‘Feel like I’ve been cheated’: Driver thought car warranty would cover repair but says it didn’t

Albert Neal said he served in the Marines and is now a disabled veteran. “I have peripheral artery disease,” he said.

So, he said, he’s had his share of doctor appointments. It was great when he could drive himself, not add more to his wife’s plate. But, Neal said, one day, his car broke. “I was driving it, and the electric thermostat quit working,” he said.

And, he said, it damaged another part of the engine, the heads. So he was glad he had a warranty with Endurance. But then, “They said they would not cover the heads on it. I said, ‘OK, I understand they won’t cover the heads. But will you all cover the thermostat?’”

He said they told him no. It’s not clear why. “It was going to be about [$]6,000 and something,” Neal said. “I feel mistreated. I feel like I’ve been cheated.”

He said that meant more of a bill for him and his wife and more driving for her while they fought the issue. “She had to put everything on hold to take me to my doctor’s appointments and the VA,” he said.

At last check, the BBB gave Endurance an ‘A’ rating but counted 3,566 complaints in the last three years and 1,141 in the last 12 months.

Action 9 first emailed the business in June and followed up by email and phone last week. A representative hung up, or got disconnected, when Action 9 said the reason for the call.

A lot of people call these “car warranties.” Stoogenke prefers to call them “service plans” or “service contracts” because, technically, a “warranty” is like a guarantee (usually the manufacturer gives) that the car will work right.

A “service plan” is something you can buy that may, or may not, pay for repairs.

Service contracts can be helpful. Just make sure you:

• See whether you’re paying for something the warranty that came with your car already covers.
• Read reviews about the company.
• Read the fine print. The FTC recommends asking yourself these questions as you read it.

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