Switched On Insurance Reviews

I contacted SwitchedOn to request a screen repair. I was advised that I was due to be charged with a £50 excess and that it will take from 5 to 7 days since they receive the device.

I have contacted them last week (when two weeks have passed) and have been advised they ordered a new phone (probably second hand according to previous reviews on this website). I find unacceptable that if they know they do not screens or my mobile in stock they still happily accept my money even whey they know that they could not either fix it or replace it in due time.

I called again today (Wednesday it will be three weeks since they received the device). I have been informed that a replacement have been ordered and I have to wait until the end of next week.

That will be a month since they received the my mobile.

Date of experience: 12 September 2016

Website very easy to use, had some questions and the lady on the phone was very helpful. Good price and product that suits my needs and much cheaper than EE!

Date of experience: 22 August 2016

I had my macbook stolen in December 2015 and made a claim, which as I'd left it unattended for longer than a couple of minutes, they wouldn't pay out on. I assumed my policy had finished, as I no longer had an item to insure, but I discovered in August 2016 that they were still charging me and won't refund 8 months worth of Direct Debits, eventually agreeing to refund 3 months worth, after I protested.

Awful, stubborn Customer Service with a total lack of empathy - placing all the blame on the people that ultimately pay their wages.

Date of experience: 19 August 2016

I cannot fault this company one bit. I recently dropped and smashed my S7 edge and I was a bit hasty about making a claim after reading the reviews on here. Regardless, I made a claim and within no more than 4 hours my claim was accepted. I was then told to pay my £50 excess and given details of where to send the phone and also a checklist of things that are damaged on it so nothing got missed. So I sent the phone this Monday by special delivery and was guaranteed to be there by 1pm Tuesday. 2 DAYS LATER!.....My phone was back and completely repaired. New front glass....new rear glass....new camera and new speakers and new frame right round the phone. Before you ask......it is my phone as I checked the IMEI number the minute I got it back! What an incredible service and my phone looks and feels brand new after such a high class repair. Don't be daunted by the other reviews on here. Do what they ask you to do and you get a top drawer service off the back of it. I have never written a review before but these guys need full credit for the service they have provided this week. Thank you!!!

Date of experience: 05 August 2016

Fantastic insurance company, made claiming for broken charging port a dream. Thanks so much

Date of experience: 28 July 2016

Sent off a galaxy s5 with a broken screen was asked to provide proof of purchase and usage which was sent and they declined my claim due to the useage not being the way they wanted it in other words they knew that a contract with unlimited texts and calls it would be hard to prove avoid these con artists big time they only want your money

Date of experience: 27 July 2016

I have never experienced such abysmal customer service, if that is what u can call it.

Firstly after making my claim just before christmas they emailed me asking for certain details which i then sent back. But since then i have heard nothing and they won't reply to any of my emails at all.

Its DISGUSTING tbh.

Quick enough to take the direct debit each month but when it come to it they seem to run a mile.

Never will i recommend this company to anyone. Save yourself the hassle and get insurance with the provider, may cost more but u may actually get a mobile back if you lose/break/gets stolen.

Been about 6 weeks since making the claim.

Date of experience: 09 February 2016

I took out insurance in Sept 15 for a new I phone 5 which my daughter was using in her first year at Uni. Unfortunately she had the phone stolen from her digs after just a few weeks into the new term. Police involved.

I made a claim which took weeks of two and thro with City main providing proof of every thing. Once the claim was agreed a replacement phone was sent 29th Dec. it arrived wrapped in bubble wrap and cardboard outer, no box for protection !! As soon as the new sim card was inserted and the phone switched on it started making noises which did not sound right at all. The phone could not make outgoing calls but could take incoming calls??

I paid £50 excess and received a second hand broken replacement phone for my daughter after weeks of time wasting. I could have guessed this company would not offer the service expected. They like so many others in the insurance game are not bothered about customers just their money.

Date of experience: 04 January 2016

I made a claim recently for my daughters iPad . Sent the device in for repair received back as new overall very happy would highly recommend .

Date of experience: 14 November 2015

I put a claim in on 15/10/2015 for the first time in my life through switched on insurance which is administrated by Citymain for my mobile phone.

I thought this was going to simple and straight forward, how wrong could I have been.

Citymain take over the claim once approved, I had to send my phone to them and pay a £50.00 excess. They said the phone could not be repaired and they would send me a replacement.

They sent a replacement which had previously been on the 3 network with their software on the phone and the handset was in a terrible condition even though it had a sticker on it saying it had been quality approved as a refurbished handset.

I immediately called them and said I did not accept this. They asked me to send pictures which I did and then asked me to return the handset and their cost which I did.

Sometime later I received another handset which Citymain said was brand new. something did not feel right so I called HTC and asked them to check the IMEI number. I was shocked at what HTC told me.

They said that the handset was not new and had previously been on T mobile network and more to the point the handset had come from the USA and was not under any warranty and could never be even if it was new as they use different components in the USA.

I got in touch with Citymain and had to argue that it was not a brand new handset, they would not accept it, that was until HTC sent me proof by email that the phone had no warranty and was indeed from the USA. I had to produce this to Citymain. During all this time I was passed to different representatives at Citymain.

Citymain communications were awful and slow. I was unable to speak with the insurers as Citymain had to deal with it on their behalf.

In the end they paid me a sum of money to settle my claim and asked me to purchase my own handset and they said they would reimburse me as they could not rely on their suppliers and did not want me to get another bad handset It took nearly a month to get my money back.

So my warning to you is if you are unfortunate enough to have to make a claim check the handset that you are sent. Check the IMEI number with the manufacturer. I am sure this sort of practice is more prevalent than any of us think. Most handsets you can check by typing *#06# and this will give you your IMEI number.

HTC have told me that they are aware of what the insurance companies are doing but they cant stop them.

To be honest I would not insure another phone now as the cost of the like for like policy makes it uneconomical in my case. the amount of insurance paid plus the excess, it would have been cheaper for me to save the money myself and buy a handset.

Please remember that these insurance companies will try and get away with anything, the only fact in my case is that I caught them out on more than one occasion and would not take no for an answer.

All the insurance companies get their handsets from leftovers from all the network companies and purchase them cheap this information came from a lady who worked at Citymain.
I do hope this review will help some people.

I have also noticed from this site that switched on insurance have not replied to any of these reviews on here, I wonder why.

all this took from the 15/08/15 to the 30/10/15.

I will be forwarding all my correspondence on to the insurance ombudsman as they are currently collecting data on this very subject.

Date of experience: 14 November 2015

Really easy to use and informative website. Very happy wit the product. Well done SwitchedOnInsurance.

Date of experience: 15 May 2015

Really recommend switched on insurance. Cheap policy but covers pretty much everything. Staff were very helpful and give good advice. Received documents by email straight away, so felt comfortable that my device is now fully covered!

Date of experience: 11 September 2014

I was burgled and my Macbook Pro was stolen. I reported the theft to the police, along with my housemates, as they had also had various items stolen. I'd had the insurance for nine months , so had already paid the company ninety pounds. I wrongfully assumed the company would pay out for a legitimate burglaey claim , but despite giving them the claim number so they could contact the police , they denied the claim as the burglary was deemed "not forced entry" : the burglars managed to manipulate the lock through the letterbox. Having the most valuable item I own stolen was awful enough , but to be denied a payout to replace the item when I had insurance was horrible. The process was so long and drawn out , each contact with them raised my hopes before dashing them again . I was originally told that they were likely to grant my claim. I've recommended anyone I know to avoid them like the plague.

Date of experience: 10 September 2014

Ultimate cover for samsung S4: covered you for everything, good price and I was happy - until phone screen cracked..
Their policy said it would only take few days to process claim, however takes about week for form to come, then you've got to send all the correct paper work with it but that then took 2 weeks to hear back. Then you had to send another form with bank details etc so they can take the £25 out your bank. It was well over a month before I realised nothing was still being done.
However they keep taking the monthly payments out my bank which was frustrating as they wasn't taking any notice of the claim i have made. I kept leaving the £25 money in my bank but nothing changed, half way through second month I phoned up asking whats going on and they retook my bank details and said I would hear back in a week - shock, i didnt.. I then phoned back just over week later and it happened again they asked for details of my claim and bank details too!!! In past month (5 months down the line) I have recieved 2 phone calls and they had no record id been on contact and any new information.. to make matters worse they was still taking the money out my bank for next 4 months and i was then getting bank charges.

I've just rung to cancel my policy for certain as on the policy document you must 'write to them', which i wasnt going to do after the nightmare ive had with them.. and apparently its already been cancelled yet i only got an email off them other day asking for £25 again. So we'll see if theyre true to their word when the monthly instalment is due again.

Hope the review is easy enough to understand, and really wouldnt recommend this company at all, absolute waste of time, poor communication!!

Date of experience: 28 May 2014

Switched On Insurance was cheaper than other companies I looked at. Very pleased with purchase and service I received. Happy!

Date of experience: 12 May 2014