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Jul 30, 2009 -- Extended auto warranty provider USfidelis stinks

USfidelis is perhaps the most heavily marketed extended auto warranty in the country. Consumer Reports has investigated this popular outfit and is warning people away from them.

According to the publication, USfidelis has failed to respond to more than 1,000 complaints from the Better Business Bureau. Among the complaints are gripes about the difficulty of canceling the warranty; obtaining a refund; the nature of the company's misleading ads; their misrepresentation of coverage; and their failure to remove customer names from mailing lists.

In addition, Consumer Reports reveals that USfidelis told them customers are not allowed to see their contract until after they purchase it. What's up with that?

Of course, many of these problems are not necessarily specific to USfidelis. They also plague the smaller players in the extended auto warranty business. USfidelis just happens to be the top dog, so that's why they were singled out.

Let's take a moment and review. If you can afford the potential cost of a car repair, you should never buy an extended warranty. But if you're unable to budget and save for repairs, then you should only consider buying the manufacturer's own warranty. Do not buy any third party warranty.

And if you stick to Consumer Reports' annual recommended list of vehicles, you shouldn't have to buy an extended warranty at all -- even if you have budgeting difficulties. The odds are such that their recommended vehicles won't have severe problems over time.

Unfortunately, Clark won't be able to answer any questions submitted via commenting. If you have a question, please try posting it to our message boards.

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What others are saying

  • All the lawsuits & investigations are a clue and warnings about the scams of this company
    www.usfidelistruth.com is full of lies. US Fidelis is still being investigated by the Missouri Dept. of Insurance and 40 states Attorney General. Not to mention numerous lawsuits: class action, Fidelis Health Insurance, BMW, and more VS. Us Fidelis. Also make sure you go to the Better Business Bureau Website and search for US Fidelis. The zip code is 63385. Worked there, saw the scamming first hand!
  • www.stltoday.com
    search their website (St. Louis Post Dispatch) for US Fidelis and have yourself alot of time to read about all the illegal and unethical things that US Fidelis is up to.

    Oh, and be aware that US Fidelis has employees hired to make positive comments on the internet; posing as customers. I know this for a fact; I used to work there.
  • Clark's sponsors
    Clark would have no idea who buys airtime on his show. The only influence he would have is who he chooses to endorse!
  • Clark howard on CNN
    Well, unless Clark doesnt know who buys ads on his tv show, he's not being honest here. On 9/19/09, the 4pm est show had a commercial for US Fidelis.. Shame, Shame, shame!
  • Warranty Elite
    I agree that US fidelis is an unreputable company, but I also think that you are in for a rude awakening if all you do is purchase a extended warranty from a manufactuer. The Manufactuer only covers newer vehicles typically under 50,000 miles. The Independents cover more mileage and more components. www.warrantyelite.com product is more comprehensive that FORD, GM, and Chrysler's manufactuer's warranty. I compared them for my 2006 Ford F150. I purchased their deluxe plan. They cover over 170 components versus Ford's extra care which covers 113 component. you can find this on Ford's website at http://www.flmowner.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Owner/Page/ESPPage

    There are a lot of scanadalous companies in this Industry, but there are some great companies as well. www.warrantyelite.comis one of them. They allow you to get a quote for your vehicle online without entering personal information. They display their contract, coverages all up front. how many companies in any Industry do that? The product is sold in dealerships throughout the country. So, in refernce to the statements above and in the comments, I strongly disagree, there are good companies out there and I have been happy with my purchase.
  • www.stltoday.com
    search their website for US Fidelis and have yourself alot of time to read about all the illegal and unethical things that US Fidelis is up to.
  • US Fidelis
    Did you guys know that the BBB gave US Fidelis and 'F' rating? I was shocked that they gave them that, since Rusty Wallace endorces them. I used to be a fan of his but not anymore. Here's the link to the article from the BBB.

    http://stlouis.bbb.org/article/complaints-continue-against-u-s-fidelis-despite-promised-changes-from-top-official-11650
  • trying to cancel
    I tried to cancel my warranty after I received it in the mail. There were numerous KEY items that the salesperson did not tell me. Like you must have 1000 miles AND 30 days before you can use the warranty. Cancelling was a nightmare. I got passed around the place, put on hold, and then this man argued with me for 15 minutes on why I should not cancel. He kept offering me all these discounts until the warranty costs like $700 less than I originally agreed to. I finally called my credit card company and told them to block US Fidelis as I was afraid they would still charge me.
  • deposit
    I called for a quote and to me it is as high enough(2K plus) for a decent down payment on a new car. Sure they will work out payment arrangement which is as high as another car payment.
  • extended warranty
    bought an extended warranty for our Ford from factory office in Dearborn MI, cheaper and very reasonable, better than from the two dealers in our area.
  • The Wallace Boys
    It makes me doubt the credibility of Rusty Wallace and his son who pitch USFidelis as the greatest thing since NASCAR have compromised their credibility! I would not buy anything they pitch because I cannot trust them. Shame on the Wallaces!!
  • Shocking
    Bought snake oil from US fidelus and then were surprised when it didn't cure what ailed you?

    How's that deal working out with you and the Nigerian prince that needs your help getting his fortune out of the country?
  • Strange Work Experience
    The work environment at US Fidelis is very strange. They front a christian based setting; yet the way the entire business is ran breaks or bends to almost breaking point–morally right, ethically right behavior. The sense of urgency to “get the money” and push customers beyond normal sales practices is quite disturbing. From the top, the management is told to manage by instilling fear. The employee fears losing their job if they do not put the fear in the customers. In my 30 years of being in the workforce I had never experienced anything like it before in my life. Most of the people that are hired are young and naive to the business world. Should they ever seek work elsewhere, they will have a great adjustment in learning basic customer service as it should be. Regarding sexual harrassment—there is no training or information to anyone on what is or is not appropriate. Anywhere I have ever worked where the company was that big; some sort of class or pamphlets were given out. US Fidelis does not care. MAKE THAT MONEY, is their motto. I worked there for 18 months and not once was there even a fire drill, tornado drill, or a class on how to handle threatening calls. The only classes were on how to sell; how to get the money. These classes were held for ALL employees whether you were in sales or not. US Fidelis is unethical, morally deprived and hopefully within a short time our law enforcement will prove that they are in fact an illegal operation.
  • Good infomation
    We offer help to anyone who has been mislead. Check us out. Email us with any questions.

    http://warrantybureau.com
  • US Fidelis
    visit www.usfidelistruth.com.
    By Erica@USfidelis @ 08/04/09 10:04:25 AM...what a bunch of BS with that so called CEO. If you work at USF you know how customers are beat down if the want to cancel. There is a whole department called "Saves" remember.

    Call your credit card company you have been ripped off if you paid over $700.00 of a power train warranty, since USF only pays $500.00 for the warranty, and it will rarely pay out. When I left the company starting price was $2995.00. What a deal I was told. Greed owners need to pay for his new 20 million dollar mansion.

    Bumper to bumper may be ok, but you paid way too much. Call to cancel they will knock the price down. Call 1-800-649-1806 ask for “The Save Department.” Ask for the CEO Mr. Chris Riley he said on the news he would help customers personally.
  • Contact person(s)
    One more thing---last I knew Ellie Sutherland and Maximillian (Max) Williams were the managers you need to ask for if you had any customer service issues.
  • Go down swingin'
    I used to work at that shady place. I heard several managers get on the phone with customers or potential customers and tell them that US Fidelis has been in business "just under twenty years" which is a a lie. They were previously National Auto Warranty Services and they business started in February 2003; that would be 6 years. All employees were trained to push a sale; whether they were customer service or otherwise. When I say push, let me quote a manager who said to push all you can and if you think you are loosing the 'deal' "go down swinging."
  • US Fidelis
    Please email or call the following people at US Fidelis and let them know you are tired of the BS.
    Just call 1-800-649-1856 it will give you the choice for a company directory and go from there. No Threats please!
    email address to the top scum management at US Fidelis: darain.atkinson@usfidelis.com dustin.houston@usfidelis.com jared.sutherland@usfidelis.com jeremy.nemens@usfidelis.com eddie.struckman@usfidelis.com
    amy.huitt@usfidelis.com maximillian.williams@usfidelis.com annmarie.mormino@usfidelis.com ellie.sutherland@usfidelis.com
    dave.escobar@usfidelis.com shelby.rothmerich@usfidelis.com

    They believe since they are so called Christian they can take advantage of anyone and ask forgiveness at the end of the day and it is all good.(as they say)

    New site not sure what it is all about but it is come good information.

    http://www.warrantybureau.com/index.html

    I feel it could be US Fidelis or Lawyers looking for clients. I email them and they will not tell me who is in charge of the WIB go figure.
  • regarding USfidelis Response
    For the past 18 months; USF has used the same line that "less than one half of one percent...." blah blah blah. Hey, USF: there are plenty companies out there with an incredibly larger customer base, which do not sell tangible products, who have been in business WAY longer than you have and DO NOT have the gross amount of complaints to the BBB; whether it is 1/64th of .10 percent. People also complain to the FTC and go straight to the Attorney General. Add that on to the BBB complaints. There is a reason why 40 attorneys general are after your company along with their state insurance commissioners. It isn't just about your BBB rating. C R O O K S
  • USfidelis Response
    The complaints referenced by the BBB represent less than one half of one percent of the company's total customer base, and we do not do any unsolicited telemarketing. We are proud to state that we are leading the industry with a business model focused on consumer protection, including a full 30-day money back guarantee and a 115 person customer care division that is solely focused on our customers from start to finish, as we connect them with well established vehicle service contract providers. To learn more, please visit www.usfidelistruth.com.
  • Clark's Warranty Bias
    I know Clark has biases against certain products he SEEMS to hate, but don't think they're always hard & fast. A casual listener might think Clark hates Extended Warranties because he claims they are a bad return on investment (let me send you my thousands Good Guys ESP repair bills and pictures of my new replacement products, Clark). But in reality Clark loves some warranties. He likes to tell people to buy HOME (equipment) warranties when buying USED homes. Now I can't think of a worse investment than paying money to protect USED appliances. How much is a cheap Washer, Dryer, Fridge? Even an A/C isn't that much, compared to what an average house costs. If it's old enough to break, then chances are it's doing yourself a favor by breaking because you'll save money by newer, more efficient designs.
    Clark does HATES extended auto warranties, which makes total sense, in Clarkthink anyway. Why pay a couple of hundred, even a thousand to protect a product that costs tens of thousands of dollars? When you could spend several hundred even a thousand dollars or more protecting a few dirty, outdated, junk appliances in the home you just bought! Good Thinking Clark!
  • big guy?
    what big guy, to whom are you referring, scarlet?
  • ads on hln
    Clark has nothing to do with ads run during his show. The media is one of the purest free markets; he can't dictate who gets to advertise.
    But I have noticed that the segments aired on HLN are less critical of business's than his radio show, which I believe is mostly supported by local ad buys.
  • what you are paying for
    You should see the house your money is paying for. The big guy is building an obscene house with your money if you buy from them. Show him greed will get him in the end.
  • Runaround is the game
    Purchased used car with free 3rd party warranty. Trans went bad. Then is was over a week of arguing before finally getting it fixed. Got nasty. They said that Aamco was charging too much. I said, that's not my problem. I told them they should have pre-approved shops for me to take it to in the future. Will never buy, or reccomend buying one for anyone.
  • Ads
    Peach, I'm pretty sure Clark has no control over the commercials that run during his show. On the flip side, Clark fans won't buy US Fidelis products, so running those ads on his show is a waste of their money.
  • US Fidelis
    Clark, knowing your longstanding position on these warranties, I was surprised to see US Fidelis commercials run during your HLN show. Maybe now they'll be cut as a sponsor.
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