102 Responses to “Is us fidelis auto warranty a scam?”

1. JAMES
   December 23rd, 2008 @ 12:05 pm

   Do you really think people will set up “emergency funds”? Most people will not, so these warranties are a good fall back. As for the number of complaints, have you looked at major retailers such as Walmart or Sears or big companies? You will see numerous complaints there, only because of sheer volume, same here for US Fidelis, they sell hundreds of thousands of warranties a year. Just my 2 cents replying to someone who appears to be jealous of a company making money.

2. Joe
   December 23rd, 2008 @ 6:49 pm

   James,

   I think the fact that many people do not set up emergency funds is a big problem in this country. It’s why so many people depend on the government to help them or get trapped in dead-end jobs for fear of losing that paycheck. I don’t have any problem with a company making money, I just think people should know that their money would serve them better in an emergency fund to save themselves from debt, rather than going to someone else and likely never seeing the money again. Not because the company is unscrupulous, but because they (thankfully) didn’t need the service. Do you think paying for a service you don’t use, and could do with out is a smart use of money? I don’t.

3. DEE
   December 29th, 2008 @ 11:52 am

   James maybe if you would take a bit of time and do your own research on this company you would understand that it is a scam and no one’s hating on a company making money. If you think so why dont you give them a call and see for yourself.

4. Bill
   December 30th, 2008 @ 2:36 pm

   Wouldnt there be more complaints against this company if it was a scam? I mean 809 complaints in the BBB is less than 1% if they have 100,000 customers, and based off the add I would believe that 100,000 is a low estimation. I am not saying they are a scam or not, but all I found on the internet about the company was bad press with no supporting evidence. But from experience Scam companies do not stay in business, reguardless of the company name.

5. Joe
   December 31st, 2008 @ 10:08 am

   Bill, you make a good point about the possibly low number of complaints, but I’m not sure what the customer base is for U. S. Fidelis. What was it exactly in the commercial that leads you to believe 100,000 is a low estimation? In my experience, companies that run scams DO stay in business, though under different names. Remember: not all scams are illegal, most are just incredibly bad deals for the consumer, and are often as close to illegal as possible.
   Here are some examples of investment scams (though the same tricks are used for other scams):
   http://simpledebtfreefinance.com/6-tips-for-spotting-an-investment-scam/

   Tronix is a great example of a borderline scam. U. S. Fidelis is probably not so much of a scam as a bad deal (in my opinion). I’d much rather hold onto my money, earn interest and still have the safety net when I need it than have yet another monthly bill to take money out of my bank account for something I probably won’t need anyway. But that’s just me.

6. Eric
   January 8th, 2009 @ 12:50 am

   I agree with the comment about setting up an emergency fund. Anyone with a balanced budget and that knows how to handle money will see the value of maintaining an emergency fund as well as budgeting for regular car repairs and maintenance.

7. Felix J.
   January 8th, 2009 @ 7:11 pm

   Joe,
   US Fidelis is out to make dollars. It’s up to us, the consumers to protect ourselves by doing research and more research on what we get ourselves into. Buyer beware.
   It is a fact that all businesses will have at one time or another some unhappy customer, it is inevitable as it would be impossible to please people 100% of the time.
   As far as the company being scammers, I doubt that very much. Simply stated you get what you pay for. It is mandatory to say that one has to read the small print. The contract stipulates everything, just take time to read it.
   Take my example, for curiosity sake, I entered my vehicle info for a quote. It is a 1992 Mercedes 500sel. The value of the vehicle is around 8,000 in good condition. My car is good with 75,000 miles on the clock. I bought it for $6,000. They quoted me $1400 per year. It does not pay for me to pay this sort of money as I will take my chances. Mind you that this vehicle has big ticket repairs. If the major repair should arise, I would simply parted for parts and make money.

8. Sheri
   January 14th, 2009 @ 8:35 pm

   Have read a lot of complaints. What about if you decide to cancel? How hard would it be to cancel if you decide to. What time limit do they give. I see good and bad complaints. Want to talk to someone that has had a good experience with them.

9. George
   January 19th, 2009 @ 3:49 pm

   I am a mechanic and I have worked in a 2004 intrepid. It’s one of the must horrilbe cars ever produced but it does not cost over 3000.00 to repair it. This company may or may not be a scam across the board but it is very misleading.. It doesn’t cost 845.00 to repair an alternator either. I personally believe it isn’t worth the money.

10. Joan
    January 28th, 2009 @ 4:26 pm

    I don’t know if this is a scam or not but, I’ve been seeing this ad for a couple of months & every day it airs it has a different phone number which tends to shake my faith.

11. Joe
    January 28th, 2009 @ 5:04 pm

    YIKES!

    The only legitimate reason *might* be to tell what ad callers are responding to. That does give me a bad feeling about the company though…

12. slick
    January 30th, 2009 @ 5:08 am

    man, i guess i’m in bad shape then. too many negative issues eith us fidelis. i just purchased a 2yr warranty from them. gonna take my vehicle in soon for tranny work. we’ll see and keep ya”ll posted.

13. shilo
    February 12th, 2009 @ 9:19 pm

    I cant believe the idiots who are so stupid as to fall for this “extended warranty” crap. Save your money !!! This kind of warranty have been floating around since the late 60’s…… just different rip off company names.

14. dave
    February 16th, 2009 @ 2:58 pm

    I have used allstates extened warrenty sevral times, New engine, new ac and a new computer,
    no problems at all I paid my 50 dollar co pay and that was it. I paid about 800 dollars a year for it but it has paid for it self many times over plus it is nice to know no matter what happens to your car you are covered. I drive a 2000 tran am a pain to keep running but so fun to drive.

15. Julie
    February 16th, 2009 @ 8:37 pm

    USfidelis is a good company, they have paid my claims for me and all I had to pay was $50 deductable for a oil pan gasket that was leaking on an ‘03 Xterra with 47k miles. Also, AMtrust/Warrantech has paid over 7.2 million dollars in claims in just 2008 alone. It’s a faithful company and even though they have a few bad strikes against them, every company does who has this volume of business. By the way, they have different phone numbers on different channels so they can see how many calls they get from FX, TNT, CNN,…so on.

16. Lisa
    February 20th, 2009 @ 11:15 am

    Thanks Julie! I am doing some research on US Fidelis since I have 30 days to cancel. I got warranty quotes for my 2006 Mercedes CLK350 and they were about $800 higher than the other place, but I got 5 years and 100K miles (basically doubles my factory warranty which ends next May). The other place gave me 4 years and 75K miles . $50 deductible as well and paying about $720 a year for the extended warranty.

    Does anyone know about the prorated refund? How good is US Fidelis in paying that if you sell your car? I had another warranty on my other car and when I sold it–I got a lot of it back because of the lower miles….

17. Rick
    February 23rd, 2009 @ 10:17 am

    Yes… It IS a SCAM. These guys have had 5 different names in as many years. They make come-ons to get you to buy…. They will tell you that it costs $2500 or so (dependng on year, model & miles) and give you all sorts of ways to pay. If you decline they start dropping the price… If you STILL don’t buy they start telling you tht unless you buy NOW you will be disqualified from doing so in the future. Then they will start calling you, emailing you and writing you with other discounted offers.

    ANY warranty company should be rated by AM BEST… It is their rating that makes a difference. Auto dealers still have the best warranty IF you want it. They know that if they want your business in the future that they must offer the best warranty.

    So… Want to try US Fidelis? Go right ahead… But you have been warned!

18. Lowell
    February 26th, 2009 @ 5:09 pm

    Julia…
    Could you tell me of your experience with USfidelis? I’m very interested in the Carmor aspect of the warrantee. Did you use Carmor, the product they send out with the contract? Did you have to show proof of usage of the Carmor product?
    Thanks

19. Markus LeChance
    February 27th, 2009 @ 4:18 pm

    This response is to Julie #15 above , you sound like a representative of this u s fidelis warranty company , you seem to know a great deal about how their advertising works , ie: different phone number for different t v
    channel, also , for your oil pan , you say u s fidelis paid your claim after a 50 dollar deductible , well i would pay the claim myself if you gave me a 50 dollar deductible for it should not cost that much to replace the gasket for an oil pan. thanks, M.L.

20. roger bryant
    February 27th, 2009 @ 4:51 pm

    attentio : if you paid for this warranty service with a credit card . take note , federal law states that if you pay for goods or services with a credit card and you do not get what you paid for or the service promised you might not have to pay the balance of what is still owed on the card for that particular charge to that provider of goods and services , however note : you have to try to resolve the dispute in good faith with the provider , such as sending your complaint to them by u s mail certified return receipt requested ( around 5 dollars) and give a reasonable amount of time to the service provider or goods provider to resolve problem . if after you try in good faith , meanng having all your attempts to resolve problem documented ( certified mail) and such contact your credit card provider and state you want to take advantage of the federal law concerning removing a charge for defective goods, service not right , and such , to remove such from your bill , also ask your credit card provider their address for submitting your complaint and charge removal letter with copies of all your complaint letters and letters where you tried to resolve the issue with the company you have the problem. note , only do this for legitimate reason for there is trouble for false claims , good claims ok , and note , this is federal law , read the disclosure provided with your credit card , or ask your credit card company to send you one.

21. Julie
    February 28th, 2009 @ 1:20 am

    In responce to Lowell: the carmor treatment is for higher milage vehicals that would come with the warranty if the vehical is usually over 150k miles. This treatment is just an oil based product to help the engine and transmission run smoother and helps reduce friction. Similar to the products you would find at Auto Zone or Advanced Auto, “Xmax or slick 50″
    I didn’t have to use the product b/c of I have Bumper to Bumper (platnuim) coverage. They do send out a prepaid postcard with the product so the customer can sign and send it back showing they received the product. There hasn’t been any complaints about it. They obviously wouldn’t send out a product that would damage the vehical in any way, because they would then be responsible for the repair.
    Like I said in my previous post, I had no problem with making my claim with the company. Usfidelis is actually only the broker for selling the warranties. They use top rated companys like, Royal Admisitration: http://www.royaladmin.com/
    AMtrust: http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/news.html?d=112945
    Mercury: http://www.mercuryinsurance.com/ (Mitsubishi has used them for over 35 yrs)

    Tier One: http://www.tieronewarranty.com/

    All of these companies are even backed by billion dollar insurance companies, Lyndon Property Ins. American Service.

    In responce to Markus: I paid my $50 ded to the Nissan dealership, if they want to charge $96/hour for labor, they can as long as I won’t have to pay it… and AMtrust are the ones the dealership calls for the claims to be paid.

22. Robert Mullin
    March 1st, 2009 @ 11:15 am

    Just thought I would share a bit. I considered purchasing a warrenty through U.S Fidelis(USF) about a year ago for my mom, as a previously scammed shopper, I talked to them, they wanted $ 1400.00 to cover a 2000 neon, didn’t sound so bad to me.

    I asked them to send me some coverage documentation so I could be sure I understood what it entailed, they said “no, you will get that when you buy the policy” and asked me for my credit card number. So I hung up on them.

    A week later they called back offering the same coverage for $ 1000.00, sounded like a better deal, so I asked them to send me documentation so I could review it, they said “no, you will get that when you buy the policy” and asked me for my credit card number.

    So I asked them if they wanted to buy a bridge in brooklyn for a $ 1000.00 but they weren’t aloud it see it until they bought it.

    Word to the wise, if it ain’t on paper or ain’t in your hand, how do you know what you got?

23. Sammy
    March 5th, 2009 @ 9:57 pm

    Just got a letter in the mail myself from US Fildelis and I own a 2005 Acura TL. I thought I’d look into it because I’d rather be safe than sorry on a $36K car no matter what possibly can occur. They offered me a warranty to 120K miles/4 years for $2,500. They were willing to do everything but to share the documentation of what the warranty did or did not cover. They even went as far to tell me to go to their website to review the information while I put them on hold to make my decision and proceeded to ask for my credit card info. These folks obviously are preying on the weak and ignorant. If a warranty company has nothing to hide, then they would be happy enough to disclose all the information to the buyer so that the buyer can make a sound, remorseless decision. I bet that all those hits on the BBB report are because of lack of disclosure…plus think of all the ones that didn’t respond back to BBB. Some people just give up and don’t know how to react.
    Warranty companies are just like insurance companies but sometimes worse. They make their money on the probabilities that your car won’t break down and if it does, not to the extent to where your coverage outweighs their fees in the long run. If they’re the largest company, then they have a lot of policyholders on board who do not get their cars covered. Be careful and read the fine print and do not let them bully you into making a “infomercial-type” of ACT-NOW decision. You’ll regret it and become another remorseful statistic.

24. sonny
    March 6th, 2009 @ 12:55 am

    I glad I decided to look on this web site before I went to the fidelis web site.  I was very skeptical about the legitimacy of this offer when the person on the phone kept telling me he was going to send me sominthing in between him asking how I would like to pay for the “set up” of the service. It just seems to me that noone really asked exactly they were getting and when exactly they were going to get it. all questions I had planned to clearafiy all of those concerns before I authorize anything and I sure as hell wouldn’t let anyone take any money from me unless I say so!

    The problem I see is that people are letting this company bully them around THAT AIN’T HAPPENING, BELIEVE THAT!

    Let me get on thier website now.
    I’ll get at ya”ll later.

25. jack
    March 6th, 2009 @ 6:12 pm

    I had one of these auto warn. policies a few years back. First of all when I tryed to use it , I couldn’t find a shop that would accept the Insurence. What I had to do was to pay the shop out of pocket and try to collect from the Insurer myself. Then they would tell me I was over charged and they would only pay a (SMALL) portion of the amount I payed. So I agree with the others save your money. Find an honest mechanic and maybe see your bank for a small loan.THIS IS A SCAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

26. us fidelis
    March 11th, 2009 @ 3:56 pm

    I have had my car under warranty with US Fidelis for 10 months now. After buying it, I began to wonder if I made the right decision. About 7 months after buying, my car’s alternator went bad. I paid a $50 deductible and US Fidelis paid the rest. All I need is another repair and this warranty program has paid for itself. The company may seem a little shady at first, but they do fine business in my opinion.

27. Don D
    March 11th, 2009 @ 4:37 pm

    Last year when i signed up they were National
    Auto Warranty, then Dealers Services and now
    US Fidelis. They cant find my name or ant other
    information reguarding my warranty.I paid with
    a visa card but if you make a claim after 120 days visa states that they cant help. Save
    your money they will soon be changing their
    name again to stay 1 step ahead of the state
    attorney

28. Felix J.
    March 11th, 2009 @ 6:31 pm

    Julie #15 and #21 is definitely a USFidelis rep. I can spot them a mile away. The way she explains ABC is a giveaway. The company definitely has many unsatisfied customers. check with the BBB and you will see. If paying for a oil gasket at $50.00 is fine, what did US fidelis really paid????
    One is better off assigning some cash for repairs if and when they come. US fidelis will give you a million excuses for not paying up. They only come thru if it’s some BS repair bill, but not the high ticket items. Believe me when I say that it’s scam. My sister works for them.

29. Julie
    March 11th, 2009 @ 6:58 pm

    In responce to felix, I have the receipt for when they paid the difference on the claim form Nissan, The dealership took care of the whole thing and warrantech the company who actually paid the claim paid in full, allI paid was my 50 bucks. call your local nissan dealership and ask them how much after parts and labor it would be to replace an oil pan gasket on a 03 xterra…see how much it’d be.
    After all USfidelis is just a broker, like geico or progressive insurance, we shop 8 different companies to find the best rate for the customer.

30. Barb
    March 12th, 2009 @ 11:43 am

    WOW! I saw one of their commercials and having just purchased a 2001 Honda Odessey w/105k miles, I thought I would give them a call. I’m glad I Googled them first. But I had dialed the number at the same time I started reading, so I hung up before anyone answered! They called me back! Since I’m at work I answered with out company name and they hung up! Thanks to everyone who has posted their opinions here. Sometimes even those of us who are considered to be intelligent individuals can get sucked into these “great deals”. These forums help keep us aware and able to make a more informed decision. I will NOT be dealing with this company. Thanks again.

31. Barb
    March 12th, 2009 @ 11:54 am

    Does anyone know of any good auto warranty companies out there. I know it is best to set money aside, but there seems to always be something else that the money needs to be used for just before the trans, alternator, water pump, etc goes out. Then I’m caught short of funds! Just thought some “insurance” could be a good idea, if it is really a legit company.

32. Felix J.
    March 12th, 2009 @ 2:00 pm

    Barb #31
    basically there are no good companies out there that will honor their services as we believe they should.
    Their profits prohibits them from really making good on a repair job. Greed is the name of the game. They will put many excuses not to pay up completely. It’s sort of like car insurance such as Geico, Progressive, etc. they make you believe that they will be there when something happens, but if you have gone thru an insurance claim, you know that they are really not “on your side”. Better off saving some money for repairs or even getting a small loan when the moment hits. There are really no good policies when it comes to extended warranties. Like I mentioned in my previous post, my sister works for this company, and they are trained to say “NO”.

33. Debbi
    March 12th, 2009 @ 2:23 pm

    I work at an auto dealership and would like to share a bit of information with you. Many people have their different opinions on extended service contracts and what would work for one doesn’t necessarily mean it would work for another (ie…putting money aside for repairs). The bottom line is; one has to look at Extended Service Contracts as a form of insurance. You might have 0 repairs, you might have 5 and there isn’t anything guaranteeing either! I would let the deciding factor in regards to purchasing a service contract be whether or not you’re financially secure enough to fork out an undetermined amount, for a repair, at any given time. Most can’t. Yes, there are many companies out there that are a scam or are not insured. However there also are good companies out there that are on the up and up. In finding a service contract company make sure they’re willing to send information on EXACTLY what is covered. Unwillingness to disclose this information makes it appear that they’re trying to hide something. Make sure the company is insured. Make sure the coverage can be canceled or transfered. And make sure they cover wear and tear, as without wear and tear coverage you risk a repair being denied due to a part breaking after it’s beyond it’s lifetime expentency (I feel this is a huge “gray” area). I also agree that it is a good idea to purchase your coverage at a dealership, as they do need customer satisfaction so are more apt to have a reliable product. Also, if your claim is denied you should be able to contact the dealership where your vehicle was purchased and they will handle trying to get your repair covered rather than you haveing to do battle with a service contract company. My e-mail is pom@bresnan.net. I can provice reliable coverage on vehicles up to 100,000 miles and am also more than willing to answer any questions you might have in regards to purchasing extended service contract coverage for your vehicle.

34. Mr. Big
    March 14th, 2009 @ 4:50 pm

    I dunno bought all this . See i done purchaised a warranty cuz I do a lot of tearring up in my car see and them those peeps wouldnt cover the costs yo. Me and my girl was in the car late right and you know one thing goes to the next and so on and we done break the window making love. Well, these cats wouldnt pay yo. naw it aint right

35. Debbi
    March 15th, 2009 @ 8:59 am

    Mr. Big, you won’t find an extended service contract that will cover cosmetic things, which is what a window would be considered. The company should have explained what is covered and what is not when you purchased your coverage.

36. BiG GarY
    March 16th, 2009 @ 11:07 am

    First off,Mr. Big is full of caca,lol
    second,I,ve read all these letters and concluded to keep searching for another company,one that does not advertise on tv where it keeps their quotas high to pay for the advertising,these companies biggest expense is advertising,NOT paying claims,and the only way I’d committ to a company like this is if my car has already broke down and i need it fixed now! That would be scamming the scammer so to speak,but careful,they know these things too.

37. Joe
    March 26th, 2009 @ 1:09 pm

    Check out http://www.fidelis-scam.com. US Fidelis is a complete fraud.

38. Dave
    March 26th, 2009 @ 2:55 pm

    I have been in the automotive service business for over 30 years with the majority of those as a new car dealership Service Director. A few things all of you would benefit from is contacting the repair shop you take your car to. If you trust them and really don’t want some other repair shop working on your vehicle, ask them if they work with automotive service contract companies. I can tell you that they will be happy to tell you which companies they work with and the ones that are not worth the paper their printed on.

    It does not matter where you go it’s not cheap to have your vehicle serviced. New car dealership or Joe Blow’s auto repair. I have been asked many times for my opinion on if service contracts are worth the money spent. Honestly, my answer is YES. Life changes daily, I hear people in this discussion saying put your money in a savings account and you will be ahead. I can tell you from personal experience, things happen in life that you don’t expect. I have seen people to the point of tears when they are told what the cost of repair will be on their vehicle. If you live somewhere like here in So. Cal, you cannot be without a vehicle. It’s just not an option.

    I’m sure some of you are thinking if purchasing a service contract is so good then why don’t I have one? I have one on all my vehicles except one (can’t find one on a 68 Dart GTS).

    If some people are looking to purchase a service contract on a vehicle that is still covered by a new car warranty. You can contact the manufacture or local dealership and should be able to purchase the manufactures contract. They are the best in the business. Even if you purchased your vehicle used you can still get the manufactures contract before the basic warranty runs out.

    I have only one more issue to address. This is for George #9. I take issue when someone singles out a particular vehicle and labels it “one of the most horrible cars ever produced”. I own two Intrepids a 2004 ES and a 2000 RT. I finally had my first failure in over 200,000 combined miles. My son the gorilla broke the inside door handle. Kind of minor for one of the most horrible cars ever made. George should know that lack of routine maintenance and abuse are the majority of most repairs.

39. cliffbanga
    March 27th, 2009 @ 2:52 am

    2 days after I purchased this , I left my lights on and killed the battery , well out of the 150 people I asked for a jumped not one of them cold pricks said yeah I’ll help ya, but when I remembered I just had purchased this fidelis shit 2 days previous , I called them up and in a hour and a half some one that contracts with fidelis came to jump me and I made it home, and this was 2 days after I purchased it , so I don’t believe it’s a scam, I believe most of you people that think it’s a scam are idiots that don’t know what you’re talking about, why would a person like RUSTY WALLACE a nascar LEGEND put his name, signature , and back them up, you really think he would trash his legacy for money from a shit business , no , felix J get a life, I need something else fixed soon and I will update this p.e.a.c.e

40. cliffbanga
    March 27th, 2009 @ 3:00 am

    I didn’t pay a single penny for that jump either US FIDELIS came to the rescue!!!!!! I will update soon !!!!

41. john
    March 30th, 2009 @ 5:48 pm

    You need to take the time to read the fine and very fine print on the contract.

    I’ve been in the auto repair business for over 40 years, I’ve dealt with many of these companies. Some are good some are not.

    many have the right to repair your car with used parts. In some cases if the contract runs out with out a claim. You are entitled to most of your money back,if you ask

42. cliffbanga
    March 31st, 2009 @ 10:29 pm

    I’ll take the time to let you know about the new transmission I’m getting next week from the dealership that makes my model, it’s all ready set up, and I did read the fine print , just because you have 40 years experience doesn’t mean your a an honest person! for all we know most of the negatives about this company are probably written from people that work for other warranty companies, trying to make a bad name for fidelis so they can get the people to go to other companies. and if my shit doesn’t get fixed, my uncle is a lawyer so I’ll sue the balls off of them for free, cause my uncle wont charge me! besides my repairs are all ready set up with KIA Motors dealership, not a mom and pop shop, the real deal!!! Plus my warranty is Tier 1 so I’m good!!! and i will definitely be back here next week when I get my car back! have a good honest week!

43. David
    April 3rd, 2009 @ 1:54 pm

    My first comment to this whole argument would be the idea of a warranty is being misconstrued. The warranty is basically a form of insurance. It is protection against the unforseen future. Unlike auto insurance it is your god given right to play the odds that your car will or will not break down and yes the newer your vehicle may be the less likely it may be to a costly repair. We can honestly say the same thing about auto insurance. A person could play insurance premiums for 40 50 60 years of 100 200 300, etc. and never get into an accident because they are impecable drivers but there could be another person that gets into an accident once a year that in they same way pay premiums for 40 50 60 years. Person A may believe that Auto insurance is a waste of money and that the only reason they have it is because its the law and Person B may think that insurance is a god send because they would be up shit creek without a paddle without it. With this example we can illustrate that the basis of insurance is not for one person the basis of insurance is a pooling of societys fund as to disperse the risk among entire society. In the same way, warrantys are not supposed to be looked at for the face value of each case to case. Just like insurance we have to examine the entire society of all the warrantys being administered. Joe Blow A may pay a 2000 dollars and go 5 years and only have a couple hundred dollars in repairs but jane blow may go 5 years and have a 3-4000 dollars in repairs. Who knows? Is that not the definition of risk. So, To buy a warrany or not. If you are the type of financial dinamoe that can diligently budget out every dollar and also put away that security fund than good for you but if you are like the majority of Americans especially right now that live day to day then i suggest a warranty. Also, if we think in terms of todays economic climate and the uncertainty in the face of our largest auto makers who is to say that they are going to be there to back up their warrantys in a year or ten.

44. David
    April 3rd, 2009 @ 2:17 pm

    My next comment would be to “is Us Fidelis a scam” the author of this article leads us to question the marketing practises as being misleading because of the facts and fiqures they present on the commercial and the overall amount of times the commercial is aired on television. A couple of weeks ago I saw a commercial from geico that i could save hundreds of dollars a month by switching my auto insurance to geico and like many people that wish that they had more money in my pocket every month I decided to go to there website and get a quick quote. To my suprise though, they could not save me any money they would actually charge me a couple hundred more dollars every 6 months. Well using the same logic I should be livid because this companies is making falty statements on national television and getting my hopes up. I mean i almost ran out the door and started to spend the imaginary money. Alright enough with the sarcasm. Well we must understand that these fiqures are mostly likely based on averages on what they pay for these particular repairs based on their fiqures across the board whether it be in southern california or in the middle of nowhere wyoming. So yeah these figures could look high to one individual and low to another. Then we look at the how many times these commercials are aired during our favorite shows like csi or our morning news and the idea of our cars most certain end is pounded in our head so that’s all we think about. Should we chaulk this up to bad business practise or incredible marketing. As a small business owner myself I think that we should chaulk this up to incredible marketing not poor business. If we want to start pointing fingers at companies that use this type of media advertising shouldn’t we be more focused on maybe A&B, McDonalds, that guy with the screechy voice that will refinance your mortgage. Geez people watch the disney channel one day and watch how many times they will play cinnamon toast crunch commercials but then the next time you are in the cereal aisle watch what those kids scream run jump for. Don’t be made at the company because you fell victim to marketing.

    Yes, This company just like any other company is out to make a profit. I’m sure that these owners were not just sitting around one day and saying hey lets open a company and not make any money!!!! No these people are like an other business where profit is the goal. Know i don’t if thats true about the author saying there is profit from every extended warranty being sold vs. the repair cost of the cars being worked on. I do know however that most insurance companies biggest profits are generally produced from investing the premiums that are being submitted. I don’t know about the people that are critical of this company but I am not a communist. I believe in capitalism and I enjoy profits that are generated in my business.

45. Don
    April 3rd, 2009 @ 7:03 pm

    Wednesday i signed up for the warranty. Yesterday i cancelled it after redaing the posts. additioanlly i contacted the BBB at St. Louis, MO. Here is the rating for U.S. fidelis ‘F’

    BBB Rating
    Based on BBB files, this business has a BBB Rating of F.
    Reasons for this rating include:
    •Number of complaints filed against business.
    •Number of complaints filed against business that were not resolved.
    •Advertising issue(s) found by BBB.
    Click here for an explanation of BBB Ratings
    The BBB has received numerous complaints regarding this extended vehicle service contract broker. Complainants primarily allege difficulty cancelling policies and obtaining refunds, misleading advertisements, misleading, high pressure or improper sales tactics, poor customer service, failure to pay for vehicle repairs, difficulty contacting the company, misrepresentation of coverage, harassing phone calls and failure to remove names from mailing lists. These complaint patterns are reflected in the complaint statistics below.

    You may access the BBB’s Reliability Report of this company by using the following link:

    http://www.bbb.org/stlouis/business-reviews/auto-warranty-processing-service/dealer-services-in-wentzville-mo-310016763

46. Don
    April 3rd, 2009 @ 10:59 pm

    I want to thank whomever set up this blog on U.S. Fidelis and those who have posted their information to it. When I discussed the poor performance and complaints on the phone with the representative she was ’shocked’. She claimed that the company was unaware of any complaints. “We are just trying to help you get service on your car! Of course if you want to take a chance with your car?”

    This of course after untimely waits and listening to repeated ads claiming benefits and extolling the company. According to the information this company uses ‘bait and switch’ methods and frequently changes addresses and company names and phone numbers. Sounds like a very reputable comany doesn’t it?

    More likely than not it operates out of a basement somewhere with a bank of telephone operatives. I should have checked before I enrolled. But these people were slick. I have over 33 years of federal law enforcement experience and I fell for the “hurry up and take advantage” in a weak moment. As we have all heard “If it sounds too good to be true- it usually is!” Thanks again to all!

47. Steven
    April 6th, 2009 @ 7:55 pm

    To Barb (Post number 31 on March 12, 2009….. As stated by many others here, you have to read the fine print very carefully before signing up with an extended warranty plan that is NOT a Manufacturer’s Warranty (such as GM for example). Firstly, a Manufacturer’s Warranty will be the most expensive.

    I own a Chevy Impala (2000). I got it brand new (back then). The warranty on it was for 3 yrs/36,000 miles (standard warranty). In 2002, I received a letter from GM offering me an extended warranty plan for 5 years/75,000 miles. I called them for clarification. The 5 yrs/75,000 miles was from day 1 of the car and 0 mile, so in effect, the warranty plan they were offering me was only for an additional 2 years or 29,000 miles to what I already had. They wanted $1,500 for that plan. I asked them if they offered a 7 year/100,000 mile plan, and they quoted me $3,500.

    I decided to look elsewhere, as that was way too expensive for me. I found something through AAA (called Member Care). They were not the insurers, but they acted as a broker, and transferred me to an underwriter for an extended warranty plan. I got a quote from them for an additional 5 years (from the date I enroll) or 100,000 miles on my odometer (whichever came first). Their quote was $1,500. The coverage was Bumper-to-Bumper coverage, but there were a lot of exclusions. They sent me a booklet which itemized EVERYTHING that was covered, and also listed things that were NOT covered. I had to buy the plan while my current warranty was still in effect. The longer I waited, the higher their quote was (as they based their quote on the current mileage on my car before purchasing their plan).

    Overall, I purchased the Member Care plan, and I was satisfied with them. In the 5 years that I had them (the 1st year of the plan didn’t count, because I was still covered under the original GM plan), I definitely got my money’s worth. They did deny several claims, and at one point, they had issue with how much Labor the place I was going to charged, but I got them to pay it. For the most part, my biggest gripe was their response time (from the point of bringing my car in for work, to the point when they paid the place for it). For what could have been only a 2 hour wait, would cost me an entire day without my car. By the way, the plan cost me $1,500 (stated before), and I had about $4,000 worth of repair/claims that they paid out for my car (so I definitely got my money’s worth).

    Now, I have another plan (because my car has over 100,000 miles on it), and I will NEVER do that again. The catch with a high mileage car is, they won’t pay out a claim for a repair if it is more than the Blue Book (or equivalent) value of the car. Also, for a high mileage car, there is even LESS that they are willing to cover. In fact, a lot of these extended warranty plans will ONLY cover you up to 120,000 miles.

    The plan I currently have, I would AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!!! Their name is “Auto Repair Warranty.” They have denied more claims of mine than they have honored. 1 such claim was for my transmission…. about 16 months ago i had my transmission rebuilt (this was under the Member Care plan). They covered it in full. The place I went to had done horrendous work. I kept going back to them every few weeks. They finally replaced something that seemed to have fixed the tranny issue, and the car was fine for almost 3 months. Now, the tranny was past its 12,000 mile/1 year warranty from the mechanic, and it died on me. Prior to that happening, it gave me signs of a breakdown, and I had brought it to a different mechanic. Now, I was under this new warranty plan (with “Auto Repair Warranty”), and they said that I had to go back to the original mechanic. I told them that I did not trust them, and did not want to, and they said that if I didn’t go back to the original mechanic, they would not cover it. Well, I went back, and after all the hoops they made me jump through, they said that they were not going to cover it, because it was already rebuilt.

    I could go on, but I think I’ve said enough.

48. Natasha
    April 8th, 2009 @ 2:26 pm

    US FIDELIS IS A SCAM!!!!!! They use used car dealership tactics to bully you into buying their coverage WITHOUT seeing anything in writing first!! Do not buy an extended warranty from them….they are a bunch of sharks!!!!!

49. Heather
    April 9th, 2009 @ 1:23 pm

    Us Fidelis is a scame i use to work there when it was called National Auto Warrenty Services.. that was a year ago and they have already had to change thier name… they teach you to just ignore what the customer says and say your speach and get you sent straight to a sales person and in reality its to confuse the customer enought to just go along with it… but it cancels out your warranty that you have with the dealership and if you don’t keep up with regular oil changes and everything its automatically void so the best thing is get them to not call you … they are out of wentzville missouri but they use an auto dialer out of florida… they also teach you to evade all questions on like what the number is for the company or where your located for reason to keep people from contacting them in any way… i also ask that when they do call some of them only work there to support thier families and to be a little curtious … when i worked there for 2 months all people did was threaten me atleast 20 times a day i was 3 months pregnant and scared to work there anymore thanks to people threatening me but i needed the job for my sons sake…

50. Rick
    April 12th, 2009 @ 1:18 am

    Of course ALL insurance is simply… Playing the odds. The difference between US Scamdelis (US Fidelis) and the legitimate warranty companies IS that US Fidelis plays the odds a little differently.

    Someone posted that they have 100,000 customers… Let’s say that it is ten times that, or, 1,000,000 customers! The fact is that not ALL of these people will ever use their warranty in the lifetime of the contract! So, playing the odds… Let’s say that only 20% will ever need to use their warranty. It will be more than that but let’s use 20% for easy math. Since they are targeting down-on-their-luck customers with up to 200k miles on their vehicles and usually those with poor credit… It will be more for sure!

    Anyway… It’s all a game. Who makes a claim? Who wants to push that claim? Who wants to COMPLAIN about the response to their claim? The fact is that the complaints you see on the Internet are, by human nature, only a small percentage of the actual complaints that exist. Fo every one you see… There are 9 other fuming mad customers that have been taken!

    US Scamdelis plays the odds that they can pocket your money and that, if the need for you to make a claim arises, they can talk you out of it! Or ask to see their list of non-covered items! (You’ll get it in the mail 3 weeks AFTER you pay for the contract!) They will deny claims at the dealer or auto shop and basically DARE you to make a claim. Since it is easier for most people to just get pissed off and fume alone… They know that most will just suck it up and move along! They PLAY THE ODDS!

    They say the SCAM is better than a “dealers” warranty! Bullcrap… At least you get to see what the dealer covers! Personally I never buy a warranty on a new car… Only a used one IF I like it enough… But US Scamdelis KNOWS that, if they are covering vehicles up to 200K miles that there will be A LOT of pre-existing conditions. So… You will not be covered. Just TRY to find ANY waranty company ANYWHERE ON THE PLANET that will cover you with NO INSPECTION PRIOR to coverage! You will NOT find anyone that does! But US Scamdelis will because they have NO intention of paying ANY claims! See how well it works!? See how you can become rich off the sweat and bad luck of others?

    Google the company! They have changed their name several times to get away from the bad press of being SUED! Now they have the NASCAR circuit… They are bound to become rich off the good old boys… Also… They proclaim to be a “Faith Based Company”… I guess that means that they expect you to pray you never need to make a claim. Because Jesus is the only one who may be liable to help you if you buy this worthless crap… When was the last time you saw Jesus working on a car?

    US FIDELIS IS A SCAM OF THE HIGHEST DEGREE…. STAY AWAY!

51. Robert
    April 12th, 2009 @ 11:45 pm

    I was shopping around for additional coverage on my vehicle and like many others saw the wonderful USFidelis commercials so I decided to call them and was pressured to purchase their warranty. I told the rep that I was doing research and he said that the company has been in business for over 20 years but failed to mention under diffent names. I was quoted 2900 for an 02 Honda but after telling the rep AGAIN I was just researching he asked me did I owned a Honda before and I said yes and he said “we have a loyatly plan for Honda” and then quoted me 2200. I found this a joke and said thanks but I’m just quoating right now and I was told that my file will be placed in a delete file and will not be allowed to call back because the company didnt want to risk me calling to get coverage when my car is broken down. I was a bit leary at this practice and good thing I didnt jump at the sense of urgency. This whole time he only wanted my CC number and never answered none of my questions. I wouldnt call this company a scam but I wouldn’t give them a dollar until I reviewed their information. I thank everyone for posting their buyer beware comments and even thank the USFIDELIS (I know who you are) workers that posted their comments. I’ll keep looking for another warranty, any suggestions?

52. Rick
    April 13th, 2009 @ 8:18 am

    Yes… You can CERTAINLY see who is a US Scamdelis rep around here. If you Google the company you will find they have a lot of Internet Techs whose sole job it is to track down Internet sites like this and try to keep it from getting onto the first page of responses on the various search engines.

    Good luck! It will never happen… You see the word SCAM beside them more than anything else.

    I reread some of the posts above and saw one where the guy asked why Rusty Wallace would put his name on this if it wasn’t a good product. The answer is simple… THEY ARE HIS SPONSOR NOW! They pay his bill and have their name all over his car! When the company blows up and ends up on 60 Minutes, during the interview he will simply say, “Look… I just drive cars I don’t fix them!” … And he will be of the hook. It’s called MONEY! People do just about anything for it. ESPECIALLY when they need a sponsor for racing!

53. Don
    April 13th, 2009 @ 5:52 pm

    “You have to read the small print”. Sounds good. How many have read the small print from U.S. fidelis? If you have dealt with them you on the telephone signing up how many have a contract available before you sign up?

    Interestingly they appear to be using a new commercial which does not feature the name : U.S. fidelis. All the former information seems to be there. They should have examples of their contract online on their website.

    They wanted $2000 for my 2008 Ford Taurus with less than 10,000 miles. That is a piece of change. Plus the warranty isn’t in place till at 1000 miles.

54. Don
    April 13th, 2009 @ 5:54 pm

    I have been reading comments from ‘Julie’. She appears to be very informed about the company. I am certain that I spoke with her when I called U.S. fidelis.

55. Robert
    April 13th, 2009 @ 10:50 pm

    I called again and asked USfidelis some questions but couldn’t get any straight answers. I asked if they use authentic or generic parts and couldnt get a straight answer. Has anyone filed a claim and what type of parts did they use?
    Julie, since you work for USfidelis, would you be able to tell me if they will allow Honda parts or not?

56. Julie
    April 13th, 2009 @ 11:14 pm

    Robert:

    Yes, since Honda does all the work, just as if you were to bring it in there w/o a warranty and you would be paying for repair, the only different is with the warranty, the warraanty company pays with corporate credit card.

    Update on the Nissan I have, took to Nissan St. Charles, they charge $120/hr… I went in for state safety inspection and emmissions and to redeem free oil change, they found that my rear main seal and coolant gasket were leaking ( not that I knew of) but I paid my $50 ded and Amtrust paid for it all, 6hrs of work each they quoted, plus parts and diagnosis = $1333.00. This is with my B2B coverage. I was sure happy. Then I went to auto tire and had new brake pads put on and had my tires rotated and they charge 90/hr they said my power steering pump was leaking, I said ok, fix it.
    Covered under warranty, even sent out an inspector because the claims were made within a couple days.. He even ok’ed it and that was covered, I just had to pay for a flush. Over all my warranty has already paid itself off.

57. George
    April 14th, 2009 @ 8:46 am

    For dave 38:
    When I was typing my response I should have clarified the 2004 intrepid as being unreliabe in regards to the transmission and not so much as the entire vehicle. My fault on that but I used that vehicle because of the commercials us fidelis are using. I did some reaserch through google I course and it has an average rating overall but a horrible rating for the tranny. Also think about this do you think that us fidelis would use automobiles in their commercials that have a good reliabilty ratings? I haven’t seen any hondas, mercedes, bmw’s or american made trucks in any of them. You at correct though so my fault for insulting your car.

58. Robert
    April 14th, 2009 @ 8:17 pm

    Julie,

    Thanks for the info!!! However, I went to my local Honda dealership to see if this was an accurate statement and their response was NO. I was told that USFidelis will allow customers to use their shops (Honda) for repairs but when Honda submits the claims to the company it is rejected. It was also mentioned that the company pushes for rebuilt or “generic” parts. So Honda will not do the work on the vehicle because they do not put generic parts in their cars. So if I purchase this warranty I’ll be stuck on either using “generic” parts or paying the difference from what USfidelis seems fit vs what Honda charges. My local dealership doesnt deal with the company any more because of the issues that was experienced in the past so I would say the statement is not 100% true. One of the Honda techs mentioned that usfidelis claimed a part should cost 100 dollars where honda charged 550 bucks. I dont remember the part but that’s just one example of what they used. I’m looking at purchasing a warranty but if its not worth it then I’ll just put the 2k aside and sell my car for parts when it breaks down.

59. Julie
    April 14th, 2009 @ 8:56 pm

    Robert,
    I’m really suprised to hear that. Keep in mind, USF is the broker for these warranty administrators. Ask them about Royal admin, AmTrust, Warranty America, Tier one. Those are a few that we use. Also I’d call another Honda dealership to get a second opinion. May just be that dealer, not sure. There is also a company in FL called US Fidelity, not get to confused with us… That is a newer place that opened, bad reviews from what I’ve seen.
    From my expirience all the companies we use pay with corporate credit cards to pay claims and that is the main thing dealerships look for. I’ve never had a problem calling one on conference call with a customer.

60. Robert
    April 14th, 2009 @ 9:38 pm

    Ok, I’ll call another dealer but can you comment on the generic parts vs. Honda parts.

61. Julie
    April 14th, 2009 @ 10:20 pm

    To the generic parts, I didn’t have a problem at Nissan, they didn’t question using OEM or Nissan parts. But when I went to AutoTire they did bring up the cost difference on using Generic (Napa parts) or using OEM… I Don’t know what they ended up using to be honest. I figure any new part would be better than a used part by far, but I since I don’t work in the claims dept at the actual warranty admin. place I don’t know what they are “supposed” to use.

62. Rod
    April 15th, 2009 @ 1:10 pm

    Boy, what a load. I hope I never have to deal with a Nissan dealer for that price. You think if they suckered you in for that price, they would have found all of the other faults also. Instead of paying US Fidelis, pay US Bank and just start a car repair fund. Put that $150 a month into the fund and use it if needed. If over a 5 year period you don’t use the money, use the money as a down payment on a new car if you want. That would be a good way to get a head start. Why pay thousands to a company that you might not be able to trust? If you want to take your car in for every little thing and pay $50 every time, it may come back and bite you in the butt. The company might drop you, or the mechanics might get tired of seeing the car and give you less then quality service. Everyone has to make there own bed and sleep in it also. If you choose wrong, you will pay. If you choose right, you can sleep well at night knowing that you made the right decision.

63. Julie
    April 15th, 2009 @ 5:37 pm

    My has paid itself off, I paid 1195.00 Oct 2007 for my warranty and I’ve had total of 2200 approx paid out. total deductables paid 150.

64. Angela White
    April 17th, 2009 @ 2:48 am

    Someone stated on their comment that the 809 complaints are about 1% of the companies business, where are they getting this statistic? Do they own one of the many names US Fidelis uses? 809 complaints are a red flag! I just checked with the Phoenix BBB and the rate the company with an F (the lowest score a company can receive). I call this another red flag. I never heard of this company until today when my husband came up to me excited about a phone call he just got off from and Jason offered him at first $2,475 to warranty our 1994 Toyota Corolla with 146,000 miles and he said he had to discuss it with me first and then dropped the price to $2,175 and gave the excuse that this offer is good only until tomorrow morning. (This was my first red flag), but instead of knocking him down for what he thought might be a good deal, I said I would look into it. My advice to him, call back and tell Jason to put us on his do not call list with verification. Also, one red flag he had was that when he asked for a brochere of what is covered and what is not, he was told that to company does not send out brochures to keep the prices down but all he had to do was go on http://www.usfidelis.com and the information was there. I went on the website and they exclude: cosmetic items, with no futher detail and at the bottom it states that this is an example of a contract and to refer to your contract for details. One person got the contract and when she needed to have her AC replaced which shows up in her contract and also the example that I just visited, the company changed the contract without notice to exclude AC in the state of Florida without giving her any notice and refused to pay. I would call the another red flag. In Arizona we have a Lemon Law/Auto Warranty fraud which just helped me to win a $17,000 lawsuit for a repair shop who vilated their warranty and tore up our mercedes. (1979 that we loved) and now missing the entire fuel system.
    I suggest that if a company shows any red flags like the high pressure to buy now or have misleading advertizement the BBB recognizes, it is best to put the $240 back and the $81 payments over the next 60 months in the bank for emergency and you will comeback a winner. My 1994 has cost me $2000 in repairs after it hit the 100,000 marker and that is all I’ve paid for it since my father left it to me in 2001. He had nothing ever go wrong with the car. if you spread $2000 over the 14 years, and it would have cost you $7500 on the warranty if purchased, we by far have come out ahead. Somtimes its important to get a good quality vehicle and keep the oil changed regardly and do preventative maintenance and you won’t need auto warranties the take your money and leave you high and dry when you need a repair that is suppose to be covered under a one-sided contract that you have to purchase before you can even see the details or fine line print.

65. Don
    April 19th, 2009 @ 1:05 pm

    It is interesting how ‘Julie’ frequents this forum defending U.S. fidelity. When I first contacted U.S. fidelis I spoke with a ‘Julie’. You would think that she would at least use an alias.

66. Pmac
    April 19th, 2009 @ 8:31 pm

    I don’t think the number of complaints can be compared to the number of customers. It should be compared to the number of claims. Maybe 100,000 customers 800 complaints but only 2,000 claims. That would up the percentage quite a bit. Many more would still be waiting for their “ripoff”.

67. Steve
    April 21st, 2009 @ 12:49 pm

    I think it’s “curious” when people post replies in a forum and then when post again offer new information that surely would have been given in the first place. Especially “curious” when they’re eventually telling us why they can be “believed” because they have such special access to knowledge that no one else has or trashing what others have said by accusing them of secretly having a financial interest in the company. Personally, when someone tells me that they can be believed, that’s when I know for sure they can’t be. Even as prevalent as the internet is today, these online bulletin boards have little to zero impact on business. It’s laughable to think that it would be worth a company rep’s time to post defensive comments to trolls making uninformed and inflammatory statements. Bulletin boards might actually be worth something if it weren’t for the trolls and the just plain stupid. I’ll bet Felix has other imaginary sisters that work at other companies that he likes to trash without any real reason too. There probably all named probably Julie. haha

68. MSNBC Thinks U.S. Fidelis Auto Warranty is a Scam Too! (Video) | Simple Debt-Free Finance
    April 24th, 2009 @ 8:44 am

    [...] I get A LOT of reader comments on my December post, Is us Fidelis auto warranty a scam?. [...]

69. Elliot
    April 30th, 2009 @ 4:57 pm

    Did any one out there ever hear of Geico Car Ins. It may not be available in every state and I do not work for them. However Geico has been my Ins. Co. of choice for over 30 years. Most car warranties are 3-36.You have a choice down the line of either getting an extended warranty from the car dealer or some place else.Part of my car ins has what’s called mechanaical breakdown coverage with a $250.00 deductable. No other ins co offers it. This is my extended warranty.The premium is part of my car ins and is very low.All of you out there should check it out.

70. Don
    May 1st, 2009 @ 11:29 am

    I just responded to the advertisement. The customer service agent I talked to was very helpful and was very professional. Keep in mind they are sales people, they will try to close the sale in any way they can, cant blame them for that. I called in to get info on the service, and to be honest dont think it is a terrible deal by any means for some people. I will break it down below with the quote I received.

    US Fidelis charges an up front fee, what I was told was $295.00 and would set up montly payments of $222.22 for the next 18 months to give me a 5 year 80,000 mile warranty on my vehicle. (You can negotiate this, but not by much). This would end up costing you a total of $4295 within 18 months including your 1 time set up fee. Sooo…if your looking for this warranty to cover the little things that happen over time on your vehicle you will be spending more than what its worth with the warranty considering that any time I have replaced small parts such as an altenator costing about $200 once every 3-6 years if not longer or tie rods or ball joints for a couple of hundred that have a long life expectancy probably not even doing one time with your vehicle before it hits 180,000 miles. There is a laundry list of small nickel and dime parts. If your worried about your motor or your transmission then this would be a great option for you considering the costs to repair those things. In some cases alone the motor would cost more than what you would pay for the warranty, this does not include the labor portion. But lets face it, if you change your oil and other fluids when needed and dont drive like a jerk then these two things should last a long time, there are many cars on the road with 150,000 miles or more that drive on our roads perfectly every day.

    Going back to what some above had said and considering the costs of the service plans available I will put my money into a savings account, all $4295 over the course of the next 18 months. I will probably end up selling or trading in my car within the next 3-5 years, as most people will decide to do themselves and will have $4295 plus interest compounded that I can either keep saving or apply towards the purchase of a new car. For those of you that dont know this, these warranty groups do the same thing with the money you pay in, they pay administrative costs then throw the excess into a high interest account so the money grows and they can keep paying out the claims and still show high profits, just like insurance companies. lol.

    Again, this service is not for everyone and it makes perfect sense to certain people to purchase these warranties. US Fidelis is filled with high quality staff and warranty agents and because of that fact would be my only reason to extend my warranty through this company.

71. Elliot
    May 1st, 2009 @ 4:25 pm

    Don,I’m sure you have seen all the Ins.Co adds on TV saying that they can save you so much money per year over other Ins Co. Big deal! What good is saving $300.00 a year if your car breaks down and it is out of warranty and you need $2500.00 to repair a trany,or engine etc. Hello credit card. All I am saying is check out Geico,ask about the mechanical breakdown Ins.

72. meredith
    May 4th, 2009 @ 6:15 pm

    If you are like me with an older car that is expensive to repair that you just dont seem to be able to rely on, then the US Fidelis extended warranty is a pretty good deal. Never mind the fact that throughout your contract you may not need to replace any of the big expensive parts in your car. The warranty gives you peace of mind, knowing that at any moment my car could stop dead on the freeway, I won’t have to stress, take out loans, work extra hours, or dip into savings to take care of the auto repair. The monthly payment is a little bit much for me, but it is a much safer route to go, than to risk having to pay thousands and thousands of dollars all of a sudden at any point.

73. Joe
    May 7th, 2009 @ 8:10 pm

    I’ve been a customer of US Fidelis for a year now and recently I had to get my car fixed. The guy who helped me on the phone was nice. I got my car fixed and US Fidelis paid for it with no hassles. I think it all depends on who helps you when you call in.

74. antone
    May 11th, 2009 @ 9:21 pm

    this is for the guy that said he just got a 2 yr warr. from them the lowest years you can get is 3 people like you make companies look bad just so you can look important… and I have had a 96 ford and made my money back with a warr. with US FIDELIS it helpd me out so much I got one for my mom and girlfriend

75. matt
    May 11th, 2009 @ 9:47 pm

    don must have a benz or bmw cause my warr. was only 2975 and I have had 1900 in repairs in the 2yrs I’ve had it and I have 3yrs left and I will renew it if I can cause its an older car I love it =)

76. Jr
    May 13th, 2009 @ 8:02 pm

    For Joe #73, Antone #74, Matt #75 or anyone who has purchased a policy from US Fidelis. Can you all provide me with the name, address and phone number of the shop that you had your repairs done at. I would like to verify myself instead of all the “he said she said”. Doing your homework is not just reading what someone has to say, but checking the references. Everyone has an opinion, but everyone knows what opinions are like, ????, everyone has one…Peace out.

77. vic
    May 19th, 2009 @ 9:50 pm

    I can say this, with all of the negative review,im gonna cancel my policy tomorrow.The one thing they also dont tell u is that the policy is only good up to the book value of your car.So if u own a older car,you could be paying more for the warranty than what the car is worth and once you have gotten repairs up to the value of your car,the policy is voided..Whether youve had the policy 5 years,or six months, one your repairs exceed your cars book value,thats it for your policy.So if US Fidels pays or not cause i dont know,u better hope that the value of your car well exceeds how much you pay for the policy…FYI mine came up to 1600 dollars..

78. John
    May 29th, 2009 @ 12:57 pm

    I just bought a mustang convertable 2006..when I called for a price on a warranty, us fidelis started to try and use the “SCARE” tactic on me..telling me about the transmission and or power train costs but when I started asking about the replacement of the top he said it would not be covered, radiator replacement, not covered..I told him I was going to pass because normal wear and tear I could pay for myself…I have had many vehicles in my life owning a business for over 30 years and I have never had a power train break..Maybe I have just been lucky but this US Fidelis just didnt pass my stink test…..#30.00 or forty dollars a month for the insurance might be worth the gamble but $2500. friggin dollars? I dont think so….

79. Marie
    May 29th, 2009 @ 6:36 pm

    USF saved me. My car wouldnt shift out of park on Memorial Day. The next day it was towed to the dealership, I received a rental car, and 2 days later it was repaired (including some AC and brake work). The bill totalled close to $1700 and I paid $100 deductible only. I am a single parent living paycheck to paycheck. I don’t know what I would have done without USF.

80. Jr
    May 29th, 2009 @ 7:58 pm

    Marie #79 Can you give me the name and number of the shop you took it to. I would like to verify the repairs that was done. I want to verify some repairs done so i can make a decision to buy it or not.

81. Big Dawg
    May 29th, 2009 @ 11:58 pm

    US Fidelis along with stoprepairbills.com and several others are sister companies run by the same people. They are in fact ranked with an “F” rating by the Better Business Bureau. They are based in Missouri which is ALSO the home of “World American LLC” which runs a telemarketing auto warranty company who when you refuse to buy their services cuss you out. If you are unfortunate enough to sign up and they get your credit card number, they bill you for huge amounts in excess of what you contracted for. World American LLC is based in Joplin Missouri at 1515 W 10th Street, Joplin, MO 64801

82. Marie
    May 30th, 2009 @ 4:51 pm

    Eddie Accardi in Pompano Beach, FL (Alex) 954-943-6700.

83. josh
    May 31st, 2009 @ 11:22 pm

    your right i think us fedelis is a scam so far i have had my car in the shop for 2 weeks and they havent even decided if they are going to send an agent to check it out ive been patiant and ive been waiting and it hasnt gotten me any where but you never know they could help just saying im not seeing it

84. PeshoBG
    June 1st, 2009 @ 11:17 pm

    In general, you should only purchase insurance for something that you absolutely can’t afford to pay for if it goes wrong.

85. Worked There
    June 7th, 2009 @ 4:07 am

    People, Shouldn’t you always read a contract before you commit to buy? Why do you think US Fidelis sells these without letting you see the contract? Why are they being investigated by 40 state attorneys general? Why is the state insurance department in Missouri investigating them? Why did the owners of this company receive the subpeona, but not show up? Why is the president of the company building a $17 million dollar mansion (with an underground passageway???)after only being in this business for approx 6 years? Would you buy anything from an ex-con that spent time in the federal pokey for counterfeiting money? I could go on and on and on………

86. Raderek
    June 9th, 2009 @ 5:21 pm

    Well, I purchased a extended warranty from US Fidelis. For starters, they give you 30 days to get the upfront money you pay for the warranty. I bought it without reading this posing first (hopefully it’s not a mistake). But I bought a 97 Audi with 117,000 miles, roughly. As some of you may or may not know, this is a expensive car to maintain and holds it value pretty good. But, when I called, I got the B2B “Platinum” Warranty. They said if anything goes wrong, besides normal wear and tear, then it would be covered. They gave me a short list (2 to be exact) of dealers I could take it to in my area (I live in Detroit). So I chose a very reputable company. I just called them after reading this post, and they told me that they do honor US Fidelis BUT make sure that they use a company credit card. Hmm…seem like this dealer has dealt with them before, but they also told me that if any parts were to get replaced, that it was up to US Fidelis if they wanted to pay for used/refurbished parts or new parts. I got a pretty good deal, price wise for the warranty (about $2775 for 5 years/100,000 miles with $50 deductible). I’m not sure how soon I will try to put the warranty to use, but I’ll definitely update once I do.

87. Ben Wells
    June 9th, 2009 @ 8:04 pm

    US Fidelis has had SO MUCH bad press these last few years. It seems to be pretty much warranted from what I’ve seen though. I run a site where we review auto warranty companies - I’m going to refer my readers to this post, as right now it is a much better reference for what people think of US Fidelis. Here is our little discussion so far:

    US Fidelis Auto Warranty

88. InTheNameofScience
    June 10th, 2009 @ 12:33 am

    Just want to let everyone know that I purchased a warranty from US Fidelis and the packaged arrived today with my contract. Appears that there is more “fine print” than what the salesman leads you to believe (no surprise there). So for all intents and purposes (since I plan on cancelling within 30 days), I will use this opportunity to enlighten others with what will unfold during this (what’s soon to be) painful and costly cancellation process.

    The package I received today includes my contract, along with 2 bottles of lubricant (1 for tranny, 1 for engine). I remember the salesman stating that I would need to add this to my engine and transmission, fill out the postcard that states I did this, sign it and send it back. Now, I don’t know about you, but pouring lubricant from some “no name” company into my car makes me skiddish. Anyhow, I thumbed throught the fine print of the contract which is approx 5 pages long (not bad) and found many things to dispute. Here are a couple to make you think….
    1. They give you a 30 day Money Back Guarantee. But “How Much” money do they give you back? Well, according to the contract they state “All cancellations will be calculated by time and mileage factor from the inception date, less a $75 cancellation fee.” So basically if I mail them back the unopened fluids, they will give me back approximately $45 (or less) of the $120 I originally paid? Wow, what a deal…and I had to eat the shipping costs to send it back.
    2. If your a do-it-yourselfer like me, it appears it would take a lot of effort to get a claim through. In a nutshell, you have to document all oil changes and keep all verifiable receipts and….”the vehicle must be maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule. Service receipts and invoices must be presented in the event of a claim.” Ouch, all that MUST be presented for a claim to be processed? How many people do you know that keep strict records?
    3.(My personal favorite) They only pay up to a certain amount on these repairs. 3k for engine, 2k for tranny, $1500 for transfer case, $500 for Electrical, $500 for AC. That totals to $7500 (if my math is correct). Once any of these repairs are done, this is what they say, “If WE pay the Limits of Liability as stated, this Limited Product Warranty will become fully earned and no more claims can be made.” Are you ready to sign….

    It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what’s going on here. They rope you in, pressure you into staying on the phone and paying for this useless warranty with a $120 down payment. Once you try to cancel, you only get a fraction back. Can you imagine the kind of money they make off of the cancellations alone? Anyways, that’s it for now, I’ll keep you informed as time goes on. -Thanks

89. a
    June 11th, 2009 @ 2:08 pm

    the company is a scam company…duping people to purchase a paper protection plan …but when it comes time to call in a claim that should be covered…thier CLAIMS SPECIALIST…..OR SHOULD I SAY CLAIM DENIEL SPECIALIST ..will deny the claim due to a clause in thier policy or a presumed pre existing condition..they will assume THAT CONDITION was present without even a vehicle inspector coming down to the repair facility to verify claim……un fair to the consumer…LET THE BUYER BEWARE!!!!!!!

90. grant
    June 12th, 2009 @ 8:03 pm

    The majority of repairs on a car usually involve the basic maintenance that isn’t covered in the plans, such as plugs, wires, and brake pads and perhaps exhaust systems. the “major” repairs like trannys and waterpumps can be expensive…. but not as expensive as they advertise and they don’t happen often enough to merit insurance to cover them. i’m a mechanic…. i would love to get a vehicle in with a tranny replacement and make close to 4k on the deal! or an alternator and get 845 for it! my advise, if the repair shop quote is outrageous then go get another quote.
    I think too many people get scared into these shady business deals. Its the whole “what if” scenario. what if i can’t afford to get my car fixed?! i wouldn’t get to work or be able to take the kids to the hospital if something happens! although there are a few cases where the customer does come out on top, majority of the people throw away money. then the ones who came out on top continue to purchase it thinking its a safe investment and eventually end up throwing away money too.

    Here’s a good way to test whether its worth it. get a quote from these people and use that quote to set up your own personal car repair account. for example: if your quote is 2800 a year then put 234$ a month into a secret stash account(perhaps into a safe at home or an account opened at a bank). when your car needs repaired deduct it from that account(not counting the cost of brake pads, plugs, wires, oil changes or anything else not covered). at the end of the year see if the balance is negative or positive. if its negative then it was a good plan…. for that year. try it for 2 more and see how much money you would have thrown away.

    When people think of the total cost of repairs they spend on a car they usually add in brake jobs, tires, alignments, exhaust, plugs, wires, fuel/oil filters, oil changes, air filters, wiper blades, and any fluids added. take those out and the amount you actually spend on repairs drops drastically (in rare rare rare cases… some people seem cursed. i suggest those people buy a bicycle)

    Also if you don’t keep up on regular maintenance then the coverage is void and if you do keep up on maintenance then the odds of major repairs are greatly reduced.
    If the timing belt breaks and you bend valves because of it then its not covered if the timing belt is listed as part of routine maintenance

    Warning though, one good experience can dupe you into a bad investment. if a person wins at playing slot machines and they leave the casino with more money then they started with then next time they go to a casino they’ll be drawn to the slots. in actuality the odds of winning on slots are horrible especially when compared to the ratio of money played to money won.

    This insurance concept is a consumer nightmare and perhaps a mechanic’s dream come true. the mechanic wouldn’t have to barter his quotes because the customer is no longer looking for a deal and doesn’t care.

91. Scotty
    June 17th, 2009 @ 8:31 pm

    The people posting here that say they are a great company probably work for Fidelis. I read another consumer complaint forum where Fidelis employees were caught doing just that. If you don’t believe these people are crooks why does google list a special search term with 57,000 hits for Fidelis is a scam or 68,900 under Fidelis warranty complaints?

    The owner is a convicted felon not once but twice, the latest being for Counterfitting and Darain Atkinson served time in Federal prison after being found guilty.At last count, 40 Attorneys General were actively involved in pursuing criminal complaints against US Fidelis.

    He is building a $17 million dollar mansion in Missouri and US Fidelis calls itself a “faith based” company.

    If you give this crook one penny of your money do not ever expect to see one dime in repairs.

    You have been warned so don’t come back here complaining you got ripped off.

92. N. Miles
    June 17th, 2009 @ 10:13 pm

    These warranty deals that US Fidelis and the like are worse than the Nigerian email scams floating around. But if it is too good to be true like US Fidelis, it definately is. DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR MONEY. THEY DO NOT LIVE UP TO THEIR COMMERCIALS. Buyer beware.

93. Aaron
    June 24th, 2009 @ 10:49 am

    The people who post extremely positive comments and technical data to back up their claims are paid shills by U.S. Fidelis. This is a common practice used by the majority of large companies. They have a separate department whose sole mission is to scour websites like this one and make posts that attempt to exonerate the company from any bad press it is receiving. If you believe anything positive that has been said about this company and actually sign up you are just another sucker. This company and the many like it count on you being a sucker, that is how they make their money. Don’t feel bad though if you bought into the lies, this is America after all. Long live the sheep! BAAAAAAAA

94. jasmine
    June 25th, 2009 @ 9:22 pm

    i dont kno if us fedilis is a scam or not but i signed up for their policy today and there was a down payment of 150 dollars and 96 dollars a month…there is a 30 day money back guarantee and i recieve my policy in the mail…it is a 5 year policy but i only pay 96 dollars a month for 2 years and i can get out of the policy whenever i want.and for the remainder 3 years of the policy i dont have to pay a dime and my car will still be covered if anything goes wrong wit it…my policy also includes 24 hour roadside assistance, 0 deductible,free towing, and also a rental car is included…so how can dat not be a good deal…..or am i stupid for signing up

95. Aaron
    June 25th, 2009 @ 10:14 pm

    Wow they actually send you a printed copy of the “policy,” congrats you struck pay dirt. After 30 days when you get stuck with a major bill, your question will answer itself. Did you stop to consider how much you are paying these crooks? First year $1302, next 2 years $1152, you could deposit that money ($3606) into a high yield savings account and actually make $300 @ 2.75% interest, and still have money to pay for a major repair (should it happen.) So yeah sounds like they found another sucker and another $3606.

96. STEVI GREGORY
    June 26th, 2009 @ 2:01 pm

    Hello I am so glad that I found your site, I was just about to purcahse this plan, because the one that I was with Dealer Services is a rip off, they say you pay we will reimburse you, well i m waiting and it’s been over 14 months no money yet. so i am glad i saw that dealer services is desguising them selves as u.s. fidelis. thanks for the heads up.

97. Jody Fly
    June 28th, 2009 @ 12:21 pm

    Well, last week I used my warranty. Alternator went out on my 02 Saturn Vue, had to tow it. New alternator was just under 300.00 labor was 2.7 hours to replace. The warranty covered all of it and reimbursed me for the 75.00 tow bill. Complaints happen in business. But so far the only bad thing I have found is long wait on the phone to talk to someone. Oh and it took less than 5 days for it all to be over with. The mechanic was paid before the work was even done! Bash them all you want but I am VERY happy with them.

98. michael goldstein
    June 29th, 2009 @ 3:51 pm

    ask yourslef would you give your money to a owner that was convicted felony for fedearal and state robery forgery and conterfiting.
    and that his company is being investegated suit by 40 different state attorney offices and on top of that has a rating of f from the better business bureu if you want to give your money to someone like that then you shouldnt complain if they dont follow through i acutally called while waiting to speak to some i found all this information on google when i asked about all this information the representative said yes that true and went silent nothing else was said so go ahead and give them your money if you like giving it away

99. P T
    June 30th, 2009 @ 1:04 am

    If people would just get a life they wouldnt be bashing a company all over a website like this. The contracts are very black and white. If you live up to your part of the bargain and do your scheduled maintenance then the policy will pay for the parts listed for coverage. And a little FYI about generc parts or used parts, even if you go into autozone and buy a part it isnt new! It a refurbished part so basically the dealerships are taken advantage of people and selling refurbished parts for ridiculous prices and trying to bash warrany companies to be the bad guys for not paying their price. Do a little more research before you gripe!

100. George
     June 30th, 2009 @ 4:45 am

     For P T:
     You definitely do not need to post anymore comments LOL

101. P T
     June 30th, 2009 @ 8:37 pm

     Sorry that I am telling the truth George!

102. Jr
     July 1st, 2009 @ 2:14 pm

     Can any person that has used their warranty through US Fidelis and posted a positive on this site, provide the:

     1. Name of the shop
     2. Phone number of the shop
     3. When and What was done

     I want to verify that the positives posted on this site are Real and NOT US Fidelis GOONs trying to FRONT their product. Its starting to look that way:(

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