When I bought my plan 5 years ago, I chose the option that would allow me to get 85% of the price back if I don't file any claims. I was charged extra for that option, so I don't think it was automatically included in each policy, but that being said, you can always call them and find out.
FINALLY !!!! Last week I received a reimbursement check from WG for the claim I had on July 3. For some unexplained reason they shorted me about $35.00 on a $300 claim; but I guess I got all I'm going to get. I guess I'm supposed to be happy...NOT!! Hours on the phone and page after page of faxes and broken promises and empty excuses culminating in an under satisfied claim is NOT my idea of good customer service. Or, maybe it's just me. Still looking for the "peace of mind" that an extended warranty is supposed to bring.
I think what you are referring to was their 'Good as Gold" Warranty. You either paid extra for it or were offered gratis when you bought the warranty. Look up your contract, if it applies to you.
To the best of my knowledge, WG does not offer this anymore.
I have been researching Warranty Gold for some time now. First of all I had no problem getting a sample contract from the company and after reviewing it very carefully it appears to be a very comprehensive agreement (Diamond Plan). Most of the details are covered fairly well and I feel if some people would have just read it carefully some of their problems could have been resolved. Second, it seems like human nature that if things go wrong you scream louder than if everything is going well. On the other side of the coin I have seen what appears to be some pretty legitimate negative posts and this has me worried. If Edmunds is giving them their walking papers that also has me concerned. I realize that in today's day and age you get what you pay for but before tonight I was ready to shell out the cash for two policies and now I have more questions than answers.
I have read good information on both sides of 3rd party warranties here! I will stay with my GM ESP's as I've done ok with them in the past. I have always negotiated a good discount on the GM Major Guard plan. On my last one (7/100k,$200D) on a 95 Lumina I had a new tranny installed in early 1999 and 6 months later when I sold the car I got approx. $500 of my original $800 cost refunded. I recently did a web search for "GM extended warranty" and found GM dealers who will discount at least 25%. I expect my dealer to match any price I find with no trouble. I like the "no hassle" of a manufacturers warranty. Good luck to those who buy 3rd party warranties.
After reading post #414 I have to agree with you. Unfortunately I have waited to long. My vehicle is now four years old and has 47,000 miles. I am about to retire from the military in seven months and I wanted to hang on to this vehicle and not be stapped with a three hundred dollar car payment for a while, while having the peace of mind if something goes wrong. As I stated in an earlier post (#413) the information out there is so confusing it is hard to make an informed decision.
I copied and pasted a portion of the Warranty Gold web page here to see if anyone can give me some advice. The portion I do not like is in the first paragraph. All though it seems to cover many parts that phrase "but not limited to" seems to be a way out on claims.
Our Diamond 'Bumper to Bumper Plus' plan provides coverage to repair or replace ANY FAILURE OR BREAKDOWN of all PARTS AND LABOR of your vehicle EXCEPT, but not limited to, the following few items:
Carburetor; battery; shock absorbers; manual transmission clutch assembly; friction clutch disc and pressure plate; throwout bearing; manual and hydraulic linkages; distributor cap and rotor; safety restraining systems (including air bags); glass; lenses; sealed beams; light bulbs; brake rotors and drums; brake pads; exhaust and emission systems; weather strips; trim; moldings; bright metal; chrome; upholstery and carpet; paint; outside ornamentation; bumpers; body sheet metal and panels; tires; and wheels/rims.
Our New 'BUMPER TO BUMPER PLUS' (Diamond) Plan provides coverage you won't find with other Bumper to Bumper plans:
The coverage explained here reflects those of our Diamond plan, which covers wear and tear as well as mechanical breakdown repairs. If you are interested in additional coverages through our Gold and Platinum plans, please call our Sales Consultants for details.
In reply to richard1957... As I have so painfully learned, it's not the terms of the WG contract that is the problem; it's getting legitimate claims authorized and paid!! How much is your time worth? Are you willing to have your car tied up at the shop for days waiting for authorization? How about endless phone calls, mysterious disconnects and buck passing? Read my posts since July. I did get most of my claims paid, but it took 6 weeks and a ton of aggravation to make it happen. I repeat: Hours on the phone and page after page of faxes and broken promises and empty excuses culminating in an under satisfied claim is NOT my idea of good customer service.
seems that maybe that would mean there are other reasons they may not pay for a claim, in my learnings, in the contract it states they are not responsible for acts of God, natural disaters and so forth....
I am also looking at getting a GM Major Guard policy. Could you please let me know how your dealings with your local dealers have gone? Were they able to discount 25% from list price? Thanks.
esto, I haven't started dealing yet but here are 2 factory warranty sellers on the internet with discounted prices. It gives us a target $ to bargain with. Apparently with at least the GM warranty the cost goes up considerably if not purchased on the same day as the new vehicle but may be purchased anytime before the original warranty runs out.
first i would like to say that i am not a WG employee nor i am affiliated with them in any way, except i am a new customer. just purchased a 5yr 100k plan, (diamond plus) on a 1998 gmc jimmy. i did some serious researching, called many of these warranty co's and ask direct questions some i was happy with and some i was not. what led me to WG was there reputation, customer service and direct answers to my direct questions. I have seen lots of negative posts but that doesn't reflect my decision in any way, because in reality all the negative posts that are here reflect a fraction of the customer base that WB has. BUT i do promise you all this, when and if my first claim comes, I will post it here good or bad. cheech004
I have several questions about this company. Could you e-mail me personally so that we can discuss. My e-mail address is eggsandwich22@yahoo.com. I already purchased a factory warranty, but would like to discuss my options. From what I understand, if you convince me to buy one from them, they will send you $50 in my name.
I tried your email it says it failed to go threw. anyway do some serious research and don't pay attention to the negative posts, why i say that cause it is so minimal to the amount of people that deal with warrantygold. Ask direct questions and you should receive direct answers. But this is my opinion. And by the they do reward you if you give them referrals
For several months, I've observed the criticisms, and sometimes suspicious postings about how good or bad Warranty Gold is, as well as other non-manufacturer extended service policies. I bought a WG policy for a '99 Buick Regal GS, but haven't had to use it yet.
While getting some warranty work done on the car (the factory warranty is 500 miles away from expiring), I asked the senior service writer at Cavender Buick on I-10 in San Antonio about aftermarket warranties in general, and Warranty Gold in particular.
He said all he needed was for a company to pay directly and there would be no problem. As for the WG policy of paying by company credit card, he said that was perfectly acceptable, but he wouldn't deal with someone that wanted to be billed and then be forced to wait for a check.
As for some complaints I had heard about getting a phone authorization for repairs from companies like WG, he said he didn't fool with waiting on hold; he FAXED them the workorder, along with instructions to them on how they could return an answer. So much for waiting on hold; apparently those in the business with experience know how to get around certain roadblocks. He did say that he had not had any problems with WG, but that he WOULD NOT do business with a company called WarrantyUSA. Interesting that he said that because I never mentioned the name WarrantyUSA.
When I do use the WG policy, I'll let you know--good or bad-- how it turns out.
FYI, I have a WG Diamond policy which has been fine for the minor fixes on several occasions. However several weeks ago our Suburban broke down due to a burned out rear end and differential. The GM dealer who examined it said that it needs to be replaced. However Interstate (The Administrator for WG) has denied the claim because of "failure of lubrication". This is pure BS. A failure CAUSED the lack of fluid, and the dealer says it is evident that there are no leaks, and there was differential fluid present at the time of failure. The bottom line is that we are getting summarily denied by Interstate, and WG is of no help because "we are not making the decision". Interstate states that "we do not have a contract with you." The cost to fix will be several thousand dollars. Talkinhg on the phone is useless as they simply repeat your claim was denied, because there was no lubrication, citing a contract clause that the vehicle has to be maintained regularly. I explained that I have documentation to prove that this vehicle has been maintained regularly, but they don't really care, they are contorting the contract to their benefit. (They fail to understand/acknowledge that the failure CAUSED the lack of lubrication).
If any WG personnel are out there, here is an opportunity to publicly demonstrate the worth of your policy by helping me attain satisfaction for a policy that was bought in good faith. If there is no response and assistance, I guess you have spoken the worth of your policy.
For fellow consumers, BEWARE. WG as a company may or not be OK, but they contract with a company (Interstate) that is not acting in good faith.
Interstate National Dealer Services, Inc. Star Life - Star Service Contract Secure Value Program 333 Earl Ovington Blvd., #700 Uniondale, NY 11553 800-526-0929 516-222-1818
According to information in the Better Business Bureau's file: Interstate National Dealer Services, Inc. was established in 1991. Mr. Luby is Chairman. This firm is a warranty processing service.
The Bureau's file opened 01/95.
Complaints to the Bureau have alleged non-receipt of Vehicle Service Contract, inability to obtain required authorization for repairs, clarification of coverage, and/or refunds and reimbursements.
- The principals of this firm are also principals of Warranty Direct. The BBB has a separate report on that company.
This firm has received 62 complaint (s) in the last 36 months. 27 of those 62 complaint(s) were received in the last 12 months.
This company has responded to complaints brought to its attention by the Bureau. However, consumers were generally dissatisfied with the firm's response.
If you are skeptical... Go the the national BBB website (I am not going to give you a fake BS site to link to) and conduct a national search, and type in Interstate National Dealer Services. You will note on page 12 of your contract that Interstate is the Administrator. Warranty Gold is just the warm/fuzzy front end.
This, quite frankly, sounds like the kind of stuff that got the previous 1Source warranty message forum shut down. So what if Warranty Gold uses the same administrator as other companies? Don't you know that your auto insurance company uses the same adjusters as dozens of other companies? That doesn't mean that they are owned by, operated by or have the same provisions of coverage as the other companies.
However, I'd like to suggest the following steps: 1. Get your GM dealer to state what you listed in your message; specifically that there was lubricant present at the time of the failure and that the failure was not due to lack of lubricant. 2. Find any receipts for oil changes at the dealer or independent shops such as Jiffy Lube or Quick Lube. Virtually ALL of those shops include a check of the rear differential fluid as part of their service. If so, get a copy of their checklist or brochure that shows they checked the differential fluid level. 3. Get an attorney to write a demand letter to WG, stating the failure is within the boundaries of their covered items and provisions, and demand coverage for the affected parts and labor. 3. Have the attorney send those items to WG, not their administrator.
This shifts the burden of proof to WG and away from you and your dealer. If they still refuse, there's always court. Sounds like you don't have WG's attention, or at least have not pointed out to them the fact that their so-called administrator has just put them in a serious liablity position.
Thanks, I have already been in the process of proceeding with those suggestions. So far interstate has ignored this. I've already sicked my attorney on them.
For other consumers, is this how you want a warranty company to serve you? If so get WG, and watch you dollars, time, and patience melt away. I will keep everyone posted about what happens.
I purchased my warranty gold Diamond warranty in September of 1997 for my 1996 S10. It cost about $1175 for the 5 year 120000 mile version. The main selling point was the 85% rebate after 5 years if you did not use the warranty. The contract I signed showed that the warranty was good for five years from 3/17/97, the date I purchased the truck.(It was a demonstrator with 5700 miles on it, all of which I told them when I purchased the warranty)
In Feb. of 2001, the thermostat failed and the motor overheated. I immediately pulled over and had it towed. The garage fixed the thermostat and changed the fluid, but about 3 weeks later, the lifters started to fail. It took several calls and many faxes of maintenance info and about three weeks of aggravation, but Interstate finally paid for most of the lifter repairs, about $1000.
That is the good news.
On late September, my air conditioner compressor failed. I felt really lucky to have a warranty good til 3/17/02, until my garage informed me that Interstate said my warranty had expired on 9/12/2001. When I called to ask about the discrepancy, they stated that my actual "in service date" was 9/12/1996, and that the warranty was only good for 5 years from that date.
After many discussions with Warranty Gold and Interstate, it appears that I am out of luck. I can persue the arbitration clause, but that costs $500 up front, and Warranty Gold threatened to counter-sue for repairing the previous damage because they now say the "in service date" was REALLY 12/15/95. They never have explained why they offered me a contract showing my purchase date and not the "In Service Date", and they never have explained why the date changed from 9/12/96 to 12/15/95.
They have been misleading and difficult to deal with and I would NEVER recommend them.
You talk about "suspicious postings" about WG's lousy service. See postings by me that are backed up by names dates and claim numbers. I went thru Hell getting them to pay for repairs that were covered under my "Diamond policy". They never did pay the entire claim ( see my previous posts). In all my 53 years this has been the worst consumer related experience I've ever had.
For those contemplating a WG contract, think about this: If you do get denied, what recourse do you have? WG is in Texas. If you live in another state as I do, bringing action against them is very costly. The only recourse we, as consumers have is to post our experiences, good or bad on forums such as this. A free public exchange will hopefully enable us all to make wise and informed choices of who to deal with.
As of 10/12/01 WG has a new administrator. National Warranty Insurance Group RRG (NWIG), 877-262-8765, 7407 "O" Street, Lincoln, Nebraska 68510, is the administrator. All current claims, etc., have been transferred to NWIG.
Any questions may be directed to NWIG, or WG 888-550-9361.
Perhaps this change will raise WG's customer service and proformance level.
I know that WG has changed to a different Administrator. However they are still sumarrily denying my claim to fix my differential after it burned out due to a failure that even the experienced GM folks are not able to determine the cause. The Administrator is echo-ing what Interstate said ...denied due to a lack of lubrication. We have written verification of excellent maintenance, and there is evidence of the diff fluid splattered all over the rear end, and the service manager as well as their inspector both agreed that all the diff seals were intact.
The bottom line is that any Administrator that WG uses will rationalize a way to deny a claim. SAVE YOUR MONEY AND ENERGY-----DON'T BUY WG
I felt better after reading all of the complaints here. I too was totally screwed by WG. I never successfully could a claim paid. I filed complaint after complaint with them, the Texas BBB and am now going to the Texas attorney general. I finally got fed up and asked for a refund. Low and behold I was screwed again. Interestingly enough try to find out from WG how much of a refund you are due before you sign the form. It was like pulling teeth to get a number. Once I got a number, unfortunately not in writing, I sent in my refund form. After 6 weeks I got a refund of $1000 less than the quote on the phone. I called again and was told there was nothing they could do and it was my fault because I could have calculated the amount myself. So I leave with one comment: IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING A WARRANTY GOLD EXTENDED SERVICE CONTRACT...DON'T! my 2cents.
I had an intake manifold replaced among other things just a couple of days before my contract was to expire. The only issue I had with WG was that they asked me to take my car to a Firestone repair shop rather than a dealership because the dealer was much more expensive ... I know a few people who also use WG and they have never complained. My car was covered by WG for 5 years, and I had never had any problems with them. I would definitely go with them again.
im wondering why do warranty gold says they are number one in extended warranties do ANYONE!! have any proof to back that up or is warranty bynet no 1. currently dealing with a problem with golds mthly payment program they should be flexible but as always they are always other companies etc.
I brought my car (97 M3 Coupe) in for a state inspection/emissions test yesterday. As an aside, I also asked the shop to do an oil change, install some aftermarket tranny mounts, and check my shift linkage for wear (the shifter was really sloppy).
My car needed the following to pass state inspection: - Front brake pads - Rear shock mounts - Trailing arm bushings - 1 rear muffler mount Plus, the shop recommended replacing the shifter cup and a bushing.
Now, my WG policy is an exclusionary policy, which means that if it's not listed as an exception, it's covered. Exhaust systems and wear and tear items like brake pads are not covered. So, the muffler mount and brake pads were out. But, WG didn't hesitate to pay for the shock mounts (E46 M3 mounts, no less), trailing arm bushings, and the shifter stuff. The parts + labor on those things came to $469.44. All I had to pay was state sales tax ($28.67). Not bad! They even paid the shop directly, so I didn't have to pay out of pocket and then get reimbursed.
I paid around $1680 for the policy (I haggled for the price, the original price was ~$2300). I still have over 5-1/2 years or 52,000 miles left on the policy. I figure if I have to use it again (especially for something a little more pricey) it will definitely have paid for itself.
The only snag was that when my shop called them, they got tired of waiting on hold to speak to an adjuster, so the mechanic left his contact info with a receptionist. By the time the adjuster called back and got the work approved, it was too late for the shop to start the work. So, I had to wait until this morning for the car to be finished. No biggie
All-in-all, I feel confident that I made the right choice in going with Warranty Gold. Anyone else have as good of luck as I did?
-Josh No, I don't work for WG or any insurance company
few months ago i made a reply that i was going to post a message of my experience with warranty gold. here it is. i had a problem with my 4*4 not working in my 98 GMC jimmy. i got it checked out and it was the transfer case motor, warranty gold after a few calls and questions regards to the vin and miles on my car covered the motor the labor and the diagnostics,heres the bill. 1)diagnostics= $189 2)motor= $450 3)labor= $150 All covered,i am very satisfied with there coverage and will definetly recommend there service, AAAAAAAAhhhh but theres a catch. there is one thing they didn't cover and that is the taxes. SO WHAT i had to pay $54 dollars but they saved me $800. I'll take that anytime
I have had repairs done under a manufacturers (GM) warranty and on another vehicle with a third party warranty and have never had to pay the state sales tax. The tax was paid by the warranty companies as it's part of the total repair cost. Art
That certain states prohibit warranty companies from paying sales tax, I am failry certain there are about 14 states that prohibit the comapny from paying sales tax.
It had been three years ago when I passed my WG policy to the next owner of my LS400, and since I have factory warranty on my new car, I haven't felt a need for an xt war. until about a month ago. My sister also bought a diamond plan for her new Range Rover. So the both of us have had absolutely no problems with WG when we carried our policy with them. However, my sister did point out that there were some items that the admin weaseled out of at the very end term of the K, and she was disappointed as a result of it. If memeory serves me, the self leveling system was not covered the second time it failed.
For me, however, the plan paid for everything that I had made a claim to on my LS400 back in '97-98. It covered, including tax, for the A/C compressor, alternator, fuel sender and gauge, broken door handle and door lock, automatic climate control panel, and gaskets to seal up a leaking power steering pump, My mileage on the car at that time was between 60k-75k when WG honored its K.
Needless to say, I was horrified to have read all of the 400+ postings about WG on this board. After surviving the initial stages of shock, I continued further on the research, and concluded (as what others on this board has pointed out ) that Interstate really faulted here, not necessarily WG. but unfortunately Interstate is the admin who decided who/what gets covered, and is an agent to WG, (if memory serves me here w/ Business Law 101 & 102). It is now common knowledge that WG had to sue Interstate, and has a new admin.
And as such, the black eye also fell to other xtwarr. sellers such as 1stSource, warrantyDirect,etc.under the same admin(I could be completely wrong on these Co'sabove, so do your research to confirm). What's also really sad, is that through my research and calls to other competitors of WG, I found unprofessionalism and badmouthing coupled w/ pressure selling, and with phone calls (while at dinner table and while giving my kids baths in the evening). To WG's credit, they stood out to me as the ones who admitted over the phone their problems culminating over the past year or so and the direction they've taken to move out of their business relationship w/ the previous admin and into a new admin, and refrained from badmouthing their competitor. I felt pleased that they took the high rosd, amidst the overwhelming opposition here.
I sure as heck could be completely wrong about this down the road , but my gut instinct told me to go back to WG. And I'm looking forward to see how well WG's new admin will step up to the plate.
I bought a WG policy for a leased vehicle in June. Unfortunately, the value of the car dropped well below the contracted purchase price, and, unlike banks and private leasing companies, GMAC wouldn't budge off of the contract price. It seems that GMAC would rather take a car back that has a $16,600 purchase price rather than negotiate a better price with the owner, even though identical cars are selling for $10K at the dealer's wholesale auctions. Hey, if they want to take the $6K hit, better them than me. So, I will be cancelling my WG policy, but not because of WG.
I will say that after talking to Tony in their cancellation department, the process has so far been a breeze. The forms were e-mailed to me the same day, and were very clear. When I get closer to the end of my factory warranty on my 2000 Chevy S-10, I will go back to WG.
Just so there is no mud slinging about whether I work for WG, my e-mail is in my profile, and I will tell you that I work for the U.S. Air Force, and have never had any affiliation with WG.
I bought a WG Diamond extended warranty policy in June 1999. My SUV was recently totaled in a car accident. I contaced WG about a refund of the remaining portion. Within 20 minutes, they emailed me the forms. I had it notarized with the mileage and mailed it back. One week later, I received a credit for $550. (Paid $899 initially). At least their customer service was professisonal and reliable.
was changed in october of 2001 additionally some people's policies were administrated by different companies in my case my administrator was not interstate yet some other. Those whose policy was adminstered by interstate had a bad experience whereas others whose policy was held by another administrator faired much better.
I bought a 1999 Expedition, and saved almost 450.00 by getting WG Diamond plan. The truck has had problems minor and major it seems like every six months. I'm not going to list all the problems I could write all night. They were all covered under the base warranty of Ford for 2 yrs 36,000 miles. Well now I have 52,000 miles and I'm back at the dealership(Ron Bortnick Ford, Upper Marlboro, MD) and low and behold it's gonna take an $850.00 bill for electric seat repair and a cam sensor w/misc labor. No problem, hey I got WG. Mike McLane service advisor says, "Oh, we don't accept anything but Ford ESP warranty." I know I should have asked in advance, before I got into this, if they would. And I have not got a decent explaination as to why yet, I'm waiting for the warranty advisor of the dealership to call me back. I called WG to ask why, the only thing they could come up with is maybe they were not getting paid by some other warranty companies. I think getting a credit card number over the phone is not such a bad deal. I think the service people are too busy to take the time to have to really explain their repairs to someone. My problem is rather small compared to some of the stories I have read here. I can and will go elsewhere for my repairs, right after they say "You got WG?, No Problem!" But Ford has made an great impression on me by saying that they stand behind their vehicles as long as you buy a warranty from them.
The dealer doesn't want to accept anyone other than Ford ESP for at least two reasons.
First, WG will probably negotiate the price of parts and labor. If you need a new $157 cam sensor and a new $350 power seat assembly, WG may insist on the same discount the dealer would offer if he were selling the parts to an independent garage or Ford ESP--at least 10-20% and sometimes more. If they want to charge you $80 an hour for labor and the Mitchell's On Demand system says the job takes 3.4 hours, but Ford Warranty only pays $67 per hour for 2.7 hours, then WG may want to only pay the lower rates. Wanna take a guess which rates they will charge you? Full price on parts and labor! They are obviously only looking at how much money they can get out of you.
Second, if they have had any problems with any outside warranty company, they may be trying to sterotype all of them. Shame on them! If they have had the same proceedure covered on other vehicles by Ford's ESP administrator, and they reject this one, they may feel they have a better chance of getting paid because of previous experiences with Ford.
By the way, I was stationed in the Pentagon a few years ago and remember well the lousy way most dealers delt with the military. If you have a base decal on your truck, they may not care what you think. To them, you are only going to be there about three years so why bother making a long-term customer.
Bottom line: the dealer doesn't care about YOU. There are tons of good Ford dealers in the Southern Maryland/DC/Northern Virginia area. Call the dealer's general manager and tell him that you are taking your $850+ worth of business elsewhere because of his staff's poor customer relations and poor business practices. Then call the WG NEW administrator, and ask them if there is a Ford dealer in the area that they have worked well with in the past. Voila! You have a new dealer that will gladly service your truck, the dealer will likely receive tons of great word-of-mouth advertising from you, and your claim will be easily taken care of by WG.
I need an extended warranty policy and so have been reading the postings. I have 2 policies on my other 2 vehicles through Warrantybynet. The administrator is Royal & Sunalliance out of Engelwood CO. I have nothing but excellent experience with them on a number of issues including a transmission. However, they (Royal & Sunalliance)are not being allowed to issue any more policies. Therefore, who should I go with? The R&S rep told me GE Auto Warranty was one of the best but I just found out they no longer offer policies to individuals, just dealerships. Even though I see some satisfied customers that have WG, the postings overall seem to be very negative. Who is a good one?
For the most part, WG seems to be a good to excellent warranty company, especially since they recently hired a new administrator to handle claims.
With some, if not many of the posts you see in this and other forums, the writer is ticked off, and almost nothing will make them happy.
For example, if they took a car in for a simple item like a broken switch, and the dealer offered them a new car and a check for $1000, some of them would complain that the check is printed on green paper and their favorite color is blue! In other words, they've made up their minds and they don't want to be confused with things like facts.
As for your situation, ask the service writer in the service department of your favorite dealer which aftermarket warranty companies he would recommend, and which he would hope to never have to deal with again. Chances are, he's had good experiences with Warranty Gold and one or two others, such as 1Source Auto Warranty.
Now, I will sit back and wait for some of those unhappy people to flame me in this forum as they once again share with the world their totally enlightened and perfect wisdom....
Actually, I've made up my mind to go with 'dtownfb's' suggestion/advice from other postings in this Warranty section and take my chances with no extended warranty on this one. I have ext warranties on 2 of my vehicles and think I'll go it alone on the 3rd and hope for the best. As 'dtownfb' states, it really is a decision about comfort level and so there is really not a right or a wrong decision, just waht each of us decides what is best in our situations.
Last summer, my Durango spent 5 weeks and 2 days at the trans shop because WG would not authorize the needed repairs. They instead decided to have a salvage trans installed. The first trans arrived at the beginning of the 3rd. week. It was no good. The second trans arrived the middle of the 5th week. WG paid for 3 days of rental coverage out of the 5+ weeks.
Last week, the engine of the Durango started acting up. Took it in Friday morning to local repair shop. Problem was bad injector and bad spark plug. WG was contacted and a claim started. Couldn't get the new injector until Monday, no one had it in stock. Monday afternoon, the work is done but can't get vehicle because WG takes 4 hours to approve the claim and post payment. I hope to get Durango back Tuesday. Again, no rental coverage for this repair. I will not recommend Warranty Gold to anyone.
About 13 months ago my trany went out on my 97 GMC Suburban 4x4. Took it to my local GMC dealer to see if they would except WG contract.
The service writer made a phone call to the 800# that was on the contract, he spoke with someone for a few minutes at WG, and then after that he said no problem we have permission to tear it down to make sure that the trany wasn't abused by me.
The next day, GMC called and said the trany was covered and it will be done in about 3 days.
The bill was about $2400 and all I had to pay was a $50 ded. and for the trany oil, filter and seal. I have no idea why I had to pay for the oil and filter. Total time down was about 5 days.
Like I said, this was about 13 months ago,and from what I have read looks like things might have changed!
is MUCH better than Consumers Reports! On Town Hall forums you can read about all the problems that "foreign" cars are having that CR chooses to ignore.
Comments
Still looking for the "peace of mind" that an extended warranty is supposed to bring.
To the best of my knowledge, WG does not offer this anymore.
Our Diamond 'Bumper to Bumper Plus' plan provides coverage to repair or replace ANY FAILURE OR BREAKDOWN of all PARTS AND LABOR of your vehicle EXCEPT, but not limited to, the following few items:
Carburetor; battery; shock absorbers; manual transmission clutch assembly; friction clutch disc and pressure plate; throwout bearing; manual and hydraulic linkages; distributor cap and rotor; safety restraining systems (including air bags); glass; lenses; sealed beams; light bulbs; brake rotors and drums; brake pads; exhaust and emission systems; weather strips; trim; moldings; bright metal; chrome; upholstery and carpet; paint; outside ornamentation; bumpers; body sheet metal and panels; tires; and wheels/rims.
Our New 'BUMPER TO BUMPER PLUS' (Diamond) Plan provides coverage you won't find with other Bumper to Bumper plans:
Factory Installed Navigation Systems
Factory Installed Televisions
Factory Installed Bumper Radar
Factory Installed Infrared Heat Sensor
CV Boots (Protects your CV joints)
Heater Blend Box (Ford Vehicles)
The coverage explained here reflects those of our Diamond plan, which covers wear and tear as well as mechanical breakdown repairs. If you are interested in additional coverages through our Gold and Platinum plans, please call our Sales Consultants for details.
Read my posts since July. I did get most of my claims paid, but it took 6 weeks and a ton of aggravation to make it happen. I repeat: Hours on the phone and page after page of faxes and broken promises and empty excuses culminating in an under satisfied claim is NOT my idea of good customer service.
how your dealings with your local dealers have gone? Were they able to discount 25%
from list price? Thanks.
Erik
http://www.gmwarrantycentral.com/
http://www.team-chevy.com/warranties.htm
The first one sells factory extended warranties on GM, Ford, and Chrysler.
No claims to report of lately..
Not too bad.
Campo57
While getting some warranty work done on the car (the factory warranty is 500 miles away from expiring), I asked the senior service writer at Cavender Buick on I-10 in San Antonio about aftermarket warranties in general, and Warranty Gold in particular.
He said all he needed was for a company to pay directly and there would be no problem. As for the WG policy of paying by company credit card, he said that was perfectly acceptable, but he wouldn't deal with someone that wanted to be billed and then be forced to wait for a check.
As for some complaints I had heard about getting a phone authorization for repairs from companies like WG, he said he didn't fool with waiting on hold; he FAXED them the workorder, along with instructions to them on how they could return an answer. So much for waiting on hold; apparently those in the business with experience know how to get around certain roadblocks. He did say that he had not had any problems with WG, but that he WOULD NOT do business with a company called WarrantyUSA. Interesting that he said that because I never mentioned the name WarrantyUSA.
When I do use the WG policy, I'll let you know--good or bad-- how it turns out.
Joe
I have a WG Diamond policy which has been fine for the minor fixes on several occasions. However several weeks ago our Suburban broke down due to a burned out rear end and differential. The GM dealer who examined it said that it needs to be replaced. However Interstate (The Administrator for WG) has denied the claim because of "failure of lubrication". This is pure BS. A failure CAUSED the lack of fluid, and the dealer says it is evident that there are no leaks, and there was differential fluid present at the time of failure.
The bottom line is that we are getting summarily denied by Interstate, and WG is of no help because "we are not making the decision". Interstate states that "we do not have a contract with you." The cost to fix will be several thousand dollars. Talkinhg on the phone is useless as they simply repeat your claim was denied, because there was no lubrication, citing a contract clause that the vehicle has to be maintained regularly. I explained that I have documentation to prove that this vehicle has been maintained regularly, but they don't really care, they are contorting the contract to their benefit. (They fail to understand/acknowledge that the failure CAUSED the lack of lubrication).
If any WG personnel are out there, here is an opportunity to publicly demonstrate the worth of your policy by helping me attain satisfaction for a policy that was bought in good faith. If there is no response and assistance, I guess you have spoken the worth of your policy.
For fellow consumers, BEWARE. WG as a company may or not be OK, but they contract with a company (Interstate) that is not acting in good faith.
Star Life - Star Service Contract
Secure Value Program
333 Earl Ovington Blvd., #700
Uniondale, NY 11553
800-526-0929
516-222-1818
According to information in the Better Business Bureau's file:
Interstate National Dealer Services, Inc. was established in 1991. Mr. Luby is Chairman.
This firm is a warranty processing service.
The Bureau's file opened 01/95.
Complaints to the Bureau have alleged non-receipt of Vehicle Service Contract, inability to obtain required authorization for repairs, clarification of coverage, and/or refunds and reimbursements.
- The principals of this firm are also principals of Warranty Direct. The BBB has a separate report on that company.
This firm has received 62 complaint (s) in the last 36 months. 27 of those 62 complaint(s) were received in the last 12 months.
This company has responded to complaints brought to its attention by the Bureau. However, consumers were generally dissatisfied with the firm's response.
If you are skeptical... Go the the national BBB website (I am not going to give you a fake BS site to link to) and conduct a national search, and type in Interstate National Dealer Services. You will note on page 12 of your contract that Interstate is the Administrator. Warranty Gold is just the warm/fuzzy front end.
BUYER BEWARE
This, quite frankly, sounds like the kind of stuff that got the previous 1Source warranty message forum shut down. So what if Warranty Gold uses the same administrator as other companies? Don't you know that your auto insurance company uses the same adjusters as dozens of other companies? That doesn't mean that they are owned by, operated by or have the same provisions of coverage as the other companies.
However, I'd like to suggest the following steps:
1. Get your GM dealer to state what you listed in your message; specifically that there was lubricant present at the time of the failure and that the failure was not due to lack of lubricant.
2. Find any receipts for oil changes at the dealer or independent shops such as Jiffy Lube or Quick Lube. Virtually ALL of those shops include a check of the rear differential fluid as part of their service. If so, get a copy of their checklist or brochure that shows they checked the differential fluid level.
3. Get an attorney to write a demand letter to WG, stating the failure is within the boundaries of their covered items and provisions, and demand coverage for the affected parts and labor.
3. Have the attorney send those items to WG, not their administrator.
This shifts the burden of proof to WG and away from you and your dealer. If they still refuse, there's always court. Sounds like you don't have WG's attention, or at least have not pointed out to them the fact that their so-called administrator has just put them in a serious liablity position.
Good luck.
Joe
I have already been in the process of proceeding with those suggestions. So far interstate has ignored this. I've already sicked my attorney on them.
For other consumers, is this how you want a warranty company to serve you? If so get WG, and watch you dollars, time, and patience melt away. I will keep everyone posted about what happens.
srp1
In Feb. of 2001, the thermostat failed and the motor overheated. I immediately pulled over and had it towed. The garage fixed the thermostat and changed the fluid, but about 3 weeks later, the lifters started to fail. It took several calls and many faxes of maintenance info and about three weeks of aggravation, but Interstate finally paid for most of the lifter repairs, about $1000.
That is the good news.
On late September, my air conditioner compressor failed. I felt really lucky to have a warranty good til 3/17/02, until my garage informed me that Interstate said my warranty had expired on 9/12/2001. When I called to ask about the discrepancy, they stated that my actual "in service date" was 9/12/1996, and that the warranty was only good for 5 years from that date.
After many discussions with Warranty Gold and Interstate, it appears that I am out of luck. I can persue the arbitration clause, but that costs $500 up front, and Warranty Gold threatened to counter-sue for repairing the previous damage because they now say the "in service date" was REALLY 12/15/95. They never have explained why they offered me a contract showing my purchase date and not the "In Service Date", and they never have explained why the date changed from 9/12/96 to 12/15/95.
They have been misleading and difficult to deal with and I would NEVER recommend them.
You talk about "suspicious postings" about WG's lousy service. See postings by me that are backed up by names dates and claim numbers. I went thru Hell getting them to pay for repairs that were covered under my "Diamond policy". They never did pay the entire claim ( see my previous posts). In all my 53 years this has been the worst consumer related experience I've ever had.
For those contemplating a WG contract, think about this: If you do get denied, what recourse do you have? WG is in Texas. If you live in another state as I do, bringing action against them is very costly. The only recourse we, as consumers have is to post our experiences, good or bad on forums such as this. A free public exchange will hopefully enable us all to make wise and informed choices of who to deal with.
Any questions may be directed to NWIG, or WG 888-550-9361.
Perhaps this change will raise WG's customer service and proformance level.
The bottom line is that any Administrator that WG uses will rationalize a way to deny a claim.
SAVE YOUR MONEY AND ENERGY-----DON'T BUY WG
my 2cents.
I had an intake manifold replaced among other things just a couple of days before my contract was to expire. The only issue I had with WG was that they asked me to take my car to a Firestone repair shop rather than a dealership because the dealer was much more expensive ... I know a few people who also use WG and they have never complained. My car was covered by WG for 5 years, and I had never had any problems with them. I would definitely go with them again.
I brought my car (97 M3 Coupe) in for a state inspection/emissions test yesterday. As an aside, I also asked the shop to do an oil change, install some aftermarket tranny mounts, and check my shift linkage for wear (the shifter was really sloppy).
My car needed the following to pass state inspection:
- Front brake pads
- Rear shock mounts
- Trailing arm bushings
- 1 rear muffler mount
Plus, the shop recommended replacing the shifter cup and a bushing.
Now, my WG policy is an exclusionary policy, which means that if it's not listed as an exception, it's covered. Exhaust systems and wear and tear items like brake pads are not covered. So, the muffler mount and brake pads were out. But, WG didn't hesitate to pay for the shock mounts (E46 M3 mounts, no less), trailing arm bushings, and the shifter stuff. The parts + labor on those things came to $469.44. All I had to pay was state sales tax ($28.67). Not bad! They even paid the shop directly, so I didn't have to pay out of pocket and then get reimbursed.
I paid around $1680 for the policy (I haggled for the price, the original price was ~$2300). I still have over 5-1/2 years or 52,000 miles left on the policy. I figure if I have to use it again (especially for something a little more pricey) it will definitely have paid for itself.
The only snag was that when my shop called them, they got tired of waiting on hold to speak to an adjuster, so the mechanic left his contact info with a receptionist. By the time the adjuster called back and got the work approved, it was too late for the shop to start the work. So, I had to wait until this morning for the car to be finished. No biggie
All-in-all, I feel confident that I made the right choice in going with Warranty Gold. Anyone else have as good of luck as I did?
-Josh
No, I don't work for WG or any insurance company
1)diagnostics= $189
2)motor= $450
3)labor= $150
All covered,i am very satisfied with there coverage and will definetly recommend there service, AAAAAAAAhhhh but theres a catch. there is one thing they didn't cover and that is the taxes. SO WHAT i had to pay $54 dollars but they saved me $800. I'll take that anytime
Art
J. Parker
For me, however, the plan paid for everything that I had made a claim to on my LS400 back in '97-98. It covered, including tax, for the A/C compressor, alternator, fuel sender and gauge, broken door handle and door lock, automatic climate control panel, and gaskets to seal up a leaking power steering pump, My mileage on the car at that time was between 60k-75k when WG honored its K.
Needless to say, I was horrified to have read all of the 400+ postings about WG on this board. After surviving the initial stages of shock, I continued further on the research, and concluded (as what others on this board has pointed out ) that Interstate really faulted here, not necessarily WG. but unfortunately Interstate is the admin who decided who/what gets covered, and is an agent to WG, (if memory serves me here w/ Business Law 101 & 102). It is now common knowledge that WG had to sue Interstate, and has a new admin.
And as such, the black eye also fell to other xtwarr. sellers such as 1stSource, warrantyDirect,etc.under the same admin(I could be completely wrong on these Co'sabove, so do your research to confirm). What's also really sad, is that through my research and calls to other competitors of WG, I found unprofessionalism and badmouthing coupled w/ pressure selling, and with phone calls (while at dinner table and while giving my kids baths in the evening). To WG's credit, they stood out to me as the ones who admitted over the phone their problems culminating over the past year or so and the direction they've taken to move out of their business relationship w/ the previous admin and into a new admin, and refrained from badmouthing their competitor. I felt pleased that they took the high rosd, amidst the overwhelming opposition here.
I sure as heck could be completely wrong about this down the road , but my gut instinct told me to go back to WG. And I'm looking forward to see how well WG's new admin will step up to the plate.
I will say that after talking to Tony in their cancellation department, the process has so far been a breeze. The forms were e-mailed to me the same day, and were very clear. When I get closer to the end of my factory warranty on my 2000 Chevy S-10, I will go back to WG.
Just so there is no mud slinging about whether I work for WG, my e-mail is in my profile, and I will tell you that I work for the U.S. Air Force, and have never had any affiliation with WG.
Joe
First, WG will probably negotiate the price of parts and labor. If you need a new $157 cam sensor and a new $350 power seat assembly, WG may insist on the same discount the dealer would offer if he were selling the parts to an independent garage or Ford ESP--at least 10-20% and sometimes more. If they want to charge you $80 an hour for labor and the Mitchell's On Demand system says the job takes 3.4 hours, but Ford Warranty only pays $67 per hour for 2.7 hours, then WG may want to only pay the lower rates. Wanna take a guess which rates they will charge you? Full price on parts and labor! They are obviously only looking at how much money they can get out of you.
Second, if they have had any problems with any outside warranty company, they may be trying to sterotype all of them. Shame on them! If they have had the same proceedure covered on other vehicles by Ford's ESP administrator, and they reject this one, they may feel they have a better chance of getting paid because of previous experiences with Ford.
By the way, I was stationed in the Pentagon a few years ago and remember well the lousy way most dealers delt with the military. If you have a base decal on your truck, they may not care what you think. To them, you are only going to be there about three years so why bother making a long-term customer.
Bottom line: the dealer doesn't care about YOU. There are tons of good Ford dealers in the Southern Maryland/DC/Northern Virginia area. Call the dealer's general manager and tell him that you are taking your $850+ worth of business elsewhere because of his staff's poor customer relations and poor business practices. Then call the WG NEW administrator, and ask them if there is a Ford dealer in the area that they have worked well with in the past. Voila! You have a new dealer that will gladly service your truck, the dealer will likely receive tons of great word-of-mouth advertising from you, and your claim will be easily taken care of by WG.
Good luck!
Joe
Therefore, who should I go with? The R&S rep told me GE Auto Warranty was one of the best but I just found out they no longer offer policies to individuals, just dealerships. Even though I see some satisfied customers that have WG, the postings overall seem to be very negative.
Who is a good one?
With some, if not many of the posts you see in this and other forums, the writer is ticked off, and almost nothing will make them happy.
For example, if they took a car in for a simple item like a broken switch, and the dealer offered them a new car and a check for $1000, some of them would complain that the check is printed on green paper and their favorite color is blue! In other words, they've made up their minds and they don't want to be confused with things like facts.
As for your situation, ask the service writer in the service department of your favorite dealer which aftermarket warranty companies he would recommend, and which he would hope to never have to deal with again. Chances are, he's had good experiences with Warranty Gold and one or two others, such as 1Source Auto Warranty.
Now, I will sit back and wait for some of those unhappy people to flame me in this forum as they once again share with the world their totally enlightened and perfect wisdom....
Good luck finding a warranty you like, Frank!
Joe
Last week, the engine of the Durango started acting up. Took it in Friday morning to local repair shop. Problem was bad injector and bad spark plug. WG was contacted and a claim started.
Couldn't get the new injector until Monday, no one had it in stock. Monday afternoon, the work is done but can't get vehicle because WG takes 4 hours to approve the claim and post payment. I hope to get Durango back Tuesday. Again, no rental coverage for this repair. I will not recommend Warranty Gold to anyone.
The service writer made a phone call to the 800# that was on the contract, he spoke with someone for a few minutes at WG, and then after that he said no problem we have permission to tear it down to make sure that the trany wasn't abused by me.
The next day, GMC called and said the trany was covered and it will be done in about 3 days.
The bill was about $2400 and all I had to pay was a $50 ded. and for the trany oil, filter and seal. I have no idea why I had to pay for the oil and filter. Total time down was about 5 days.
Like I said, this was about 13 months ago,and from what I have read looks like things might have changed!
Must make note to self, Stay away from Ford, Chrysler and GM products