1. motrv8d's Avatar
    I received my insurance replacement phone yesterday from Asurion and am slowly getting my Storm back to where it was before I had my unfortunate pool incident.

    When the replacement showed up, I noticed that there were scuffs on the box and some fingerprints, as if it had been used before. Not only that but the phone itself looks like it's a bit rough around the edges. Not bad, but not perfect like a new phone should look. Scratches on the screen cover for example. I also notice significant light leaks all around the screen that my new one from the Verizon store never had (any).

    And one more thing makes me think it's a refurb. The "made-in" info on the box has been covered up with another bar code label, so I can't see where it was made... Mexico? Canada? or REFURB? Hmmmmmm...

    Seems to run okay, and battery life seems to be better but it's still too early in the day to tell if it's going to hold a charge any better than the previous unit.

    So im just wondering if the Asurion insurance replacement phones are actually just rebuilt units, ones that have already had issues and so they just recirculate them back, perhaps with original faults never fixed that they hope the new owners won't take notice? The light leaks on this one are pretty noticeable and make it look really cheap.
    03-18-09 11:51 AM
  2. vatothe0's Avatar
    Assurion phones are usually refurbished.

    Read your insurance agreement for details on the equipment they provide.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    03-18-09 11:57 AM
  3. bigman2's Avatar
    I'm guilty of not having read the agreement carefully, but my guess would be is that all they are obligated to do is give you a working replacement. Could be a refurb, could be brand new, or they might even just send you a check for the price of a new phone (minus the $50 deductible).

    But I'd say if you're not happy with what you got, you should call them up and complain. Might not get you anywhere, but you never know.
    03-18-09 11:58 AM
  4. motrv8d's Avatar
    well I got the new on Feb. 17, which means I haven't quite gone past my 30 days...
    03-18-09 12:00 PM
  5. RobBeane#AC's Avatar
    i work tech for ATT and do many warrenty and insurance replacements and through Asurion they are refurbs, many people think refurbs are used phones, but not all the time, i know we had stores send in some unsold phones to our warrenty warehouse and with those they would be brand new, but refurbs are not all bad
    03-18-09 12:09 PM
  6. Valve's Avatar
    My asurian replacement was brand new in the retail box.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    03-18-09 12:32 PM
  7. camoko's Avatar
    Did it come in the retail box with all the accessories?
    Last edited by camoko; 03-18-09 at 12:54 PM.
    03-18-09 12:50 PM
  8. kirby143's Avatar
    when I recieved my replacement I took it to Verizon and they scanned the box and told me it was a new one.
    03-18-09 12:57 PM
  9. motrv8d's Avatar
    Did it come in the retail box with all the accessories?
    yes, it had the manual, the wall charger, converters for foreign countries, the whole ball of wax.
    Seems to have better battery life as the day is wearing on. It's now around noon and the previous unit was more than half gone by now, I've still got 85%.

    That's the good news.
    03-18-09 02:09 PM
  10. domestic violence's Avatar
    a while back, the wife bought us Voyagers. a couple weeks after that, i returned it and bought a Dare. the Voyager that i returned still had the screen protectors on it and there wasnt a scratch. i asked the rep what they did with the phones that are returned within the 30 days and she said that most of them are used as replacements for insurance claims.

    so, while not *new*, whoever got my Voyager did get a perfect phone.
    03-18-09 02:58 PM
  11. jamell196511's Avatar
    Most of there phones are refurb phones but they are under warranty through asurion for 6 months and then another 6 months after that through Verizon. If you have a problem with your phone call them tell them the problem and they will ship you another one. If you didn't do any damage to the device you are still good.
    03-25-09 09:24 PM
  12. patches152's Avatar
    when you file the claim they'll tell you either refurb or new. just luck of the draw and what they have on hand.
    03-25-09 09:34 PM
  13. SenorStorm's Avatar
    Most are refurbs.. But with pda devices, or smart phones, my experience is that they're new... I actually got into an argument with a customer about the replacements being refurbs... He insisted they sent him a new one, I disagreed and called up asurion. I asked for a supervised who said they will send new phones if they are requested... I would say its 50/50...


    But if they sent it to you in a blackberry box with the whole shabang, I would say its new

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    03-25-09 09:35 PM
  14. patches152's Avatar
    note: generally refurbished phones have a greater quality due to the quality control they go through. they have to be in "like new condition" meaning no scratches/physical wear, and must function properly. so if your phone is junky or has issues its possible you'll end up ahead with a refurb. but like my last post, it's luck of the draw.
    03-25-09 09:36 PM
  15. brickf's Avatar
    I just processed a claim with ausrion for an 8830. The first phone they sent me was a refurb, and I had major audio and call reliability problems. I noticed the keys felt different too and the shell seemed cheap and the volume buttons felt cheap.

    So I called and had them send me another one. The second phone was also a refurb. This one has a dead USB port, so I sent it back. The third time they gave me the run around, and after escalating to a couple of managers, they sent me a third phone. This time they sent me a brand new phone, fresh in retail box with all the accessories. it works great and like a new phone. I am very please once I got the new phone.

    The refurbs came in a basic package with no accessories just a battery and charger. The new phone was in an sealed retail box. I noticed the refurbs were made in China, and the new phone is made in Mexico.

    If you make a claim I recommend specifically asking for a new phone. If they hadn't sent me a new phone I would not pay for the insurance again on future phones, as the refurbs were a joke and not worth the money for the insurance.
    05-02-09 09:54 PM
  16. peike's Avatar
    I just processed a claim with ausrion for an 8830. The first phone they sent me was a refurb, and I had major audio and call reliability problems. I noticed the keys felt different too and the shell seemed cheap and the volume buttons felt cheap.

    So I called and had them send me another one. The second phone was also a refurb. This one has a dead USB port, so I sent it back. The third time they gave me the run around, and after escalating to a couple of managers, they sent me a third phone. This time they sent me a brand new phone, fresh in retail box with all the accessories. it works great and like a new phone. I am very please once I got the new phone.

    The refurbs came in a basic package with no accessories just a battery and charger. The new phone was in an sealed retail box. I noticed the refurbs were made in China, and the new phone is made in Mexico.

    If you make a claim I recommend specifically asking for a new phone. If they hadn't sent me a new phone I would not pay for the insurance again on future phones, as the refurbs were a joke and not worth the money for the insurance.
    Yep, I agree! I also had a 8830 and had similar problems, the track ball didn't work right, in fact, I ended up replacing it with a new one. Further, after it was replaced, I still had problems with it. So I am not sure how good their quality control is. I don't expect a perfect phone in the way it looks but I do expect a perfectly running phone.

    My referb was made in China also. It seemed that the 4 bottons were not very "springy" like my orginal 8830. I had to press them really hard in order for them to work. Also there was an excessive amount of dust under the screen, which made it very difficult to see the screen in the outdoors or under bright light.

    I should have sent it back but opted instead for a Storm. Had to pay full price though.

    --Joey
    05-03-09 01:13 AM
  17. wangster's Avatar
    yes, it had the manual, the wall charger, converters for foreign countries, the whole ball of wax.
    Seems to have better battery life as the day is wearing on. It's now around noon and the previous unit was more than half gone by now, I've still got 85%.

    That's the good news.
    If it came in retail packaging, I'd say it is brand new. Refurbished phones arrive in Asurion packaging without any accessories.
    Nothing wrong with refurbs and if you receive a refurb from Asurion, they'll stand behind it. I like Asurion's customer service. If you have any problems, call them and tell them what's going on, I am sure they will go extra mile to fix it.

    A year or two ago, I was using Treo 650 and got a refurb from Asurion with dead touch screen. I called them and they sent me a replacement before receiving the one I had. The second replacement also had problems. I called them again and for the inconvenience, they told me they would send me a brand new one in retail packaging with all the accessories. Then the rep offered to send me a Treo 700 instead of 650 for the inconvenience. I said sure. Thank you.

    I've had Asurion for a long time and never been unsatisfied with my claim.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    05-03-09 01:45 AM
  18. imma_rage_quit's Avatar
    i work tech for ATT and do many warrenty and insurance replacements and through Asurion they are refurbs, many people think refurbs are used phones, but not all the time, i know we had stores send in some unsold phones to our warrenty warehouse and with those they would be brand new, but refurbs are not all bad
    I"m not buyin that I've never had a referb last more than 2 weeks before problems started...
    05-03-09 09:44 AM
  19. motrv8d's Avatar
    **UPDATE**
    Since you guys revived my old dead thread, I thought I'd come in with an update...
    Battery life is amazing on the replacement phone... I checked my status the other day when I was about ready to go home from work. From a full charge in the morning, it was still at 90%!!! Didn't have many calls, but still when I consider my previous phone would have already turned itself (and the radio) off, this is great battery life. I can get two days off of one charge, which was unimaginable with the my first unit.

    Memory leakage, however, is an issue. I only get around 25-28MB after a QuickPull and it goes below 20 by mid afternoon if I reset it in the morning.
    05-03-09 01:10 PM
  20. kayva's Avatar
    i believe my new phone was brand new. But it was also a Blackberry Storm and from my knowledge there havent been many referbs yet, just brand new ones.
    06-02-09 07:10 PM
  21. mtritchie's Avatar
    **UPDATE**
    Since you guys revived my old dead thread, I thought I'd come in with an update...
    Battery life is amazing on the replacement phone... I checked my status the other day when I was about ready to go home from work. From a full charge in the morning, it was still at 90%!!! Didn't have many calls, but still when I consider my previous phone would have already turned itself (and the radio) off, this is great battery life. I can get two days off of one charge, which was unimaginable with the my first unit.

    Memory leakage, however, is an issue. I only get around 25-28MB after a QuickPull and it goes below 20 by mid afternoon if I reset it in the morning.

    The memory leak isn't a new vs. refurb issue.
    06-02-09 07:24 PM
  22. dubge's Avatar
    I hate refurbs! Anyone ever get a refurb xbox from microsoft? Broken out of the box sometimes.
    06-02-09 08:33 PM
  23. kry069's Avatar
    I found out that my blackberry couldn't swim in the ocean. I had the asurion insurance and I may be in the minority but I had great experience with them. My phone was a verizon 8130 and I got my replacement in less than 48 hrs. Plus I had the phone delivered to our condo instead of my home address. The phone did not come in original packaging; however, I could not distinguish the phone from a brand new phone. I couldn't be more pleased.
    08-06-09 11:12 AM
  24. grgiwoyna's Avatar
    I hate refurbs! Anyone ever get a refurb xbox from microsoft? Broken out of the box sometimes.
    Not to hijack the thread, but I bought an Xbox off eBay last summer for a discounted price. Big mistake. Had to send it back for a replacement within a week. The replacement came and was missing the front USB port cover. When I turned it on all I got was the Red Ring of Death - never got to use it and ended up sending it back the very same day. I asked for a refund (which the company honored apologized for all the problems) and ended up purchasing a brand new one. Haven't had a single issue. I leaned my lesson and won't make that mistake again when it comes to a device of this sort.

    Personally, if I had to have my 9530 replaced my preference (as I'm sure would be the case with most of us) would be a new device. That said, I'd have no issues with a refurb, but I would expect it to look like a new device - afterall, I purchased a new device. I couldn't care less about the packaging, but wouldn't accept a device that had a worn appearance nor one with scratches on the screen. That would be going back immediately.
    08-06-09 12:54 PM
  25. PotatoBerry's Avatar
    I have gotten 2 replacement referbed storms from asurion so far this week, both have had problems and tommorow the 3rd replacement is comming. Both have been referbs. They came in asurion boxes and if you pull the battery out and look at the big white sticker they both have the word "REFERBISHED" printed right there. So three replacement referbs in a week, I'm not impressed.
    10-29-09 09:14 PM
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