Complaint Review: WarrenTech Automotive Inc. - Bedford Texas

I bought a car on Feb. 23, 2008 from Thomas Automotive LLC in Medford, NY (they are now out of business). When I purchased the vehicle I also purchased a Customer's Edge Preferred contract which was supposed to be bumper-to-bumper coverage for 2 years/24K miles at a cost of $2500. December 8th, 2008 the transmission died. After nine phone calls I was finally able to reach someone who directed me to a customer service rep at WarrenTech. She gave me the names and phone numbers of several repair shops with whom WarrenTech works. I was asked if the car was drivable and indicated it was not. I was told by the WarrenTech rep that it would be towed and then the repair shop would perform a diagnostic test and upon receipt of the report, WarrenTech would make a decision as to how to proceed. This was on a Monday morning. After talking w/the repair shop later in the day, WarrenTech agree to arrange for a rental for me through Enterprise and they would cover the rate of $30/day (failing to mention they will only cover a rental for eight days). On Thursday the mechanic phoned to say that the transmission was indeed in need of replacement but they couldn't move on it because an insurance adjuster for WarrenTech had to come down and test drive the car. The adjuster did arrive on the site, I believe the next day, did attempt to drive the car and could not, and said "yes, it needs to be replaced." Yesterday, Tues., Dec. 16th, WarrenTech told the repair shop they would pay for a "junk" transmission, but one that works (how about that?), and only cover me for a year (or 67K miles), I would have to pay for the towing ($137.50), my deductible ($100), and the car rental past the eight day limit (it took WarrenTech that long to approve the claim); or I could pay a portion of a newer/new transmission ($1,530.00), plus the towing, deductible, and car rental and they'd warranty that for an extra year. What kind of bumper-to-bumper coverage is this? At any rate, I opted for the less expensive option and today the repair shop called to say that WarrenTech will send a "junk" transmission and the repair shop can expect it to arrive in 5-7 days and then the repair shop has to test it to see if it actually works and if it does they will then proceed to install it in my car. If not, we're back to square one. Is anyone keeping track of the days here? I may get my car back in January 2009 if I'm lucky. In the meantime the meter is running on the rental and I'm still making car payments and keeping my car insurance up-to-date. The parent company of Thomas Automotive said they were "really sorry about the inconvenience" but they do not deal with WarrenTech (I guess they sell the policies and then shut their eyes). Uh huh, I'll be sure to tell all my friends about my transaction with them.

To date, I've filed a complaint with the Dept. of Consumer Affairs. They're much more effective than the Better Business Bureau. I also plan to collect any out of pocket expenses via the courts. So many decent, honest companies are going out of business these days, this is one that should be put out of business.

Barbann

Hauppauge, New York

U.S.A.