1 got usfidels in may i needed my car repaired and they denied it they said that you would have to get oil ghanges at a oil chaning place you can`t change it your self so your contract is no good on your motor so you are up a creek without a paddle so it`s worth nothing

My name is Peter and I would like to tell you a story, obviously it’s about me. Being a Father you will understand where I am coming from. My oldest son Peter bought this ‘95 GMC JIMMY the truck was clean , well just like any thing with some years to it ,it needed some things done, so I did them. Breaks all around, from exhaust to the converter back, shocks, belts etc. You know in the mud, snow, rain and cold on the ground have been doing the maintenance on all my vehicles for over forty years like that. Okay, sorry getting long winded, to make a long story short. He gave me the truck so that I could use it to go back and forth to the doctor in the winter and to use it for whatever. Also that he signed up for US FIDELIS coverage, Bumper to Bumper warranty so I wouldn’t have to worry about any major problems should they arise. To my surprise the motor quit, the main bearings were shot the crank, in short the lower end, also the main fuel injector body was leaking. So I got the truck towed and they tore the motor down and had to pull it. To our surprise US FIDELIS refused to cover the motor or the work done, they said because I changed the oil and not a licensed repair shop. I changed the oil once in over 148,000 miles and it’s my fault because I wasn’t aware of this clause in the contract which I never saw. I can’t afford this that’s why my son bought the coverage, I haven’t worked since 1997 and my wife got laid off in January of this year. Nobody wants to hire a terminally ill 58 year old man who was told he had a year and a half to two years and that was eleven and a half years ago. I was on a Liver transplant list for 6 years now they say when and if I need it there won’t be a problem in getting it.

Enough about me, for I could write a soap on the days of my life since 1997. I am writing you to see what you think about advertising and using your name to back US FIDELIS coverage company, that the first thing they do is look for a loop hole so they don’t have to back up the warranty. How many of your fans have bought into this thinking that there vehicles are protected and they find out after it’s too late they have been paying for nothing. Seriously how many people can afford to buy a new car today, they buy used and do the work themselves and don’t keep records except in there heads. They bought this coverage with the hope that they would not have to worry if something happens of an extreme nature. I just need to vent and let you know how I was treated. I hope you and your son have a winning season on the tracks.

Respectfully;

When will people ever figure out that the most common way to scam them is for the scammer to say or imply that they are religious. More people get conned at churches and "Bible study" groups than anywhere else. Why? Because religion advertises itself as the foundation of morality, so the sheep who buy into that automatically assume that everyone else wasting time at the church (and this goes for all religions not just Jesus-ism) is an upright, moral, honest person.

Any time you see a business advertise itself as being "faith based" or get a business card with a little "Jesus fish" on it it should scream SCAM to you. I'm a lawyer, and I can't begin to count the number of people I've met who want to sue someone for ripping them off - someone they met at church.

I wasn't aware US Fidelis was calling itself a "faith-based" operation but it sure sounded like a scam to me based on the few commercials I've seen which are all targeted to NASCAR hicks ("Tell 'em Rusty the racecar driver sent you!"). The same religious people who con, steal, and rip people off all day long are the same religious people who pay to see people hurt in 'awesome' car crashes.

I bought the warranty after they kepy calling me since my vehicle factory warranty had just expired. Luckily I did because 5 months later here i am and my transmission has gone. I took my vehicle to the dealershipp thinking the US Fedelis warranty was going to take care of everything the way they said they would when i purchased the warranty but now they are tell ing me they need 5 oil change receipts to cover my transmission. Now I'm not car repair man but what does my oil change have to do with my transmission going. They are tryingto get out out of fixing my car. I will up date this tomorrow after i speak with them. BTW Rusty you should not put your name on this company.

However, unlike Casinos, companies like USF make their most money by taking yours and NEVER giving it back (in claims). Really, what are you going to do--they have your money and practically you have no way of getting it back, regardless of how right you are and how wrong they are--so what.

Be careful with bat guano. Inhaling that stuff is very dangerous to your health. They drill that stuff into you as a kid in Arizona. Not that I was wandering into a lot of caves and stuff or anything.
Comments hate me again.

Barring that, runchadrun's advice is solid. Manufacturer branded warranties are best. Dealerships typically don't like them best because the manufacturer limits the markup - which lessens their in-pocket. So insist on the manufacturer branded.

By the by, the bigger advice? You're better off getting a used car from the like dealer and not some random used lot. Sure, those random used lots may have "deals," but one has to wonder why the Nissan dealer passed on that great deal at the auction and let BillyBob's Used Cars pick up that car instead...

With warranties (the aftermarket kind), you're buying peace of mind. If you put a value on that, then they're worth something even if you never file a claim.

There are a few things to watch out for.
- Review the contract before signing up. Usually there's clause that explains what's covered and/or what isn't. Maintenance and parts that fail under normal wear and tear usually aren't covered, but there may also be some ambiguous language on what is covered. If it looks fishy, it probably is.
- When you buy, determine when the warranty takes effect. Dealers will sell an aftermarket extended warranty even when the car is still under factory...but the clock may start ticking on the extended warranty immediately, and not when the factory warranty expires. You're paying for coverage - make sure you can use it. Or try to get the price prorated.

When they call, I like to ask which car they are referring to then when they don't know, I call them on their bullshit.

I actually kind of enjoy getting these phone calls, they really make me laugh. The reason, I drive a 13 year old car, I haven't had a factory warranty in many many years. They always try to say that soon I will be without coverage, I always respond that I've been without coverage for about 10 years now. It shocks me that people would fall for this, but maybe I'm just cynical and distrustful.

Sticking a Jesus fish on your sign is the fastest way to ensure I won't shop with you. Not because I'm not a fan of Jesus, but because it's like advertising you suck at business.

(It may also be advertising you suck at liking Jesus, all ye Moneychangers In The Temple. But that's between you and Jesus.)

~Adam

Now not only does Missouri have the highest number of meth addicts in the country and puppy mills, we have this guy too. :P

When customers would ask if we were from chrysler,honda, ford etc...we would say we are with the warranty division which was not a lie since the name of the company was warranty division. It was such BS! omg...everyday, in order to get the sale we would fake like it was our first day, and the old people would feel bad and sign up.

It was legit, but the services were not that great. We promised a towing allowance and food and lodging allowance, but we never said HOW MUCH the allowance was over the phone. Turns out if they get stuck somewhere they got 25 dollars in towing and food and shelter.

I felt bad and obviously got canned. They have 90 people get fired out of every 100 new hires. And out of those 10 maybe 4 stay 6 months

Seriously, I understand that the world is full of sleazy slimeball con artist crooks... but do TV companies have to accept their dirty money and run their ads? Isn't the TV company at least a little bit complicit?

@Robert Boyd:

You too.

@christoj879:

Check your city zoning laws. Suddenly $30 per hour is going to grow when you have to rent a storefront and comply with waste disposal laws.

I'm not sure if this has already been mentioned, but is Fidelis one of the companies using ID spoofers to harass people with this bullshit? In that case, they should be fined $10,000 per call until the company (and anyone in an ownership position) should be jailed for a year for every call that they cannot pay the $10,000 fine.

That doesn't even begin to get into the the actual deal with the warantee itself.

The people who usually get upset are the elderly, in my experience. I guess younger consumers just hang up. The bogus warranty companies seem to prey on the elderly.

Fidelity and Zurich are two companies that right service contracts that actually pay the claims. There are many, many, many out there who will not pay claims for the smallest of reasons.

If you're buying a new car because you want the warranty, you're spending more on that car than it will ever save you. Even if you end up needing a new engine or transmission, you could have saved money buying used. The only exception is if you're dealing with manufacturing defects popping up in the first year or two on a car with really low depreciation, like a Mini...and even then it only makes sense if you were going to buy nearly-new.

If you're buying an aftermarket warranty, it only makes sense if you're buying something like a Dodge Caravan, where you KNOW you're going to need a new transmission.

If it were a winning bet for the consumer, no one would sell aftermarket warranties.

Warranties are a bad reason to buy a car (don't get me wrong, they're not a reason to NOT buy a car) and are a sucker bet in general.

FAITH - noun
"Belief that is not based on proof", "Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence."

The fact that scammers piggyback onto the faith-based theme is just a logical extension of the faith-based business concept.

I'm a pastor at a church in Texas and would love to say that the phrase "faith based" is a safe bet. Unfortunately, many faith based businesses are more business focused than faith focused, which causes accusations of hypocrisy when our "faith" in their business is compromised. I would rather such organizations be non-profit and truly focus on faith and let businesses be just that...money makers. My opinion though...

Their first call was also their last because the price they quoted me was TWICE the purchase price of the car.

"Why would I pay $3200 for your warranty when I only paid $1500 for the car? I mean I could buy two more cars just like it for what you want for your warranty."

"Oh"

*CLICK*

Claims to be Xtian
Uses being Xtian as part of their sales propaganda

The only good xtians I have met, personally or professionally are the ones who demonstrated it with their actions rather than their words. The rest are like Falwell and his ilk.

[xkcd.com]

OK...is it just me or does their corporate HQ look WAAAAAAAY too much like an Iron Cross?

On the weekends, I'd let 3-5 people sign up for an informative session to learn how to do things themselves. A relaxed environment, really trying to help the community.

It would definitely be a gentleman profession - I have a job now that I work in the morning/early afternoon and could do that then go to this. Charge $30/hr instead of the $70-90 local shops charge and I'd have a line of cars out the door.

Just one of my pipe dreams.

I was also wondering about how policies like this are regulated. I know in my industry (insurance -- not car insurance, though), there are loss ratios that we have to meet. What that means is that if we make "too much" money on a product, states can yank our ability to sell it because it's either overpriced, we're denying too many claims, or we're not getting as many claims as we thought we would. If there are similar regulations in place for this type of warranty product, then the denied claim in this story might be an aberration.

The BBB received 1100 complaints. At what point does someone take action?

Nice house.

Oh look...the church has the same business address as the main offices of US Fidelis in Wentzville Missiouri.

Looks like he IS faith based....just has faith you will part with your money so he can finish his $17 million dollar home.

Uh, how many others have you been involved with? Maybe you're a bit too trusting?

@bilups:

$3000? WTF

I can only imagine the list of parts & conditions that aren't covered on a 10+ year old car.

I'm not defending US Fidelis (they sound like a sleazy company), but "terrific expose"??? Not at all. Other than the interview with the one customer service rep and the summary from the BBB, it was very light on facts and information. So one woman had her claim denied...they never say why. Her claim could have been denied for a legitimate reason, such as she knew it was overheating but continued to drive it until it did major damage.

"Useless coverage"...examples please. Is the policy too restrictive, too many exclusions? Are record keeping or claim filing requirements too onerous? Does the company ignore their own contract and deny claims for no reason?

The founder's felony convictions and $17 million home are not shown to be relevant. Were the convictions a single event (DAs love to stack charges) or are they a pattern of behavior? Were they related to a business venture that ripped off consumers? Why talk about the guy's new home? Other than being slightly inflammatory, it added nothing to the issue.

This is poor journalism and not worthy of Consumerist, though US Fidelis's behavior and extended warranty rip-offs are!

Maybe Mr. Atkinson "Found Jesus" in jail? Let's not all rush to condone this man for running a faith-based business. Everyone can change for the better. Maybe he plans on offering housing to hundreds of homeless families in his mansion, providing food, clothing, and spiritual guida--

pff.... pftttt.....

HAHAHAHA, I can't say that without laughing. You dumb jackasses. The house of cards always falls.

Kinda reminds me of most christian sects actually...

fuck all extended warranties for cars. I will never again spend money on extended warranties or tire warranties or any of that. I bought both of those with my honda. never used it once. $3000 down the drain.

come on, anyone who robo dials my cell phone at 7 in the morning about my nearly 11 year old car's warrantly has GOT to be legitimate.

God, those commercials look about as legit as those "send us your gold, you morons" commercials. I always think these things are going after senior citizens.

I bought a third-party warranty for the car before my current one directly from the dealer (I thought I was buying the mfgr warranty but it turns out that I didn't pay close enough attention) and it turned out to be legit. It was a little bit of a hassle to deal with because if the repair cost more than a certain amount they would have to send out an adjuster but they almost always paid. But since I had a VW, the cost of the warranty more than paid for itself. I don't remember the name of the company, though.

Some insurance companies sell a form of extended warranty but they are legally insurance policies and are generally regulated by your state's Department of Insurance so they tend to be legit.

Good advice from the Bible:

"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men."

That CEO they interviewed seemed like such a slimeball

Yes, your savings account

Wow, that woman got ripped off alright - I got my car warranty from US Fidelis for only $1595!

But seriously. Chris, having bats in your house/eaves isn't that bad. They eat a lot of bugs. I have been trying to build a successful bat box for years and/or get bats to live in my barn, so the mosquitoes don't bother the horses much. Please don't associate these gentle, docile creatures with this scammer. ;)

These practices would be only be ok if this company was selling $180 pairs of jeans.

Step 2: Start insurance/warranty company.