Warranty - a word of warning!!!

This is how it went:-
Bought a 2010 Carrera 2S end of 2014 from an independent dealer after the car sailed through a 111 point check at an OPC, and was thus sold to me with a two year Premium Warranty from "*" Warranty Company.
The car has many options fitted, including Porsche Tracker.
So,I registered with Vodafone, who now operate the service (paying by annual fee initially and since to keep it live). Tracking was live and confirmed several times.
The years 2015 and 2016 passed by with just usual servicing at my OPC, and no faults
I then renewed my warranty with the same "*" Warranty Company end of 2016 (approx £1000 for 12 months) - Gold Membership to cover everything.
Early 2017 Vodafone reported to me that my Tracker wasn't responding, so we went through normal check (new batteries in the fobs, driving the car to high signal strength locations etc etc), but no luck, so I booked the car into my OPC, who tried with Vodafone to get the system to respond, but with no luck. The in-car unit was declared dead and needed replacing, so I contacted my Warranty Company, supplying a written quotation from my OPC to fit a new unit.
Probably obvious to say at this point that with no Tracker working I was at some risk on my Annual Motor Insurance.
The "*" Warranty Company response was to say that they wouldn't authorize fitment of said new unit immediately, by demand proof that the original Tracker was fitted by Porsche.
Whilst I was chasing this request down, the car went in for its 6 year service at my OPC, who now with the intervention of the Service Manager tried a few more tricks and woke up the sleeping Tracker Unit and Vodafone confirmed it was now live on their system.
This saved the cost of a new unit, but incurred a couple hundred pound of additional labour cost.
Whilst carrying out this 6 year service, my OPC identified two other faults - a broken belt tensioner pulley assembly and a broken frunk and engine cover switch mechanism, both of which at my instruction they replaced.
I did of course talk the "*" Warranty Company, who were only interested in arguing that I hadn't yet provided the proof that the Tracker was fitted by Porsche.
After a number of further conversation with said Company, and after submitting a claim form, at their request, they still insisted on proof still of the Tracker's originality before they could process my 3 item claim.
So, more inquiries and I obtaining proof that the car left the factory with the provision for tracking to operate, plus I obtained a copy of the invoice from the original main dealer, who sold the car when new, that they made the tracker operational at the same time as carrying out the PDI, before delivery to the original buyer.
So, I put together a comprehensive package of paperwork, which I sent early October to "*" Warranty Company, to prove ALL facts relating to the claim I had previously made for the repair of three faulty items.
I have just received their reply rejecting ALL three claims, because "the repairs were carried without their authority".

I am not surprised the claims were declined. You likely entered into a contract with the warranty company that has a clause stating that no repairs must proceed before they give authorization in writing. So I'd guess you were in breach of contract as it appears you unilaterally took the decision to have the remedial work done and then sought reimbursement for the same through the warranty company which must have been outside the terms of the contract.

It is sad that these third party warranties are sprinkled with a good helping of clauses which if not adhered to can give them ground to reject claims.

You can contest the decision but only if you have followed the terms and conditions of the contract and can demonstrate that you have done so.

I saw a car with a friend at a reputable indy that boasted "the third party warranty has unlimited claims for 12 months with a single claim limit of £1000" which is meaningless for a Porsche! Heaven knows how many other clauses there must be in the small print that excludes this and that....

Ouch!

I think most Warranty Companies have a clause that requires pre-approval of claims although I would have thought there would have been some sympathy for your position as you did notify them of the tracker issue before you had the work done (albeit whilst they were still awaiting documentation).

At £1,000 a year you would have been better of with an OPC warranty particularly if you had already had the check done by them??

Chigster said:

Ouch!

I think most Warranty Companies have a clause that requires pre-approval of claims although I would have thought there would have been some sympathy for your position as you did notify them of the tracker issue before you had the work done (albeit whilst they were still awaiting documentation).

At £1,000 a year you would have been better of with an OPC warranty particularly if you had already had the check done by them??

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+1 east to say after the event but that's close to the OPC pricing fir their bulletproof cover, hope you can pursue and get sorted :thumbs:

Indeed, most (if not all) warranty companies will need to authorise any work BEFORE it is done. Understandable as they will need to establish if it's a genuine claim on a covered part - if they didn't then they'd be inundated with fraudulent claims on worn out parts (for example: "we've disposed of the clutch that encountered sudden mechanical failure and enclosed is the invoice for the newly fitted one").

It's normally written somewhere in the policy along with confirmation that the costs of diagnosing faults are not covered either.

I sympathise, but sadly this will be a lesson learned and good to highlight to those who don't know.

Have to say i am firmly in the no-warranty camp having had the 2 year official pork warranty, which didnt cover any of the stuff that went wrong, and prior to that a bmw warranty on an m car with similar issues. You are better off sticking the cash in a pot somewhere

pcat said:

Have to say i am firmly in the no-warranty camp having had the 2 year official pork warranty, which didnt cover any of the stuff that went wrong, and prior to that a bmw warranty on an m car with similar issues. You are better off sticking the cash in a pot somewhere

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:agree: that's what I do! After the hassle I've had with my OPC and other warranty I can't be bothered! If it breaks I get it fixed.

Good job bringing this to people attention :thumb:

In some ways makes me glad I've not got warranty.

Over the long-term, even with say an engine failure, it's gotta be reasonably even at least?