I purchased a used car, and an enxtended warranty through the dealership in October. The warranty was through Wynn's Extended Care and was for 36 months or 36,000 miles. Almost right from the beginning the blazer began to have problems. Most of them where minor, such as the windsheild wiper motor, or the power steering pump. These repairs were made without any hassle.
Then a slightly larger problem with the transmission arose. The warranty company gave me an amount that they would cover, which did not cover the full amount. The dealership from who I purchcased the car, agreed to cover the rest.
The blazer ran fine for another few months, but on the return leg of a road trip, my engine blew. I had the vechicle towed to my usual repair shop, who in turn contacted the warranty company. The repair shop was told that before the company would authorize any repairs, that they would send a inspector to examine the engine. Two weeks after my vechicle was towed, my repair shop finally recieved notification from the warranty company saying they would not cover the repair. They said that it was because the engine showed signs of lack of lube, and heat damage.
I have spent most of my life around vechicles - know how to care for and repair them - and I knew that since I had owned the vechicle, it had been properly maintained. So I contacted the company to request a copy of the report from the inspector. I was told that I could only recieve a copy of the report after written request. Since this process can take a significant amount of time between Alaska and California, I called the repair shop to see if they had a copy of the report.
They didn't - however they did provide me with the name and number of the man who did the inspection of my blazer. He was not an employee of Wynn's Extended Care, but rather a individual who works for them on a contract basis. When I spoke to him on the phone, he was very pleasant and faxed me a copy of the report. At the end of the report he had stated: no sign of lack of lube, failure due to material failure of the number 6 rod.
Of course this directly conflicted with what the company had stated. When I contacted them, they demanded to know where I had gotten the report, and would release no further information. My father and I (who was a co-signer) contacted supervisor after supervisor. But all this seemed to accomplish was further the resolve of the company to not pay on the claim. My father and I then contacted the dealership from whom we purchased the blazer. They attempted to interceed on our behalf to no avail. We then sough the advice of an attorney.By this point my car had been in the shop for four months.
Finally we contacted an attorney. Unfortunately, on the bottom of the warranty contract that I signed it says that: I agree not to sue the company, will not seek monetary sums, etc.
The lawyer said there was only one avenue open to us - but that that form of litiagation could not award us money, or force the company to pay. He said it would be cheaper and faster for us to pay for the car prepairs.
The dealership I purchased the warranty from felt so bad, that they eventually purchased a used engine for my vechicle. Wynn's also finally agreed to pay $800. But even after this, I was left with a $1200 car bill. More than half of what I payed for the extended warranty.
A few months later, the man who did the inspection on my vechicle, was in the repair shop on a unrelated matter. He commented to the person who handled my case, that Wynn's had fined him $800 for releasing the report to me. The same $800 dollars that they paid on the car claim. Basically - no money ever left their pocket.
The blazer ran great for over a year, with only minor work done. Then in October of this year I began to have engine problems. From experience I knew it was either a fuel injector, or a vaccum leak. When I took the vechicle into the shop I told them to do a total body inspection, since the mileage on my vechicle was almost at the warranty limit.
They found that the injectors did need to be replaced, and several other small repairs needed to be done - including a few gaskets, a radiator leak and a bent ty-rod. The warranty company authorized most of the work - but said that wanted to send out an inspector again before they authorized the injector replacement. It took a week for the inspector to make it, at which point all the other repairs had already been done.
A few days later Wynn's contacted the garage and told them that they wouldn't pay for the injector work - and that since the other repairs had been done before the inspector arrived - and that they couldn't prove that the repairs had needed to be done - that they wouldn't pay for those either. I was left high and dry - with an engine that didn't run properly, and a $1700 car bill.
I'm a college student, who struggles to make ends meet. I have a part time job that requires me to travel, which is the reason I need a vechicle. This company repeatedly attempted to charge me with costs that should have been covered, and which totaled nearly 15% of my yearly income. The dealership we purchased the car from, no longer sells warranties from this company - and the shop I go to will no longer deal with them either.
Vanessa
Fairbanks, Alaska
U.S.A.
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