Hi guys,
I just wanted to post up a little problem I'm having with warrantywise.
I recently had a breakdown which was due to a fuel pump issue. It got sorted for a price of £260. The garage has tried to get in touch with the company and they will only pay £150 because they say they can get the fuel pump cheaper. Has anyone had a similar problem?
Thanks

We deal with warranty companies.

The garage is supposed to draw up a quotation and submit it to the warranty company. Then once they give clearance the repair can be undertaken. It tends to be a joke, and just as much of a pain for the garage dealing with it as much as it is for the customer.

I've had Land Rover extended warranties tell me I couldn't fit a new ride level compressor because they found a similar one for less than a Land Rover on the internet. I told him he could shove the earlier type compressor up his and that if we all worked the way Land Rover did then we'd not be in business. idiot.

Thing is : what did your warranty T+C say you had to do ? If it said that you must clear prices and quotes with them first, and you didn't, then you are probably going to struggle if they say they can do the part for considerably less (and back it up with a quotation in writing).
If, on the other hand, you can show that you have complied with the T+Cs, then you can ask them to reconsider, and explain your position. Also, if you are pretty certain you are in the right, explain that if they still refuse, you will take the matter to the ombudsman.
Send any letters by recorded delivery. My plan was idiot-proof ...




Until someone designed a better idiot

I've not had that before, and I would ask if they cover the parts and labour?

I had the low fuel pump fitted at main dealer and it cost £147.96 inc VAT @ 20% but the labour came to £162.50
so if that's the case, it sounds to me like they only want to pay for parts... Bushy

2003 RR Vogue Monté Carlo Blue

Rant over.

They tend to only pay £50 + VAT per hour for labour. Some less than this.

I think they have now cottoned on to that fact that they can put off a claim by doing this. The part they have seen is probably non-genuine so they are forcing you into repairing using these parts.

I tend to tell a customer that they will have to cover anything else the warranty company won't. Customer sees the quotation/estimate before the submission so everything is transparent.

It does mention in the terms and conditions that the garage have to clear everything with them first, however the garage tried for several days to get in touch with them so he went ahead with the work in good faith and now they won't pay because they have found the part cheaper.
He has only charged one hours labour, so that should not be such an issue

If the garage can show they made 'reasonable efforts' to get in touch with the warranty company (emails, faxes sent,) but without reply over a period of several days, then it greatly improves your chances of them being forced, if the matter went to the ombudsman, of them having to pay out. After all, whether or not the T+Cs detail what is 'reasonable' or not, the ombudsman will more than likely come down on your side, if it goes that far.
If it was a week of the garage chasing them, but with no reply, then you will be on very good grounds. If it was over a weekend, then a lot less so.
As I said yesterday in my post, send them a letter by recorded delivery (or by email) to their complaints dept, detailing why you feel their position is wrong. Explain the attempts that were made to contact them by the garage, and it was only due to their failure to reply to those 'reasonable efforts' that led to the work being carried out without authorisation. Ask for the full details of this supposedly cheaper part, so that you can check if it would be suitable for use in a FF.
Explain that you feel you have acted reasonably, and that you expect a reply within a reasonable period. Just been online, and I can easily find their complaints procedure, so you should have it to hand. Follow that. To the letter. You have the complaints dept, then the right to a review by the CEO, then the right to review by Wilson himself. BUT you do have to go through the procedures in full, and give them a couple of weeks to reply.

Coming on here might make you feel better (after all, we are a bunch of FF owners, and suffer breakdowns too), but only by complaining direct to them will anything get done.

Always best to get clearance from warranty company before starting work. If they did not insist on this then its clear to see their cover would be abused by some.

I emailed their complaints department yesterday so I. Will see what there response is.
What a pain in the arse, I suppose these issues are the price you pay when you don't go main dealer

If the warranty wise contract worked by paying any claim already instructed without referring the premiums would have to up so nobody would gain. If the contract in place requires prior authorisation then surely that's the way to go...

I totally agree with Gary's posts. In your contract it will state what the claims process is, and what level of cover, including labour cost per hour. You can often choose to be covered for main dealer labour for example, and your premium will go up accordingly.

Of course repairs have to be authorised in advance, and they will make sure the parts are sourced at the best price, and don't have a large mark up from the mechanic. I think in the circumstances, if the work was not pre-authorised, they are being more than fair in agreeing to pay for a reasonable cost for the part, plus I'm assuming the labour. I guess it's between you and your mechanic the extra money for the part, why did he not source it at a better price?

It's easy to slate Warranty Companies, but if they weren't careful they wouldn't be in business.  Range Rover-less at the moment - Pining!

I'm sure all companies work that way.

I paid to have the rear bushes replaced thinking Warranty Direct wouldn't cover it, after I had paid the garage I found out the work would have been covered.
I contacted WD but they refused to pay saying that work needed to be authorised.

I decided after much though to just put some money away each month in the "what If Fund" that way don't have to worry about warranty company wriggling out of any possible future claim and will stump up myself for repairs.

Some warranty companies are great but others a nightmare and the whole experience of warranty companies seems too much like a lottery to me hence my decision.

In my experience though I think if you have a warranty on anything that warranty company should be consulted and then they should authorise repairs once parts problem diagnosed or inspected if covered and not a consumable part.

Hope you get a decision in your favour, but I wouldn't hold my breath and put it down to experience. At this cost to you its not worth getting all wound up.

Good Luck

Fair play to Warranty Direct they paid out for my gearbox BUT you have to dot the I's cross the T's and make sure everything is to the letter or no chance, that maybe why they get bad press because they are always seem to be trying to get out of paying.
As an aside to the above when I had a recent problem with the gearbox ( luckily covered by the repairers warranty) I spoke to Warranty direct and told them the gearbox would fail and there would be another large claim they just said that unless it broke down not covered )(lite policy) I just said ok I will collect from repairers and drive until it goes they then tried to say it would be a pre existing condition so not covered
Like I said luckily sorted by repairer. Mine was a blue one!

i agree with everything everyone says, and would not expect warrenty companies to pay for anything willy nilly. my main gripe is that the garage could not get in contact over 5 days and so found the best price he could.
I just think its bad service more than anything, and i am a big believer in customer service. By being more efficient frm the outset it would have saved me so much agro and i would have extended for another year immediatley without a doubt.
i just think they have been unreasonable