Ultimate Warranty Ultimate Warranty Does Not Answer Phones, Does Not Respond To Emails Rocky Ridge Ohio
We purchased a car 4 years ago at a credit union sale - one of the things that was offered was an extended warranty by Ultimate Warranty. We were advised by the representative of the company that if we did not make a claim against the warranty that we could get a refund of the $2000+ that we paid.
Well the 4 years are up. The finance company that handles the rebates has sent a series of "hoops" we need to jump though in 30 days to get the rebate - 1 "hoop" being that we need a letter on corporate letterhead from the warranty company that we have never made a claim.
Well I've emailed through the "Contact Us" portion of the website only to get a form response that they will be in touch. I've called both the 1-800 and the regular number - more than 20 calls placed during busines hours have not gone through, instead we receive a "all circuits busy" message from the phone company. After hours calls are advised by a recording to call during business hours. So Tuesday morning - I called 2 minutes before the stated opening time and got the recording. I hung up and called back a minute after the hour - I was put on hold without any human contact and held for more than 45 minutes with no one ever coming on the line and no wait time ever expressed. At about the same time I called in using my cell phone and was on hold through my cell for nearly an hour before the call disconnected.
I have since faxed a letter and send one via priority registered mail with the requirement that a signed receipt to prove.
Obviously Ultimate Warranty happily took my $2000 invested it for 4 years and collected interest and APPEARS to have NO CONCERN about helping me get it back.
The time is ticking down for me to obtain the refund -- I realize Signet Financial can't have an indefinite termination date for these things. But I am starting to wonder if the two companies aren't engaged in an underhanded deal to keep customers who should be getting rebates from getting them. (I've advised the representative at Signet about this problem and asked if she was aware of problems other customers have had getting letters from Ultimate - and she has not responded either. Interesting - huh???
So if anyone from Ultimate decides to read this - and respond before next Tuesday - which is about when I need to get the paperwork all in to Signet - don't just tell me to call your switchboard - provide me a REAL means to contact your company - not just a lot of lip service about how you are the BEST provider. Because I don't believe it - and I think a lot of other people don't either. The best thing you could do - Staff up your call center and establish a customer service standard to respond. And of course - make good on the promise your sales guy made to me - write me a check for the amount of my refund.
Then I'd tell people at least your company is trying to make things right.
Your silence, your unwillingness to communicate - it implies your guilt and unethical behavior.
Shame on you for scamming people out of their hard earned money. Perhaps someday your guilty conscience will catch up to you.
Emily
Minneapolis, Minnesota
U.S.A.
3 Updates & Rebuttals
Matt
Mary Esther,Florida,
U.S.A.
hope this helps (found more info )
#4Consumer Suggestion
Mon, November 05, 2007
went digging and found more info on them
There needs to be further investigation into this company and their management team. From what I have heard from a dealership is Capital Assurance RRG is actually owned by UWC and that it was created in order for them to be able to sell their contracts in particular states. If you can get copies of their older contracts there was a phone number with a 570 area code,this area code is located in PA, yet Capital Assurance is located in SC. The number then changed to an 843 area code, then to a toll free number. They needed someone that is a licensed insurance agent in the state of SC to run the company for them. There were other compaines that Capital Assurance (UWC in disguise) were writing contracts for and having UWC administer the claims, one of these compaines is/was Warranty America (warrantyamerica.net/) and if you go to their home page it states the following:
" Because Capital Assurance Risk Retention Group (CARRG) has asked us and all of their other clients to stop writing new contracts with them, WA has secured a new carrier for our products. We have decided to use an insurance company with substantially greater surplus than CARRG as this will provide greater carrier stability"
I was also told that UWC was not legal to sell their contracts in particular states, and this is where they have other compaines selling their contracts and they administer the claims. What I suggest is that everyone with complaints should contact the South Carolina Insurance Commission and the Attourney General for the State of South Carolina, since this is where there "insurance" office is located. from what I've beed told it appears that they are doing run-off business. They've appeared to have made several changes to their webiste and no longer show who their management staff-employees are.
Here are the websites for the South Carolina Department of Insurance and Attourney General of South Carolina.
doi.sc.gov/Index.asp
scattorneygeneral.org/
Also here is an address and phone number for Anthony R. Scatena who was listed on their site as a VP before it was changed.
Anthony
Kingston, PA
Matt
Mary Esther,Florida,
U.S.A.
hope this helps (found more info )
#4Consumer Suggestion
Mon, November 05, 2007
went digging and found more info on them
There needs to be further investigation into this company and their management team. From what I have heard from a dealership is Capital Assurance RRG is actually owned by UWC and that it was created in order for them to be able to sell their contracts in particular states. If you can get copies of their older contracts there was a phone number with a 570 area code,this area code is located in PA, yet Capital Assurance is located in SC. The number then changed to an 843 area code, then to a toll free number. They needed someone that is a licensed insurance agent in the state of SC to run the company for them. There were other compaines that Capital Assurance (UWC in disguise) were writing contracts for and having UWC administer the claims, one of these compaines is/was Warranty America (http://www.warrantyamerica.net/) and if you go to their home page it states the following:
" Because Capital Assurance Risk Retention Group (CARRG) has asked us and all of their other clients to stop writing new contracts with them, WA has secured a new carrier for our products. We have decided to use an insurance company with substantially greater surplus than CARRG as this will provide greater carrier stability"
I was also told that UWC was not legal to sell their contracts in particular states, and this is where they have other compaines selling their contracts and they administer the claims. What I suggest is that everyone with complaints should contact the South Carolina Insurance Commission and the Attourney General for the State of South Carolina, since this is where there "insurance" office is located. from what I've beed told it appears that they are doing run-off business. They've appeared to have made several changes to their webiste and no longer show who their management staff-employees are.
Here are the websites for the South Carolina Department of Insurance and Attourney General of South Carolina.
doi.sc.gov/Index.aspx
scattorneygeneral.org/
Also here is an address and phone number for Anthony R. Scatena who was listed on their site as a VP before it was changed.
Anthony
Emily
Minneapolis,Minnesota,
U.S.A.
update
#4Author of original report
Thu, November 01, 2007
UPDATE:
Have contacted the Rocky River Chamber - they have never heard of the company. The chamber even contacted the Economic Development Authority on my behalf and also had never heard of them.
Contacted and filed a report with the Cleveland BBB and was advised by email that the company will most likely be ceasing operations and to contact the Ohio State Attorney General.
Had already filed a report with the Ohio State Attorney General - have not heard anything from them yet. Am also in the process of contacting the MN Attorney General.
I need to write a letter yet to my credit union who had these guys at the car sale - not that I expect anything from the credit union - but it is a shame that one bad business reflects poorly on the business that brought them in to their event.
Finally - have contacted the consumer affairs reporters at the ABC affilliates in both Cleveland and St Paul to advise them of my story. I think I'll contact other consumer reporters in the next few days.
Consumers really NEED to know that it's not even worth trying to get their rebates or reimbursements from Ultimate.
What a really sad state of affairs.