Formal Complaint – Defective Replacement iPhone and Negligible Customer Service Response

I am writing to formally complain about the way my defective replacement iPhone issue has been handled by both XFINITY Mobile and Assurance.

My husband passed away on May 28, and several days later, during an extremely difficult and chaotic time when I needed reliable phone service to communicate with family and make arrangements, my iPhone 16—purchased June 27, 2025—stopped functioning properly.

I filed a claim with Assurance and paid a $98 deductible to receive a replacement phone. The replacement was clearly a refurbished phone. Given that my original phone was less than a year old, I was disappointed that I had to pay a deductible, but I did so because I urgently needed a working phone and simply did not have the time or energy to argue about it.

Unfortunately, I began experiencing problems with the replacement phone almost immediately. Beginning around June 10, the phone repeatedly overheated, would not hold a battery charge, and had unreliable wireless connectivity. Over the following months, I made multiple trips to the XFINITY store seeking help. Each time, a representative adjusted various settings and told me the problem had been resolved, only for the same issues to return.

On September 10, the phone developed another serious problem: green, static-like lines began appearing across the screen.

I returned to the XFINITY store. The representatives told me that this was an insurance issue because Assurance had provided the replacement phone. I then spent approximately 45 minutes on the phone with Assurance, much of that time on hold, only to have the call disconnected.

I called back and spent approximately 90 additional minutes being transferred back and forth between Assurance and XFINITY Mobile. I had to explain the entire situation and timeline to four different people. Eventually, I was told that I would receive a replacement phone at no additional cost, because the problem was clearly a hardware issue. I was also told that I would receive an email containing a ticket number and tracking information.

I never received that email.

Last night, I spent another 50 minutes communicating online with an Assurance representative via chat. She said she did not see any evidence that I had spoken with their staff on Friday. She said she would start a new claim and I had to provide all of the same information yet again. At the end of that conversation, I was told that this is actually an XFINITY issue because XFINITY handles hardware complaints. I was told Assurance could only assist if the phone had been damaged, lost, or stolen.

So I went back to XFINITY.

I then spent another 50 minutes on the phone with XFINITY, including time on hold and multiple conversations. The XFINITY representative told me that this was an Assurance issue because Assurance had provided the defective refurbished replacement phone.

At this point, I have been sent back and forth between XFINITY and Assurance repeatedly, with neither company taking responsibility for resolving the problem. I have spent more than four hours on the phone over the last two days alone, in addition to my numerous trips to the XFINITY store over the past several months.

I was finally told that an XFINITY supervisor would call me this morning, September 20, at approximately 9:00 a.m.

No one called.

I kept my phone with me all day waiting for the promised call. I even skipped church because I did not want to miss the opportunity to finally get a resolution. Given everything I have been dealing with personally, having to spend this much time repeatedly explaining the same problem, only to be transferred back and forth without resolution, has been extremely frustrating and upsetting.

What I am asking XFINITY to do:

1. Provide me with a working replacement iPhone at no additional cost to me.
2. Do not charge me another deductible for a replacement phone that was itself provided as a replacement for a phone that was less than a year old and has subsequently demonstrated multiple hardware problems.
3. Take responsibility for coordinating with Assurance rather than continuing to send me back and forth between the two companies.
4. Provide me with a specific resolution and point of contact so that I do not have to repeatedly explain this entire situation to another representative.
5. Address the fact that I was promised a supervisor call today and that call never occurred.

I understand that XFINITY and Assurance may have different responsibilities under the insurance arrangement. However, it should not be my responsibility to determine which company is responsible for a defective replacement phone or to spend hours being transferred between the two companies. I am the customer, and I need XFINITY and Assurance to work together to resolve this issue.

I have been patient throughout this process, but the amount of time I have spent trying to get a basic working phone—and the lack of ownership from either company—has become unacceptable.

I would appreciate a prompt response with a specific resolution, rather than another referral to Assurance or another request that I start the process over.

Thank you.