Warranty Holdings
Discussion
Who else has tried claiming on a WHA Ltd warranty?
After 7 months trouble-free motoring in my Griff one of the radiator cooling fans started making a racket, and it was obvious the bearings were on their way out. I booked the car into Walldonway, where I bought it, confident that the 12 months warranty would cover it. Today, however, Walldonway 'phoned me to say WHA would not pay up because the car has not actually broken-down. The dealer pointed-out that if it was not replaced now, the bearings would fail and the fan would drop through the radiator, after which the car would be well and truly broken-down, and considerably more expensive to repair. Still, WHA refused to pay.
I had also asked for the heater blower to be looked-at, as it has stopped working. Cover for the heater and controls were clearly covered by the warranty; the blower was not working, ergo it must be broken down. "No - the problem was only a dirty connection, it had not failed, WHA will not pay".
Walldonway say that WHA pull this stunt all the time (which, I suppose, begs the question 'why do they use their warranties'). I am not prepared to let this go and will be taking legal advice, and take WHA to court, if necessary.
What are your experiences of this shower?
Used this mob before, no problems with any claims. The warranty will cover breakdown or failure. You ain't broke down, it ain't failed. My legal colleagues will happily milk you for all the money you've got and then some, then tell you tough luck. Your problem lies in the dealer.
As suggested, they appear to have diddled you into the warranty and don't help when you come to claim. Change dealer to one who agrees before they see the car that the work needs done. I now tend to explain when I take a car for a service etc. "here's the warranty book, anything covered claim, anything not, forget it". That way the garage knows I'm paying for the bare minimum. If they want extra work, convince the warranty mob. They know which ones will come to inspect and what level of bill is automatically apoproved. Sounds like your dealer just ain't prepared to make the effort on your behalf. (often because their labour rate is higher than warranty will pay, so think they can sucker you into it instead.)
As suggested, they appear to have diddled you into the warranty and don't help when you come to claim. Change dealer to one who agrees before they see the car that the work needs done. I now tend to explain when I take a car for a service etc. "here's the warranty book, anything covered claim, anything not, forget it". That way the garage knows I'm paying for the bare minimum. If they want extra work, convince the warranty mob. They know which ones will come to inspect and what level of bill is automatically apoproved. Sounds like your dealer just ain't prepared to make the effort on your behalf. (often because their labour rate is higher than warranty will pay, so think they can sucker you into it instead.)
Don't bother getting it repaired, let the fan fail, that will puncture the radiator. This probably still doesn't count as broken down, so keep driving along. Then it will overheat, probably blow both head gaskets, warp the heads, and finally heat seize. With luck you'll be travelling at speed and the mechanical shock of the engine stopping will burst the gearbox.
Just sue them for a nice new engine and gearbox, plus fitting, loss of eanings, hire Ferrari, mental anguish and anything else you can think of. They're taking the
, take it back.
On the other hand, don't, as they will still refuse to pay! Theiving scum!
Just sue them for a nice new engine and gearbox, plus fitting, loss of eanings, hire Ferrari, mental anguish and anything else you can think of. They're taking the
, take it back. On the other hand, don't, as they will still refuse to pay! Theiving scum!
When I bought my MX5 through an independent dealer I got a 1 year Warranty Holdings warranty with it.
Great, I thought. Especially as one or two bits fell off a month after I bought it.
Trouble is, the dealer never registered the warranty information with Warranty Holdings and quote possibly had no intention of doing so. Basically I had a Warranty Holdings booklet with my details filled in but no actual warranty! After tearing the most enormous trip off the salesman I got everything done through them but when you get one I urge you to phone Warranty Holdings and make sure you are registered.
I should stress that this is nothing to do with Warranty Holdings themselves (except their registration methods) but everything to do with the dealer who gambled I'd never make a claim.
Cheers, Chris.
Great, I thought. Especially as one or two bits fell off a month after I bought it.
Trouble is, the dealer never registered the warranty information with Warranty Holdings and quote possibly had no intention of doing so. Basically I had a Warranty Holdings booklet with my details filled in but no actual warranty! After tearing the most enormous trip off the salesman I got everything done through them but when you get one I urge you to phone Warranty Holdings and make sure you are registered.
I should stress that this is nothing to do with Warranty Holdings themselves (except their registration methods) but everything to do with the dealer who gambled I'd never make a claim.
Cheers, Chris.
I have never ever had a claim go through with WH, two vechicles. Maybe 8 claims, even an engine on my Rangie was not covered(block porous), since then,condensor, ecu, air suspension pump, etc. For the last two years popped the premiums in the bank, seems to work, not needed a claim since.Now where is that piece of wood.
Thanks for your responses.
I didn't specifically ask for the warranty - it came us part of the package. Also, I made it clear to Walldonway that I would be contacting WH, and they say they have ensured they logged that fact on file.
Having said that, I take the point about the dealer could be more helpful, and charging more for non-warranty work, and "discuss" this point with them.
Hopefully, I'll have the car back tomorrow for Duxford, but it looks like I may be too late for convoys. Hope to see some of you there, 'though.
All the best,
Richard
I nearly made the mistake of buying a car (BMW730) from an independent dealer near Oxford. I went to see the car and the price, as expected, was at least £1,000 more than equivalent privately-advertised cars. 'But that does include a warranty doesn't it?' I asked. 'No, that's extra', he said, and handed me some leaflets about bronze, silver and gold warranties. He also didn't seem bothered that the air-con didn't work (it was a stifling day) and it look of lot of persuading to get him to offer to pay for a recharge (even assuming that was the problem)
I thought the main reason why people bought from dealers was for the warranty, and anyway, aren't they legally obliged to give some kind of warranty anyway? Isn't there a 12-month warranty on everything sold in this country - Sale of Goods Act etc?
So unless I become fantstically wealthy and buy from a proper franchised dealer, I shall continue to buy privately and take my chances.
I thought the main reason why people bought from dealers was for the warranty, and anyway, aren't they legally obliged to give some kind of warranty anyway? Isn't there a 12-month warranty on everything sold in this country - Sale of Goods Act etc?
So unless I become fantstically wealthy and buy from a proper franchised dealer, I shall continue to buy privately and take my chances.
quote:
Trouble is, the dealer never registered the warranty information with Warranty Holdings and quote possibly had no intention of doing so. Basically I had a Warranty Holdings booklet with my details filled in but no actual warranty! After tearing the most enormous trip off the salesman I got everything done through them but when you get one I urge you to phone Warranty Holdings and make sure you are registered.
Exactly the same thing happened to me when I claimed on my wife's Omega. WHA didn't seem at all interested when I pointed out the dealer was playing this scam. Eventually got the dealer to register the warantee properly to make my claim.
Regarding WHA, I thought I had piece of mind with the warantee. Clutch went 3 - 4 months after purchasing the car - not covered as wear and tear. Dealer also refused to pay. Electric sunroof failed. WHA approved repairer did the work, but charged me the diagnosis labour for identifying the fault (not covered!). I thought I had correctly identified the problem - i.e. 'it's stopped working'!
I've been caught out by the "book labour time" scam. I put my Chimaera in for some repairs under warranty and was presented with a bill at the end of it.
"Woss dis den?" I enquired, and they filled me in on the intricacies of the fact that WHA only pay for half a job, leaving the customer to pay for the rest, after the fact of course.
I wasn't happy, and I wasn't happy with the (alledgedly reputable) dealer who didn't mention that I'd get a big bill at the end of it either.
Hummph.
"Woss dis den?" I enquired, and they filled me in on the intricacies of the fact that WHA only pay for half a job, leaving the customer to pay for the rest, after the fact of course.
I wasn't happy, and I wasn't happy with the (alledgedly reputable) dealer who didn't mention that I'd get a big bill at the end of it either.
Hummph.
The SMMT have confirmed that Warranty Holdings is a member, and complies with their code of practice, which they are sending me a copy of.
Meantime, I have written to WH, the dealer and the SMMT, as below.
Has anyone previously obtained legal advice concerning interpretation of their warranty documentation? Letter follows...
Last week, I booked my car in to be repaired by Walldonway Ltd, and asked them to make claims, on my behalf, under my warranty policy with yourselves. The faults were that one of the thermostatically controlled radiator fans was breaking down, and the heater fan was not working.
I am told that the claim was rejected because, although the radiator fan bearings were screeching as they broke-up, the car had not “broken down”. This seems to me to be playing with semantics. You offer no definition of “breakdown” in your policy document and terms and conditions. However, a simple Internet search of dictionaries provides the following common meanings, which clearly applied to my car.
“The act or process of failing to function or continue.” - The fan was clearly in the process of failing to function.
“Disintegration or decomposition into parts or elements.” - The fan bearing was clearly disintegrating.
“A malfunction, as of a machine.” – The fan was clearly malfunctioning. It was not designed to make that noise, and the disintegrating bearing impeded its cooling ability.
If the radiator fan fault had not been repaired promptly, it would have completely failed and fallen through the radiator, after which the car would have been undriveable. The repairs then would have been considerably more expensive although, presumably you would have accepted that the car had “broken down” and been compelled to meet the claim.
Assuming that I have been advised correctly by Walldonway of the claim made on my behalf, and your response, it appears that your operation is little short of a confidence trick. Your approach is at odds with what is generally understood by the term “mechanical breakdown warranty”, and not in the interest of fair-trading.
I wonder also, how one could ever make a claim relating to the “breakdown” of a heater fan motor, which is clearly among the parts covered by your policy, and was not working, if the car had to be “broken down”. The failure of a heater fan motor is never going to cause a car to be undriveable.
I apologise if I have inadvertently misrepresented your position because we have not spoken directly. (I called your claims line when the fault occurred, and was told to book my car with the dealer, who would handle the claim.) However, as things stand, I believe I have a valid grievance and would ask you to reimburse my costs of £182.13.
Yours faithfully,
quote:
As you were so determined to get full recompense why the sudden softening?
It's no softening on the point of principle! A warranty should "say what it means, and mean what it says". However, only a relatively small sum of money was involved on this occasion, and I guess that many people would not bother to pursue it? The charity donation is intended to reinforce the point that this was really about honesty and principles, rather than monetary greed!
Incidentally, I'm unimpressed with a dealer who provides a warranty as part of a purchase package, then does little to ensure its terms are enforced on behalf of the customer.
All the best,
Richard
Incidentally, I'm unimpressed with a dealer who provides a warranty as part of a purchase package, then does little to ensure its terms are enforced on behalf of the customer.
Absolutely. As an occasional 'middle-man' myself, the price I pay for the profit margin is the responsibility that the buck stops with me. I can handle that, but many can't. Personal efficiency also helps a lot in (a) stopping mistakes before they start, and (b) stamping on them quickly before they grow!
Absolutely. As an occasional 'middle-man' myself, the price I pay for the profit margin is the responsibility that the buck stops with me. I can handle that, but many can't. Personal efficiency also helps a lot in (a) stopping mistakes before they start, and (b) stamping on them quickly before they grow!
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