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Make the same mistake as this T-Mobile customer and it could cost you hundreds of dollars

If you' plan on returning your phone under a P360 policy, there are some things you need to know.

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By Alan Friedman

Published: Dec 20, 2025, 11:33 PM

T-Mobile

One of the items that T-Mobile reps allegedly added to customer purchases without their knowledge was a P360 insurance policy. Whether you were illegally charged for P360 or purchased it on your own, some policy holders are making a mistake that could cost them hundreds of dollars. Let's start by explaining what happened to a T-Mobile subscriber who goes by the username baronvondoofie on Reddit.

This is the moment when the $400+ mistake was made

One of his family's phones had a power issue so he turned the device in hoping that the P360 insurance would take care of any costs. But instead of not having to make any payments, the T-Mobile customer received a bill for more than $400. After speaking multiple times with T-Mobile reps, he found out that when he turned the device in, physical damage that he never disclosed was discovered on the phone, which wasn't covered by P360.

T-Mobile's outstanding customer service team T-Force is found on X. | Image credit-PhoneArena

Before he was told about the big mistake he made, he wrote, "I’m a 20+ year customer, have only ever turned in one other phone, and they were like, oh well, sorry but you still have to pay. You’d think that a warranty called Protection 360 would be able to handle more than one issue with a phone, but nope… they’ll just overcharge you for an old phone anyways. Kind of a dealbreaker for me, I’m afraid."

What the T-Mobile customer did wrong and what he should have done

But it appears that the problem revolves around a common mistake made by the customer who filed a warranty claim rather than an insurance claim. With a warranty claim. T-Mobile ships a replacement phone for a small amount, usually about $5. The replacement phone ships first, and T-Mobile sends you a return mailer that you use to send the broken phone to their warehouse. Once they receive your device, it goes through an inspection and if any damage such as a small crack or a tripped liquid indicator is discovered, the warranty is voided.

This seems to be what happened to the T-Mobile customer. With his warranty voided, his phone could not be repaired for free from the manufacturer. Instead, he was charged the full retail price of the replacement phone he received. This explains the charge he received for more than $400. What he should have done was filed an insurance claim via the P360 app or mytmoclaim.com. He would have had to pay the deductible, usually $29–$99+, which is much less than the more than $400 he shelled out.

By not admitting that his phone had some physical damage, again, most likely a cracked screen, when he filed the warranty claim, he ended up trying to swap his phone for a replacement, but that swap failed when the cracked screen was discovered voiding the warranty. What many T-Mobile customers in this situation fail to understand, besides the difference between filing for a warranty claim and filing for an insurance claim, is that damage supersedes everything.

Remember to disclose any damage sustained by your phone

As Redditor AngrySalesRep points out in replying to the customer who goofed up, "Warranty claim and damage claim are wildly two different things. People constantly want to warranty a valid warranty issue "free" because it’s covered and ignore the fact the damage supersedes the warranty issue. Most likely you knew it was damaged and filed a warranty claim. That’s on you."

Has this ever happened to you?

Perhaps this comment from Reddit subscriber CodyJKirk makes this whole issue easier to understand. He typed, "All damage needs to be disclosed regardless of you thinking it has nothing to do with the reason you want to replace the phone. Any damage whatsoever makes it ineligible for a warranty replacement for any reason. You should have called Assurant not T-Mobile. Remember this: Physical damage is covered by insurance side. Non physical damage defects are run through the warranty.

Some on the platform suggested that getting in touch with T-Force, T-Mobile's highly lauded customer service unit of last resort might be able to help. T-Force can be reached via X or Facebook:

On X (Twitter): Send a Direct Message (DM) to @TMobileHelp.
On Facebook: Go to the official T-Mobile Facebook Page and click the "Message" button.

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Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.

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