Extended Warranties

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teofff

Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2007
Posts
24
Location
Arizona
Has anyone ever dealt with Warranty Experts for an extended warranty policy?  They are slightly cheaper than Good Sam, but their coverage includes the tag axle on my MH.  I have never heard of them, but found them online??????
 
I've had them on 2 units and been very pleased with the results.  I currantly have a policy purchase via them and Dave Gardner.
 
We've had two warranties through them and have been satisfied with both.  They are an agent and sell several different policies and will offer the ones best suited for your needs.
 
We have bought through them with no problems. However, you will find scary war stories about WE-issued policies if you search the internet. Many of them are readily explained as people who simply refuse to follow the procedures of the warranty (the rules are rigid - no exceptions!) or who didn't understand what coverage they were buying. Some are complaints about WE, but they really are aimed at the insurer, not the broker who sold the policy.  WE cannot change the terms of the policy you bought - they just sell them.  A few sound like outright fraud, but there is rarely any follow-up information to help you understand what a court thought about the matter.

We have a member here who bought a policy thru WE but later found out he had no coverage. The insurer claimed there was no such policy. WE claimed they sent the premium on to the insurer and it's the insurer's fault. I have not heard the conclusion of that dispute either.

Good Sam was a LOT more expensive on our policy, something like 40% higher. That's a lot.  Would GS step in to help in a dispute to protect their image? Maybe, but they are basically a broker too. But they are selling a product made by another company of the same corporate parent (Affinity Group), so maybe they have some leverage. If the price difference between GS and WE is small, maybe GS is an OK deal.
 
Although my first Extended Warranty was purchased from WE, I would certainly caution anyone from buying from them now.  I purchased my last policy from them in Aug.  ?Found out in Dec that the policy had never gone into effect.  Tried to get resolution from WE to no avail; the last time I talked to Dave Gardner he told me it was not his problem it was mine and he hung up on me.  Got no help either from the agent for the policy, RV Insurance Solutions.  Found out on Dec 29 that my policy had finally gone into effect but with a restriction that I could not file a claim until Jan 29 and 1000 miles from original mileage in Aug.  So in effect I lost almost 6  months of coverage on a 3 year policy.  Filed complaint with TX Insurance Comm. and found out they would not help as I did not live in TX.  I would strongly recommend staying away from Warranty Experts, regardless of what others say.  And if there are forum members still getting "birddog" compensation from WE I wouild recommend they rethink their position.  I now have an appointment with a TX lawyer for April when we will be in TX.  Also, I believe the correct classification for WE is that they are a "broker" and "RV Insurance Solutions" is the agent.    CAUTION!!!
 
Thanks for the update, Jim.

The world of Extended Warranties is fraught with risks like this and the lower priced policies have to be considered more risky. They are probably OK as long as things go smoothly but hard to get satisfaction if something goes wrong, as in Jim's case. Good Sam or Camping World policies (Affinity Group) - or one of the other major sellers maybe a less risky proposition.  May be.
 
We will be buying a used MH and want to apply an extended warranty for peace of mind and pocketbook.

Since you commented on cheaper warranties than GS it got my attention.  What are the actual costs folks incur for the extended warranty?

You also spoke of rigid rules, what sort of rules are speaking about since I tend to break them all of the time. 
 
Extended warranty prices vary widely, depending on the terms of the  policy (coverage), the type of powertrain (diesel vs gas), age of the RV, amount of the deductible and the fees paid to the seller. Trailers are far less expensive than motorhomes, because of the lack of a powertrain.  Diesels are much more expensive to insure (high cost of repair); older rigs require more repairs and are out of all manufacturer warranties; RV dealers get large commissions for selling extended warranties (but prices are sometimes negotiable).  You can get basic coverage on drive train and major appliances for much less than a policy that covers everything, e.g. electronics, awnings, etc.

When we bought the 04 Tradition, I was quoted over $5000 by a dealer for 5 years of broad coverage. Good Sam wanted $1600/year. The policy I bought thru Warranty Experts had slightly greater coverage for $3200.  The 5 year policy on my 02 Dolphin (gas) was only $860, but I got a steep promotional discount on that - it would usually have been around $1200 at the time.

There are strict rules about getting any and all repairs pre-authorized by the insurer. Everybody thinks their case should be an exception, but I can assure you it will not be. The only valid exception I know of is an emergency  repair to prevent further damage to the vehicle while the insurer's claims office is unavailable to provide authorization and that better be an ironclad case, not a "might of".
 
I would very strongly suggest you call the insurer and confirm your coverage if you went through WE.  You might just find out they haven even sent it in yet.
 
The other issue with all of the extended warranties is to ensure your maintaining the recommended service intervals on all systems (motor, trans, etc).....from what I am told, it can void their coverage if you have not.
The other issue regarding cost....I bought a 01 40' Monaco Dynasty  DP.... Good Sam is $1541 per year, excludes the tag axle and tires....Warranty Experts is $4,000 for 4 years, 45,000 miles, including tire coverage and tag axle coverage.  I still have only heard one major negative report on WE, and know there are always two sides to every unhappy customers story.  I think for the price difference, and the coverage differences, I'll take my chances with WE!!!
 
Warranty Experts is just the agent, you will receive a contract from the insurer shortly after you apply for and are accepted for coverage.  If you don't receive it promptly, then you need to call the insurer and ask for the contract, don't wait until you have a claim.

And read the contract to be sure you're getting the coverage you think you have and to understand any restrictions and rules that apply to claims.
 
Never did get anything from the insurer.  In my case I received a contract from WE but it wasn't there when we needed it.  This last time I received a packet identical to what we sent in in August in Jan saying they had not received the forms.  According to the confirmatuion it was received it had been delivered.  When I called they assured me that we were covered however we were not, fortunately we didn't need them.  Sent the forms back in marked cancel and am waiting for our refund.  Guess I just don't trust them anymore.
 
receive a contract from the insurer

Oh, I received the contract, dated as it should be with the correct effective date.  The problem is WE or RV Insurance Solutions, or a combination of both, did not comply with the requirements of the obligor, Butler Financial Solutions.  It would not be the first time that a outfit sold a contract and then intentionally did not forward it to the obligor in hopes that the contract would not be used and they pocket the money.  Pete had that situation happen to him.  That is why I put a message on the forum telling everyone to check with the administrator of their policy to make sure it was in force. 
 
When I called they assured me that we were covered however we were not

Ron,

That is exactly what they told me for over a week.  They kept trying to get me to accept their word that the coveratge was in force, however, I kept checking with the administrator and they kept telling me that it was not in force. 
 
Jim Johnson said:
Ron,

That is exactly what they told me for over a week.  They kept trying to get me to accept their word that the coveratge was in force, however, I kept checking with the administrator and they kept telling me that it was not in force. 

We had two bad experiences with WE so no more.
 
Wow....all the feed back is scary.....it appears there is problems with every extended warranty program.  Good Sam is expensive and doesn't cover motor home tag axles.  Some have had problems even with them.  Warranty Expertss and RV Protection both seem to have their share of problems also....however, some have responded that they have had no problems.  Very confusing.l  Not sure what to do.....
 
We've used WE onthe last 2 MHs and have had work done on both units.  The 1st one a 93 Coachman, work done 3 times.  This Pace Arrow only once  Each time with no problems to us, perhaps with the dealer but not us.  2 yrs remaining and Would use again if needed.  you do have restrictions on fluid changes and they are stiffer than other as I have stated some time ago in this forum.  It's WE for me and will again, should I buy another unit.  Been well satisfied.
 
Shayne,

Talking about Warranty Experts and talking about the administrator/obligor of the policies they broker is talking about two entirely different entities.  I never did have a problem with the administrator of my first extended warranty purchased through WE.  In fact, on the present policy, I got a call the other day from the administrator of RV Shield, welcoming me to their network and asking if everything so far has been satisfactory.  They had no idea what WE and RV Insurance Solutions had done in screwing up my policy.  We have not been talking about getting work done under the policy, we have been talking about getting taken by WE and their agents, of them taking our money and not delivering the product.  We are not talking about the product.

 

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