My used Volvo XC 70 had been under warranty with PennWarranty and I decided that it might be a good idea to spend the $100.00 and transfer the warranty for the remaining two years.
I was almost certain that I would need a set of tires for inspection, and the shop told me that I would also need new tie rods, none of which was covered under the warranty. I told them to go ahead and get it all done.
The 4 new tires went on and the tie rods were replaced and the front end still had a little shimmy. The shop told me that it needed CV joints - which ARE covered under the warranty so they called PennWarranty and, after four days, an "adjuster" finally showed up at the shop and denied my claim. He stated that the rubber boots were torn and that was the cause of the CV joint failure. This disqualified me for reimbursement. My mechanic told me that the boots were NOT TORN, not even a tiny bit. So, being one consumer that doesn't let thieves walk all over him, I took digital photos, kept the undamaged boots as evidence, and asked the mechanic to sign an Affadavit in front of a notary stating that the boots were undamaged. I faxed the notarized affadavit to PennWarranty, filing a dispute at the same time. Then I started playing the "PennWarranty" delay and deny game!
They will cover a rental car for a maximum of $250.00 for the repair or replacement of a "covered component." The Volvo has now been in the shop for 10 days, and I am waiting for Penn Warrenty to respond, which, judging by their performance so far, will not be until the last minute of the seven day dispute period.
If I had been some poor schlupp who had to rent a car I would now be out of pocket about $500.00 for the rental and PennWarranty would still be playing their deny and delay game. As long as they can force the poor schlupp who has paid for their worthless "warranty" to keep paying for a rental they can be almost certain that the poor schlupp will decide that it is easier, and CHEAPER, to pay for the repair themselves.
To protect myself I asked if I paid for the repair and the LIE that was told by their "adjustor" was just a little mistake, and I actually WON the dispute, would PennWarranty reimburse me for the cost if I paid for the repairs while I waited for the idiots and liars at PennWarranty to figure out how to screw me as they have many other suckers! They told me that they WOULD cover the cost, so I asked for a short note, stating in writing that they would actually provide the service that they purport to offer to warranty holders. Much to my surprise they faxed one over.
I am still awaiting their decision, but with the photos, the undamaged boots, and the affadivit from the mechanic I will, sooner or later cause PennWarranty enough pain and inconvenience that they will reimburse the cost.
If they, again, deny the claim I will be sending copies of all of the correspondence, photos, and the affadavit to the Pennsylvania Department of Consumer Protection, and to the ABC, NBC, and CBS affilate stations in Wilkes-Barre, where they are headquartered. The local newspapers will also get a copy, as will The Wall Street Journal (An old college friend is a writer there!).
But back to the point. Their businessmodel is based on making OUR lives miserable; so miserable that we will pay for the repairs that THEY have sold us warrantys against. I suggest that OUR businessmodel should be to use all means at our disposal, including the consumer protection agencies, our own intellect, and public forums such as this to crush these thieves into oblivion, or to gently remind them that they do have a responsibility to those who have paid their hard earned money for a warranty, not a song and dance.
Make no mistake, PennWarranty is in business to *** and ME, not to provide a service. If you have a warranty with these thieves, good luck. If not - DON'T buy one.
I am currently being run through the ringer by Penn Warranty. My car has been at the shop for almost TWO weeks, repairs (actually replacement with a USED transmission) still not started due to the delays PENN has caused. They do only cover a fraction as per "their book", which is inadequately low. As for their rental car "coverage", it states $25 per 8 hours of "authorized flat rate time" which PENN states is THEIR estimated labor time- for me was "6 hours"... SIX hours!?!?! and I have been out a vehicle for two weeks. There's even more to the story; I have filed a dispute with them, so we'll see how that turns out. I think there are enough complaints; I smell class-action civil suit!
I would like to discuss your issues, as Penn as now ripped me off as well. I'm currently calling the New York Consumer Business Department and a lawyer. They first quoted me a price they will cover, which was still low. After the work was completed, they called and said they now would only cover a fraction of the work. They have said that is because they have a magical book that says my labor was only an hour, yet the car dealership would actually bill for an additional 3 hours if they had done the work. I would love to discuss further with you, as I fee this company should be taken to task for their fraudulent business. Please email me. Thank you.
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