Allstate Protection Plans reviews and complaints

Bought a tablet from a retailer and then the extended warranty online for it. When it stopped working months later, I contacted the retailer. They told me to bring it to the store. After visiting three different locations, they wouldn't exchange it. I was told to go through the manufacturer, but my claim was denied due to timing. I made a claim with the extended warranty provider, SquareTrade, and was instructed to send in the manufacturer's denial for coverage. Once they received it, I was told to contact them for a resolution with a chat ID. After repeating the same information, they said they'd send me a label to return the tablet and would issue a check or gift card once received. The chat was disconnected. When I tried to chat again, I was told to call in. On the phone, I was told to troubleshoot, but I explained it was past that point. I was put on hold for reimbursement and then disconnected. Calling back, I was told I didn't need to send in the tablet and they would issue a check or gift card for $34.99, less than half the price of the tablet. After refusing, I was told to send in the receipt and call back. The next representative claimed I only paid $3 and should not expect a full refund. I asked for a supervisor, who then told me I purchased the wrong warranty, which they sold me specifically for the tablet. Despite my insistence, I was told I would never get the full amount. I requested to talk to someone higher up, as I had been given different excuses by every representative, but never received a response. I reached out to customer service again, and this time I was told to 'read my own pictures I sent them.' I asked the representative over eight times to send me information to prove their point and was refused each time. This treatment confirmed to me that I was being scammed. I have never been treated with such arrogance and disregard. I don't expect a resolution and don't have the time or patience for this shoddy, unacceptable, and deceiving business. I'll take this as a lesson learned and will not only avoid purchasing electronics from this retailer again, but I will also inform others of this unprofessional and disappointing experience. Beware.

I have a "Square Trade" warranty on my TCL television that I purchased through amazon. It's been having audio issues for months, the audio is out of sync with the picture. They took me through a process to reset the software a while back, and that fixes it temporarily, but the problem returns after a few hours or a few days. Today I called in, and they took over an hour to guide me through the same process, a process that could have taken 10 minutes. Some of the steps were necessary to eliminate potential problems. With others, they were either completely incompetent or lying. They told me I needed to buy a brand new HDMI cable to continue testing because my HDMI cable was causing the audio to be out of sync. For the non-tech saavy, HDMI is a digital signal, meaning the TV receives all data or the data is corrupted and there is no signal. This also wouldn't explain how every app on the TV has the same audio problem. They repeatedly tried to get me to take other steps that had nothing to do with the problem. Their suggestions seemed to fit around the theme of the conversation, "Waste as much time and make this as difficult as possible so the customer will give up." The customer service rep claimed to be a tech specialist, but seemed to be just reading off a script. He didn't respond to what I said, and would give lengthly, 2-3 explanations of unnecessary details, and continued to do so even after I politely asked him to stop (and just get on with whatever the next action was). The guy seemed like a good dude, he was very polite in his tone, except he didn't respond to anything I said and lied and said I used profanity at one point after I called him out on continuing to waste my time. It was very strange. I've called in twice now and they've had me do the same thing "unplug tv, hold power button for 60 seconds," It worked the first time and then the problem returned, I tried this 2 more times on my own and each time the problem would be temporarily fixed but return in a matter of days. After the call today where I did the same thing (although it took over an hour to do so) the TV was temporarily fixed again and the guy tried to end the call like he had fixed the problem. When I told him that I had done this several times before with similar results he would act like he heard me and then continue on with his nonsensical explanations. He told me "well, if this is like a doctor, I cannot fix it if there are no symptoms." I explained that, "what you are doing is like me coming into the doctor with repeated chronic pains; you give me a painkiller and then tell me you can't investigate any further because I don't feel any pain." Again, he did not respond to my words. For the next step after we got off the phone, they requested that I send them pictures of the problem. Yes, they wanted photos of my audio problem. It's like I'm talking to badly-programmed robots.

I purchased an HP Laptop on 10/10 from a local store in Jacksonville, NC. Additionally, I purchased a 2 year comprehensive SquareTrade warranty for product protection. On the morning of 4/15, as per usual, I went to log on to my laptop, only to discover that it would not boot up. In fact, the laptop remained in a definitive booting stage, before shutting itself down completely. After spending almost the entire morning attempting to log on, I finally was able to reach the log in screen. I logged in with my credentials, however once again the laptop was in a lingering hold pattern trying to continue booting. Once the Windows screen appeared, there were no icons, nothing on the task bar and the start menu was non-responsive as well. The laptop remained in that state for a long while, before automatically shutting itself down once again. This went on for a couple of days, which being my work from home laptop, hindered my ability to do so. I was going to go out and replace the laptop when I remembered that I purchased the extended warranty. I researched my account for the receipt & warranty information, then subsequently filed a claim via SquareTrade online. This is where my nightmare began. Initially, I was instructed per email after submitting my online claim, that I needed to contact a Claim Representative to provide additional information. I did as instructed, provided the details to my Claims Rep, and eventually ended up speaking to a Technical Agent. The Tech guy attempted to walk me through different processes of trying to restore my laptop to some kind of working order; all attempts failed. Finally the Tech guy suggested that I ship my laptop to SquareTrade so that they could attempt to fix it themselves. At this point I was became frustrated, because in the interim I was going to incur an even longer capability of being able to resume working, while they attempted to fix my laptop. On top of which, they were not going to provide any substitute or replacement in the interim. My livelihood and ability to support my children has already been hindered and is at stake; that didn't seem to matter. There was no empathy, sympathy or understanding...just a lot of patronizing. I asked to speak to a manager and was transferred to someone who I finally thought would offer resolution. I explained that I understood verification had to made to ensure the laptop went faulty; however, time was of the importance, due to the work constraints I have incurred without it functioning. The manager seemingly understood my position, and authorized my laptop for local repair service. I could take the laptop anywhere of my choosing for possible repair, and if fixed, problem solved. If not repairable, the manager indicated that either way I was to submit the repair invoice with diagnostic information to accompany my claim, via instructions in an email he was sending to me. He explained that I would be reimbursed for the cost of invoice, as well as receive a monetary disbursement to replace my laptop, if local repair failed. The manager even had me to choose, if warranted, whether I preferred receiving the disbursement via mailed check or e-gift card. I chose the e-gift card and took my laptop to a local repair service on the next day, 4/20. Yesterday, on 4/21, I received notification from the local service tech that my laptop was non-repairable and basically internally broken stuck in some never-ending boot loop. I paid for service rendered, received a diagnostic invoice and uploaded it to my claim, via the email link provided by the SquareTrade manager I spoke with. I then followed up within the past hour, to expedite the resolution and closing of my claim. I needed that completes, so as to receive the e-gift card, go forward with replacing my laptop, and finally get to the week worth of work that accumulates each day without it. To my disgust, when I called, after having followed every edict from SqareTrade and ready to resolve, I was met with information that a new claim needs to be opened since the local repair failed, and also that SquareTrade wants me to send them the laptop, so that they can miraculously revive it from the dead! I feel like a hamster on a spinning wheel going in circles and ending up nowhere! I paid for the warranty SquareTrade is supposed to provide, have complied with EVERY component which has been asked of me, was assured that local repair was the final step to resolution and disbursement for replacement, only to be right back where I started at step one. I am thoroughly disgusted, disappointed and unbelievably irate at the lack of customer service, compassion, consideration and basic decency that encompasses SquareTrade. Right now in the midst of what we are dealing with due to COVID-19, and the fact that SquareTrade has many of its own employees working from home, it seems like basic common sense that the importance of my work laptop is paramount! I am fortunate to be able to conduct my work from home, which is a gift; however it won't be for long if I cannot secure a laptop replacement, which is being held up and obstructed by SquareTrade giving me the runaround, not honoring assurances and being devoid of customer service.