Extended warranty experiences

[kenkorona]

Hi,

I'm wondering if anyone else has had the same experience as I have with regard to extended warranty and roadside assistance.   Here's my story...

I purchased my TC at a well known, very large dealer in mid May 2021. After the camper was all checked out and loaded on my truck we went inside the dealership to settle up.  Unfortunately what I didn't see coming was the hustle on an extended warranty and roadside assistance plan.

I had just purchased my new truck,an f350 Lariat and when I did, I also got an extended warranty (8yrs 150k miles) and even a prepaid maintenance plan.  The theory is that I basically have 8yrs and 150k miles where the only vehicle expense is gas and tires.

At the time I was getting the camper I did not regret spending a lot on the truck warranty/maint pkg. I still do not regret it either.   But having just paid all that $ on the truck package, I was easily coaxed into buying the same for the camper, which I did.  Especially because we were told we had 30 days to change our mind and get our $ back 100%.  So we spent  $5600 on those packages, extended warranty and roadside assistance. 

Within a couple weeks we developed buyers remorse and contacted the dealership to cancel that purchase.  Well within the 30 day period.  We were emailed some forms to fill out which we did, and emailed them back to the dealer.  The dealer told us it would take 4 to 6 weeks to get our refund.

At about 5 1/2 weeks I called the dealer and now they said it would be 6 to 8 weeks.  I waited 8 weeks and called again.  Now I'm having trouble even talking with anyone because the "right person" is never in when I call and does not call back.  Finally after 10 weeks I speak with a manager.  He doesn't understand why anyone in their dealership would have even given an estimate of how long it will take.  But he says it is not unusual for it to take 16 weeks.  But it's not under their control.  It's under the control of the warranty company, having nothing to do with them.

Well, here we are at 16 weeks and still nothing.  I'm feeling like a fool for having been fast talked into that purchase, and for actually believing a refund would be forthcoming.

So after all this, I'm wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience?   I'm not looking for (what I know will be coming) the lectures about why extended warranties are not worthwhile, etc, etc.  But rather, whether anyone has had an experience in buying and canceling such a contract.

So, I have refrained from naming the specific dealership and warranty company in this post.  I'm not sure it's appropriate in this venue, however if anyone wants to contact me outside of this venue, I'm certainly willing to share those details.


Ken

[kenkorona]

OK, I promised a followup to my original post.

If you recall, I paid $5600 for and extended warranty and roadside assistance package when I bought a new TC in May. Was given 30 days to cancel with 100% refund. I cancelled and was waiting for the refund since June 16. Many phone calls to the dealer to no avail.

Then, last week I called the dealer again and spoke with a manager. Told him I've been waiting 16 weeks. He expressed shock, spoke with the "controller". He said they would cut a check from their local dealership rather than making me wait any longer for it to go through their corporate office, and they'll straighten it out internally. They said I should get the check by Wednesday 10/13. I was hopeful, but skeptical.

So today the check arrived. Hoooraaaay!

So often these days people and businesses don't live up to their commitments. In short, these guys did even though it took longer than it should have. For the record, the dealership is Tom's Camperland in Avondale AZ. And the manager (who is also a salesman ) is Mike McFadden. Mike was super helpful and great to work with when we bought the camper. He went out of his way to make sure that, as total novices, we didn't make noob mistakes. Thank you Mike...

[Grit_dog]

noteven wrote:
Remember the first three letters in the word warranty.

LOL, I like that!

[noteven]

Remember the first three letters in the word warranty.

[kenkorona]

RetiredRealtorRick wrote:

kenkorona wrote:
Having never before had an extended warranty, I don't know how much it would have paid toward the repairs. Would it have covered 100% of all the repairs? If not, the question becomes how much of the cost would be covered, and how much would I have to pay, and would the amount covered have been more than the cost of an extended warranty? I don't know, and nobody can answer that for sure at this point. But to be clear, I never said I was against extended warranties. If you look at my original post, I bought my F350 in Feb 2021 and not only bought the full extended warranty for 150K miles and 8yrs. I even bought the full maintenance package for the same period. When I was asking about it being a scam, I meant this particular instance, where the dealer seems to not be refunding the warranty cost. So, no offense taken and no nastiness inferred.

Since you mentioned in your previous post that you paid fully HALF of the original cost of the vehicle out in repairs ...... you definitely would have come out WAY ahead with an extended service contract. Easy math :C

Totally agree. But, based on my experience, I would have been even better off getting another Nissan

[RetiredRealtorR]

kenkorona wrote:
Having never before had an extended warranty, I don't know how much it would have paid toward the repairs. Would it have covered 100% of all the repairs? If not, the question becomes how much of the cost would be covered, and how much would I have to pay, and would the amount covered have been more than the cost of an extended warranty? I don't know, and nobody can answer that for sure at this point. But to be clear, I never said I was against extended warranties. If you look at my original post, I bought my F350 in Feb 2021 and not only bought the full extended warranty for 150K miles and 8yrs. I even bought the full maintenance package for the same period. When I was asking about it being a scam, I meant this particular instance, where the dealer seems to not be refunding the warranty cost. So, no offense taken and no nastiness inferred.

Since you mentioned in your previous post that you paid fully HALF of the original cost of the vehicle out in repairs ...... you definitely would have come out WAY ahead with an extended service contract. Easy math :C

[kenkorona]

Having never before had an extended warranty, I don't know how much it would have paid toward the repairs. Would it have covered 100% of all the repairs? If not, the question becomes how much of the cost would be covered, and how much would I have to pay, and would the amount covered have been more than the cost of an extended warranty? I don't know, and nobody can answer that for sure at this point. But to be clear, I never said I was against extended warranties. If you look at my original post, I bought my F350 in Feb 2021 and not only bought the full extended warranty for 150K miles and 8yrs. I even bought the full maintenance package for the same period. When I was asking about it being a scam, I meant this particular instance, where the dealer seems to not be refunding the warranty cost. So, no offense taken and no nastiness inferred.

[monkey44]

Yes, buy what you trust - we all have had different experiences with different vehicles and parts and repair shops. If we have a good experience, we return, if not we don't.

We should not paint all xxx brands with the same brush. Most time, the majority of one brand or another is well built and we enjoy it. Once in a while, we get a 'lemon' and it puckers our lips. That's not to say, once in a while a brand that we should never buy or trust rears its ugly head.

It's always good to share that info here and other forums so we all have the information and are able to make our own decisions. The more informed, the better chance we all make good choices for ourselves. RVnet is great in that respect ...

[toedtoes]

I think autos are weird. Everyone you talk to will have a different opinion on which make is quality and which is not.

I myself have had four Dodges and one Datsun (pre nissan). I will tell you that without a doubt Dodges are great and Datsun sucks. Why? Because the one Datsun I had was garbage and all the Dodges I've had were great.

Another person will say that Dodges are **** and Fords are great. Why? Because they had one Dodge that was garbage and multiple Fords that were great.

The truth is sometimes we get a bad egg. And when we do, we tend to blame the hen for producing only bad eggs.

My ex-boss has a Sprinter. It has never given him a day of trouble in over ten years. Does that make kenkorona's experience a lie? No. Does kenkorona's experience make my ex-boss' a lie? No. It just means kenkorona got a bad Mercedes egg and my ex-boss did not.

I say, buy what you trust.

[RetiredRealtorR]

kenkorona wrote:
I have a sprinter used for my business' deliveries. Based on my experience with both the frequency and cost of repairs I will NEVER buy another Mercedes product again. It's in the shop (certified Mercedes shop) as much as it is not. Four years use, 180,000 miles and repairs equal half it's purchase price. (And it's purchase price is quite a bit more than its competitor's) I have a second delivery vehicle, a Nissan NV, and it is a dream. I guess they're both dreams but the Mercedes is of the nightmare type. I bought the Sprinter because I heard all the hype talk about getting 400K miles with little troubles. Totally wrong. Now almost every Sprinter owner I talk to regrets their purchase. Could that have something to do with my area being colder than most of the US? I dunno. But that is my experience with Mercedes.

Not to be nasty, but I'll bet you wish you would have bought an extended service contract . . . . and now this post goes full circle :C

[kenkorona]

I have a sprinter used for my business' deliveries. Based on my experience with both the frequency and cost of repairs I will NEVER buy another Mercedes product again. It's in the shop (certified Mercedes shop) as much as it is not. Four years use, 180,000 miles and repairs equal half it's purchase price. (And it's purchase price is quite a bit more than its competitor's) I have a second delivery vehicle, a Nissan NV, and it is a dream. I guess they're both dreams but the Mercedes is of the nightmare type. I bought the Sprinter because I heard all the hype talk about getting 400K miles with little troubles. Totally wrong. Now almost every Sprinter owner I talk to regrets their purchase. Could that have something to do with my area being colder than most of the US? I dunno. But that is my experience with Mercedes.

[RetiredRealtorR]

Kayteg1 wrote:

RetiredRealtorRick wrote:


Over the years I've owned many highline automobiles, and while their frequency-of-repair records are usually great, when they DO break, they are VERY expensive to fix. .

Been driving Mercedes sedans and Ford Trucks for over 20 years each.
When I DIY repair, no part for Mercedes come more expensive than equivalent part for Ford Truck.
Mercedes has lot of part suppliers and internet has good prices.
Ford dealer always offer me 20% discount on parts, but still it come more expensive.

True about Mercedes. I've got bitten the worse in the past with Audi, Volvo, and Porsche. With the heavy US production of Mercedes' now, I can see where parts availability would be greater, and more competitive price-wise.

[Kayteg1]

RetiredRealtorRick wrote:


Over the years I've owned many highline automobiles, and while their frequency-of-repair records are usually great, when they DO break, they are VERY expensive to fix. .

Been driving Mercedes sedans and Ford Trucks for over 20 years each.
When I DIY repair, no part for Mercedes come more expensive than equivalent part for Ford Truck.
Mercedes has lot of part suppliers and internet has good prices.
Ford dealer always offer me 20% discount on parts, but still it come more expensive.

[mbloof]

Bedlam wrote:
So the question I have is why someone would buy something with questionable reliability and then have to bandaid the purchase with an extended warranty. At least in my view, I would look at purchasing something that worried me less about failure.

Indeed.

However when it comes to pickup truck campers any "reliability" comes down to two basic items:

• The Appliances
• The Sealing (does it leak)

For the first item, all OEM's use the same appliance (and Jack) vendors. Granted while some of us get years and years of use without issues others see failures quite often.

That brings us to how well is the unit sealed. While some are built and sealed better than others, many OEM's recommend at least checking the seals up to 2x a year and often complete reseal every few years.

Which brings us to the conclusion that one brand or model of pickup truck camper is not going to be "more reliable" then the next, it is simply the luck of the draw (when it comes to appliances) and storage/use/inspection patterns the end user/owner apply to their unit.

While RV shop rates are astronomical as compared to doing it yourself consider that the most expensive item in a truck camper is a new RV fridge is ~$1200ea a extended warranty may or not make any sense.



- Mark0.

[RetiredRealtorR]

Bedlam wrote:
So the question I have is why someone would buy something with questionable reliability and then have to bandaid the purchase with an extended warranty. At least in my view, I would look at purchasing something that worried me less about failure.

You do realize that even the most reliable, best built vehicles can still encounter problems, correct? While maybe less often, they're not exempt.

Over the years I've owned many highline automobiles, and while their frequency-of-repair records are usually great, when they DO break, they are VERY expensive to fix.

Again, extended warranties (from the manufacturer) and extended service contracts (from a third-party provider) are a matter of personal preference. There is no right or wrong choice.