Me Myself and I
Chicago,#2Consumer Comment
Mon, May 21, 2012
Alpha Warranty Services covered my water pump claim last week for $550. This was my first claim in almost a year of having my Powertrain Plus contract with them.
About a week or so ago, I was getting a coolant smell and a whirring noise from the engine. I took it into the dealership and on my drive home in the loaner car I received a call from Dean at Alpha. They called to verify the issues I was having and when I first noticed it. I informed them exactly what was going on and he informed me that they would approve the claim right away.
It is clearly listed in my contract that the water pump is, in fact, a covered component. If a component is listed and it fails, I would expect it to be covered. If it was not listed, I would NOT expect them to cover the repair.
Unless one has what is called an "exclusionary" contact, where almost everything is covered other than specific items that they list, then the contract is considered "stated". Stated means that the components that are covered are ONLY the ones listed or "stated" in the contract. If it is not listed, then one really cannot get upset that it wasn't covered. (FYI - "exclusionary" is what a lot of people consider to be "bumper to bumper". Personally, I do not like the "bumper to bumper" term anyway as no 3rd party contract out there really covers every single thing (brakes, tires, oil changes, etc). The term is more of a "sales term" used by sales reps wanting to sell you the contract.)
Consumers really need to READ exactly what they are purchasing. They need to know the terms of the contract rather than just relying on what the sales rep says at the dealer or wherever they purchased the contract. Alpha does not sell the contracts as they are the administrator. A dealer or an agent sells the contract.
Anyone who purchases a vehicle service contract should ONLY expect the administrator to fully honor the complete terms of the contract. Nothing more and nothing less. With my recent claim, Alpha fully honored the terms of the contract and paid for the repair.
I am very happy with Alpha Warranty Services. They covered the repair on my vehicle and did it right away with no issues. Alpha Warranty Services is one of the "good guys" in the industry that honors the terms of the contract. Thank you Alpha!
gfe54
East Palestine,#3Author of original report
Fri, May 04, 2012
The obvious truth here can be found at the Alpha web site. There you will see what constitutes "fuel system". There you will see fuel regulator and as any mechanic knows a throttle plate on a diesel regulates the fuel delivery. The "the ignorant client just misunderstood his policy" ain't gonna fly. Plus what they did provide me when I purchased this policy through the dealer was a one page letter saying that "Fuel" was covered. Now just how vague is that? The dealer that is selling say's how great the policy is and how it covers the vehicle from bumper to bumper. Then when you need them you get the page that says by "fuel" they mean everything but... Name the part that broke here because that is what they will tell you. Look you don't have to take my word for it. Go ahead and buy their policy. Find out the hard way. My advice though, based on my experience, it is my opinion you should forget Alpha for insurance. If you already have it trade it in for an honest insurance company. It is still my opinion that this company is a scam that should be investigated by authorities. Oh as far as the civil suit goes... Google Alpha Warranty and just read some of the stuff. You won't be able to read it all in one sitting but it will make up your mind for sure about buying anything from these crooks.
Alpha Warranty Services, Inc
Draper,#4UPDATE Employee
Thu, May 03, 2012
Its apparent that this customer was not satisfied with his claims experience. We offer a variety of coverage options. This customer selected a program that is limited in nature. Specifically, the fuel coverage lists:
FUEL SYSTEM: Electric fuel pump, fuel delivery pump, fuel injection pump, metal fuel delivery lines.
As you can see, the throttle plate is not a covered component under this program nor is the fuel pressure regulator. It didnt matter if this failed component is a throttle plate or fuel pressure regulator; neither is covered under this plan. His plan specifically states under What Is
Not Covered:
WHAT IS NOT COVERED
1. Any part not specifically listed in the Plan Coverage section.
We try to be as clear as possible with our coverage. This language is very clear! We have many other plans that would have covered this component but, as stated before, this program is more limited in nature. The problem of course is that some customers fail to read through their coverage until a problem actually occurs. We encourage customers to review their coverage AND contact us with any questions. We pay millions of dollars in claims every year. This was strictly a case where the component was not covered. It is unfair to look at this situation and classify it as a scam. How did we wiggle out of the claim when the language is that clear?
Also, we wish to add that there is NO class action lawsuit being pursued. Just because one customer writes that they are pursuing a class action lawsuit does not make it real. Its clear that the customer wrote the complaint in frustration but realized that they did not have a valid argument.
Considering the nature of claims, frustrations will exist at times with a small number of customers. Unfortunately despite our best efforts, this is inevitable. For every one complaint we receive, we have many more satisfied customers and millions of dollars in paid claims to back that up. We encourage our customers to contact us directly so we can best address their concerns.