topic Re: My first extended warranty benefit claim in Credit Cards

My first extended warranty benefit claim

masscredit — Wed, 28 Nov 2018 21:13:30 GMT

I started the process for my first extended warranty benefit claim. I called MasterCard to provide them with the details last night. It's for a Netgear modem/router that stopped working a month after the warranty ended. I received an email with a list of the info I need to provide -

Thank you for contacting the MasterCard Assistance Center. We have received your claim notification under the MasterCard® program, an insurance product underwritten by The New Hampshire Insurance Company. As noted in the MasterCard Guide to Benefits, it is imperative that the following required documents are received in our office as soon as possible. Please note that you have 180 days from the date of claim report to submit all required documentation. Once we have received all of the pertinent documentation we will begin processing your claim.

The following is a list of documents required in order for us to process and expedite your claim:

The Billing statement supporting the purchase of the item
Itemized charge receipt showing transaction billed to MasterCard
Original manufacturer's warranty (complete warranty)
Itemized repair estimate from a service provider such as the manufacturer, retailer or repair shop
Document linking the eligible MasterCard account with the rewards program used to make purchase. Some examples are "Smiles", "Latam Pass", "Multiplus", etc.

I should be good with most of this. The only one I'm questioning is the itemilzed repair estimate. A place would probably have to tear it part to try to determine the problem and they most likely won't do that for free. Things like this usually end up in the trash when they die. I don't see many posts about this so I'll provide updates until the end. I don't know if it will be a simple process or not.

Re: My first extended warranty benefit claim

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Nov 2018 21:25:55 GMT

The list of requirements is a bit of extra hardship on the customer, especially the repair estimate that you mentioned. I would have assumed a sales receipt and the defective item back/picture would have been enough. Keep us posted!

Re: My first extended warranty benefit claim

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Nov 2018 21:35:56 GMT

I agree that obtaining a repair estimate might be a pain. I suspect not many shops are interested in even diagnosing.

I claimed Amex's purchase protection last week for a broken phone. Took some photos of the smashed screen but they never asked for it. They reimbursed the whole $200 purchase in less than a week...

Re: My first extended warranty benefit claim

Medic981 — Wed, 28 Nov 2018 21:40:21 GMT

Just like any insurance company, they DON'T want to pay out. I am sure that is why there are so many hoops to jump through.

Re: My first extended warranty benefit claim

masscredit — Wed, 28 Nov 2018 21:49:11 GMT

I woman I talked to last night said they would send me an email with a list of info they need then it would take about 7-10 days for them to make a determination. I pointed out the modem stopped working after the warranty period and it was purchased with a MasterCard. I have the receipt and credit card statement. I then asked why it wouldn't be covered. She said it sounds like it should be but she doesn't make that decision.

I just gave Netgear a call. The rep was in a call center in a very far off land. Seeing that it's out of warranty, he said the best he could do is provide me with a claim number. I can submit it with the info. The adjuster can give them a call to be told it's defective and needs to be replaced.

Re: My first extended warranty benefit claim

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Nov 2018 21:52:53 GMT

I would just get an email from the manufacturer stating how much they would charge for an out of warranty repair but these requirements is why I have never tried to use the extended warranty coverage on any of my cards - it just seems like too many hoops to go through but the out of warranty fee from the manufacturer should suffice I would think.

Best of luck to you, hopefully it goes well! I have to admit, I’m curious too!

Re: My first extended warranty benefit claim

kerplunk — Wed, 28 Nov 2018 22:01:16 GMT

Just like any other kind of insurance, I wouldn't use this on something small like a wireless router, personally. I used the extended warranty benefit on a TV that went bad 2 months after the 1 year warranty expired; they reimbursed me the full amount (around $1,900). Truly amazing.

Re: My first extended warranty benefit claim

masscredit — Wed, 28 Nov 2018 22:37:13 GMT

@kerplunk wrote:
Just like any other kind of insurance, I wouldn't use this on something small like a wireless router, personally. I used the extended warranty benefit on a TV that went bad 2 months after the 1 year warranty expired; they reimbursed me the full amount (around $1,900). Truly amazing.

I’d let it go for $99 but this one costs $399 so I’ll give it a try. I asked if they could send me an email that says it needs to be replaced or what it would cost to replace. He just said the adjuster can contact them and reference the case number.

Re: My first extended warranty benefit claim

Anonymous — Thu, 29 Nov 2018 04:36:59 GMT

Why would no you use it for small items? It's not like your rate will go up...

what card is it?

Re: My first extended warranty benefit claim

Anonymous — Thu, 29 Nov 2018 05:50:58 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Why would no you use it for small items? It's not like your rate will go up...
what card is it?

I assume because of the hassle and the value of ones time.

Re: My first extended warranty benefit claim

Anonymous — Thu, 29 Nov 2018 12:54:49 GMT

I work tech support for a major electronics company.

I processed one of these for a Discover card customer. I'm sorry to say that this may be a major PITA to get. I had to escalate to our service manager who dealt with the tech directly. They were unsure how to do this because their invoices do not provide itemized repair by the numbers.

We got it, but it did take a bit.

Re: My first extended warranty benefit claim

masscredit — Thu, 29 Nov 2018 12:59:03 GMT

You are correct. If the process was simple, I'd use it for lower priced items but I have to jump through more hoops than a circus dog so there comes a point when it's not worth my time.

The card used was my Barclay Rewards card. It looks like I'm dealing with MasterCard and an insurance company they deal with.

Re: My first extended warranty benefit claim

iced — Thu, 29 Nov 2018 14:10:11 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
Why would no you use it for small items? It's not like your rate will go up...
what card is it?
I assume because of the hassle and the value of ones time.

Pretty much this. I've paid medical bills out of pocket before because it was a bargain compared to the hassle of getting all of the claims, approvals and referrals in order along with the forms submitted to insurance for reimbursement. I couldn't see myself jumping through similar hoops for commodity equipment that I could just replace in an hour and be done with.

Re: My first extended warranty benefit claim

UpperNwGuy — Thu, 29 Nov 2018 14:30:00 GMT

This is why I have never been upset when credit card issuers have dropped various "protection benefits" offered by third-party insurance companies. The hassles of accessing those benefits are incredible.

Re: My first extended warranty benefit claim

Anonymous — Fri, 30 Nov 2018 05:22:36 GMT

So far it was a call and an email.. then a few more calls, finding the right docs. Seems allright.

The fact that they need 10 days just to make determination is not allright.

I wonder if this will work out in the end.

Re: My first extended warranty benefit claim

masscredit — Fri, 30 Nov 2018 06:15:18 GMT

I spent some time working on getting everything together tonight. For the warranty info, I had to do some searching to find something that spelling out the manufacturer's warranty is one year. It varies by model. I also saved all of the technical warranty language we never read. I'll provide that too so they don't say I didn't give it to them.

I got stuck on this one -

Document linking the eligible MasterCard account with the rewards program used to make purchase. Some examples are "Smiles", "Latam Pass", "Multiplus", etc.

I have no clue what they are talking about. I called MasterCard but I was to late today. I'll have to call back when that department is open tomorrow.

Before I started this I was thinking it would be as simple as providing a copy of the receipt, maybe my credit card statement and some warranty info.

Re: My first extended warranty benefit claim

Anonymous — Fri, 30 Nov 2018 13:41:07 GMT

Sounds like it’s only needed if you used card “points” to pay for it. If you paid in $, this does not make sense.

Re: My first extended warranty benefit claim

masscredit — Fri, 30 Nov 2018 14:29:27 GMT

Yeah... I see where this is going. I just got off the phone with the MasterCard Assistance Center. I first asked about the info being requested about the rewards program. She didn't see that in the info that is needed for my claim. Now onto the part about needing a repair estimate. I explained what Netgear told me. They can't provide anything that says the modem is defective but will tell the adjuster it is if he calls and provides the case number. She said I need something in writting. Either from them or I can bring it to a repair facility (local computer place?). Dead modems/routers usually get tossed in the trash. I've never brought one anywhere to be repaired so I think this will be there way out of paying the claim. I don't give up easy so I think I'm going to bring it to a local computer store, explain the situation then offer to pay for their time to write up something that says the modem needs to be replaced. They wouldn't have a reason to go out of their way to do that for nothing. I'd pay $25-$50 to get $400.

Re: My first extended warranty benefit claim

kdm31091 — Fri, 30 Nov 2018 14:36:20 GMT

As noted above these types of things tend to be a hassle. I’ve never had a reason to use it. On the other hand, I somewhat understand companies making it a hassle. If it were extremely simple, you’d have people making false claims left and right. So there does have to be a balance.

That said, for something quick and simple to replace I’d just replace it. If we were talking about 1,000 bucks or something it would be different.

Re: My first extended warranty benefit claim

Anonymous — Fri, 30 Nov 2018 14:43:24 GMT

@masscredit wrote:
Yeah... I see where this is going. I just got off the phone with the MasterCard Assistance Center. I first asked about the info being requested about the rewards program. She didn't see that in the info that is needed for my claim. Now onto the part about needing a repair estimate. I explained what Netgear told me. They can't provide anything that says the modem is defective but will tell the adjuster it is if he calls and provides the case number. She said I need something in writting. Either from them or I can bring it to a repair facility (local computer place?). Dead modems/routers usually get tossed in the trash. I've never brought one anywhere to be repaired so I think this will be there way out of paying the claim. I don't give up easy so I think I'm going to bring it to a local computer store, explain the situation then offer to pay for their time to write up something that says the modem needs to be replaced. They wouldn't have a reason to go out of their way to do that for nothing. I'd pay $25-$50 to get $400.

Guess there's a lot of variation. My Samsung phone screen cracked, and I guess it was early enough in Discover's purchase protection window. I sent it to Samsung for repair and discover quickly refunded most of the repair price. And, since I am immoral, my cellphone insurance also paid some of it, so I ended up with something like a $50 profit. Not easily scalable unfortunately! (To be a little fair, the question on one of the forms was has some other insurance paid for this, and at the time I didn't know that they would.) So that's why Discover ended Purchase Protection if you need someone to blame.