Filing an extended warranty claim with Mastercard for my printer.

[Sean]

I have an Epson printer that is clogged beyond what I can do to repair it.
I bought it two years ago next month and it came with a one year warranty.
I have always used OEM ink in it and have followed the procedures given to
me by Epson tech support to prevent clogs. I had one printer replaced
under warranty for being clogged. My replacement printer clogged really
badly last summer, but I was able to unclog it myself. No luck this time.

I remember today that my Platinum Mastercard doubles the warranty, so my
printer is covered until next month. I called Mastercard International
today and I was told to call back on Tuesday to file a claim. I was told
that I would need my receipt, a copy of my cc statement, plus a copy of the
warranty. I bought the printer from Epson directly and printed a copy of
the order from their web site. Will this be sufficient? I no longer had
my cc statement, so I ordered one online. The warranty coverage is stated
in the manual, so I will just make copies of it.

My other concern is that I won't have a copy of my cc statement before the
end of the extended warranty period. When I call back on Tuesday and file
my claim, will I be given a claim number when they send out the claim form?

Has anyone else ever filed an extended warranty claim with Mastercard? If
so, were you successful? Will my printer be fixed or replaced? The model
that I have is no longer being made.

Thanks.

 

[Jitney]

Send your claim in by certified mail to establish the claim date. Send
copies, not original documents. Enclose a note stating that you will
complete the documentation when you receive the cc receipt. Let us know
what happens.-Jitney

 

[CWatters]

Send your claim in by certified mail to establish the claim date. Send
copies, not original documents. Enclose a note stating that you will
complete the documentation when you receive the cc receipt. Let us know
what happens.-Jitney

Yes do exactly what Jitney says.

 

[Howard Kaikow]

My recollection is that you are outta luck with MC.
If you had used Visa, then you'd be OK.

The warranty protection is very different.

MC extends the warranty only on warranties that are no more than 1 year.
Visa extend on warranties that are no more than 3 years.

Check your MC extended protection terms.

 

[Sean]

My recollection is that you are outta luck with MC.
If you had used Visa, then you'd be OK.

The warranty protection is very different.

MC extends the warranty only on warranties that are no more than 1 year.
Visa extend on warranties that are no more than 3 years.

Check your MC extended protection terms.

Here are the terms at the time of purchase:

Extended Warranty

When you make a purchase with your card, you may also get Extended
Warranty at no extra charge. Extended Warranty is an insurance program.
There is
no registration necessary.
What is covered:
• Items purchased entirely with the MasterCard® card.
• Most new products purchased entirely with your card that come with
a) an original manufacturer’s U.S. warranty or b) a U.S. store brand
warranty (on
U.S. store brand items) of one year or less. For qualified purchases,
Extended
Warranty doubles the warranty time period and duplicates the coverage of
either of the above warranties up to a maximum of one additional year. If,
however, either warranty is for more than one year, no coverage will apply.
If
you purchased a service contract or extended warranty, see fourth bullet
point
below. If you do not have an additional service contract or extended
warranty,
the Extended Warranty program commences the day after your original
manufacturer’s U.S. or U.S. store brand warranty expires.
• Items purchased with your card and given as gifts are covered, subject to
the
same conditions.
• If you purchase a service contract (sometimes called an “extended
warranty”)
additional year after both the original manufacturer’s (or U.S. store
brand)
warranty and the purchased service contract coverage period ends. If your
service contract exceeds one year, this coverage does not apply.
• Motorized vehicle parts are covered.
• Extended Warranty will not pay more than the actual amount charged to
your
card for the item, or $10,000, whichever is less.
What is NOT covered:
• Used or antique items; collectibles of any kind (including, but not
limited to,
trading cards, Beanie Babies, etc.); recycled, previously owned,
refurbished,
rebuilt, or remanufactured items; product guarantees (for example, glass
breakage); or “satisfaction guaranteed” items.
• Boats or motorized vehicles (including but not limited to airplanes,
automobiles, and motorcycles).
• Land, buildings (including but not limited to homes and dwellings);
permanently installed items, fixtures, or structures.
• Consumables and perishables.
• Professional services (including but not limited to the performance or
rendering of labor or maintenance; repair or installation of products,
goods,
or property; professional advice of any kind, including but not limited to
information/services or advice secured from any help or support line; or
technical support for software, hardware, or any other peripherals).
• Application programs, operating software, and other software.
• Any shipping charges, transportation and delivery charges, or promised
time frames for delivery, whether or not stated or covered by the
manufacturer’s warranty.
• Any physical damage to the product, including damage as a direct result
of
Acts of God (including, but not limited to, flood, hurricane, and
earthquake),
or consequential losses resulting from any Act of God.
• Mechanical failure resulting in product recalls.
• Diagnostic charges in the absence of any covered repairs.
• War or hostilities of any kind (for example, invasion, rebellion,
insurrection, riot,
or civil commotion); confiscation or damage by any government, public
authority, or customs official; risks of contraband, illegal activity or
acts.
• Mechanical failures caused by normal wear and tear or gradual
deterioration.
• Items purchased for resale, professional, or commercial use.

 

[Bill]

My recollection is that you are outta luck with MC.
If you had used Visa, then you'd be OK.

The warranty protection is very different.

MC extends the warranty only on warranties that are no more than 1 year.
Visa extend on warranties that are no more than 3 years.

Check your MC extended protection terms.

You wanna explain how you came up with that?? He said he bought
it almost two years ago and it had a one year warranty. Thus it
definitely qualifies for the MC coverage.

Bill

 

[Bill]

Send your claim in by certified mail to establish the claim date. Send
copies, not original documents. Enclose a note stating that you will
complete the documentation when you receive the cc receipt. Let us know
what happens.-Jitney

The claim date is going to be the date he called Mastercard and
got them to open the claim (i.e., Tuesday). There is no reason
to waste money on Certified Mail unless there is some deadline
to mail the stuff by and he is pushing it because it takes too
long to get the statement he needs.

Bill

 

[CWatters]

The claim date is going to be the date he called Mastercard and
got them to open the claim (i.e., Tuesday). There is no reason
to waste money on Certified Mail

If he had to....How would he prove he made the call and what the content of
that call was about?

 

[Jitney]

IME, people will often lie or have selective amnesia concerning claim
dates, legal obligations, etc. Even very large prestigious institutions
will do so when the almighty dollar is at stake. Thus the certified
mail, and copies, not originals, which can be "lost". Insurance
companies are famous for this, they may get on TV to brag about giving
out teddy bears to children, but they hate forking over real money to
pay a claim. A warranty is a form of insurance.
If talking with them on the phone, keep a log, take names.-Jitney

 

[Arthur Entlich]

I have used my Mastercard warranty twice now. The terms are different
in Canada than you show. The underwriter company (Mastercard just buys
an insurance policy from someone else to take care of this, they do not
do it themselves) here at least, is a real PITA. They do everything in
their power to refuse claims including making false statements and
conclusions, so document everything you do in writing, or record
conversations if legal in your area (or if you are George W. Bush).;-)

In my case, for one item they claimed the warranty was not valid in
Canada, although I bought it in the town were I live , and in fact, the
manufacturer had replaced it once under warranty. They finally paid,
but not without a fight and a threat of a lawsuit and some bad
publicity, I "offered" to contact the head office of the rather large
international chain and indicate that the insurance company was implying
that the store I bought it from were selling grey market goods.

The second time was only a couple of month ago. This time they claimed
that the change in wording of the plan stated that if an item was "not
repairable" it had no coverage. Of course, today, many goods are
replaced rather than repaired because of cost of repair, in fact, in
this case the cost of repair would have exceeded the cost of
replacement. Again, major battle, threats of lawsuit, and finally
payment after a lot of paper work. I offered to find someone who would
indeed fix the item, if they would guarantee in writing they would pay
for that repair even if it was double or more the cost of replacement.

These companies get a premium from Mastercard for this insurance, and
they lose money if they accept too many claims, so they try every tactic
to get out of it.

So, don't give in!

You will need documentation of the purchase date, and that you used MC
to pay. Hopefully, the item was purchased new and not refurbed from
Epson, because they could legitimately balk at that.

Our wording in Canada is different, BTW. As long as the item has 5 years
or less warranty from the manufacturer, you don't have to register it,
and you get "up to double, or one year whichever is less". If it comes
with over a 5 year warranty, you have to register it during the first
year or so.


Here, the claim date is the day you contact them, and they open up your
file. You have something like 4-6 months to provide the paper work and
file the claim (at least here in Canada). My last item literally fails
within days prior to the expiration date of the MC extended warranty. I
didn't even realize it until I pulled the original receipts. It was
just lucky I didn't wait on filing.

Art

 

[Bill]

I have used my Mastercard warranty twice now. The terms are different
in Canada than you show. The underwriter company (Mastercard just buys
an insurance policy from someone else to take care of this, they do not
do it themselves) here at least, is a real PITA. They do everything in
their power to refuse claims including making false statements and
conclusions, so document everything you do in writing, or record
conversations if legal in your area (or if you are George W. Bush).;-)

I haven't filed a claim with MC, but I can tell you that AMEX is
excellent. I had a cordless phone/answering machine died on me
(no more Panasonic phones!) about 1 month out of warranty.
Panasonic did nothing when I called -- they offered to sell me a
refurbished model for the same price I was able to find it on
the web. I called AMEX, gave them the transaction info, and I
had a check in a week. Now, this was probably an extreme case,
since it was dead and the price was (just) under $100, but I buy
all of my electronics using AMEX now!

Bill

 

[Arthur Entlich]

Unfortunately AMEX in Canada doesn't seem to offer this type of
insurance. It is a different company under license with AMEX, as I
understand it. They offer free air miles, but no other special features
other than some D&D and A insurance. One of those policies where they
place a value on each finger and ear, etc.

Art

 

[Howard Kaikow]

The claim date is going to be the date he called Mastercard and
got them to open the claim (i.e., Tuesday). There is no reason
to waste money on Certified Mail unless there is some deadline
to mail the stuff by and he is pushing it because it takes too
long to get the statement he needs.

And the USPS is not reliable.
I once sent something that required a return receipt.
After a few weeks, I complained that I had not received a receipt.
All they did was shrug their shoulders and refund my postage.

Turned out, the PO delivered the item without getting a receipt.

A better way to track is to use UPS or FedEx or ..., but don't count on
USPS.

 

[Howard Kaikow]

Here are the terms at the time of purchase:

Ayup, since the product had a 2 year warranty, MC won't extend the warranty.

 

[Howard Kaikow]

You wanna explain how you came up with that?? He said he bought
it almost two years ago and it had a one year warranty. Thus it
definitely qualifies for the MC coverage.

I misread, I thought that he said 2-year warranty.

 

[Sean]

I have an Epson printer that is clogged beyond what I can do to repair it.
I bought it two years ago next month and it came with a one year warranty.
I have always used OEM ink in it and have followed the procedures given to
me by Epson tech support to prevent clogs. I had one printer replaced
under warranty for being clogged. My replacement printer clogged really
badly last summer, but I was able to unclog it myself. No luck this time.

I remember today that my Platinum Mastercard doubles the warranty, so my
printer is covered until next month. I called Mastercard International
today and I was told to call back on Tuesday to file a claim. I was told
that I would need my receipt, a copy of my cc statement, plus a copy of the
warranty. I bought the printer from Epson directly and printed a copy of
the order from their web site. Will this be sufficient? I no longer had
my cc statement, so I ordered one online. The warranty coverage is stated
in the manual, so I will just make copies of it.

My other concern is that I won't have a copy of my cc statement before the
end of the extended warranty period. When I call back on Tuesday and file
my claim, will I be given a claim number when they send out the claim form?

Has anyone else ever filed an extended warranty claim with Mastercard? If
so, were you successful? Will my printer be fixed or replaced? The model
that I have is no longer being made.

I filed the claim shortly after posting this message. The biggest deal was
getting a written estimate since I had to pay for an estimate. The cost of
the estimate would be applied to any repairs. The problem wound up being a
pump which is around $90 total to fix. The shop will be able to make a
determination whether the print head needs to be replaced once the pump is
replaced. I contacted MasterCard two days after I faxed the estimate and
they told me a check was on the way. I was also informed that they would
cover the print head if it needed to be replaced, but that they would only
pay out what I paid for the printer. If the print head needs to be
replaced, I will be out a total of $40 to $50. Not bad.

It'll be 10 days before the pump comes in. I will provide an update after
the pump is installed.

 

[Arthur Entlich]

If the print head needs to be

replaced, I will be out a total of $40 to $50. Not bad.

In my opinion, this stinks, and it is why I have stopped using my
Mastercard to take advantage of the extra warranty. I am now using my
Visa for this purpose.

Mastercard's insurance company (which is under contract to Mastercard)
places many between a rock and a hard place. In your case, they placed
you in a situation where they require you to get the printer partially
fixed, without knowing the full cost, since that won't be known until
the pump is replaced, yet they won't pay beyond the cost of the printer
should the heads also need replacement. Since they decided you needed
to go this route, with a partial repair without a known outcome, THEY
should take the risk, NOT you.

You don't mention which printer model it is, but the lower end Epson
printers are currently selling for under $100 US (you also don't mention
which country you are in)

Let me warn people about Mastercard's warranty service (in Canada at
least). They almost always demand an estimate, at your expense, even if
the product is obviously damaged beyond original cost if a repair was to
be made. You swallow the repair estimate no matter what, unless it's
free or you go through with the repair and the repair company offers
free estimates if you get the work done.

If the item is simply not repairable, because it just isn't an item
normally repaired (in my case, it was a router), rather than the logical
approach which was to simply pay for a replacement, they claim that they
won't pay because they only cover "the cost of repair up to the value of
the item", and therefore, since the item is not repairable, they won't
pay ANYTHING.

It was only after I threatened to report them for investigation or to
mount a class action lawsuit against them, that they agreed to consider
covering the cost of replacement if it was unrepairable, but not without
an estimate.

I called Cisco/Linksys they informed me they neither will look at their
dead router nor do they do anything but replace them under their
warranty (mine was in it's second year, outside of their warranty). It
took some doing to actually find a service depot which would even look
at the device in order to evaluate it. They ended up simply indicating
that they believed it was cheaper to replace it than to fix it, - parts
would be difficult if not impossible to find, as well.

I finally got a cheque issued for the original cost, but I believe my
claim was handled "unusually" because I really was ready to report them
to the authorities to look for potential fraud. I did place a complaint
directly with MasterCard, who, as far as I know, did nothing.

However, since then, I have spoken to a fair number of people about any
experiences they had, and the stories ring similar to my own.
Basically, they do what they can to pay the minimal amount or nothing.
they place the client in an unfair place, and the less you challenge
their policies, the more likely you will go away completely dissatisfied.

Their service claims to be an "extended warranty", which should mean an
extension of the manufacturer's terms, but it is no such thing. Your
original warranty doesn't require the item be "repairable" for the
product to be exchanged with a new or refurbish unit, and the company
doesn't ask you to get an estimate at your expense before they will
consider a warranty claim.

And, by the way, this is the second time I had dealt with Mastercard's
extended warranty contractor, and both times they tried to refuse my
claim. The first time, they claimed I did not buy the product with a
valid Canadian Warranty. That was funny, because I had previously made
a claim on the same warranty with the manufacturer a year earlier due to
a failure and it was honored without any problem (the product they
provided failed within the year).

Only when I suggested that if they wanted to cause a major big box here
of selling grey market product that they would have to take it up with
them, did they allow me to resubmit my claim (the item was NOT grey
market) and finally they paid.

Now, the insurance company that subcontracts with MasterCard may be
different in different countries, but here, in Canada, watch your back.

Art

 

[Burt]

Arthur - My son is an attorney, and he has represented people against their
insurance companies in what he termed "bad faith insurance claims."
Insurance companies run the gamut from up front and responsible to
despicable. I have had excellent responses with the few insurance claims
I've had to submit, but that is not always the case. As my son said, it is
in the insurance company's interest to pay out the least for claims, and
some will reject many claims and only respond when threatened. I will
reiterate, however, that my experience with insurance companies I've dealt
with has generally been excellent.

That said, I can tell you that I purchased an extended warranty on several
high-level kitchen appliances when we renovated our home. When it came time
to submit a claim for a broken shelf and shelf support in our refrigerator
we were denied as the policy stated that claims were paid only for problems
that made the appliance inoperable! That you couldn't use that shelf was
not a covered item.

There must be a reason that the Mastercard policy reads as it does -
repairs, up to the purchase price with the requirement for an estimate for
repairs. Most shops charge a considerable amount for estimates, and so many
items would cost more to repair than to replace that they are absolutely in
the clear for such claims. Come to think of it, I wonder if they EVER pay a
claim for the majority of low to moderate cost items! Probably not. In
addition, most people (myself included) either forget about the credit card
extended warranty or haven't kept documentation of the purchase that is
required for such claims.

 

[Sean]

I filed the claim shortly after posting this message. The biggest deal was
getting a written estimate since I had to pay for an estimate. The cost of
the estimate would be applied to any repairs. The problem wound up being a
pump which is around $90 total to fix. The shop will be able to make a
determination whether the print head needs to be replaced once the pump is
replaced. I contacted MasterCard two days after I faxed the estimate and
they told me a check was on the way. I was also informed that they would
cover the print head if it needed to be replaced, but that they would only
pay out what I paid for the printer. If the print head needs to be
replaced, I will be out a total of $40 to $50. Not bad.

It'll be 10 days before the pump comes in. I will provide an update after
the pump is installed.

I received a check within about a week, but they did not cover the sales
tax. I did not press the issue, but I was sent a survey and I will mention
it there. I received the printer back on Tuesday. It works like new after
having the pump replaced. The printhead was fine. So after a bit of a
hassle, I am only out the sales tax for the repair. Not bad. The first
printer that failed under warranty most likely had a pump problem too.

 

[Arthur Entlich]

The cleaning station and pump are more likely the problems than the head
in terms of failures. In terms of clogs, however, the head is the most
likely cause, followed by the cleaning station.

Art