Complaint Review: Member's Choice

My 2008 Chrysler Aspen started to 'act up' Friday, March 24, 2017 as I was pulling into work. I let my husband know what it did (stalled out, oil light came on) crossing the highway to turn into my work parking lot. He came out and looked at it before I left work. Took to get the oil changed the following day at a local automotive shop we always use for routine matenance. The truck was still showing signs of engine issues, hesitation, loss of power, knocking when running over 3,000 rpms. We parked the truck until my husband had some time to look at it. My husband, works night shift 12hrs. so when he was off Wednesday, March 29, 2017 he listened to the truck again, hot and sweaty, stressed, he remembered he took out a 'maintenance' policy when he took out the loan at our local Credit Union (where we were doing all our banking for the past 20yrs.) he called The Credit Union, gave him his name and last 8 digits, asked them what the 'maintenance policy' covers, gave them the vin number told them there was a knock in the engine, they pulled the policy and said it covers all engine, transmission & drive train repairs, and that he had a $100 deductible on service. He proceeded to call the Ford Dealership, gave a description of the problem, they said it would be best if he called the Dodge Dealership because they don't think they have the tools and equipment they would need to do a job like that on a Dodge product. So my husband called a reputitial Dodge Dealership around our area. They made him an appointment to bring it up there the next morning at 9am. March 30, 2017. That evening, I asked my husband again and again, you sure it's covered, even with the mileage? He told me over and over, yes the plan covers the car the life of the loan, it's not based on mileage. He remembers having the conversation with the person writing it up when he got the loan, he made a joke saying, "I better get that, it's a Dodge." (Always having bad luck with Dodge vehicles.) At that point I was so thrilled, not being in any position to come out of pocket for any repairs right now.

So the next morning, Thursday, March 30, 2017 my husband having to drive the truck to the Dodge dealership and trying to avoid any heavy traffic, extra bumps, damaged roads and any roads he would have to go to fast on considering the knocking and issues the truck was having would overtake the vehicles performance and handling he headed out early to have the truck there for 9am. He got to the Dodge dealership at 8:50am, he told me as he parked it, it shut off & when he went to start it, it just clicks. The service technicians were out there, said it sounded like it's hydrolocked on one of the cylinders or it's the crank bearing. They also told my husband they were going to fix two recalls that the vehicles has out (we didn't even know about.) They proceeded to give my husband a 'rental' car to use in the meantime. They let my husband know they would be calling him later that afternoon about my truck and the rental, unsure how long we could use it. By 3:00pm that day the dealership had called my husband saying it looks like they will need to put in a new block, crank, pistons and heads & they would be using all the externals from the old motor to put back on the new, but they wouldn't be sure till they scoped it also saying they are leaning towards the long block option because they don't do rebuilds, but they would be doing that tomorrow, being Friday, March 31st.

Friday, March 31, 2017 the Dodge Dealership called my husband said we needed to show proof of the last 4 oil changes for the service (maintenance) plan to pay out for the repairs. So Monday, April 3rd my husband ran our last four oil change receipts to them, the lady at the Dodge dealership said she would fax them over to them, being 'Members Choice' (who holds the maintenance policy). Then today, Tuesday, April 4, 2017 the dodge dealership called my husband stating they were needing permission to take the valve covers off to look at the heads, he said okay that was fine, she continued to say while she was with another customer, Member's Choice called her and said, our mileage had expired. My husband at that point said he would call Member's Choice and see what was going on. He called them, questioning this mileage issue the dodge dealership told him about. They stated he has two plans, one is for GAP coverage up to 188K miles and the service plan covering up to 133,294 miles they said our truck has 113,350 miles on the odometer. My husband then called the Dodge dealership back asking if there was any way they got the mileage wrong, or if they are rounding it up or what? The lady stated, 'no, it's the exact mileage, she had to go out there and jump my truck off to get it and put the window up.' (All my windows were up when the truck was left. My truck had a fairly new battery and has never had to be jumped off or was weak or not hold a charge in anyway. So that statement alone worries me.)

So here we are 56 miles over the service coverage on a plan that had a cap that no one mentioned to us until after the parts and labor have been figured up and after we provided everything they asked of us. The damage was done before we were over this 'cap' we obviously didn't know about or we wouldn't have drove it 55.5 miles to get the truck to the Dodge dealership. (I used google maps to figure out the mileage by the route my husband drove.) Not the Credit Union when pulling the policy, while my husband was asking about the coverage or the Dodge dealership (while dealing with 'Member's Choice' had mentioned any of this or checked the 'mileage expiration' or if there was a cap on this policy, just seems like that couldn't be a common practice in their businesses, in this day and age, except this one time... where it's completely benefitting them and hurting us. No one mentioned we should tow the vehicle in for any reason, policy, cap or to minimize the damage to the engine. Seems like a everything was covered until the end when the totals and numbers were totaled up. I don't know the exact mileage on my truck when it got to dealership but I do know with them reporting it as 113,350 right now & having been in their possession and has been for six days now (and knowing they moved my vehicle & whatever else they did considering I now know my window was down and they killed my battery) and taking away the mileage from the drive that we had to do to get the truck to the dealership, we were right under the 'cap', but we wouldn't have been had we known there was one. Nor would we have thought for a minute this could have been an issue, considering we were told the policy covers engine, transmission & drive train, nothing about mileage expiration or a cap. So here I am left with my truck's engine having been taken apart, 'locked up', a maintenance policy not covering it now (so conveniently) and having to come out of pocket for what services and labor they have provided, to pick up a truck that can't even start up let alone get to my house and I have to get another vehicle to transport myself and my family around, and figure out how to pay for these repairs that I was told numerous times were covered. My truck payments to the credit union were set at the price they are for the loan with this plan incorporated in the amount, yet the credit union has been continuing to take that full amount without mention I could be close to the end of this coverage, having auto loans and 'maintenance policies' as part of their business I would think they have capable people knowing the policies they provide, along with knowledge of vehicle mileage based on year of vehicle they would make customers aware when approaching these milestones. NOT THE CASE this time, again so conveniently. Yet full payments for this policy keeps being received without mention. I believe taking payments for a serve that you don't provide a customer (not behind or paying for past service) would be considered fraud, correct?

I truly feel like we have been 'shafted' between this dealership and this 'warranty' company