Marathon Group

We have received your correspondence in regards to complaint case [redacted], made by Ms. [redacted] against Marathon Group. Please note that Marathon Group is merely an administrator of vehicle service contracts and does not participate in the marketing or sale of said service contracts. In light of Ms. [redacted]’s inquiry with your office, we have conducted a detailed review of the referenced account.                   According to our records, Ms. [redacted] purchased the referenced service contract on May 25, 2016 for her 2008 [redacted]. At the time of purchase, Ms. [redacted] reported the vehicle’s current mileage to be 89,680 miles. On August 25, 2016 [redacted] with [redacted] contacted our office to submit a claim for the repair of Ms. [redacted]’s vehicle. [redacted] indicated that the engine was making a noise and needed to be replaced. The vehicle’s current mileage was reported to be 91,707. In accordance with the contract language, the claims representative subsequently requested the vehicle’s maintenance records and assigned the vehicle for inspection.   Upon inspecting the vehicle, the inspector identified an excessive amount of metal debris in the residual oil and in the oil pan. The inspector noted a heavy accumulation of metal debris in the oil pump pick up screen. Per the report, the #2 rod bearing cap showed score marks indicating a lack of lubrication to the bearing. The inspector subsequently determined that the crankshaft journals only showed normal wear for the time and miles, indicative of a dry start condition. The inspector furthermore noted that according to a maintenance record at the repair facility, the vehicle had only traveled twenty-seven (27) miles since the last reported oil change. Based on the inspector’s professional experience, this would coincide with the evidence of a dry start condition. Based on the patterns of damage seen, the inspector determined the failures to the engine to be consistent with a lack of lubrication due to a dry start condition. Based on this information, Ms. [redacted]’s claim was subsequently denied for a dry start condition in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract language, explicitly exclusion #14;   14. Any loss caused by lack of proper and necessary amount of coolants or lubricants.   Furthermore, according to the maintenance record provided by Ms. [redacted], the vehicle’s oil was changed on July 30, 2016 at 91,680 miles. This would indicate that the vehicle travelled exactly two-thousand (2,000) miles in sixty-six (66) days since purchasing the contract. This would mean that the vehicle was driven an average of thirty (30) miles per day during that time. Subsequently, as the inspector pointed out, the vehicle only travelled a total of twenty-seven (27) miles in the twenty-six (26) days between the date of said service and the claim being called in. This would indicate an extremely unusual decrease in the daily driving of the vehicle. Moreover, upon close examination, it was determined that the oil filter listed on the maintenance record, part number V4612, indicated that a Group 7 Purolator filter was used when changing the customer’s oil. Based on the inspection report, the vehicle had a Fram Professional oil filter, part number FP7317, at the time of inspection. Furthermore, upon researching the part number V4612, it was subsequently determined that said filter was not indicated for use on the covered vehicle.   In consideration of our review findings, we feel that Ms. [redacted]’s claim has been denied in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract language. We would respectfully request that your office considers this matter to be closed as resolved.   Regards,   David [redacted] Customer Service Manager Marathon Group

We have received correspondence in regards to complaint case [redacted], made by Ms. [redacted] against Marathon Group. In light of said correspondence, our office has conducted a thorough review of Ms....

[redacted]’s service contract account.                   According to our records, John with [redacted] contacted our office on September 19, 2016 to submit a claim on Ms. [redacted]’s service contract. John advised the claims representative that the vehicle’s front differential was making noise and needed to be replaced. Upon inquiring as to the exact cause of the noise and the extent of the damage to the differential, the representative was advised that [redacted] does not teardown differentials. The claims representative advised John, that we would not be able to approve any repairs to the vehicle without the ability to verify the cause and extent of the damage to the differential.   In an effort to help progress the customer’s claim, the representative subsequently made arrangements for the vehicle to be fully diagnosed by [redacted] of Randallstown. The representative spoke with [redacted] to ensure the facility would be capable of tearing down the differential. Ms. [redacted] contacted our office on September 26, 2016 advising that [redacted] told her that they were unable to tear down the differential. The representative advised Ms. [redacted] that the [redacted] facility already confirmed they would break down the differential for inspection. The representative furthermore advised Ms. [redacted], that without the ability to verify the cause and extent of the damage to the differential, we would not be able to proceed with the claims adjudication process.   At the current time, a claims determination cannot be made due to our inability to verify the exact cause and extent of the damage to the differential assembly. Upon our ability to inspect and verify the failures to the differential, a claim determination will be made in accordance with the contract language. If the failure is determined to be a covered condition, then the repair of Ms. [redacted]’s vehicle will be authorized as outlined in her contract booklet. Per the terms and conditions of the contract language, it states;   IV – ADMINISTRATOR OBLIGATIONS If a covered BREAKDOWN of the VEHICLE occurs during the term of this CONTRACT, the ADMINISTRATOR will: pay the CONTRACT HOLDER or the Repair Facility for repair or replacement, as ADMINISTRATOR deems appropriate of the COVERED PART(S) which caused the BREAKDOWN, if the CONTRACT HOLDER has met his/her obligations as described in this CONTRACT. Replacement parts can be of like kind and quality. They may include the use of new or remanufactured parts as determined by ADMINISTRATOR.                   As such, the contract does not obligate Marathon Group to provide new manufacturer’s parts for the repair of Ms. [redacted]’s vehicle. The administrator has the contractual capacity to allocate monies based on their determination of suitable replacement parts. Ms. [redacted] indefinitely retains the ability to determine which replacement parts are used in repairing her vehicle, but in the event of a covered claim, our office will only authorize to pay the price of a suitable replacement part. Ms. [redacted] would subsequently be responsible for the price difference between said parts. As it stands, Ms. [redacted]’s claim remains open, pending the teardown and inspection of the differential assembly. In consideration of our review findings, we would respectfully request that your office considers this matter to be closed as resolved.   Regards   David [redacted] Customer Service Manager Marathon Group

We have received correspondence in regards to complaint case #[redacted] made by Ms. [redacted] against Marathon Group. Please understand that Marathon Group is merely the claims administrator of vehicle service contracts. Marathon Group does not participate in the sale, cancellation or refunding...

of service contracts administrated by its office. Such services are solely provided by independent third party selling agents. In an effort to effectively address Ms. [redacted]’s concerns, we have conducted a detailed review of the referenced matter.                   According to our records, Ms. [redacted] purchased the referenced service contract for her [redacted] on October 21, 2016. At the time of purchase Ms. [redacted] reported the vehicle’s current mileage to be 162,100 miles. As standard procedure, Ms. [redacted]’s contract came with a mandatory thirty (30) day and one-thousand (1,000) mile validation period. During such period, no claims or failures that occur, will be paid by the service contract. Our records indicated that [redacted] contacted out office on November 22, 2016 to submit a claim for Ms. [redacted]’s vehicle. The vehicle’s current mileage was reported as 163,105 miles. [redacted] advised our claims representative that Ms. [redacted]’s transmission had failed and required replacement. In accordance with the claims process, the claims representative subsequently requested the vehicle’s maintenance history. According to Carfax report, Ms. [redacted]’s vehicle was at [redacted] approximately three (3) months prior to the purchase of her vehicle service contract. Upon obtaining said record, it was subsequently determined that Ms. [redacted]’s vehicle was at [redacted] on July 9, 2016 with transmission issues. According to the record, Ms. [redacted] declined any repairs to the vehicle’s transmission at that time. Ms. [redacted]’s claim was subsequently denied in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract language, explicitly exclusion #2;                   2. Repair or replacement of a covered component/part to correct conditions that may reasonably be assumed to have existed at the inception date of the coverage provided by this CONTRACT (Pre-existing conditions).                   We have subsequently reached out to the contract selling agent in regards to Ms. [redacted]’s cancellation refund. Upon communicating with the selling agent, it was subsequently determined that Ms. [redacted]’s cancellation refund is due to be processed and sent out this week. The agent advised that Ms. [redacted]’s refund will be processed on Friday, when their cancellation refunds are processed. We anticipate that Ms. [redacted] will receive said refund check in the coming week. If Ms. [redacted] has any further questions regarding her refund, we would recommend that she contact her contract selling agent. In consideration of our review findings, we would respectfully request that your office considers this matter to be closed as resolved, pending Ms. [redacted]’s receipt of said refund.   Regards   David G[redacted] Customer Service Manager Marathon Group

Sent: Tuesday, September 27, 2016 3:42 PM Subject: FW: Revdex.com of Houston and South Texas- Complaint regarding Your Business #[redacted]                 Please note that we are currently reviewing the information regarding the...

referenced account and will issue our formal response upon completion of said review. Thanks, David [redacted] Marathon Group Customer Service Manager/Retention Manager Email d[redacted]@marathongroup.com Phone 800-205-8988 Ext. 3131 Direct 618-726-6651 Fax 314-744-3754

We have received correspondence in regards to complaint case #11863035, made by Ms. [redacted] Smith against Marathon Group. It is important to note that Marathon Group is merely an administrator of vehicle...

service contracts and does not engage in the marketing, sale or cancellation of contracts administrated by its offices. Said services are expressly provided by independent third party selling agents. Accordingly, we have reached out to the selling agent to obtain the records necessary for the thorough review of said matter.                   According to the selling agent’s records, Ms. Smith purchased a vehicle service contract for her [redacted] on November 4, 2016. The records indicated that Ms. Smith contacted the selling agent on November 11, 2016 to request the cancellation of said coverage. Ms. Smith was subsequently advised that her cancellation request would need to be made in writing. According to the records, Ms. Smith’s letter was received by the agent on November 21, 2016 and was submitted to the agents finance department for refund processing. Upon communicating with the agent, it was determined that Ms. Smith’s refund was still being processed. In an effort to assist in the resolution of this matter, the agent was subsequently directed to expedite the refund of Ms. Smith’s monies. Accordingly, the $200.00 down payment made by Ms. Smith has been refunded to her account on file. The agent has provided a copy of the transaction for your review.                   We have furthermore reviewed our internal records as well. Our phone and contract records indicated that Marathon Group has only had one (1) communication with Ms. Smith since the initiation of her coverage on November 4, 2016. The records indicated that Ms. Smith contacted our office on November 21, 2016, requesting a refund on her account. Accordingly, Ms. Smith was transferred to her selling agent for assistance with said request. It is furthermore important to note that the specific representatives named Ms. Smith’s complaint are not employees of Marathon Group.                   In an effort to assist in the resolution of this inquiry, we have reached out to Ms. Smith to further discuss this matter. We have advised Ms. Smith that her refund has been processed and the funds are being deposited back into her account. Ms. Smith indicated that she would be satisfied with this resolution and subsequently thanked us for our assistance in this matter. After having reviewed our account records, we are confident that the issues expressed in Ms. Smith’s inquiry with your office are not in reference to communications or services rendered by Marathon Group. Still, our office has gone above and beyond to assist Ms. Smith in the resolution of said matter. As such, we would respectfully request that the referenced complaint be closed as invalid and removed from our complaint records.   Regards   David [redacted] Customer Service Manager Marathon Group

This response is in reference to complaint #[redacted],
made by [redacted] against Marathon Group. Mr. [redacted] purchased a vehicle
service contract for his 2012 Chrysler 300 on 1/10/2014. Mr. [redacted] subsequently
requested the cancellation of said contract on 11/5/2015 due to the sale...

of
said covered vehicle. Mr. [redacted] was advised that he would need to submit a
formal request of cancellation along with proof of the covered vehicle’s ending
mileage. Our records indicated the receipt of said information by our office on
11/11/2015. Cancellation refunds take approximately thirty (30) days, from the
date our office receives the necessary cancellation information, to process and
issue a refund check. It appears that Mr. [redacted] refund was slightly delayed
due to a holiday observance, but our records indicated that a refund check,
#[redacted] in the amount of $1,836.36, was issued and sent to the customer’s home
address on 12/18/2015. We anticipate that Mr. [redacted] will be receiving this
check in the coming days. We have provided your office with a copy of the check
for your records. If there is an issue in the receipt of said refund check, we
would advise Mr. [redacted] to contact our office so we can further assist him in
the rectification of this matter. In consideration of the information provided,
pending the receipt of Mr. [redacted] refund check, we would respectfully request
that your office consider this matter to be, closed as resolved.
 
Regards,
 
David G[redacted]
Customer Service Manager
Marathon Group

Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2017 11:57 AMSubject: FW: Revdex.com of Houston and South Texas- Complaint regarding Your Business #[redacted]     the customer would need to communicate with the selling agent in regards to their refund. First, the refund has nothing to do with Marathon as the selling agent is still in business. I did reach out to the selling agent and check #[redacted] for $274.51 was sent out on January 27, 201. I can get a copy of the check if you would like for verification, but again, If the customer is having a refund issue, she needs to communicate with the selling agent so they can assist in correcting.

To whom it may concern,
 
 
      This letter is
in response to the correspondence received from you regarding a complaint from
[redacted] and [redacted].
 
         On January 19, 2016 a called was...

received
from [redacted] at [redacted] to initiate a claim for a water pump
replacement on the vehicle. The claims adjuster received the information and
assigned a third party independent inspector to verify the failure. Upon review
of the inspection report it was determined that the water pump has seized up
causing severe damage to the water pump pulley. There is rust dust on all of
the components below the water pump indicating a longterm condition. The amount
of damage to the water pump pulley and the rust dust present indicates a
longterm condition which was pre-existing the contract inception date as the
vehicle has only travelled 122 miles.
 
        The mileage on
the vehicle at contract purchase was 229,438. The mileage on the vehicle when
the claim was initiated was 230,560. The policy the customer purchased has a
waiting period of 30 days and 1000 miles before the contract is valid. The
vehicle only travelled 122 miles outside the validation period. The contract
clearly states that pre-existing conditions are not covered.
 
        The claim was
initiated for other components besides the water pump which are not covered by
the contract. The amount of repair for the water pump came to a total of
$742.14.
 
       In the spirit
of good customer relations we offered to pay half of the non-covered repair in
the amount of $371.07 but the customer refused.
 
       
Sincerely,
 
 
David G[redacted]
Customer Service Manager
Marathon Group

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.

We have received your correspondence in regards to complaint case #[redacted], made by Mr. [redacted] against Marathon Group. Accordingly, we have conducted a detailed review of the referenced matter in an...

effort to effectively address Mr. [redacted]’s concerns.                   Our records indicated that Mr. [redacted] purchased the referenced contract for his 2009 [redacted] on November 1, 2013. At the time of purchase Mr. [redacted] reported the vehicle mileage as 102,310 miles. On January 13, 2017, Bill with Arnie [redacted] called our office to submit a claim on Mr. [redacted]’s vehicle. Bill advised the claims representative that the vehicle’s oil pressure light is on and the engine is making noise. Bill indicated that the engine required replacement due to an internal failure. A vehicle maintenance history and estimate of repair was requested in accordance with the claims procedure. Mr. [redacted] was furthermore advised that he would have to authorize the teardown of the engine to determine if the failure is a covered breakdown in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract language.                   As part of the claims procedure, an independent third party inspector was sent to verify the failures to Mr. [redacted]’s vehicle. Upon examining the vehicle, the inspector noted a heavy accumulation of sludge throughout the engine. The inspector indicated that there was an accumulation of sludge in the oil pan surrounding the oil pickup screen. The inspector indicated that the oil pickup appeared to be picking up the sludge in the oil pan, blocking the oil pickup and causing the oil pressure drop. The repair facility’s technician advised the inspector that the engine noise upon diagnosis was consistent with a valve train noise from loss of oil pressure. Upon examining the cylinder heads the inspector noted that there was an accumulation of sludge on the valve train components and the valve covers were extremely dry, only further indicating a lack of lubrication to the cylinder heads. The inspector further noted that the #5 and #6 rod bearings were dark and heat discolored. The inspector determined the cause of the failure to be a long-term lack of engine oil maintenance resulting in sludge formation and poor quality lubrication to the engine components. Based on the inspector’s finding, Mr. [redacted]’s claim was denied in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract language, explicitly exclusion #13;   13. For any BREAKDOWN caused by overheating (regardless of the cause), freezing, inadequate coolant, lubricants or fluids, or any BREAKDOWN to a listed part resulting from contamination of fluids, rust, corrosion, foreign material, sludge or carbon deposits and coolant intermix.                   We would furthermore like to point out that though the conditions mentioned in Mr. [redacted]’s inquiry may potentially contribute to the presence of sludge, such conditions are not indicative of causing engine issues such as poor operation or failure. It would appear that Mr. [redacted]’s information was obtained through a [redacted] article regarding “Oil Sludge”. However, the cause section of said article in its entirety, reads as follows;   Sludge is usually caused by a poorly designed or defective crankcase ventilation system, low engine operating temperatures, the presence of water in the oil or crankshaft-induced cavitation, and can accumulate with use. Oil sludge that causes an engine to run poorly or even seize is a rare occurrence and typically happens only when oil changes have been neglected or if the car has been driven extensively with an extremely low oil level.                   Accordingly, the information that Mr. [redacted] is referencing to would directly correlate with the inspector’s findings and our claim denial determination. As such our office has determined that the denial of Mr. [redacted]’s claim was a just and verifiable denial in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract language. Accordingly, if Mr. [redacted] wishes to cancel his coverage and receive a refund, he would be required to submit the necessary cancellation information in writing. However, please note that any cancellation refund request would be processed in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract language. Accordingly, Mr. [redacted] would only be provided a pro-rata refund as outlined within the contract booklet. In consideration of our review findings, we would respectfully request that your office considers this matter to be closed as resolved.   Regards   David [redacted] Customer Service Manager Marathon Group

We have received your correspondence in regards to Complaint Case No. [redacted], made by Mr. [redacted] against Marathon Group. Upon receipt of said correspondence, our office initiated a thorough review of...

Mr. [redacted] account.                   According to our records, Mr. [redacted] purchased coverage for his [redacted] on December 30, 2013. Our records indicated that [redacted] with [redacted] contacted our office on June 14, 2017 to initiate a claim for the repair of Mr. [redacted]’ vehicle. [redacted] indicated that the vehicle’s alternator had failed and required replacement. As part of the claims adjudication procedure, our representative subsequently requested the vehicle’s maintenance history in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract language,   III – CONTRACT HOLDER OBLIGATIONS - In order for this CONTRACT to remain in force, the CONTRACT HOLDER is required to follow the vehicle manufacturer’s required maintenance schedule. Some vehicle manufacturers require that the Timing Belt be changed a specific interval. CONTRACT HOLDER must follow the vehicle manufacturer’s maintenance guidelines to avoid denial of a claim because of improper maintenance. The CONTRACT HOLDER must keep and make available verifiable, signed service/purchase receipts that show that this maintenance has been performed within the time and mileage limit requirements.                   Mr. [redacted] subsequently provided our representative with the requested records for the vehicle maintenance history. However, a number of said records were unable to be verified as they failed to properly identify the vehicle being serviced as well as the vehicle’s current mileage. Accordingly, the claim’s representative subsequently requested that Mr. [redacted] provide more verifiable records in order to proceed with the claim’s adjudication process. Unfortunately, Mr. [redacted] was unable to provide any further records.                   Upon reviewing the customer’s inquiry with your office, we subsequently reached out to Mr. [redacted] to further discuss this matter. Upon communicating with Mr. [redacted], we thoroughly explained the delay in the claims adjudication process due to the maintenance records as well as expressing the importance of our office to obtain such records in the event of a claim. We subsequently advised Mr. [redacted], that upon close examination of the records, we were able to confirm their correspondence with the covered vehicle. Accordingly, we advised Mr. [redacted] that we would reimburse him $441.40 for the repair work performed on his vehicle. We furthermore strongly recommended that Mr. [redacted] ensure that his service facilities are thoroughly completing his service records to avoid any future delays. Mr. [redacted]’ reimbursement check, #3197, was mailed to his home address on June 28, 2017. We have subsequently provided a copy of said check as part of this response. In light of this resolution, we would respectfully request that your office considers this matter to be closed as resolved.   Regards   David [redacted] Customer Service Manager Marathon Group