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READ THIS BEFORE CONSIDERING A WARRANTY THRU US FIDELIS
OUT RAGEOUS LIES AND SCAM!
I have 2002 Range Rover. My extended warranty was to end at the end of Dec. 2008. I had seen the same commercials as everyone else of the "no worries" warranty offered by US Fidelis broadcasted on television in California. I called Dec. 1, 2008 and spoke to an employee by the name of Chris at [protected], ext. 8767. He explained that they could offer me an extended warranty for 5 years or 150, 000 miles. The warranty would have no deductible, 24 hour roadside assistance, rental car coverage of $150.00 per day for the duration of the repairs!, and towing up to $100.00. The rental car allowance sounded incredibly high, so I questioned him about this. He put me on hold and spoke with his supervisor, and then assured me it was "correct, we want you to be able to rent a car equal to your beautiful Range Rover". I questioned this several times and was assured it was $150.00 per day. I also questioned him about the company. He assured me they had been in business for 23 years helping people. I questioned him extensively about what the "power train" covered. He went through a list that the warranty covered the engine, transmission, water pump, drive axel, assembly, air conditioner, heater fan, alternator, starter motor, voltage regulator, power window motors, and seals and gaskets. I asked him specifically about the parts that would be used should I need repairs. Did they use generic parts or did they use Land Rover parts? He told me not only did they us brand name parts from the dealer, but they "did not allow generic parts". He assured me I could continue to take my “beautiful” Range Rover to the dealer who has serviced it since I've owned it. He assured me they would pay for everything with a corporate credit card and I would pay nothing from my pocket. All of this amazing coverage would only cost me $2975.oo! I asked if he would email something to me showing the coverage before I made a decision. Unfortunately, they had nothing to send, but not to worry; I would receive the policy within 10 days. I could review it and cancel should I not want it. I hesitated somewhat, he put me on hold and came back with a new number of $2600.00! What a deal! I was especially impressed by the fact that I would only have pay an initial payment on the spot of $135.00 and pay only $103.00 per month for 24 months. After two years my warranty would be paid in full and the remaining time would cost me nothing. I gave him my payment information and felt relieved that my vehicle would be covered for some time to come. He congratulated me and assured me I was covered as of when the first payment was processed. When I went to make my first claim, I found out otherwise. He gave me his personal extension, the hours he worked, and said to call him if I ever had any questions. After more than two weeks I received a letter (on US Fidelis letterhead) stating I would receive my "product and policy" within 7-10 business days. I waited for my policy from "US Fidelis", Christmas approached, and I went out of town. When I returned, I did not find anything from “US Fidelis”. As I sorted through all of my junk mail that had arrived while I was gone, I came across a small box from Consumer Direct Warranty Service. In spite of thinking this was probably a solicitation, I opened it and discovered this was my warranty agreement. I looked through the small booklet and it appeared at first glance to be what I was told with the exception of the rental car allowance. It was $150.00 total, not per day as I was assured. I thought it was still a good deal and the rental car issue I could live with. I was confused by the name on the booklet, CDWS Direct Service Quality Vehicle Protection, but just assumed this is what "US Fidelis" called their warranty. Everything Chris had told me led me to believe that I was purchasing a “US Fidelis” warranty. He never mentioned they were a broker for other companies.
Coming home from Lake Tahoe on Sunday, Jan. 25th, my Range Rover broke down on the side of the road. I immediately called the number on the card provided with my warranty information for my "roadside assistance" and got a recording stating this was the "claims" number and to call back Monday-Friday during the hours of 8-5. I located several numbers in all of the information I had and finally reached a person with US Fidelis. The person answered the phone, immediately asked for my zip code (I found this strange). I gave him the zip code, he immediately rambled off that this product was not available in my state. It was very clear he intended to hang up and I asked him to stop, that I purchased this warranty last month. He asked for the zip code again, once again he told me it was not available in my state and hung up the phone before I had a chance to say a word. I of course called back immediately, reached a woman, asked her to please not hang up on me. She agreed and asked for my information and told me the same thing as the first person. I explained my situation, but she could only apologize and suggest I call the number on my card Monday morning. At least she was polite with some regret of my situation. Needless to say, I was absolutely livid. I called my auto insurance company and used the roadside assistance provided through that policy and had the vehicle towed to my home.
Monday morning I called the number on my card and explained what had happened. They first asked me for the mileage. When I questioned this, I was informed that I would have to have traveled more than 500 miles before I could submit a claim. Luckily, I had traveled more than that; otherwise I would not have been covered. In the booklet provided it states that “1st Day & 1st Mile – Benefits Begin On The Date and Mileage of Product Warranty Purchase”. Following this, it states “15 Days & 500 Miles – Benefits On The 16th Day and 501st Mile From The Product Warranty Purchase Date”. I am extremely confused by this, as the only difference is the word “Date” at the end of the sentence. Since Chris had told me my warranty would take effect immediately, I assumed the first sentence to be correct. They argued with me that I was covered on the date of purchase; however I could not make a claim until 501 miles had been traveled. I questioned how I could possibly have been covered if they would not have paid for the repairs had I not exceeded 500 miles. I never received an answer other than “yes, you were covered”, but “no, we would not have paid for anything during that time”. I let it go since it did not affect my claim. They were incredibly rude, but told me what Land Rover needed to do to get approval.
I had to have the vehicle towed to the dealership at my expense, which should be reimbursed. I faxed a copy of the receipt yesterday and hope not to have a problem. Once the vehicle was towed to Land Rover, they diagnosed the problem to be the alternator. Luckily this was covered, and Land Rover requested the necessary documents to make the claim. As of Tuesday they had not received anything from "CDWS", I called and they said it was in the claims process and something would be sent to the dealership shortly. I called Land Rover late in the afternoon to make sure they had received everything and they told me they had only received a questionnaire asking if the oil was clean, etc.. I once again called "CDWS" and was told they had been bombarded with claims and process them in the order received, and that Land Rover should received something by mid-morning Wednesday. In the meantime, the time clock is ticking on the rental car coverage and Land Rover can't order the alternator until they received approval from the warranty company. At last, as promised, they received approval Wednesday morning to replace the "water pump"! I of course called them again and was told it was a mistake and they would fax a corrected approval to Land Rover. Finally we're moving along. In spite of the aggravation, I was just glad to move forward. That is, until Land Rover called again. Yes, they did receive approval from "CDWS" for the alternator. However, the total cost for the repair was approximately $1300.00 ($400.00 for labor and approximately $900.00 for the part). The approval allowed the labor cost, but only allowed $216.00 for the part. Once again I called "CDWS" and was told if they could find a generic or refurbished part that is was to be used. The first problem is that is the exact opposite of what I was told by Chris at US Fidelis...” not only do we not use generic parts, but we don't even allow anything but factory parts from the dealership”. The second problem is now my car is at a "Qualified Repair Facility", Land Rover, and they will not use parts other than factory parts. I'm stuck with more than a $600.00 difference which I will have to pay in order for my car not to be held hostage. Of course I have argued with "CDWS", only to be referred to page four of my booklet which states "Covered Components will be replaced with like kind and quality based on Administrator's discretion". "Like kind and quality" does not mean to me anything other than factory part from Land Rover, especially given the dealership will not use the part they want to ship. Needless to say "CDWS" refuses to pay anything more. I have only two choices that I can see. I can go ahead and let Land Rover repair the vehicle and pay the difference out of pocket or find another "Qualified Repair Facility" that will use the refurbished part that "CDWS" will send and pay out of pocket to have my car towed there. Either way, money comes from my pocket that should be covered, and/or I have an inferior part, certainly not what I was promised by US Fidelis.
I am outraged by the blatant lies told by Chris at US Fidelis. And yes, I called him Monday morning about the so called "Roadside Assistance". When I spoke to him I wasn't aware of the other problems ahead. Although I spoke to Chris at ext. 8767, he informed me he was a "different" Chris than the one I had spoken to previously. I doubt that to be the case and find it unlikely, but I have no way of knowing for sure, and I don't think it will make a difference anyway. In any event, he informed me I do not have the roadside assistance that the "other" Chris had promised. I expressed my displeasure in the events that had taken place when my car died on the side of the road and the events that followed that evening. Needless to say, that got me nowhere.
After all of the other issues that came about following my conversation with the "other" Chris on Monday, I called on Wednesday and spoke to a very nice and professional lady by the name of Lyla. Although she wasn't able to offer any assistance, she assured me my complaint would be investigated and someone should contact me within 24-48 hours. I hope this will be the case as the 48 hours have not passed. I asked if their conversations were recorded and she said they were. Of course there is no way they can provide me with a copy of my conversation with the "original" Chris, which is no surprise.
I have no doubt this warranty will continue to be a problem. I am unsure of where to go from here, but will continue to investigate this company’s deceptive practices and file complaints with the proper authorities. Luckily, I took extensive notes during our conversation; therefore I have a very precise recollection of what I was promised. If anyone else has been a victim of their blatant lies, please do not stand by and allow them to continue. This is causing a financial hardship for me and I feel certain I am not the first. I urge you to file complaints with anyone and everyone you can. Otherwise, we will all remain victims of a company who profits from their deceptive practices. Anyone who has had problems with this company, please contact me at [protected]@msn.com. As one person, I don’t know how far I can pursue this, as a group there may be more that can be accomplished.
If anyone is enticed by their seductive commercials of "peace of mind", I urge you to think twice. Although other warranties may cost more or require a larger down payment, hopefully they are legitimate and will provide the services promised.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Before you do business with US FIDELIS, I BEG YOU TO READ THIS…………I USED TO WORK THERE! I could go into so much more about this company but I am praying that you will read this entire post and it will be enough information to trust that I am doing this in hopes of saving people from being scammed.
**** US FIDELIS is now advertising
their CAR WARRANTIES on
TELEVISION COMMERCIALS****
Please notice that I have backed up this content with
web sites from government websites and organizations that protect consumers. I also have links from media sources.
PEOPLE DO YOUR HOMEWORK! DO A SEARCH AT THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU for DEALER SERVICES…THEY ARE NOW US FIDELIS and they HAVE A GRADE OF ** F ** A+ is the highest, F is the lowest; just like an academic report card.
Don’t believe me? Go to the Better Business Bureau’s website and do a search. If you need to narrow down your search, go to the St. Louis area of the BBB site. Wentzville is on the outskirts of the St. Louis Metro area. They are at 100 Mall Parkway and also 200 Mall Parkway in WENTZVILLE, MO.
http://stlouis.bbb.org/WWWRoot/Report.aspx?site=142&bbb=0734&firm=310016763
“The BBB has received numerous complaints regarding this extended vehicle service contract broker. Complainants primarily allege difficulty cancelling policies and obtaining refunds, misleading advertisements, misleading, high pressure or improper sales tactics, poor customer service, failure to pay for vehicle repairs, difficulty contacting the company, misrepresentation of coverage, harassing phone calls and failure to remove names from mailing lists. These complaint patterns are reflected in the complaint statistics below.”
Scroll down to Business Contact and Profile and you will see all the names this company uses. http://stlouis.app.bbb.org/report/310016763?noskin&fax=Y
I was shocked when I found out that US Fidelis will be sponsoring Rusty Wallace racing for 35 NASCAR races. Steve Wallace, Rusty’s son will be driving the US Fidelis car. I cannot imagine why his business …Rusty Wallace Racing…would do business with US Fidelis when they are under investigation by several state Attorney General’s; most notably the one in their own state…Missouri. See the link below.
Rusty--- go to the Missouri Attorney General Website and to the Better Business Bureau of the St. Louis Area and look who you are dealing with!
http://www.consumer.ago.mo.gov/Know_MO/
You will see that they are also US FIDELIS and NAWS and NATIONAL AUTO WARRANTY SERVICES; and THE ATKINSON GROUP OF COMPANIES. The company changed its name to US FIDELIS because Of bad publicity. They have been investigated and fined by the MISSOURI ATTORNEY GENERAL’S office as well as ARIZONA’S and no doubt several others.
http://ago.mo.gov/newsreleases/2008/030608.htm
The name of the company at that time…..National Auto Warranty Services of Wentzville, MO
Postcards sent out from Dealer Services/NAWS/US Fidelis can be seen in the links below.They had a special group of employees that worked calls that came in as a result of these cards. 90% of the people who called were under the impression that these cards were from their car manufacturer. I know; as I worked in this group for about 3 months.
Channel 13 News in Jefferson City, MO:
http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=87338
Florida Attorney General investigating…Here is a report on Channel 6 in
Miami, FL
http://www.nbc6.net/ciu/18211518/detail.html
Reports from MSNBC---the first link has been aired on MSNBC during the last few weeks of December 2008:
http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/traffic_autos/autos/Bogus_Car_Warranty_Offers_Invading_Mailboxes_All__National_.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23147777/
ALL OF THE ABOVE ARE reports on the company who has changed their name to US FIDELIS…Notice the cards are all the same.
Here is a document on the Missouri Secretary of State’s website to prove that
this company is in fact owned by the Atkinson brother’s:
http://www.sos.mo.gov/imaging/18755163.pdf
Notice the 100 Mall Parkway address; sometimes the address will be 200 Mall
Parkway; depending on the correspondence and if they are using National
Auto Warranty Services or US Fidelis.
Here is something else…..the building that NAWS/DEALER SERVICES/US FIDELIS is in …the owners also opened an alcohol free nightclub called EXODUS. Funded no doubt by the money they have made using unethical and possibly illegal business practices.
“Darain and Cory Atkinson own US Fidelis in Wentzville, Missouri. Out of the blessings from their business, it was their desire to do something significant that would honor God and be purposeful to the community. From this desire, the EXODUS concept was formed.” http://exodusstl.com/documents/staff.html
This statement almost sickens me. I have seen first-hand the unethical business tactics used to make “the owners” money. It would be better fitting to say the
Business practices are sleazy and underhanded. They target the elderly and undereducated people and use strong arm business tactics. How can they
keep a clear conscience? Moreover, sales people acquire banking and credit card information by creating a sense of urgency….”Buy it now or you won’t get this great offer again.” This is the standard sales tactic. The sales people avoid
informing the potential customers of the fine print in the warranty such as ridiculously long waiting “transition” periods before the warranty can actually be used. Because the sales people work for commission only, they will avoid They will process the banking or credit card information before a customer gives the ok to continue so that they (the salesperson) will have the “deal”. This is very common towards the end of the month when the salesperson needs to reach a level for a bonus or to make more commission (they are paid per “deal”).
The Atkinson brothers also provide space for their church in the building. It is
non-denominational and is called ‘The Element’. Ironically, the majority of the
US Fidelis management attends THE ELEMENT church. This church is very much like a cult, focusing on money and success. Watch the QUICK TIME presentation at the website below. There is a married couple on this video in which the husband is an assistant manager and the wife is
a manager at the newly named “US Fidelis”. They are the bi-racial couple (and please note that I am only stating that they are bi-racial to point out who they are….I am not being prejudiced.
.http://www.elementchurch.com/elementchurch/Element_Church_%7C_Welcome.html
I have been in the extended service agreement business most of my business career and can not believe a company can promise FACTORY PARTS/NO DEDUCTIBLE/NO INSPECTION/DAY ONE COVERAGE! The loss ratio on vehicles in their later years is much higher than at the beginning and many parts are simply going to fail due to NORMAL WEAR & TEAR leaving the buyer out again. Most states now require regulation of the insurance backing these type policies as well as the amount of reserve that must be held aside, by a licensed insurance carrier, for future claims payment. Most repair facilities today require the service provider to give their CREDIT CARD in advance or the consumer will be chasing the service provider for their money.
I"m so happy that ppl put this info online b/c I contacted us fidelis yesterday after seeing there TV commercial the guy (Steve) wanted me to buy that day or my offer would not be extended to me b/c my car was 3thou mile over the limit for full coverage but I told him that I was not paying for anything without talking to my husband first but I thought it was a good deal but it seemed to good to be true. my husband is not good with cars so I just waited then something told me to look them up online and I found lots of people who have been cheated. I hope you guys find justice b/c creaps don't deserve to be in business. I know I will not have anything to do with them.
weve been fans of rusty wallace's for a long time and we were really surprised that his team would take us fidelis as a sponsor. write him and tell him what u think about us fidelis http://www.rustywallace.com/contact_us.html
Thanks for the Heads up on US Fidelis. My wife was intersted in getting the extended warranty but after reading all the negative comments we will not being doing business with them. John
Thank you for putting this out. I called fidellis and was given the hard sell, my doubts started as soon as I asked how I could see a written contract and being told they could not provide one untill I signed up. Lots of scams are out now, check out cinergy health insurance their ads on tv are a complete distortion of what you get which is next to nothing. A warning to everybody, if it sounds to good to be true it probely is. Be carefull when doing bussines over the phone and check out every detail in writing before giving payment paticually credit cards
Good luck
I think instead of paying these [censored]es a monthly fee of 100 bucks we should deposit it into an account and when our car breaks down we use our saved money. Why pay 3000 over 2 years or even up front especially if you can pay it up front then you should be able to just pay it yourself. Then you run the risk that what if your car does not break down? Then what, we already gave these companies 3000 dollars and for what at least if we had it saved we can do whatever with it. I know there is the first couple months your car may break down but it also may not. In 6 months you can have 600 dollars saved up and in a one year 1200. Crazy huh? Depending on the vehicle and what is wrong it’s going to cost different amounts I know this The only warranty I have is the one that came with the car and it only covers the drive train – funny thing is everything that has broken on it in the last 2 years I have owned the car where not part of the power train warranty. The power train is the engine internal parts only – the transmission the drive shaft and differential. Doesn’t cover anything on the outside none of the pulleys or alternator even if something like the tension pulley goes out which mine did and part of the mount has coolant run through it for the engine gay I know but the power train warranty does not cover it. Anyway I have ranted on long enough….I’m glade I read these posts I just wanted to find out if the company was the real thing or a scam! Hah
lol if you saved up to 1200 in one year and you had more than one problem on your vehicle within that year then where would you come up with the rest of the money from?if you have seen the commercials on tv they are [protected]$ repair bills not 1200! i mean maybe if you are driving a 95 ford taurus with 201578 miles on it then it might not cost that much... but the newer the vehicle the more expensive the repair will cost. duh! oh and you are right they have a f rating with the bbb but too bad out of the 875 complaints 11 were in the middle of being solved so lets do the math people!...that would give them at least a 90% customer service rating because most of them are solved... WALMART HAS AN F RATING WITH THE BBB... DO YOU SHOP THERE! dont beleive everything you hear usfidelis is a great company and are improving they way that they help people everyday... hell i work there i should know...bbb complaints such as "they didnt offer coverage in my state and i am mad" wow get over it...or " they didnt cover my vehicle when it broke down!" did you ask the represenative on the phone what it was going to cover!? oh and [redacted] they allow everyone and their brother to get on and say w-e whether it is true or not... obviously exemployees would be gruntle about being terminated...if you were an ex employee of usfidelis and you lied to a customer... think about it... you were fired because you lied...this company does not deal with reps. lieing to customers and will there for terminate you. i am happy to work for usfidelis and we help people every day... well the smart ones anyways
I wish that my husband did his homework before he went with US Fidelis. Just a few days ago, my car broke down on me. The pulley and the timing belt went. My wheel locked on me and I had to have it towed to the dealership. When we got there, the service center called US Fidelis to try to get them a claim. After being tossed from on representative to another for more than 25 mins, they told me that they had to send out an inspector to inspect the car and that it would take anywhere from 24-48 hours( that was never mentioned when my husband orginally signed up with them). I called them when my car broke down originally and asked them about a rental and what would happen if it's found that my car has to stay in the shop. The representative told me to have the repair shop call them to get when I got there and that depending on how long the car would be in the shop, I would be able to get a renal. They never told me that they would have to send someone to inspect it first. So, I asked them about a rental until that happens and they told me that they would not be able to cover the rental until: 1) the inspector inspects the car 2) the inspector has to put in his report in order for them(Us Fidelis) to process a claim 3) contact the dealership and give them the OK to do the work 4) depending on how long it will take for the repair shop to get the work done. So, after waiting for 48 hours to have an inspector inspect my car, it take another 24hrs for them to process the claim; then the type of work that's required takes about 1 day(due to the volume of customers they already had). After finding all of this out, I asked if I went ahead and rented a vehicle in the mean time(until they process everything) if they would cover it and they said 'NO". So, I am left without a vehicle for 4 DAYS! I am OUTRAGED. I have absolutely no means of transportation, 2 babies and live about 1 hour from the dealership. When I called to complain to them, all they could say was "Sorry, we are not able to help you". Please do your homework before going to them. The customer service is "HORRIBLE" and they are so unprofessional. Us Fidelis is a total scam and they promote false advertisement.
I too was ripped off by US Fidelis, paid them 4500.oo and some dollars, have not used any of thier warranty as vechicles were not covered because they had to have 1500 miles before it took effect, paid on it over a year and still didn't have enough miles on them, so I tried to cancel and was told I could not so I called crdit card co. and told them what was going on, so they stopped paying them, still have not recieved any money back. Yes they are a big rip off. R W Wilcutts, Branson, Mo.
I purchased a US Fidelis warranty in August of 2009 thinking that it would give me piece of mind. I first tried using this warranty in September of 2010 for a repair. Needless to say the repair was not covered by the warranty. My warranty is paid in full and when I asked about getting a refund I was told that they do not give refunds. I paid roughly $2, 200 for a 100, 000 mile warranty with a zero deductible and feel that I have basically been ripped off. Every other warrantycompany that I have had gives a refund if you do not use the warranty. Stay away from US Fidelis. They are a shady company and I doubt they will be in business for very much longer.