As my readers know, I’ve been car shopping these past few weeks…I make time to go online and read consumer comments on the different automobiles. One of the biggest concerns buyers talk about is the warranty. Seems that the salespeople talk up a storm about the benefits of their fantastic warranties (great commissions for them)but disappear faster than a speeding bullet when it comes to warranty work .

And here is the other problem….Consumers do not always take the time to read these warranties. Some of the wording is questionable….What does “limited ” warranty actually mean? I questioned a car dealer the other day who was trying to close a deal (my 2nd attempt to purchase a vehicle in the past few weeks) and he glossed over the details so quickly… I had to tell him twice to slow down.End result…We left there completely in the dark about the warranty coverage

Things have changed drastically in the world of warranties. Years ago, most car dealers had fully staffed in house service departments and the job was taken care of almost immediately. Now…much of warranty work is contracted out .

This applies to many other types of businesses also. Let’s take Sears for an example. Years ago, if you had a warranty and you called for servicing you were taken care of within days.Now , most of the work is contracted out….which means you probably won’t get that broken washer even looked at for at least a week…and then you may be waiting another week for the parts that are being replaced.

My advice is….Ask a lot of questions. Do not sign up for anything until you read the fine print. As far as cars are concerned….Make sure you ask about their service department…Do they offer loaner cars if the work takes a day or so? Do they contract out work or do they have a trained staff on the premises? (This could make a big difference in the time involved).

You won”t be taken advantage of if you are an informed shopper!