My iPhone was stolen and my insurance has not yet provided a voucher number. How do I procede with this?

Back in May, my iPhone 5 quit charging, due to a problem with the port, which was really not my doing. But everyone suggested it would be better to go with a more up-to-date model.

So iI went with an iPhone 7 and got myself into a contract I could barely afford. You know, no longer any spare money and maybe you have to rely on a little financial help if you don’t make it to the end of the month. The higher rates are because I am paying for an expensive phone now.

Supposedly I am insured. Both my carrier and the insurance company I got with my contract, have affirmed this. But I’ve seen nothing official that says I am registered.

From day one, I was trying to get the voucher code for my insurance because people with similar contracts told me this was a step in registering my phone with the insurance company. My girlfriend was able to get her voucher code via email within a couple of days. I stayed on my insurance company for weeks, to no avail.

In early July, owning this phone less than four weeks, the phone was stolen at Walmart. I do not know how, but it was stolen from a secure place in a shopping cart. In other words, it didn’t fall and I didn’t leave it anywhere. I am a little trusting because I’ve known people to return lost objects, not actively steal them from someone who maybe is just taking an item from the deli counter or getting yogurt bars from a freezer.

My GF suggested we try in earnest to get the voucher code and then report the theft. But we were still unable to get the voucher code, due to people dropping the ball and not returning calls or getting the information to us. Even when it was made clear that we need it urgently and have been pursuing this matter for weeks.

I’ve been told I am covered, by both my insurance and the carrier. But I don’t see any official registering of it online, as my GF and others who have similar contracts have.

I’ve been several weeks without a phone now, which I am still paying a rather high rate for, and again, I really can’t afford. I still have not reported it stolen, because I am not sure I am fully registered with the insurance, although I’ve been told that I am.

What should be done in this situation? I cannot afford another phone, and can barely pay for this one. I am a caregiver for several people and cannot afford to be without one.