A Cuban resident in the United States went viral on TikTok after reporting what he considers a scam by his phone company, directly comparing their practices to those of ETECSA, the state monopoly on telecommunications in Cuba. The content creator @onelvisalfonsoalfonso on TikTok, known on the platform as "Dale que no viene na," posted a video just over two minutes long this past Monday, in which he recounts his experience trying to claim his phone's insurance.
The video accumulated over 6,500 views, 568 likes, and 118 comments in just a few days. According to the explanation, he has been paying a plan of $50 monthly plus an additional $16 for phone insurance for two years. Just for the insurance, he has spent a total of $384. When he went to the company's office because the back of his phone was cracked, they informed him that they could replace it, but he would need to pay an additional $250 as a deductible.
"If I've been paying them sixteen dollars for insurance every month for the last two years, we're talking about three hundred eighty-four dollars, and they're asking me for two hundred fifty dollars. So what is the money I paid for insurance good for?" the man asked. The employee who assisted him replied that the insurance money is not used to acquire the new phone, without providing an explanation that would convince him. The Cuban requested to speak with a supervisor, but he did not receive a satisfactory response either.
In the phone insurance system in the United States, the monthly premium and the deductible are separate concepts: the monthly payment keeps the coverage active, but it does not accumulate as credit for future repairs. At the time of a claim, the insured must additionally pay a deductible that, depending on the model of the device, can range from $25 to $299. This distinction is a frequent source of confusion among consumers, especially for those who are not familiar with the Anglo-American insurance system.
Companies like Asurion and Assurant, which manage insurance for major carriers,
The frustration led the Cuban to compare the American company to ETECSA, labeling it a "cooperative," a term that in Cuba evokes inefficient state entities. "I thought ETECSA was a scam," he stated ironically, suggesting that the practices of the American company are just as opaque to him.
ETECSA is the only legal provider of telephone and internet services in Cuba, with 8 million customers and operating under the exclusive concession of the State. In August 2025, the Cuban official press acknowledged that ETECSA operates as an inefficient monopoly, when the official economist Frank Rafael Quesada Espinoza publicly admitted it.
It is not the first time that ETECSA has generated controversy due to its practices. The state-owned company has a long history of complaints, ranging from reports of data balance theft to widespread service failures that have impacted tens of thousands of users across the island.
The content creator concluded his video with a direct message to his followers: "I have no doubt that we are in the best country in the world, that God’s plan is perfect, but the plan of these people is a scam," and he advised them to leave that company because "it doesn't work." His experience reflects the difficulties faced by many Cubans in the U.S. adapting to the country's system of services and contracts.
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