Peter Mielert bought a 2012 Honda Odyssey at Liberty Honda in Hartford and decided to get the vehicle protection package offered by the dealership, thinking it would be a good idea to protect his investment.
That’s until the West Hartford resident said he ran into a problem trying to use the coverage.
“It was frustrating,” said Peter Mielert.
In November of 2017, Mielert filed a claim with the dealership to remove the stains on the leather seats of his mini-van.
The vehicle protection package covers permanent stains to the leather, vinyl, and fabric in the car’s interior and damage to the exterior, according to the company that provides the protection.
Mielert showed us the documents which shows he paid $629 for the seven-year vehicle protection package that he bought in 2011.
“Over the years of having a mini-van and a family there were some stains on the seat and the floor,” said Mielert.
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When Mielert brought his vehicle to the dealership for the stained seats, he said the service representative took pictures and filed the claim.
Three months later, Mielert called the dealership to check on the status.
“There was a different service rep assigned to it at that point, they could find no record of it,” said Mielert.
Mielert had to re-submit the claim.
“Two months go by and again with the third rep and finally by this past summer 2018 we reach out to the service manager,” said Mielert.
Mielert and his wife spoke with a service manager at the dealership who assured him the claim would be taken care of. But Mielert ended up dealing with two different service managers about his claim.
In October, Liberty Honda’s General manager emailed Mielert stating that the Service manager forwarded his previous emails.
The general manager apologized and explained that he was out of town that weekend and would look into the matter when he returned.
Mielert said he didn’t hear back and turned to NBC Connecticut Responds.
“They weren’t supporting the product they sold us,” said Mielert.
When Responds contacted Liberty Honda, the General manager told us:
“I thought I was waiting for Mr. Mielert to bring the vehicle in so I could take a look and resolve the claim. If he would like to do that I would as well. If he wants a refund I would be happy to oblige with that as well. I apologize for the issues just let me know how to proceed.”
Within a few days, Mielert said the dealership reimbursed his $629 for the vehicle protection package.
“Responsive was what I wasn’t getting out of the company and responsiveness is what you got for us,” said Mielert.
Mielert admits that he didn’t ask enough questions about how the claim process works. And said he would do more research on products offered by the dealership.
The Better Business Bureau said whether it’s a vehicle protection package or an extended car warranty, you should always read the fine print.
