the case bottom of the laptop. I also forgot to include on the claim form that one of the USB drives stopped working and only remembered that I forgot to include it after I had sent off the laptop. So I expected that it would not be repaired. To my surprise, they repaired that, too. I was pleasantly surprised and very satisfied with the service they provided. So satisfied, that I just purchased another 3-year protection plan with accidental protection for the ASUS laptop I received for Christmas. I highly recommend these plans for anyone who depends on their laptop for work or school and/or anyone who uses their laptop daily. It will definitely come in handy.
Along with the mishap with the customer service reps, I gave SquareTrade four stars because of their advertised prices on their website. I originally tried to purchase a plan directly from their website a week ago for my new laptop. They no longer run the holiday discounts they had in previous years, and prices have gone up considerably. I assume because they have increased in popularity. On their website, the price for a 3-year accidental protection plan with no deductible is twice the price of the one listed here on Amazon, and it’s the exact same plan. Even the plan with a $75 deductible is more expensive through the website than the one listed here with no deductible. I purchased my plan here, and its terms are exactly the same as the one I purchased 3 years ago. So I would recommend purchasing a plan through Amazon. In my opinion, the pros outweigh the cons, and there is nothing like having peace of mind for an expensive item upon which you rely heavily for school, work, and everyday use.
I purchased a SquareTrade protection plan for the first time in January 2013 after I had purchased an HP laptop for my final year of college. I had been through 2 other HP laptops within 4 years. For each laptop, they started to fall apart about 6 months after the manufacturer’s warranty expired. So in January of 2013, I stumbled upon SquareTrade. At the time, the 3-year Protection Plans were discounted, so I purchased one directly from their website with Accident Protection. Like clockwork, about 6 months after the manufacturer’s warranty expired, issues slowly began popping up. I did not want to file a claim with SquareTrade at that time because I had just started graduate school and really needed my laptop for my practicum as well as my classes and could not part with it for the 5-7 days it would require to be repaired.
Fast forward to this past December. I received a new ASUS laptop for Christmas. I was still in possession of my HP laptop. Nothing was wrong with the software, and it still functioned for the most part. However, by this time, the left corner was broken exposing the inside of the keyboard area, the optical drive stopped working and the outer covering fell off, the +/= key on the keyboard suddenly stopped working, one of the USB drives stopped working, it was overheating and the fan was noisy, and the left button on the touchpad had gotten stuck so I had to use a wireless mouse. Since I had a new computer, I decided to file a claim with SquareTrade to see if my laptop could be repaired (this was 2 weeks before my protection plan would expire). The process went as follows:
When I purchased the plan in 2013, I created an account on SquareTrade to manage my plan. On Dec 28, I signed into the website, and clicked the “File a Claim,” button. From there, I filled out the online form indicating what was wrong with the laptop. The next events are the major reasons I give them 4 stars instead of 5. After you submit your claim, you have to wait for a rep to email you to let you know if your claim is approved or if they need more info. Less than an hour after I submitted the claim, a rep contacted me. The email that was sent was full of misspellings and grammatical errors to the point where I couldn’t even understand most of what was being said. The email also did not contain any SquareTrade logo or header, so I was skeptical about even responding to it. The rep told me that the serial number I entered on the website and claim form could not be verified, so I needed to send them a picture of the serial number on my laptop before they could approve the claim. I sent an email asking where I needed to send the info and received an automated email response that basically said I couldn’t reply to that email address and should contact SquareTrade and provided a link to the website’s contact page.
On the page, there was no email address to contact them. There was only a phone number to call or you could enter your info to have them call you, supposedly within an hour. I was at work and could not take phone calls. So I went to their Twitter page and saw an interaction they had with a customer telling them to email them at their Social Helps address, and they gave the email address, so that’s where I sent an email explaining my ordeal. This all occurred on a Friday, and my final email was sent after 5pm on Friday, so I had to wait until Monday for a response as their reps only work during regular business hours. That Monday morning, I received an email (that contained their logo this time) from the Social Helps rep, and he said he looked at my info and went ahead and approved my claim with no explanation as to why another rep requested me to send a picture of my serial number before processing the claim.
Anyhow, about 2 days later, I received the shipping box from SquareTrade for my laptop. The box came with a return label and another claim form attached to it, so I filled out the claim form, packed it with the laptop inside the box, and taped the return label to the top of the box. I scheduled a pickup with FedEx, and they came to my home to pick up the package (free of charge). I received an email about 2 days later saying they had received my laptop and would notify me if they were able to repair it. I received another email about 24 hours after that letting me know that they could repair it. About 3 days later, they notified me that the laptop was repaired and had been shipped back to me. I received it the next day. I kept up with the status of the repairs on the website.
Upon its return, the repair depot (mine was sent to one in Massachussetts, I live in NC) included a checklist of things done to the laptop, as well as a list of repairs that were made. I can honestly say that my 3-year-old laptop looks like it did the day I purchased it. They replaced the optical drive, they replaced the keyboard, they replaced the paneling on top of the keyboard, they replaced the rubber stoppers that had fallen off the bottom, they fixed the touchpad, they cleaned the fan, and they replaced the case bottom of the laptop. I also forgot to include on the claim form that one of the USB drives stopped working and only remembered that I forgot to include it after I had sent off the laptop. So I expected that it would not be repaired. To my surprise, they repaired that, too. I was pleasantly surprised and very satisfied with the service they provided. So satisfied, that I just purchased another 3-year protection plan with accidental protection for the ASUS laptop I received for Christmas. I highly recommend these plans for anyone who depends on their laptop for work or school and/or anyone who uses their laptop daily. It will definitely come in handy.
Along with the mishap with the customer service reps, I gave SquareTrade four stars because of their advertised prices on their website. I originally tried to purchase a plan directly from their website a week ago for my new laptop. They no longer run the holiday discounts they had in previous years, and prices have gone up considerably. I assume because they have increased in popularity. On their website, the price for a 3-year accidental protection plan with no deductible is twice the price of the one listed here on Amazon, and it’s the exact same plan. Even the plan with a $75 deductible is more expensive through the website than the one listed here with no deductible. I purchased my plan here, and its terms are exactly the same as the one I purchased 3 years ago. So I would recommend purchasing a plan through Amazon. In my opinion, the pros outweigh the cons, and there is nothing like having peace of mind for an expensive item upon which you rely heavily for school, work, and everyday use.