To wonder what the point is of having a warranty?

[Glitterknickaz]

When I bought the Zafira (ok it was from a car supermarket) we bought a warranty with it.

It's gone in for its annual service this morning where they've found that the power steering rack is leaking fluid in two places. The labour charge to repair this is £400 plus cost of parts (I dread to think).

Called the warranty company who are arguing the toss about the labour charge and then called the garage who have said that this particular company don't pay their bills..... so I'd have to pay the repair bill up front then claw the cost back off the warranty company (which may not happen being as they don't pay their bills).

Bloomin great eh?

Is it really so unreasonable to think a warranty would mean no sudden high bills like this?

yeah.. its funny how the bits that break are always the bits NOT covered under the warranty

Right well they are now saying that they won't pay out full stop.
Apparently as the fault is not a sudden and catastrophic event it is not covered.
This is despite me being told at the point of purchasing the warranty that the only things that were not covered by it were service items and faults caused by wear and tear.
The vauxhall garage have confirmed that this is neither, the leak isn't down to worn seals at all it is coming down from behind the seals and as a result of that is a component fault. A steering rack is definitely not a service item either.

Plus there is the fact that this warranty company have never ever sent me documentation relating to this warranty, despite repeated requests for it over the past 18 months. Every time I have been assured they will post it first class but it's never reached here.

Sooo, in the morning I will be contacting them, following it up with a letter, indicating that I believe the policy was mis-sold and incorrectly administrated, and that if they don't honour the terms stated at time of purchase I will be contacting Consumer Direct, the Financial Services Authority (they state on the phone message they are regulated by them) and Watchdog.

I am not taking this crap.

Oh by the way the cost to repair using genuine Vauxhall parts is £1,000 and with pattern parts is £714

If I were you, I would want to put my head in my hands and start wailing. Because I've been there, done that, and have a drawerful of T-shirts.
I wish you the very best of luck!