Great Lakes Warranty Company Failed to Pay Exising Claims Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania
Great Lakes Warranty has failed to pay 2 claims to my repair facility for performed and authorized repairs.
They since went bankrupt or out of business. Many other retail customers have lost out on paid policies. On the back of their contract they state that the contract is not a warranty or insurance policy. I beg to differ. These contracts were sold as a warranty policy from registered dealers or were purchased retail by vehicle owners.
Apparently they are bonded by Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America. It stated that on the reverse side of the contract I have for my two customers. I believe Travelers is a decent size company. Can anyone give me insight as to what this bonding entails?
As a repair facility I must now require payment be in full for all aftermarket insurance and warranty claims before shipmen of the vehicle takes place. I also wonder if these companies should even be considered a warranty company.
I recently dropped my membership with the BBB and I am glad. The BBB failed to protect consumers in this case and that is their sole purpose of existence. As a repair facility the BBB is a completely useless and ineffective tool for any consumer. They charge me almost $400 a year so I can listed with companies such as a Great Lakes Warranty Company. No thanks.
And while we are on the subject of aftermarket warranty companies, beware of these policies they sell on the TV and Internet. They claim to pay for all auto repairs but many of them deny claims.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Honestabe
Newtown,Pennsylvania,
U.S.A.
Some answers...
#3Consumer Comment
Wed, September 22, 2010
Great Lakes Warranty (GLW) did go out of business mainly from greedy ownership. This company at one time was run very well. What their contract states is true. It is not a warranty or an insurance policy. Warranties only come with items that are brand new. This is an extended service contract. Unfortunately the purpose of their bond was soley to allow them to sell in the state of Pennsylvania. Nothing more. This policy and all policies from GLW were un-insured. To the owner of this repair facility, you should only accept policies that 100% of the time pay by corporate credit card when the work has been completed. As for the BBB, remember they are not a non profit company. Just like any other company they are in business to make a profit. There should never be much reliance on the BBB for anything. Pay them enough money and you will have a good rating. You can find good brokers online. Just do your research on them. This site is a great place to start. I would recommend to anyone that had a policy from GLW or any repair facility that has beeen stiffed by GLW contact the attorney general of PA. Look up Eagle Warranty and it looks like progress has been made there from when they went belly up too with no insurance. Good luck to you sir...
Timothy
Waynesburg,Ohio,
United States of America
Report to the Attorney General of PA !
#3Consumer Comment
Thu, July 29, 2010
I filed a claim back on March 16, 2010 for the ammount of $566. The GLW approved the repairs and my mechanic did the work immediately. Then the waiting game came. My mechanic called at least 5-6 times but always got voice mail messages. I was on vacation for two weeks in May then I started calling. I bought the warranty from a Nathan P. Monheim and called him direct and he gave me the "our computers have been messed up and you will receive your money on the 25th of June." The money never came. So I called the BBB and they informed me to get online and file a report with the Attorney General of PA. I would recomend that everyone do this . Fill out the online form and hopefully a class action law suit will occur. I still had three years of warranty left plus the money mentioned above.