Chicken boarders

[Treekeeper]

Bought an extended 3 year warranty on a 54 plate jeep for £500 as the garage said it covers everything right?

 

Wrong prop shaft has failed after 52K and the warranty company say that they won't pay as it's fair wear and tear. I feel I have been sold a pup and now I have to pay £500 for a new propshaft. Warranty company say I have to take it up withthe garage who sold it, garage say not their problem. How do I get my £500 back. I am so angry I feel like taking the old propshaft back to the garage and chucking it through their showroom window.

[Clur]

Contact trading standards?

 

I'd be tempted to call the garage's bluff perhaps and get a solictor's letter to say you are taking legal advice to retrieve your £500?

[Snowy]

I'm afraid that I have also had bad experience of those 'extended warrenties'. Luckily we only got three months free when we bought a second hand car a few years ago. Can't remember what went wrong now, but it was within the warrenty period, but wasn't covered. I felt it wasn't worth the paper it was written on

[abwsco]

Have you tried posting about it on MSE as well. They have a motoring part.

[ladyjulian]

Did you read the warranty carefully before signing it? There may be an exclusion clause covering 'wear and tear' in which case it wasn't worth the paper it was written on. If there is then you could potentially challenge it on the basis that it's an unfair term, but TBH the legal costs alone will be more than the £500 you're trying to recover.

 

If there isn't such a term, and / or the garage specifically told you that everything would be covered, then you can try to get the warranty company to cough up, or if it was that the garage missold it to you then you could try to recover the money from them.

 

Start with the CAB? They're often quite good and can probably point you at somebody local who can advise you. Most decent solicitors will do a free first half hour consultation, which should be enough for you to decide whether it's worth pursuing or not.

[Chucky Mama]

I can't offer any advise but I feel your pain. It is so annoying, there is always some small print or an exclusion somewhere that gets them off the hook. I had a clutch go on by Toyoto 4WD it wasn't covered because 'it could have been driven badly' Blooming thing is designed to tow horseboxes and drive off road, it only drives car loads of teenagers around Good luck

[C&T]

I am convinced that warranties on cars aren't worth the paper they are written on.

 

We don't bother now, and take the risk if something goes wrong - but it probably wouldn't have been covered anyway so we won't have lost anything.

 

(I take the same view with all white goods etc as well - what I save in paying for the warranties, I hope should cover when something goes wrong).

[The Dogmother]

From experience, generally extended warranties aren't worth the paper they're written on - there are so many get-out clauses and non-covered events. However, if you only had the vehicle for a short period, then it could be considered unfit for purpose, although I guess that the garage will argue that it's just genuine wear and tear. The best you will get is probably part of your £500 back

[A chickychickychick-ENN!!]

You'd be within your rights to write an honest review of the service and goods offered by the garage and insurance company on any number of peer to peer online review sites such as Qype. There's nothing like online viral word of mouth to recommend a business to someone else...

[chickenanne]

H'mm. Vehicle warranties invariably exclude "wear and tear" items such as tyres, exhaust, brake pads, etc - stuff that you expect will wear out with use. I don't know enough about cars to know what's gone wrong on yours and whether it's wear or not. Maybe you could check that out? It doesn't SOUND like "normal" wear - after 52k miles or whatever, it's not something I've had to replace on my lovely old gentleman (car, not OH).

[Ygerna]

Not any help regarding the car situation, although I would also suggest contacting one of the Newspapers who help 'trouble shoot' this kind of thing. I think The Times has one,

 

However, regarding extended warranties on white goods. As far as I am aware EU Law states that all items sold should last 3 years(? need to confirm this, DH is being vague). So, although your seller may say its covered for 12 months, and suggest buying an extention you may find that its better not to. However, you may not get a total replacement after a year, but repairs etc. Worth looking into regardless if you are going to be buying anything in future.

[Treekeeper]

I've contacted the one show! And also got back in touch withthe warranty company now I have had the part replaced and an engineers report stating that the propshaft had failed not worn. The warranty company have asked me to write to their customer service Manager with all the facts and they will re examine the case now it has been made clear that a mechanic who specialises in 4x4 has gone into print stating that this part should not have failed so soon. So fingers crossed I just wonder how many people would just accept the first decision and just walk away???

[missuscluck]

My advice to anyone is never buy any extended warranty for your car when you buy it. Its generaly a waste of time and your money. Get the seller to give you a 3 month free warranty as part of the deal if you can. Remember the salesman will be getting commission when he sells you a warranty, so will be desperate to do so. However he is also desperate to sell you the car!!

 

We own a garage and do battle on a regular basis for customers who have bought these extended warranties when they have purchaced second hand cars.

 

Its very frustrating. As a garage we have to call the usualy premium rate number and hang on for some while to be answerd then go through a million and one trick questions in order to make sure the blame is firmly put squarley on the car owner and that they dont have to pay out.

My hubby is very skilled after years of practice in dealing with these rip off merchants and it is often the case that after a bit of wrangling they will pay up a portion of the repair costs. Its next to never we get a case of them actually paying for the repair in full.

The other favourite trick they have is agreeing to cover ***amount to us then not paying up. A very long time ago we were approched by one warranty company after payment had been agreed and the job done to haggle down on the price.

 

Unfair as this may seem to some of you, we now obtain a order number and arrange for payment to be made direct to the customer. The customer then pays us themselves before the car leaves.

Please bear in mind though the time, effort and call charges unpaid that it takes to get to the point of them paying anything at all. They are far less likley to mess the customer around for payment.

 

I wish you all the best and hope that they agree to cover some of the costs to repair your car. Sounds like you are doing all you can.