Re: USFidelis Extended Warranty Insurance
This is why I purchased USFidelis Extended Warranty Insurance
In August the timing belt broke on my car. I paid to have it towed to the nearest garage to have it repaired. The mechanic wouldnt even look at the car unless I paid $800 up front. I didnt have it. I emptied my saving and checking account paying for the long tow.
Those of you living paycheck to paycheck, like me, know what Im talking about.
However, the hospital administrator, where I work, allowed me to cash in all of my remaining vacation hours, which was nearly enough to pay the, ultimately, enormous repair bill. I still had to borrow the rest.
The down side was, since I cashed in all of my vacation hours to pay for the repairs, I didnt have enough money left to rent a car, to get me to work and back - a fifty mile round trip - or to cover days missed at work. As a result, I was stuck at home for five working days, without pay, waiting for my car to get fixed!
I finally got my car back, on a Saturday. That evening I headed off to work to catch up on what had been piling up for five days. The car broke down again!
It was exactly the same as the first time: the car just quit and all of the warning lights lit up like a Christmas tree. I knew it was the timing belt again. The mechanic had installed it wrong but, not wanting to pay for his mistake, he claimed that this time it was the cylinder head gasket. I knew better.
A broken cylinder head gasket would have sprayed oil all over the hot engine, producing a cloud of smoke. There was no smoke at all. He charged me an additional $400 to repair the broken cylinder head gasket and I was stuck paying it because I couldnt prove he was lying. Then he became upset because I could only pay the $400 in installments of $50 every two weeks. I rewarded with another 4 days at home without pay. 9 unpaid work days altogether.
The mechanics screwing me and HE gets upset.
Times were tough for a while. When you cannot afford a new car, you have to keep your old car running. I maintained it with frequent oil changes and minor repairs as, I could afford them.
In December I saw the USFidelis ad on TV...
"ALL repairs are paid directly to the garage! FREE towing! FREE car rental! Call today!"
I and decided I needed their extended warranty insurance. I called the 800 number.
They offered me mechanical coverage, with all repair bills paid directly to the garage providing it is a garage employing only Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), certified mechanics.
I pay nothing out-of-pocket on my part. Yes!
No deductable. Yes!
Free towing. Yes!
Free rental car! Yes!
The monthly price is kind of steep, $125; I'm paying less than $100 per month to replace my entire car if it's totaled! Oh, well... Yes!
(This is almost better than sex!)
What a deal! Considering what I had just gone through during the summer, I bit. As it turned out I had mechanical problems again this summer.
No problem, I was covered through USFidelis.
I get my car towed to an ASE Certified, AAA approved, garage. I paid $160 up front for the tow: $50 hook up fee plus $8 per mile. No problem I'll be reimbursed, by USFidelis.
Since I informed the garage I was covered with USFidelis Extended Warranty Insurance, the garage started to work right away on my car.
I rented a car for a week so I could get to work and home. No problems, the USFidelis insurance covers the car rental.
After a few days, I get a call from the garage, USFidelis has denied the claim.
What!?!
I call USFidelis; according to the girl I talked to, it seems that somewhere in the fine print, there are several stipulations about what they will NOT cover, which is oddly enough nearly everything mechanical unless you drive a Yugo.
Neither being an attorney nor a mechanic, I had no idea what any of it meant.
That is precisely what USFidelis is counting on.
Is the FREE towing still covered? I asked.
No.
Is the FREE rental car still covered?
No.
So, I take it, that receiving a lubricant with this molestation is also out of the question?
Yes.
At least I received a "Yes."
Once again, Im stuck paying for it all. The car rental was $470 out of pocket. Before I could get my car keys, the garage insisted I put the repairs on my debit card, never mind the fact that I dont have a red cent left in my checking account. That was nearly $1,000!
I cant wait to hear from my bank. The NSF charges are piling up.
And, it gets even better, this year we have a new hospital administrator, where I work, who has graciously denied me cashing out my vacation hours which would have paid for nearly all of the repairs.
Swell.
Thank you, USFidelis.
I have developed a new fantasy... involving the CEO of USFidelis:
Each evening, when he returns home from a long day of abusing his customers through vague, murky, fine print and steps from his limo, I envision his dear, sweet mother running out from under the front porch and biting his leg!
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