A Georgia disabled veteran got stranded over 700 miles from home because her extended car warranty wouldn’t cover repairs even though she had a contract.
“I got here to Detroit and my vehicle broke down,” veteran Tina Johnson said.
Johnson’s SUV automatic braking system needed a new sensor. Her CarShield contract clearly states it’s a repair that should have been covered, but her claim was denied.
“Yes, it should be covered, but they’re disputing it,” she said.
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Channel 2 consumer investigator Justin Gray has been covering issues like Johnson’s for years with little response from extended warranty companies like CarShield. So this time, he tried something different.
“Hi Mark. It’s Justin Gray with Channel 2 Action News in Atlanta.”
Gray called CarShield’s founder and chief strategy officer, Mark Travis.
“Calling about a disabled veteran in your diamond plan who had coverage denied.”
CarShield had Johnson’s SUV towed to a mechanic who told her she needed a new sensor, a repair that is covered, in her diamond plan. Channel 2 spoke with the mechanic who told us that CarShield paid for the part, but would not pay for the labor.
“I am a disabled Iraqi veteran and so I have chronic PTSD and I need help and every time I called them they blew me off,” Johnson said.
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Channel 2 consumer adviser Clark Howard says stories like Johnson’s are not uncommon.
“I hear complaint after complaint after complaint that you in good faith pay our your money and the car warranty company says, ‘Who are you?’”
Howard said while it’s difficult to dispute claim denials, you can fight back.
“The first thing you do is you file a complaint with the state insurance department,” Howard said. “The only safe insurance to ever buy is to buy an extended warranty from the manufacturer itself the brand you are buying.”
Just minutes after Gray’s call to Travis, he received a text that read to contact customer support and Johnson got a call from CarShield to work on resolving her issue.
She says she wants CarShield to do better.
“If this happening to me, it’s probably happening to other people.”
Johnson eventually made it home with the help of friends and family. A CarShield representative told Channel 2 that the company questioned whether the work was necessary at all, but they are working with Johnson toward a settlement.
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