Lesson 3 - don't bother with extended warranties - you'd certainly have much less hassle (and maybe even less expense) if you just paid for the repair yourself out of pocket. These extended warranties are just like insurance - they're happy to take your payments but have no desire to pay out on them.

sue - I'm sorry this is happening; it must be madly frustrating. I'm surprised that Abt is being such a pain; they have a good reputation here. (I bought all our appliances there.) Unfortunately sometimes all it takes is 1 under-performing person to mess things up. Good luck and I hope your fridge is chilly again soon.

What a royal pain and your warning is important. We all get so much mail and paperwork these days, it's hard to keep track of all the receipts and information.

I have a large ziplock bag in one of my top kitchen drawers with all appliance manuals, receipts, service contract paperwork, repair tickets, etc. It's easy to find when I need it. Your alert about phoning the service contract company and verifying the contract dates in writing is good advice.

I used to think service contracts on appliances were a waste of money, but that was prior to the turn of the century. Appliances were well built and built to last from the 1950s to 1990s, alas, that's no longer the case. I wouldn't dream of not having service contracts now. I always chat with the repairman and ask questions. They all tell me appliances are poorly made and have too many circuitboards. The manufacturers now design for ease and speed of repair, which means really expensive components.

For the past 9 years I've had service contracts on my W/D, fridge, and microwave. Knock wood, no contracts on DW and range and neither of them have ever needed repair. But I've more than got my moneys worth from the contracts on all the others, every appliance has needed at least one repair per year.

It sounds like you need to escalate your questions to a higher level at ABT. Can you talk to a manager and get them to put forth the effort to do the right thing? Good luck and please post your results.

Thanks for the support guys. The saga continues...ABT has still not sent the paperwork to GE. GE told me they will try to write the warranty contract based on my paperwork, which I am faxing them, but no guarantees. It could take EIGHT CALENDAR DAYS for that to happen IF my receipt is usable (does it contain enough information?). Then service would get scheduled. When this is all said and done (assuming no additional problems) I might be without a fridge for almost 3 weeks. I find it hard to believe ABT can't step in and get this expedited, but so far they haven't even sent the proof of purchase to GE.

Believe me, I keep pretty thorough records. I have a 3 ring binder with paperwork, plus I have boxes and boxes of files from the build with notes, print-outs of emails, etc.

The repairman (who is authorized by KA and GE) is ready to come Tuesday 5/11, but I have to cancel that. At the rate things are going I will have to wait until sometime between 5/20 and 5/26 to get this done.

Sue, I had a problem with GE extended warranty. I had it on my last house appliances. Ran into a minor problem with one and called them. They refused to come out as far as we lived. Eventually they said, hire your own, pay and we will reimburse you. I did call someone, had the repair, paid and GE did reimburse me.

I must be missing something. Why is GE involved with a KA refrigerator? KA is owned by Whirlpool (as is Amana and Maytag and I forget who else). All the paperwork we receive about our KA fridge has "Whirlpool" on it. I don't know how long the purchase of the company occurred though. Did GE once own KA?

Sue, Holy ----. That's awful. As mentioned, ABT does have a good rep and I live in the area. We've bought stuff from them as does everyone else I know. I've already been there 4 or 5 times looking at appliances for our reno.

I so appreciate your advice as to contacting the mfr. It does seem like so much work and reminds me of Plllog's post about doing the work of your appliances.

Just for economic's sake, I've been toying with the idea of buying all my kit appliances on line, for less, and no sales tax. Abt is 10 minutes from my house and Cook county, Illinois' sales tax is the highest in the nation. Abt's service and our previous good luck with them is a compelling plus---But now? I hear what you said.

I do keep all manuals, receipts, notes, etc, but for this lifetime remodel I have so many notes and notebooks and printouts, I was looking forward to a mini bonfire of all that, once the reno is finished. DH does all the paperwork for our now aged (the longer you live, the more crap you accum.) family, and his files look like the files of a midsized corporation.

But, I would call both Abt and GE and emphasize that they have an agency relationship, and oh, btw, mr abt., what are the terms of that agency relationship? You have documents from ABT, which were not timely transferred to GE as per their contract, due to no fault of your own, and are you reneging on this contract? I'm a retired, old, paralegal and certainly not qualified to give advice, but I do recall something like this from my way, way past life. Just a thought. Abt and GE have a contract for ABT to sell warranties, and if ABT gives you papers, does that not also mean that... Lawyers on this forum- Please explain what I cannot clearly say any more. Sue, I'm not a smarta**, or even conscious lately, but I think I smell a legal issue---and you are getting the short end of the stick.

Tell them that you are keeping a photo and narrative record of your food losses and related expenses due to their failure to meet the terms of your warranty. (Probably clearly an exclusion, but so what? Let them tell you so)

Lisa,
GE Assurant is the warranty provider, I believe they are the largest out there. We purchased appliances from a few places and all the extended warranties were through them. This is a purchased extended warranty at issue, not the KA warranty (the part that needs to be replaced is not covered by the manufacturer's warranty any longer).

I had no issues when my Marvel needed a new thermostat. But in this case it seems ABT did not send the paperwork to GE/Assurant, and they don't seem to be in a big rush to do it now. All they need to do is fax paperwork to GE (and maybe ask them nicely to expedite its processing). That is the hold-up.

I would go in person to ABT to talk to someone and let them know you need to have someone get on top of this NOW. Wait there until everything is faxed and the appointment for repair is set up. I would tell them you will wait until all that is taken care of. If they do not respond as needed you can start letting all their customers know that they should not purchase extended warranties. Some sales people and managers make commissions/bonuses on these so I doubt they will want you to hang around and tell people that.

I never bought an extended warranty until I bought my dishwasher this year. I read so many discouraging reviews - one even suggesting that you should make your choice on how easy they are to access for repairs - that I actually sprang for a one. I'm still not sure it was a good idea, but it's a done deal. Now you've given me something else to worry about!

I am in Maine, I can't go in person to ABT. I purchased the fridge online (well, actually over the phone) after reading positive reviews here. So far I have no reason to blame GE for any of this. They have been helpful. They opened an "incident", told me what I needed to have ABT provide them, and verified my chosen repairer is on their approved list. But they have no evidence I purchased a warranty. When I told ABT what GE said, ABT never said "that's not possible, we sent them the paperwork". ABT agrees they need to send them paperwork, they just aren't in a rush to do it. IMO they should have sent the paperwork immediately and asked GE to expedite it on their side. Even if ABT sends it Monday I am still looking at 8+ business days on GE's side before I can schedule service.

You might want to explain to ABT and GE that your problem has been broadcast on the GW and that they are getting alot of really, really bad press out of this. And they need to make this right for you "yesterday" or they are going to lose even more business.

I know one place I won't be ordering my new frig from.

Thanks for the heads up.

What an unfortunate situation. I'm thinking my five year old very expensive built-in KA might bite the dust soon based on your experience. Also based on your experience I think I'm glad I have no extended warranty so I can just call a reputable repair shop and get it fixed ASAP. I just do not have time to deal with that kind of nonsense. Good luck - hope you get it resolved soon.

"ABT has still not sent the paperwork to GE"

I'd call Monday morning and ask for a supervisor or the manager. if they can't seem to get that paperwork to GE have them fax it to YOU and you can fax it to GE. then you'll have record of it.

If the supervisor doesn't snap to it immediately climb up the ladder some more...

I'd only give him/her a few hours to get the paperwork to me then I'd be asking for someone higher up.

I tend to do a lot of research on the repair records of products before I buy them. I mostly buy mid range because the repair records for many high end appliances are terrible. All of my appliances are over 10 years old and are still running great. I have two friends that have 5 year old homes that purchased high-end appliances and both have had repairs or replacements on ALL of their appliances except for one Bosch dishwasher. The bells and whistles might be nice, but I hate repair hassles more than I like the finer things.

Sue36 I am sorry for your hassle. KitchenAid is typically a very trouble-free product. You just reminded me of my friends spending habits. Some people might turn their noses up on my cheapo kenmore dishwasher. But it's quiet, cleans well and I spent $300 on it 11 years ago. Now that's what I'm talking about!

I already asked ABT to give me the paperwork so I could submit it to GE but they said they couldn't. I asked if it shows what they pay for the warranty (or other confidential information) and they said yes.

I did a lot of research on the KA fridge before we bought it. I spoke to repair people we know, did research online, spoke to people from here, etc. I have spoken to 3 appliance repairmen since this happened and they have all told me this fridge almost never breaks down. When the Marvel started freezing everything because the thermostat went I was told "that happens all the time", not so with the KA. I would buy one again, just not sure I would buy it from ABT.

I am not an appliance snob, if I was I would not have purchased the appliances I did. There are no "midrange" 48" fridges (at least there weren't back then). All my appliances are different brands (Kenmore, Viking, Bosch, KitchenAid, Whirlpool, Marvel, Ventahood, GE Monogram), they were picked based on reputation and function. I considered a "matching set" of all Viking, but decided against it.

The Marvel broke down due to a well known issue with the thermostat. Marvel redesigned the thermostat and I had it repaired under warranty, no issues. That dealer managed to get the paperwork to GE, something ABT hasn't done.

Hey, sometimes things break down, it happens. I know some people think the extended warranties are a waste, but if someone does decide to buy one they should know they will be able to actually use it without hassles, delays and being told false information.

From what I can tell the part is easy to replace and it would be covered 100% by warranty if I could get ABT to straighten out the paperwork! I could have a fully functioning fridge by Tuesday at noon, but that isn't going to happen because of ABT.

Sue, the documents you have are the invoice which shows that you purchased an extended 4 year warranty and your own notes. Your notes state the name of the ABT sales person, who incidentally still works there, and that it was sold to you as giving you 4 years plus the 1 year mfr. warranty. Correct?

If you fax these documents, or simply the invoice, to GE they should authorize the repair. What difference does it make whether Abt or you send them proof that you purchased the warranty?

If Abt did not send GE the money they collected for your warranty, that's between them. Abt is the agent for GE.

But you have proof that you purchased the warranty and they should immediately honor it.

I suspect that you are hesitant because you think they will interpret it as 4 rather than 5 years. That's a separate issue, which actually has not been raised by GE. If the ABT sales person told you that you have 5, not 4 years, GE has to provide what their agent sold. Your notes are good. Even if you had not documented that old conversation, I'm sure that this issue has been faced by GE countless times-where their agent promised something or failed to send GE the 'premium' for the 'warranty'.

The warranty exists. You have the invoice. Presumably, the invoice states 4 years. Worst case scenario, even if the agent didn't promise 5 years, it is reasonable for you to assume that the mfr provided 1 yr and your purchase of the 4 yr warranty gave you 5 years of protection.

GE has not raised this defense-the 4 or 5 yr issue. They are only asserting that ABT didn't send them the paperwork or 'premium'. So you send it to them.

"Here is my 4 yr warranty invoice. Authorize my claim. If ABT did not send you the paperwork or money, that is between you and ABT. Pay my claim."

I echo the advice of sippimom, who suggested letting someone in management at ABT know that this situation is already being discussed on GW. Most kitchen-related companies are already aware of this forum and recognize the enormous volume of visitors it has and the impact on their reputations. No magazine ad could overcome the power of real people sharing real experiences.

I know of several instances in which the risk of bad GW press spurred companies to do the right thing. As it stands, they can blame the wrongdoing on a paperwork error and one incompetent customer service rep and save their company's overall reputation. Problems happen with every company. It's how they respond to the problems that forms their reputation.

I'm really puzzled why ABT is acting this way unless they never sent your money to GE but it seems like they ought to correct this. Definitely escalate this this up the ABT management chain - there's no excuse for them dragging their heels. Years ago, I worked for a company that went bellyup and never forwarded our FICA contributions to the Social Security Administration even though they showed up on our W-2s. Our statements from the Social Security Administration reflected the amount they had actually received but we were given full credit when we sent in copies of our W-2 statements. GE ought to accept the receipts from you.

Sue, hoping to read of a totally successful conclusion to this.

Meanwhile, my search for Braun Allure or Miele vent hood will not include ABT. I'm just a small fish in a big pond but there are lots and lots of us reading this.

Shame on them!!

Thanks, sue, for clearing that up. It's helpful to know that extended warranty companies might not be the same company as a product's manufacturer.

Hope you get your issue resolved quickly and to your satisfaction.

lisa_a: typically extended warranty companies are different than the manufacturer. Some manufacturers like KA and maybe Miele sell their own extended warranties - those are generally the best to buy although not necessarily the cheapest. Appliance dealers tend to sell 3rd party warranties that carry a lot of profit for them. Sometimes those third party manufacturers go out of business and you're left with a worthless piece of paper. Yes, some people make out on extended warranties but in general it's a losing game - better to save your money and use it to pay for repairs yourself.

Sue,

Once you send GE a copy of your invoice, receipt with '4 yrs parts and labor' you have established to GE that you have a contract with them. GE should have contacted ABT, their agent, and should not have put the onus on you to contact Abt. Again, it is GE's job to straighten it out with their agent, but their responsibility to you is clear.

You have a contract with GE. Abt, their agent, sold it to you. GE is responsible to you for the acts of it's agent.

All of the rest is he said, she said and far from the issue.

My last ten years of paid employment were for my services as a claim litigation paralegal in the Law Department of a major insurance holding company with about 200 insurance and warranty companies, at that time. The issue of an agent's promise to an insured and the insurer's liability is very common.

GE screwed up to you. Abt screwed up to GE. Nevertheless, GE owes you. Good luck. Keep it simple. It is.

Don't know if it will make any difference, but I just sent the link to this thread to the person I worked with at Abt and to their customer service address. *Maybe* someone there will care enough to fix this!

Whew, what a mess. ABT ought to be ashamed for selling you nothing but a piece of paper, and never sending YOUR money on to the insurer. I'm in the market for a full suite of kitchen and bar appliances (and warranties!), and I now know NEVER to trust ABT or GE with my business! Thanks so much for sharing your nightmare with their dishonesty so we can steer clear of them.

To clarify, nowhere on my invoice does it state it is a GE/Assurant warranty. But who knows, maybe ABT and GE both know that ABT only uses GE...but I don't know that. I faxed my invoice to GE, and they said they will try to straighten out the paperwork with it. My invoice establishes that I paid ABT for a warranty, it doesn't say who the warranty is with. I didn't even know it was with GE until ABT told me it was.

I was originally told by GE the paperwork should come from ABT, and ABT did not disagree with that even after two days and many phone calls and speaking with different people at both companies (the idea of me sending my invoice to GE came up after I was transferred to another department at GE and basically begged them to help me since ABT was being such a PITA).

If ABT had sent the paperwork to GE right away, and maybe asked them to expedite the processing (I find it hard to believe there isn't a better way for this to be dealt with), I would be getting this repaired Tuesday. Even if GE is able to process this with my paperwork it will take up to 8 business days (with the day count starting Monday) before I can schedule service (per GE). And that is assuming nothing goes wrong, they can use my invoice, etc.

This thread doesn't even begin to document what I went through this past week. Many, many phone calls. Call to ABT, call to GE, asking ABT to fax paperwork, checking with GE if it was received, calling ABT again, calling GE again, speaking to someone else at GE, etc, etc.

I am going to make more calls Monday. Thank you everyone for your support here, and to the people who have emailed me privately.

Get on line right now and file a complaint with the BBB. Do it. My Amana heat pump failed after one heating season. We're talking an $8000 item plus the installation. Amana pretty much said go away. Don't bother us. We paid the $39 for the defective part we shipped on the heat pump. YOU pay for the labor. Well, with my "considerable" discount from the company I bought it from, my share of the labor was $800. I have no idea what the total was but doesn't even $800 seem a bit steep? So I contacted the BBB and in a matter of days, Amana was calling and writing wondering what was wrong. Hold firm. They won't give you anything, but if you aren't nice and don't give in they will come around. They don't want a black mark against them at the BBB.

Quick update: I received a call from someone at ABT today. They no longer use GE/Assurant warranty so it seems they cannot straighten out the paperwork issue. I take that to mean I paid for a warranty but I never really had one...and it seems they should have known this last week, but I digress. She needed to go back and talk to some other people, but it seems like they might just pay for the repairs or reimburse me. Tomorrow was my scheduled repair, but I cancelled that yesterday. Hopefully I will have it repaired before the weekend. I'll keep you posted! Thanks for the support everyone.

Holy Schmoly(an industry term). You paid for a warranty and had one, yes, really, with GE, but because Abt is guilty in that they never complied with the terms of their agreement with GE, at the least, in sending in your 'premium' and purchase of the warranty documents, they are assuming the liability (paying for the repairs or reimbursement), so they are trying to make you whole.

I guess that the contract between GE and ABT has provisions for this very situation-where ABT, the agent, fails to properly submit the 'premium' and paperwork for your valid purchase of a 4 year parts and labor warranty. Very common. Obviously, I don't know the consequences of such a breach.

NO doubt, Actually, both GE and ABT are both very affected by the bad press here on GW, and by whatever consumer complaint organizations have become involved.

But you will be fixed. If there are any ancillary expenses that you incurred because of the delay (screwup), you may wish to submit those along with the contractual fix of the appliance. Just write a note describing how those expenses happened----send a copy to the Legal Departments of both GE and ABT, along with your claim.

Sorry about your repair saga Wish you the best with this. You may want to contact the state attorney and send them after the dealer that wrote the paperwork on the sale. Provide all paper work provided by the dealer the amounts for the lose of contents meals out etc you should be able to recoup a major portion of all. What the dealer did was theft by deception and possibly multiple cases through negligence, I would inform the person whom you talk to about this that the dealer needs to be held responsible for the costs and to prevent them from doing this again to other consumers. You may be directed to other state agencies in other states however when the state attorny speaks most companies get to moving. The fines for this sort of fraud are very steep and lead to some very bad press for them. Good Luck and Best Wishes

DO NOT PURCHASE FROM ABT APPLIANCES.

I just got off the phone with "Vicki" at ABT. They are now refusing to reimburse me for my KA refrigerator repair. When I purchased the fridge I was told the warranty was 4 years on top of the manufacturer's 1 year warranty (I have my handwritten note from almost 5 years ago). ABT never purchased my warranty with GE assurant and they told me they would reimburse me directly for the food loss ($200) and the repairs (about $400). They sent me the check for the food and now are refusing to pay for the repairs.

The people at ABT are either liars or very stupid, or both. I was told the warranty was 1 plus 4 several times, I was told they never purchased my warranty with GE Assurant and would reimburse me. I was sent a letter apologizing with the check. Vicki says all these things never happened (she even claimed I didn't receive a signed letter, which I did. They she claimed someone else must have signed the woman's name. Right). I guess I imagined it all.

I have recommended this company to people in the past (on here and elsewhere) but never again. Not purchasing a warranty I paid for is bad enough...but to then tell me they would reimburse me and refuse to do it? I am trying to decide if I should sue them in small claims court. Oh, Vicki told me I couldn't do that either. I guess Vicki must be obeyed.

Anyway, as you can tell I'm pretty heated about this right now. Stay away from ABT. Far, far away.