Fidelity Warranty Services Reviews

We really need a second opinion! My grandfather and I have spoken with several people in Fidelity and Coggin. It is still the same song and dance. Basically, Fidelity has stated that no matter what caused your car to overheat, they do not cover it. So my mom cannot afford to pay to get the car out of the dealership and no one is willing to work with her. I want people to know that these extended warranties are not worth the money. My mom's car is going to have to be a voluntarily repossessed, ruining her credit and good name. I believe that the mechanics are saying that this is what is wrong with the car because they don't make as much money per hour when they do warranty work than they would if the owner paid full price. In this case, it would be over $3,500.

We are desperate and are going to file as many complaints as possible. This has hurt my mother dearly. She is a great woman and just doesn't understand that there are people out there that just want to make a dollar no matter who it hurts.

Why this concerns you is that, if you buy a Fidelity Warranty Service product from a Toyota dealership in that region to protect a vehicle you bought at a Toyota dealership in that region, when it comes claims time, you will be asking that Toyota dealership to help you make a claim against its own boss. I wish you good luck on that one. Your premiums basically went right on into SET's pockets (less the sales commission). Then when/if it does have to pay out, SET is essentially a self-insurer, paying only the volume wholesale rate for parts and likely paying its captive dealerships for labor at a vastly reduced price. Nice racket, eh?

That conflict of interest is in addition to the unfortunate fact that insurance companies often tend to try to wiggle out of paying valid claims anyway. But in the situation described above, you won't even have the dealership on your side to advocate your valid claim.

According to my unnamed but quite-well-informed sources, Fidelity is quite adept at denying claims. The Fidelity contract is short and written in plain English, so the average person can read it very, very carefully (I didn't). Do so - that's your responsibility and Fidelity has made it easy for you to read it. You will find it filled with carefully-crafted clauses. Many are quite fair. However, there are a number of clauses that will pretty much allow Fidelity a thinly-veiled excuse to deny whatever claim it feels like denying.

Here's one: You are not covered for the failure of a covered part due to a gradual reduction in operating performance as a result of normal wear and tear after 50,000 miles. If a part fails after 50,000 miles, well that's just normal for it to wear out, right? Claim denied at will. Or how about this one? You are covered only if the failure is due to faulty workmanship or materials supplied by the original vehicle manufacturer. Did that turn signal stalk break right off in your hand? That's not faulty workmanship. You broke it, you klutz. Claim denied at will.

And here are some other items specifically excluded by contract under Fidelity's tiptop Platinum coverage - which the policy salesman will try to sell as protecting everything but the kitchen sink, body parts & body panels & molding & door handles & locks & glass & lenses & paint (that pretty much excludes the exterior), trim & upholstery & bright metal (that pretty much excludes the interior), hinges, transmission clutch components, radiator hoses, advanced cruise control systems, appliances (whatever that means), back up alarm systems, convertible tops, rattles, squeaks, wind noise & water leaks (from poorly sealed windshields, for example) and even safety restraint systems. And, it also excludes repair of correction of excessive oil consumption or any reduction in engine efficiency. Engine problems? Claim denied at will.

Read the complaints below - and Google around a bit more - and you'll find more than a few individuals saying that failed parts - parts specifically listed as covered in the Fidelity Warranty Services contract - were outright denied without the agent even bothering to cough up an explanation. Why didn't they bother to explain? Because they don't have to be bothered - they've got their clauses to wiggle around in if they actually feel the need to provide an explanation. But that would be wasted breath and wasted time, since what are you, the consumer, going to do about it anyway?

You can forget about complaining to the BBB. These days, the BBB pays its utility bills with the hefty annual dues that come from the corporations who become its members. The Southeast Florida BBB currently rates Fidelity Warranty Services as A+.

Oh, and for all those people fussing that they are going to sue and are going to get a class action lawsuit going, well, they can just forget that idea also. The Fidelity Warranty Services contract clearly states "You agree that all claims arising are subject to neutral binding arbitration. Any claim or dispute is to be arbitrated on an individual basis and not as a class action. You expressly waive any right to arbitrate a class action or in a private attorney general capacity."

There's a reason why so very many corporations these days are inserting arbitration clauses into their retail contracts and you can be sure it's not because arbitration is a fair shake for the aggrieved consumer. The courts are, in theory, bound to decisions based in law. Arbitrators are not. Unlike the public court system, arbitration is a private business. And guess who the arbitrator's customer is? Guess who pays arbitration fees day-in, day-out, year-after-year? Not you, the lowly individual consumer, but the corporations, the very same corporations who actually create the demand for arbitrators through their contracts. Checkmate.

If this situation has outraged you, then probably the most effective thing you can do about it now - since you've already flushed your money down the toilet - is to tell your Congressmen to back the current administration's attempt to outlaw arbitration clauses in all retail contracts. That is, unless you actually think its a wise idea that any and all corporations with which you have to do business should be allowed to set themselves entirely above all law and then do to you (and everyone else) whatever they please. Without arbitration clauses, corporations would tend to treat consumers somewhat more fairly, since it would be in the corporations' financial interest to do so. It would, in many cases, be cheaper to simply honor the contractual obligations - than to shell out legal costs, fight class action lawsuits, etc.

Water damage? My mom won't even drive the van in the rain, more or less, drive it through a flood zone! According to a certified Chevy mechanic, the electrical problem that we were having with the van is a common problem and is caused by the air condition when used. Somehow, the moist caused by the air conditioner is what caused the connectors below the floor board to corrode, thus creating a short. There's a cover in the panel that's needed to be taken off in order to see the connectors underneath and I can tell you this much, it takes more than a minute and a half to open the panel and look at the connectors.

When we found out that the claim got denied, my husband and I called Fidelity again with the assistance of the technician from the dealership and spoke to Eric once again. He said that the claim is denied and when we asked just where in the exclusions of the contract did it say that water damage is not covered, he said to read #8 and #18. Neither one of those number indicated anything about water damage. Even Randy, the technician for Chevy dealer, tried to reason with Eric but still nothing. He asked Eric if he's a certified Chevy mechanic and he said no. So how can he understand what is being brought to him if he has no automotive repair knowledge? Randy said all he can do is talk to Marcie, who deals with this kind of issue, who in turn calls the District Manager for Fidelity.

A couple of days later, my husband got another call from Cascade Chevy and told us that Fidelity wasn't going to honor the full amount of repair, but is willing to pay $350.00 towards the repair of the van, which means we're liable for $598.00! I don't think that's fair since Mom paid for the "platinum" warranty, which supposedly covers 6years/100,000. She only has 70,000 miles on the van and it's only 4 years old! This is truly frustrating. How can they get away with it! Seriously, if there is ever a class action suit formed against this company, count me in. This company doesn't deserve to be in business!

I traded in truck with broken air conditioning for a new Nissan and took a huge financial hit. If the repair warranty I had purchased had not been worthless, I would have kept the Ranger and not suffered any loss. Also, when I cancelled the insurance, they managed to short my refund by a few hundred dollars. I am still pissed off at FoMoCo for delivering me to these con artists when I first bought the truck. You would think they would be interested in getting repeat customers which is just not going to happen when they conspire with shady warranty outfits to sell their customers whose goodwill is really the lifeblood of their business, ripoff insurance that doesn't pay a nickel's worth of claims to anybody.

Okay, so it's been slightly over two months. If the policy had ever been fully refundable, then I don't think they would have put the 30 day condition on the policy. I think a lot of people like me, don't think about getting all the fine print information, and trust me, the dealer won't tell you either. I am out $1000+!. This is the last time I will ever buy a car maintenance insurance, especially from this company. Buyers beware!

Fidelity refused to replace the rim and tire because they claim the tire cannot be prorated and the rim being bent is from curb damage. The rim has a flat spot on it which is where the tire tread is worn away prematurely. This area is on the inside of the rim and tire and there is no way this could be considered curb damage. Aside from the flat spot area on the tire, there is still usuable life. Lastly, how is curb damage not considered a warrantable item under road hazard?

Purchasing a so-called warranty that flies by night, using the terms and conditions at their convenience and blatantly disregarding the customers who have paid their hard-earned money out for a fraudulent cause should automatically warrant a full investigation and an all out class action lawsuit to stop these companies from taking advantage of us, customers, who trust them to do what is right. I purchased my warranty with Fidelity for around $800, and I am eating a loss of $400-$500, when it is all said and done.

Plan expiration is measured in Term/Mileage from (a) the Purchase Date and 0 miles if the current Odometer Reading is 5,999 or less, or; (b)January 1 of YOUR vehicle's model year and 0 miles if the Current Odometer Reading is 6,000 miles or greater. This section was not mention to my husband and I when we signed for the warranty. Why would we pay so much money for coverage less than what was discussed. I called the warranty company and they also told me my warranty had expired and dismissed me and would not explain anymore. I would like to know what happen to my last 2 1/2 years warranty went.

On February 25, 2009 took the Chevy Malibu car in to the service department at the dealership Ed Schmidt with humming noise in the front end of the car. First day they took my car in said no problem because it was under warranty. Next day I inquired with the service department the actual problem with the car and they informed me my warranty had expired in January 2009. I talked to two different finance managers and one said he would check into it. I received a lot of run around. So on Friday on the way home since I had not received a call from the finance manager, I checked with the service tech. He informed me I had no warranty and if I wanted my car fixed and told me it would be around $800 or so plus tax.

The finance manager NEVER called me back. They had me because I couldn't drive my car, it was in bad shape which was considered under warranty and had fixed just last April of 2008 for the same problem. They had me because they said my car wasn't safe to drive and it needed fixed. I have no choice but have them fix the car. I have to work.

Prior to my trip to Toyota that day, I stopped at Cottmans transmission on Virginia beach blvd. to have them put an eyeball on my problem, since they are very honest and reputable. They saw the leak under my truck and called it in to the warranty company using my paperwork. The lady at Cottmans (Cindy) called the warranty company and was given the answer that I needed to take the vehicle back to where I purchased it. So I did and that's how this whole story started out.

Driving home, I stopped and parked overlooking the bay at ocean view. I thought maybe I could reason with the warranty company. So I called them and probably got the same generic answer given out to everyone else. I told the guy that the warranty says right there in black and white, that the said parts are covered. His reply was that I had purchased a wrap around warranty. My reply was that I was looking at the warranty in my hand and that it was specific in naming said parts. His reply was that I wasn't covered. I told him that I was sold a worthless piece of paper. He in turn said that it wasn't worthless then silence. So I thanked him for being so helpful and hung up the phone. Luckily I was unable to reach through the phone.

My Tundra was purchased in 2007 and has 80,000 miles on it. The platinum coverage is supposed to be good for 7 yrs. and 100,000 miles. We have all been sold a wolf ticket and I think it's time some lawyer, somewhere, should stand up for what's right. JM&A and Courtesy insurance company are somehow in bed with these guys and are growing in leaps and bounds. Courtesy insurance co. I think has the same address as Fidelity in Florida. You can forget trying to email JM&A. The link doesn't work, but they do have a picture of their president smiling for everyone to see. Don't waste your time trying to contact him. I'm sure he's on a beach somewhere on your tab or cruising at 30,000 feet in a g-5.

I've been in contact with several agencies and Toyota in California, the Bureau of Insurance (Federal Trade Commission), Consumer Sentinel and won't be giving up anytime soon. As long as my fingers keep working and my computer doesn't die, I'll keep on trying to get some satisfaction. Don't be shy. I encourage everyone to hammer every consumer protection group out there until something is done about these pirates. Maybe eventually we will get some help.

My tundra was purchased in 2007 and has 80,000 miles on it. The platinum coverage is supposed to be good for 7 yrs. and 100,000 miles. We have all been sold a wolf ticket and I think it's time some lawyer, somewhere should stand up for what's right. JM&A and courtesy insurance company are somehow in bed with these guys and are growing in leaps and bounds. Courtesy Insurance co., I think has the same address as Fidelity in Florida. You can forget trying to email JM&A,the link doesn't work, but they do have a picture of their president smiling for everyone to see. Don't waste your time trying to contact him. I'm sure he's on a beach somewhere on your tab, or cruising at 30,000 feet in a g-5.

I've been in contact with several agencies and Toyota in California, the Bureau of Insurance (Federal Trade Commission), Consumer Sentinel, and won't be giving up anytime soon. As long as my fingers keep working and my computer doesn't die, I'll keep on trying to get some satisfaction. Don't be shy. I encourage everyone to hammer every consumer protection group out there until something is done about these pirates. Maybe eventually we will get some help.

The vehicle has a bully dog outlook monitor that is connected to the pillar on the driver's side of the vehicle. This outlook monitor is not operational and does not power up. The inspector reported that the vehicle had a performance chip added (?) to the vehicle. Fidelity denied they claim stating that the bully dog was the cause of the problems. Now GMC verified that NO performance chip was installed in the computer of the vehicle from the technician at GMC. GMC also provided me a letter stating that the parts are a common (?) failing part and have failed not due to ANY INSTALLED PERFORMANCE CHIP.

I demanded that the inspector come back out to verify the outlook monitor not only did not work or turn on but nothing was installed in the vehicle to control the performance. The inspector did come back out and we went out to the vehicle (still at GMC) and actually looked at the outlook monitor and tried to make it function (this was apparent that the inspector did not attempt to make it function on the first visit but only witnessed the outlook monitor on the pillar and assumed something was installed). The inspector after second inspection called Fidelity and told them (as I was standing there) that NO PERFORMANCE CHIP was installed and that the outlook monitor was not even functioning.

Guess what, they are still denying the claim. Both GMC and the inspector stated NO PERFORMANCE CHIP INSTALLED, GMC stated common failure and nothing installed caused the failure. The way I read the Magnuson-Moss Act is just that GMC and the inspector for Fidelity the extended warranty people cannot prove this caused the failure and by law cannot stop the claim Please help with your wisdom as time is short. I need to either pay for the fix $3400 and go after Fidelity or keep fighting with an uphill battle. Do I need to throw the MMA act at them and tell them that I am going to retain counsel? Please help...

In November 2008, my son took his vehicle to the local Goodyear store for his scheduled oil change and they also did a routine inspection of the vehicle. During the inspection Goodyear found a failing left inner tie rod assembly and quoted a price of $ 690.00. When I contacted Fidelity for instructions on how to proceed, I was told it wasn't covered because it failed due to what they term gradual reduction in operating performance as a result of normal wear and tear? and the vehicle had exceeded 50,000 miles.

Even though their brochure specifically includes the tie rod, they defaulted back to this large cover-all umbrella to deny coverage. I asked the rep what else isn't covered and was told there is no list. It seems they have a very lengthy list of reasons not to honor their warranty but no list of what they actually do cover.

When I told the Fidelity rep the vehicle had already exceeded their 50,000 mile magic number (the car and warranty was purchased with 63,000) when the warranty was purchased and questioned what value it was to me, I was told that was between me and the dealer.

Today, when Fidelity was contacted for the ball joints, they denied coverage. They claim that it is excluded through a clause that states 'they will cover the failure of a part due to gradual reduction in operating performance as a result in normal wear and tear, prior to the vehicle reaching 50,000 miles (my truck has 72,000 miles, but again the contract was for 5 years/ 100,000 miles). They told me that these ball joints fit this explanation and are not covered. They also told me that I can not expect the ball joints to last forever and that they only cover parts that have mechanical break down due to faulty workmanship. These ball joints are listed in the gold plan as items covered. This contract is a Mechanical Failure Protection Contract but the person at fidelity is telling me that after 50,000 miles, it no longer falls under the mechanical failure category. That is crap!!!! When I asked for a list of other items in this category, he told me there is no list.

Every vehicle is different. It seems to me that their coverage is up to the whim of the adjuster. It is going to cost me approximately $1,200 for the repair. It cost me almost $3,000 for this contract. I feel cheated and deceived. I feel as though it is going to be a crap shoot every time I bring my truck in for repair. This is wrong, I have to pay to fix the truck, it is unsafe to drive this way and they know it. I feel swindled and there is nothing I can do about it. I paid all this money for peace of mind, but instead, I got a piece of paper.

I called Chris at Fidelity and explained the situation and he then called the dealer. He called me back within 30 minutes and gave the dealer the go ahead for the repair. They even paid for my rental car. Chris was very professional and took the time to help. Great service from Chris! Thanks

They took car of everything!

The adjusters reasoning is, it is normal wear and tear and is excluded from coverage. When does a tie rod not fall under normal wear and tear? Smashing into a curb at 100 mph I guess. The Service department is even siding the warranty company by telling me the road salts caused the corrosion. Well, if he were smarter, our area does not use road salts, instead pumis.

Also, I had an alignment done by the service department one year ago and should had been well greased to prevent the seizure. So we are down $500+ a piece = $1000. Also, we were charged $159 for the wheel alignment which was supposed to be part of the wheel bearing repair. It is pretty obvious that Fidelity Warranty Service is eluding to stand by their contract and is shameful for a company like Audi America to place a name like Audi Pure Protection on it. Shame! Love the car but will not buy another one unless they revamp their service practices.

$1,032.36 + $159.99

As I looked more and more into it, I learned that Courtesy Vehicles happens to have the same name as Courtesy Insurance, both based out of the South Florida area. So I have paid $3500 for a warranty that isn't worth anything to get the run around from the dealer,saying they are looking into it.

Lose of $1700.00 as the warranty company is refusing to cover the item, even thou the warranty completely says that it's a covered item.

They refuseed to pay for the bearings because they had to completely fail. Which is ridiculous because it would cause more damage to the vehicle at that point, the window was denied because they said it wasn't covered at all. They could not tell me what would be covered when I called only what would not be, what kind of warranty can not give me a direct answer about what is covered

The finance charges for the warranty, 600$ out of pocket, loss of time from work 90$, and the loss of piece of mind (priceless)

Fidelity refuses to honor their warranty because their contract excludes any mechanical breakdown caused by . . . environmental damage. In short, their position is that the wiring harness surely failed because the car was exposed to rain, not because anything was defective. Our Passat is designed to operate in the rain. After all, it is manufactured with windshield wipers and windows that roll up. As a car built to withstand rain, its electrical components are either sealed to remain dry or designed to resist corrosion. When a connector becomes corroded, that's a failure due to faulty workmanship or materials, not environmental damage.

I spoke at length on the phone with Aaron B at Fidelity on June 3, 2008. He was also in touch with Minuteman VW. He denied the claim. Our mechanic at Minuteman agrees that Fidelity's argument is specious, and points out that this repair would without question be covered by the manufacturer's warranty.

Our dealer estimates the cost of the repair to be $260.

If they are fabricating this pay out in order to keep my money then I am out $882.

Yes, I signed the contract without reading it so BEWARE of this company! We are not getting a used transmission with 12000 miles on it, we do not know where it came from or what happened to the car it came from. Find another company to purchase your warranty!

The person at Fidelity said he never heard ESC referred to as anything other than electronic SPARK control. So now, it appears that when they run out of even ambiguous valid options, they can worm out of a claim by making up their own terms. ESC according to Wikipedia and also the SAE means STABILITY, not spark control. To get out of a contractual commitment by redefining industry standard terms to suit themselves seems to be fraud.

Meanwhile, I rented a truck from National Car Rentals. The rental period turned out to be 19 days. The maximum that Fidelity will pay is 10 days, according to the contract. When I submitted my paperwork for my car rental, which was $700, I was told by the Service Rep from Fidelity, that the repairs should have only taken 3 hours to do, not over 10 days. Jim Click Dodge Rep told me that there was a dispute in the numbers of hours it took to do the work. The dealership lost days of work because of them trying to work out the correct number of hours required to do the work, with Fidelity. The work hours required for the job was close to 10 hours, which I got verification from other shop owners that I know. Fidelity only paid for 3 hours labor and parts

The Dealer lost out on approximately $800, with which they tried to bill me for, but because of the information I had received, I avoided. My outlay on the rental was $700, of which Fidelity only sent a check for $175. Fidelity, never again will I purchase their plans. CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP... but their plans aren't. It is too bad that companies like this do business and get away with it. Technicalities and Legalities keep them in business.

I had to pay out over $900.00 to have this problem fixed.

I have suffered economic hardship without a vehicle to go back and forth to work. I get rides to work sometimes but it is a burden getting back home. My daily functions and activities with my family is very limited and is a burden on my entire family. I am on the brink of breaking down. Please help.