ComplaintsforIndependent Dealer Group, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  04/07/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a policy with Endurance back on 3/9/20 , my policy number is SAPEXXXXXXX. At that time my car had 97,000 miles and Endurance approved me for coverage and has been deducting payments from my account. My car broke down on 2/22 and I contacted Endurance and was told to take it the the nearest auto repair shop which I did. The repair shop contacted Endurance, and was told that they were not going to repair the car because it has 197,000 miles, but the correct mileage is 112,000. After I gave Endurance the correct millage Endurance is still refusing to repair my car. I have been paying them for over 2 years. I need my car repaired by the Endurance.

  Business response

  06/08/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/04/22) */ Independent Dealer Group is in receipt of BBB CASE XXXXXXXX and provide the following information. On February 28, 2022 a claim was initiated for the following concerns: Customer states vehicle would not start, Starter test performed-power and ground good. Internal failure on starter. Upon claim initiation a mileage discrepancy was found via CARFAX showing that the vehicle had 105,199 miles at the date of agreement purchase on March 9, 2020. The agreement was updated and proceeded with the claim. On March 4, 2022 a call to the servicing repair facility was made to continue the claim. We were advised by the repair facility that the customer has already paid for the repair. As per the vehicle service agreement under the vehicle service agreement under SECTION THREE - BREAKDOWN COVERAGE; B. IN CASE OF BREAKDOWN; 5) You or the repair facility must provide an estimate of parts and labor costs in order to obtain approval. No claim payments will be made if the Claim Department has not issued a claim approval reference number prior to repairing, replacing, or cleaning any parts. Because no authorization was granted prior to the repairs performed, the claim is non compensable under F. WHAT IS NOT COVERED F.3. CONDITIONS NOT COVERED This Agreement does NOT provide coverage under any of the following circumstances/conditions: (a) Any repair(s) and/or replacement(s) not authorized by Us prior to the commencement of any repair(s) or for loss, damage or expense arising from or incurred in connection with repairs performed without receipt of prior authorization from Us. The customer advised that they would like to cancel the agreement, and provided the information for the seller, as per the agreement under E. CANCELLATION; 1. The Agreement Holder may cancel this Agreement by contacting your issuing Seller. On March 14, 2022 we were advised by the seller that the cancellation was processed effective March 3, 2022. Please contact our office if you have any questions, Thank you, Consumer Response /* (3000, 9, 2022/04/25) */ From: ********* Bradshaw (mailto:**********@bbb-email.org) Sent: Monday, April 25, 2022 9:35 AM To: Better Business Bureau <***********@bbb-email.org> Subject: Re: BBB Complaint ***** ******** (Ref#XX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-X-XXXX) I've Sent All The Documents in Already.

• Initial Complaint

  04/05/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 02/29/2021, I attempted to use an Endurance Warranty I purchased in 2021. There were two significant issues 1) an oil leak and an SRS issue. They approved the oil issue but declined the SRS. The Mercedes Dealership thoroughly explained the cause of the sensor light and the implications if not prepared. An SRS issue disables the airbags and places the rides in danger if an accident occurs. The cause was a shortage in an electrical power cable that ran from the rear battery in the trunk to the front to the SRS electronics. Initially, the adjuster stated that it was a preexisting condition from 2021. The maintenance advisor explained that this was impossible because of 2 different power sources. The adjuster rejected the claim because the cable was wiring from the battery. The result was the claim was not approved, and I paid. The adjuster continued to find reasons for the disapproval. So, please assist me in resolving the issue or at least make the public aware.

  Business response

  05/23/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/04/21) */ Independent Dealer Group, Inc. is in receipt of BBB Case XXXXXXXX and provide the following information. On March 1, 2021 a claim was initiated under the customers vehicle service agreement for the following concerns: 1) Customer states SRS warning lamp has been on sense battery replacement on 5/14/2021. Shop found the pyrotechnical connectors and battery cable shorted. 2) Front Cylinder head gasket cover is leaking. Needs reseal. The claim was authorized for the covered repairs for the leaking seals/gaskets on March 4, 2021, and the servicing repair facility was paid on the final invoice provided on March 13, 2022 in the amount of $1,057.42. As the agreement was issued on September 22, 2022, coverage could not be provided for the battery cables as the failure occurred upon battery replacement on May 14, 2021 occurring four months and eight days prior to agreement issuance. The failure of the battery cables are considered to be a pre-existing condition as defined under SECTION ONE - DEFINITIONS; PRE-EXISTING - A condition and/or failure that within all reasonable mechanical probability and mechanical fitness existed prior to the AREEMENT PURCHASE DATE, or prior to the expiration of the VALIDATION PERIOD. The battery cable replacement is specifically excluded under agreement SECTION THREE - BREAKDOWN COVERAGE; F. WHAT IS NOT COVERED; F.3. CONDITIONS NOT COVERED; (o) Any Breakdown occurring before Breakdown Coverage takes effect. Coverage begins upon the expiration of the Validation Period (if applicable). Pre-Existing conditions are not covered. Please contact our office if you have any questions,

• Initial Complaint

  03/25/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a warranty from smart auto care. The best warranty available at the time. For my 2012 BMW X5 warranty cost close to 6k. Currently my car had broke down March 8th this car has been kept up with all scheduled maintenance. Had my car towed to BMW at my expense even though that was the responsibility of smartautocare also have been without a car now for almost a month and smart auto is responsible for my rental car. From the beginning associate Gay has threatened me about my car searching for ways they can get out of coverage. First with the service records and over nuts and bolts and now associate Gay is trying to blame me for not maintaining car even though I supplied her with all my records. BMW is also telling smartautocare that this is not the responsibility of the customer and is willing to write a letter stating that. While driving an oil leak caused a belt to come apart and shoot into parts of the engine. The bulk of repairs is this and the crankshaft which is covered under the warranty I purchased. Smart auto is arguing when the oil leak occurred. They are say the oil leak was there. Due to dirt. I think it's probably due to the drive I took to big bear in the wet snow. Regardless the arguments they have come up with to get out of coverage of there responsibility are false and further not provable. The mechanic said that this claim is false for smartautocare. I would just like smart auto to cover there obligations. I have been driving my Vespa so they don't incur rental car charges and payed for my own tow. I need smart auto to cover the work needed to fix my car not just partial so we can move forward with these repairs. It's been a month just to get this far

  Business response

  06/01/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2022/04/12) */ Independent Dealer Group, Inc. is in receipt of BBB CASE XXXXXXXX and provide the following information. On March 9, 2022 a claim was initiated for the following concerns: customer states the power steering went out, oil leaking onto belt, that caused belt to break. customer states oil leaking at all times, confirmed valve gasket leaking Tech found front strut mounts are coming apart. Found the front strut mounts to be collapsing sway bay end link boots are torn on the front and rear of the vehicle Tech found once the vehicle was running found the left and right engine mounts are cracked and causing extreme engine vibration To confirm the failures, an independent third party inspection was ordered on March 17, 2022 as per the agreement under SECTIONTHREE-BREAKDOWNCOVERAGE; B.INCASEOFBREAKDOWN; (6) You must authorize any charge(s) necessary to determine cause of failure. This includes necessary diagnostic and tear down charges. If it is determined that the failure does not constitute a Breakdown under the terms of this Agreement, You must pay for all diagnostic, tear down and repair charges. And; (7) You must cooperate in Our investigation of any breakdown. You must allow Us to inspect Your Vehicle if We ask to do so. We have no obligation to inspect Your Vehicle or to certify its condition before or after covered repairs are completed. Upon reviewing the inspectors findings, the claim was authorized on March 22, 2022 for covered repairs as per the terms and conditions of the agreement under SECTIONTHREE-BREAKDOWNCOVERAGE; A.BREAKDOWNCOVERAGE We will repair, replace, or have repaired or replaced any Covered Part which experiences a Breakdown. In case of Breakdown You must follow the procedures in SUBSECTION B, "IN CASE OF BREAKDOWN". We will reimburse You or Your repair facility for preauthorized expenses incurred, less the deductible (if applicable) for the repair or replacement of a Covered Part. Such expense(s) are not to exceed the manufacturer's suggested retail price for a part and the repair facility's published hourly labor rate multiplied by the appropriate operation time as published in a national labor rate time guide. Replacement may be made with new, remanufactured or used parts, which are of a like kind and quality comparable with the original design specifications and wear tolerances of Your Vehicle, at the sole discretion of the Administrator. At this time, we are awaiting the final repair invoice from the servicing repair facility in order to issue payment to the repair facility for covered repairs. Please contact our office if you have any questions, Sincerely, Consumer Response /* (3000, 9, 2022/04/13) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I understand that there are a lot of things being replaced and repaired. Specifically I would like smart auto care to pay for the full repairs. The crank shaft, and the oil leak that occurred while I was driving. There is no way of proving when this oil leak occurred that caused the problem. The mechanic told me they would support me in writing. I don't mind paying for bolts and little stuff that smart auto care doesn't cover but I would like smart auto care to pay for the bulk of this repair that includes the crank shaft and the oil leaks that need to be fixed. I paid for the best warranty available for this reason. I have kept up with all my service and would just like smart auto to honor there agreements with me. Business Response /* (4000, 11, 2022/04/28) */ Independent Dealer Group, Inc. is in receipt of the customer dissatisfaction notice received April 18, 2022 and provide the following response. Independent Dealer Group, Inc. had approved the claim and issued payment for all covered repairs to the serving repair facility on April 15, 2022 The oil leak(s) are long term failures as reported by the independent third party inspector as follows: Inspector verified the oil filter housing is leaking from the left side and much worse on the right side. This is an active leak and oil has covered 75 percent or more of the front of the engine and dripped down the engine to the under body panel. There is also oil saturation seen on remnants of the shredded serpentine belt that came off the car at some point. Inspector was able to verify oil covering the front and back sides of the crank pulley. As per the agreement under SECTION THREE - BREAKDOWN COVERAGE; B. IN CASE OF BREAKDOWN; (1) Take immediate action to prevent further damage. This Agreement will not cover damage caused by not securing a timely repair of the failed component. The belt damage was caused by the aforementioned long term oil leak, and is excluded from covered as stated under SECTION THREE - BREAKDOWN COVERAGE; F.3. CONDITIONS NOT COVERED: This Agreement does NOT provide coverage under any of the following circumstances/conditions; (h) Breakdown of a covered part caused by a non-covered part. Independent Dealer Group believes that our claim decision is in accordance with the agreement, and consider this matter closed Please contact our office if we may be of further assistance, Sincerely,

• Initial Complaint

  03/23/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Smart Auto Care is trying to re-write their contract. The contract clearly states: "Such expense(s) are not to exceed the manufacturer's suggested retail price for a part and the repair facility's published hourly labor rate multiplied by the appropriate operation time as published in a national labor rate time guide." Company is trying to NOT pay the repair facility's published hourly rate. They want to pay some average of local repair shops. Please see Section Three on page 5 of 18 Clause A for the sentence above.

  Business response

  06/10/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/04/18) */ Independent Dealer Group, Inc. is in receipt of BBB CASE XXXXXXXX and provide the following information. Upon review of the claim, we agree to issue a reimbursement for the difference in labor in the amount of $460.80. Proof of payment and confirmation of address was requested via email to the customer and will issue the reimbursement check upon reciept of the requested documentation. Please contact our office if you have any questions, Thank you, Consumer Response /* (3000, 12, 2022/04/28) */ Agreeing to pay is one thing and ACTUALLY paying me back is another. When they pay me what they have owed me for months AND they stop baselessly denying claims there will be an acceptable outcome. Until they actually do what they say they will do and live up to the terms of our contract, their promises are meaningless. Business Response /* (4000, 14, 2022/05/06) */ The reimbursement check was issued to the customer to the address listed on file in the amount of $460.80 on April 27, 2022. Our records indicate that the check cleared our account on May 3, 2022. As the reimbursement check has been issued and cashed by the consumer, Ownershield, Inc. considers this matter closed. Please contact our office if we can provide any additional information. Thank you, Thank you,

• Initial Complaint

  03/18/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Purchased a windshield warranty for a Jeep Wrangler as advised by our car dealership, the stated that Wranglers are prone to windshield damage. We have been submitting claim information since December 2021 with no resolution. Each submission is met with a response that more information is needed. When we send that information they request more or duplicates of what was already sent. Sometimes they say they never received the information even though you can see it attached to the email. After four months we are now convinced this is a scam and they have no intention of replacing our windshield. We are driving around with a crack in our field of vision which is quiet dangerous. When calling their 800 number you sit on hold as long as you can tolerate it.

  Business response

  04/14/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2022/04/05) */ Independent Dealer Group is in receipt of BBB CASE XXXXXXXX and provide the following information. The customer had initiated a claim on December 20, 2021 for the following concern: Customer states rock hit windshield while driving, crack spread, line of view, larger than 6 inches The customer was advised on December 20, 2021 that as per the terms and conditions of the agreement, the following documentation is required in order to proceed with the claim: Claim Form Photos of Damage Photo of VIN Photo of Vehicle Odometer On December 29, 2021 claims sent an email reminder to the customer advising that the aforementioned documentation is required in order to proceed with the claim. On January 11, 2022 an email was received from the customer stating that all of the documentation was sent on December 21, 2021. As the documentation was not found, We had advised the customer to resend the documents. On March 18, 2022 all requested documentation was received, and the customer was advised to have the repair facility call in for claim authorization before any repairs are performed. On March 21, 2022 the authorization for repairs were granted to the repair facility, and are currently awaiting the final repair order from the repair facility in order to process for payment. Please contact our office if you have any questions, Thank you,

• Initial Complaint

  12/06/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Once again, this exclusionary warranty is not worth the paper its written on. The exclusionary warranty CLEARLY covers tie rods. My son's 2011 Jeep Compass with 95k miles needs new front tie rods and this rip off company is denying the claim because there is rust. This vehicle is 10 years old and in a state where there are bad winters and salt on the roads. There is NO way that there would not be rust on the underbody. This is ONCE again a way for them to finagle people out of their cash for the warranty but NO cash out of their pocket for a repair. They also stated that STRUTS were covered and tried to screw me out of that repair too. After many days of back and forth and having a very condescending person tell me I didn't know the difference between struts or shocks the claim was finally honored as it should have been. We need to go to the Attorney General's office as this is ridiculous. If they don't want to cover the repairs then STOP selling the warranty under FALSE pretenses of these things being covered. The small print does not say the tie rods are covered UNLESS you live in a state where there is salt on the roads and you have a used vehicle that is 10 years old. They will do anything to NOT pay for anything and I'm tired of fighting with them over everything that is COVERED but they insist on using something to not pay. This vehicle has not always been in our possession and was purchased two years ago so we can't control whether there is a bit of rust on an underbody in a state where they use salt on the roads because it snows. They are HORRIBLE to deal with and completely condescending if you do get someone in management to actually speak with you. Cover the repair as we paid for it and it's covered under the warranty that was sold to me under FALSE pretenses since they have YET to not give us a hard time over everything.

  Business response

  02/04/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2021/12/28) */ Independent Dealer Group is in receipt of BBB CASE XXXXXXXX and provide the following information. On November 24, 2021 a claim had been initiated for the following concern: Customer States was unable to get aligned needed tie rods, inner tie rods corroded in place. The customer had advised in the complaint: "The exclusionary warranty CLEARLY covers tie rods" . Tie rods are a covered component under STEERING- Steering gear; rack and pinion; rack and pinion mounts and bushings; power steering pump; power steering hoses and couplings; power steering cooler; steering main and intermediate shafts; steering column; steering column bearings; steering column couplers; electronic power steering motor; steering box; pitman arm; idler arm; tie rods; drag link; tilt wheel mechanism; rack bellows; center link; control valve; relay rod. Although tie rods are a covered component under the agreement, as per the terms and conditions set forth under F. WHAT IS NOT COVERED; F.3. CONDITIONS NOT COVERED: This Agreement does NOT provide coverage under any of the following circumstances/conditions: (j) A breakdown caused by the lack of proper and necessary amounts of coolants or lubricants, or resulting from carbon, contaminate(s) and contamination of fluids, environmental damage, foreign object(s), rust or corrosion, sludge, salt, or due to leaking fluids, fuels, coolants or lubricants from non-covered parts. Because the tie rods have not failed, but are frozen due to corrosion/rust the claim is non compensable. Please contact our office if you have any questions Thank you

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