Big Motoring World Wimbledon/Blackhorse - june 2023 Ford Kuga failed 12th jan - USELESS WARRANTY- had to pay repairs myself!

[MHJ]

I purchased my used Ford Kuga 4 June 2023

being a used car I was insistent on having an extended warranty that I was confident in.

The sales person at Big Motoring World Wimbledon sold me the ‘Big motoring world, Big Assist’ warranty which he went on to tell me included

1) 24/7 helpline

2) Roadside assist

3) Hire car

3) work can be carried out at any independent garage that is VAT registered and BM world will pay Labour rates up to £75 p/h (this was a crucial selling point for me!)

4) an App to access all you need

 

I would NOT have purchased the car if it wasn’t for this warranty (that I now feel i was completely mis-lead into purchasing) 

 

Friday 12 Jan 2024 when driving home my engine warning light came on and power cut off with a message saying pull over when safe, which I did. 

I ended up walking my children home and my husband got the car home safely. 

The breakdown section of the App was excellent and the person I spoke to was extremely helpful and had a mechanic sent out to me at a time that suited me the next day. He made my entitlements very clear and I was happy that I knew what was going on.

On Saturday morning the roadside mechanic informed me the water pump had failed and the car would need to be taken to a garage.

I tried to call the 24/7 helpline (this is separate to the breakdown section who it transpires are a different organisation) the helpline voicemail advises It is mon-Fri 9-5 and send an email - the web chat also advises to send an email for support.

I sent an email entitled URGENT.

I had no choice but to make a decision on where to have the car towed to myself and asked the mechanic to take back to where he had come from (National Rescue Centre) about a 45min walk from my home.

He informed me that there would be an £80 diagnostic fee which would be waived should the work be carried out there - they could do the work Tuesday 16th Jan. 

Monday morning I rang the helpline and was informed that this was no longer the correct number and they had been advised to pass all Big Motoring world customers back to the after sales team as of 18 Dec 2023 and he gave me the number.

When I eventually spoke to an advisor, I was informed that any work would need to be carried out at a BM World service garage and the earliest appointment was 11 March at Snodlands (nowhere near where I live and the car was at this point not drivable and in a garage in Chessington)

I explained that this was not acceptable as I don’t have any other form of transport, my daughter was having to be kept off nursery that I am still paying for, I have a 10 week old baby who has appointments to attend and I need my car. I informed them that I would need a hire car until my car was fixed, to which I was told I could have one for the day of the appointment only.

I asked for a manager and was informed none were available but they would call me back - which they did not.

That afternoon I called again… no one could tell me what I should have actually of done on Saturday morning to avoid being in a situation where my car is now sat in a garage unable to be driven, 45 mins from my house with an £80 diagnostic fee to be paid and a recovery fee to get it back to my home address that BM world are adamant they will not pay for any of this and they will not pay for the work to be carried out! 

A new date of 5 Feb was offered to me, which again is not a reasonable timeframe when you can’t leave your house and get your children to school etc.

They then said they wanted to send an independent inspector to the garage to check what work needs doing as ‘the garage could be telling me whatever they want’ - this is the garage that the warranty company sent to me!

They said they could also then check the work was covered and then the work would still need to be carried out at their service garage no earlier than 5th Feb! So now the independent garage are expected to store my car (at an additional cost to me) for them to come and inspect it!

No one would allow me to speak to their top manager (George) - I put my complaint to him in writing on Monday evening. Wednesday evening he replied to say ‘sorry to hear this, we will investigate it and be in touch’ 

I have had to pay to get the car repaired myself as I cannot be without a car. 

3 weeks is completely unreasonable when the warranty that was sold to me was made very clear I could use an independent garage for work - I would not have purchased a second hand car of this age if this wasn’t the case.

I feel the car and warranty have been Mis-sold and I was mis-lead into buying both of these. 

I am now £600 out of pocket when I paid £900 for a warranty that should have provided me cover for this! 

I don’t understand how a company can change their ‘guidelines’ so significantly at the drop of a hat to without informing their customers who have purchased the product. I was told this all changed on 18 December and they are in the process of telling customers.  

My main issues are:

1) There is no 24/7 helpline as promised

2) They have changed their ‘guidelines’ (as they call it) on using independent garages. I would NOT have taken this out nor would I have purchased the car if I knew the car had to go back to them for any work!

3) The hire car is completely misleading

I feel the whole warranty was mis-sold to me and I was completely mis-lead by the sales assistant. 

No one has communicated that there have been changes

What they offered me in terms of a date to book my car in to be seen is completely unreasonable and unacceptable

[dx100uk]

as you've realised 99% of warranties on anything arent ever worth the paper they are printed on.

and you paid £900 for that ......

is this car on finance?

who?

[BankFodder]

Welcome to the forum. We should be able to help you.

I'm trying to work through your story. There is quite a lot of narrative and so it is difficult to understand completely what has happened.

We are getting lots of complaints about this company. This is not the first time that I have heard that they have suddenly changed the terms of their warranty and of course they should not be allowed to do this in respect of existing warranties. There would only be allowed to do this in respect of warranties after the change.

Please can you stand by for a further response tomorrow. In the meantime, can you post up in PDF format the wording of the originall warranty, The exact date that you purchase the car and the date which to your knowledge they change the terms of the warranty.

Stand by for a further response tomorrow.

 

 

[MHJ]

The car is on finance with Black horse.

Unfortunately, I was not given a paper copy of the warranty T&C and having gone through all of my emails, it seems I wasn’t emailed a copy either. 

When I purchased the car, it took over 5 hours (I should have realised at this point it was a bad idea!)

They bombard you with different things to sign, which by this point I was desperate to leave as my 2 year old had missed her dinner.

I got several emails with copies of the signed paperwork but it would appear the warranty t&cs wasn’t one of them.

I purchased the car 2nd June 2023 and collected it 4th June 2023.

I am lead to believe the ‘guidelines’ as they keep referring to them, changed 18 Dec 2023

I have previously made a claim on the warranty back in the summer.

The work was carried out at an independent garage and it was all very smooth, they paid out no bother at all, but i was told as of 18 Dec, independent garages can no longer be used!

Thank you for your time!

[BankFodder]

Is the present warranty and conditions published on their website?

Have you anything in writing which at least acknowledges that there was a change

[MHJ]

I can’t find any terms and conditions linked to warranties. There’s lots of others but not warranties that I can find. It does however advertise:

‘access to over 1000 approved garages UK wide’ and ‘24/7 helpline’ amongst other things that their extended warranty includes that are untrue.

 

I will email and ask for a copy of T&C.

I don’t have it in writing regarding the changes, it was all over the phone. In their response to my trust pilot review it just says ‘I understand your disappointment with the current guidelines’ 

I have however had work carried out previously at an independent garage that they paid out for.

 

[BankFodder]

This change in the terms and condition of the warranty has been referred to elsewhere either on this Forum Or else on the Facebook group

If you have the time To look for them would be very helpful

[MHJ]

I will keep searching. I have also emailed and asked for copies

I would have thought that they had a responsibility to inform customers of any changes, which one of the managers admitted to me in the phone that they have not yet done.

There seems to be quite a few people on the FB group who have faced the same experience with the changes.

[Nicky Boy]

They  don't need to "inform" of any changes, because they cannot change anything.

It's a contract. If they change terms and conditions, they are in breach.

[dx100uk]

snotty letter to blackhorse on that too IMHO as their finance is PAYING for the warranty so under section 75 they are equally liable.

 

[BankFodder]

Incidentally, would you post up a picture of your vehicle – maybe from the advertisement but also from now and it would be helpful to have the registration number as well.
Don't worry about posting that kind of detail. It's not unlawful and it will help you and it will help other people and of course it will embarrass Big Motoring World. Oh dear!

[dx100uk]

what happened?

dx