We use cookies to give users the best content and online experience. By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to allow us to use all cookies. Visit our Privacy Policy to learn more.

Manage Cookies
Resources for Businesses My BBB
Share
Business Profile

Life Insurance

Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America

Headquarters

BBB accredited business seal
BBB Accredited BusinessA+Rated by BBB

Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

Find a Location

Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America has 20 locations, listed below.

*This company may be headquartered in or have additional locations in another country. Please click on the country abbreviation in the search box below to change to a different country location.

    Please enter a valid location.

    Customer Complaints Summary

    • 198 total complaints in the last 3 years.
    • 61 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

    If you've experienced an issue

    Submit a Complaint

    The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

    Sort by

    Complaint status

    Complaint type

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/17/2025

      Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Advertises Dental insurance with no wait both in search and on their website. I purchased their most costly plan. Webt to the dentist & need to have a tooth extracted. Found out that that Guardians 'no wait dental" has a year wait time before they will cover a tooth extraction & most other services. Would like my money refunded & plan canceled for my 1 & only month with this company. Very dishonest. Also, spoke to customer ***************************** stated they do not do ** wait dental & their website does not state that. I have pictures of their site and search where it says no wait dental.

      Business Response

      Date: 04/17/2025

      Hello To whom it may concern,

      Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. Customer satisfaction is extremely important to us. We will reach out to the customer directly with our response. 

      Thank you, 

      Corporate Inquiries.

      Customer Answer

      Date: 04/28/2025

      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

      Sincerely,

      ***** *****



       

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/16/2025

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I purchased this dental policy through the ************** Exchange for coverage in 2024. This policy was cancelled as of 12/31/24. In spite of repeated notifications from ********** (the health exchange) and from me, Guardian continues to send me billing notices and saying my account is past due. I have sent them multiple notifications through the mail and called them three times. Each time they tell me that they will stop sending me bills and yet, they continue to do so. This is completely unethical and unacceptable. I am requesting (AGAIN!) that the company erase any balance showing due on the account (again, THE POLICY WAS CANCELLED AS OF 12/31/2024...THEY KNOW THIS!) and STOP SENDING ME BILLING NOTICES IMMEDIATELY.

      Business Response

      Date: 04/16/2025

      Hello To whom it may concern,

      Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. Customer satisfaction is extremely important to us. We will reach out to the customer directly with our response. 

      Thank you, 

      Corporate Inquiries.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/14/2025

      Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I submitted Policy ******** for reinstatement on Mar. 16, 2025. I continue to ask for an update on this but Guardian does not respond to any emails and has not provided any update on this. The reinstatement is for a policy holder who is already insured and covered by Guardian. There should be no reason this is delayed as ******* ********** is already insured under this policy. Resolution: reinstate this policy immediately for the full value.

      Business Response

      Date: 04/16/2025

      Hello to whom it may concern,

      Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. Customer satisfaction is extremely important to us. We will reach out to the customer directly with our response. 

      Thank you, 

      Corporate Inquiries.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/09/2025

      Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      My policy had lapsed and was cancelled I discuss with a representative the possibility, I repeat-the possibility of reinstating my account/plan with A DEBIT CARD, I NEVER MENTIONED THE ONE ON FILE. Once your policy is cancelled guardian locks you out of your portal thus preventing me from editing any of my payment methods and such. I never once gave the order to have my account reinstated retroactively like we had discussed the possibility of and now I was charged and backdated for several months which I would like to remain cancelled I've already filed A complaint with them and they're looking into a ticket but this was incredibly deceptive and I again never authorize them to charge my card to have my account reinstated. I will continue to challenge and dispute this with my bank until I'm refunded. Ridiculous. I never gave them consent to back date my policy via charging my debit card and they went and did it anyway. Horrible way to conduct business.

      Business Response

      Date: 04/09/2025

      Hello To whom it may concern,

      Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. Customer satisfaction is extremely important to us. We will reach out to the customer directly with our response. 

      Thank you, 

      Corporate Inquiries.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:03/12/2025

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      On September 19, 2024 my son had braces put on by ******* Orthodontics (*******, **). They filed a claim with Guardian dental shortly after to cover the braces. Guardian Dental approved the claim, but sent the payment to our previous orthodontist, ***** Orthodontics (********, **), who was our provider in 2019. *********************** promptly called Guardian and said my son is not their patient, and returned the payment to Guardian on December 13th, 2024. Since then, I have called Guardian 7 times, and they will not send the payment to the correct orthodontist. ******* orthodontics submitted the claim multiple times, and I even submitted the claim, but without any response from Guardian. Every time I call, they say they will call me back, but they do not. I just need the payment resent to the correct orthodontist.

      Business Response

      Date: 03/12/2025

      Hello *******,

      Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. Customer satisfaction is extremely important to us. We will reach out to the customer directly with our response. 

      Thank you, 

      Corporate Inquiries.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:03/03/2025

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Claim payment not received and claim was processed over 2 weeks ago. I immediately reached out to my case manager multiple times from 2/15/25 to today 3/3/25. This claim payment was sent via mail (to the incorrect address due to APT number not being listed); I requested direct deposit payment as well. My case manager reached out 2 weeks after claim process to state the payment would take even longer. If I received a response in a timely manner then the address error/ direct deposit concern wouldve been caught weeks ago. To rectify the issue, the company offered to overnight the check so Id receive the check on 3/1/2025. I asked for a tracking number, but was told the information was not available. Even with my proactive efforts including voicemails, calls, and emails I still have not received a check from this company. This is very inconvenient as the purpose of paying for the *** insurance was to insure Id be covered in needed time.

      Business Response

      Date: 03/04/2025

      Hello *******,

      Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. Customer satisfaction is extremely important to us. We will reach out to the customer directly with our response. 

      Thank you, 

      Corporate Inquiries.

      Customer Answer

      Date: 03/12/2025

      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

      Sincerely,

      ******** ******



       

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:02/26/2025

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      ON NOV 12, 2024 MY OFFICE SENT THE ATTACHED CORRESPONDENCE TO GUARDIAN DENTAL (GUARDIAN LIFE) TO TERMINATE IN NETWORK PARTICIPATION WITH GUARDIAN DENTAL ********************* DATE GUARDIAN HAS NOT RESPONDED. GUARDIAN IS TRYING TO FORCE PARTICAPTION.

      Business Response

      Date: 02/26/2025

      To Whom it May Concern:

      Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. Customer satisfaction is extremely important to us. We will reach out to the customer directly with our response.

      Thank you,
      Corporate Inquiries

      Customer Answer

      Date: 03/11/2025

      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

      THE OFFICE REQUIRES A TERMINATION LETTER WITH THE GUARDIAN LETTER HEAD .

       

       

       

       

      In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.


      Sincerely,

      ***** ****




       

      Business Response

      Date: 03/19/2025

      To Whom it May Concern:

      Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. Customer satisfaction is extremely important to us. We will reach out to the customer directly with our response.

      Thank you,

      Corporate Inquiries

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:02/11/2025

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Denied paying insurance claim when a licensed dentist told them this was needed. I had the coverage and they refused to pay any percentage of bill when I paid insurance that covered this. Zero percent when the coverage said 80%. Seems to be insurance claim fruad is happening with this company.

      Business Response

      Date: 02/11/2025

      Hello *******,

      Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. Customer satisfaction is extremely important to us. We will reach out to the customer directly with our response. 

      Thank you, 

      Corporate Inquiries. 

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:02/04/2025

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I have COBRA coverage under my former employer with Guardian dental. I had a newborn baby and asked my COBRA admin to contact Guardian dental to add the newborn baby to my dental coverage. However, Guardian said my COBRA admin did not submit correct information and asked me to ask my COBRA admin to resubmit request. Guardian has done this many times back and forth and refused to process the request of adding the newborn baby to the correct active coverage.I urge Guardian to finish processing the request: adding the newborn baby to the correct dental coverage and make the coverage active.

      Business Response

      Date: 02/05/2025

      Hello *******,

      Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. Customer satisfaction is extremely important to us. We will reach out to the customer directly with our response. 

      Thank you, 

      Customer Answer

      Date: 02/06/2025

      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

      [Your Answer Here]

      The business contacted me for additional information but has not yet provided a solution.

       

       

       

      In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.


      Sincerely,

      *** **




       

      Business Response

      Date: 02/07/2025

      Hello *******,

      Thank you for contacting us again. You will receive a formal written reply at the conclusion of our review. We appreciate your patience.   

      Should you have any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to email us again. 

      Thank you, 

      Corporate Inquiries 

      Customer Answer

      Date: 02/11/2025

      Better Business Bureau:

      I have contacted by the business via email and provided a solution in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

      Sincerely,

      *** **



       

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:01/29/2025

      Type:Order Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Guardian Dental (specifically the Dental end of the business, I know nothing of their life insurance) is known for *consistently* denying crowns. They're an attractive dental option for employers because they're cheap. How do they remain cheap? Absurdly high claim denial rate. I have two molars that are in desperate need of crowns, but Guardian's "internal dentist" has consistently refused to cover the procedure despite my dentist continuing to send new x-rays and in-depth reasonings why it's the better long term solution. I've been in agony for months because they won't cover it, and I refuse to pay $1500 out of pocket for something that should be covered. Not only that, but now I'm out a few hundred dollars in fees for my dentist having to keep resubmitting documentation every time I try to get this done. I've paid into this insurance for almost a decade without anything more than a simple cleaning once a year or a filling here and there, and they have the nerve to continue to deny something so mundane. I want this procedure covered, because it's what I pay for.

      Business Response

      Date: 01/29/2025

      To Whom it May Concern:


      Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. Customer satisfaction is extremely important to us. We will reach out to the customer directly with our response.


      Thank you,
      Corporate Inquiries

      Customer Answer

      Date: 02/04/2025

      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

      No timeframe or form of contact has been specified, and I have yet to receive a phone call, email, or letter regarding this complaint. I don't have another 6 months to be in pain and barely able to eat. This needs to be resolved punctually.

      Sincerely,

      **** *******




       

      Customer Answer

      Date: 03/05/2025

      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

      The business in question sent me a boilerplate response and when I tried to respond back, they said nothing. The filling in question has since fallen out, and both teeth in need of crowns are in agony. They've marked the complaint as closed even though no resolution has been met. I have been paying into this insurance for over a DECADE without any claims other than free cleanings. The reason their BBB rating is so low is *precisely* because they deny crowns. I will not be satisfied until they cover the crowns. Full stop. 

       

      Case # ********

       

       

      In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.


      Sincerely,

      **** *******




       

      Business Response

      Date: 03/05/2025

      Hello *******,

      Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. Customer satisfaction is extremely important to us. We will reach out to the customer directly with our response. 

      Thank you, 

      Corporate Inquiries.

    Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America is BBB Accredited.

    BBB accredited business seal

    This business has committed to upholding the BBB Standards for Trust.

    Why choose a BBB Accredited Business?

    BBB Business Profiles may not be reproduced for sales or promotional purposes.

    BBB Business Profiles are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. BBB asks third parties who publish complaints, reviews and/or responses on this website to affirm that the information provided is accurate. However, BBB does not verify the accuracy of information provided by third parties, and does not guarantee the accuracy of any information in Business Profiles.

    When considering complaint information, please take into account the company's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints.

    BBB Business Profiles generally cover a three-year reporting period. BBB Business Profiles are subject to change at any time. If you choose to do business with this business, please let the business know that you contacted BBB for a BBB Business Profile.

    As a matter of policy, BBB does not endorse any product, service or business. Businesses are under no obligation to seek BBB accreditation, and some businesses are not accredited because they have not sought BBB accreditation. BBB charges a fee for BBB Accreditation. This fee supports BBB's efforts to fulfill its mission of advancing marketplace trust.