17 Weeks Have Passed Since a Valid Transfer Case Warranty Claim and Still No Check. So Why the Long Delay in Refunds?
As we reported, in late Q3 2020, Porsche began reaching out to owners with emails or physical mail providing warranty extension details for the transfer case on Macan and Cayenne models. Porsche said, “on certain model year Porsche Cayenne and Macan vehicles, the transfer case long term durability may be below Porsche’s high-quality standards.”
Many owners have already had to replace the transfer case on these models. So, Porsche agreed to pay for the previous repairs and provided a mechanism for making the claim. All well and good, except, as of January ’21, no one had got their refund check! Why the delay?
First, please don’t call us! While we’d love to hear from you and chat all things Porsche, we can’t do anything other than sympathize with you, when you haven’t received your refund check. You need to reach out to Porsche North America and the claims company that Porsche employed directly.
Big Money Refund
As you are all too painfully aware, replacing the transfer case on the Macan or Cayenne is not a small job. Most of the claims for reimbursement are above $4000, so this is no small claim that can be sent on a pre-paid visa card, in the hopes that you’ll never use it!
Porsche seems to have tried to keep this very low key and potentially throttle back the number of claims. Searching the web for information about this claim you’ll find next to nothing; other than the information we have published and some chatter on forums. Even the website to enable claims is very well hidden – even from Google.
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
The transfer case warranty extension started as an excellent way to protect the brand and was welcomed by owners as an admission to the failings of an expensive part. Providing a refund to the folks that had already completed the work, is an outstanding gesture and was admired by loyal Porsche fans. However, the delay in sending the check has turned admiration into frustration and annoyance on behalf of Porsche owners.
If the work was completed at a dealer, the full detail of the work is recorded with the vehicle vin, so how long can it take to verify the work and send a refund check? 10 weeks? Seriously, it can’t take more than a day and a simple email to verify a claim is authentic – what happens in the other 69 days?
We live in a world where corporations demand instant, on-time payment – miss your lease payment for 10 weeks and see what happens! However, when the roles are reversed, you just have to be patient and suck up the delay like a good consumer. Hardly seems fair, does it? Are they including interest on the money you spent during the delay? I don’t think so.
Sympathy for the Devil
Now being fair, one of the problems with providing retroactive refunds is the vast number of rubbish claims that come through. Honest owners will naturally be perplexed by the vast amount of due diligence necessary to verify a claim. We used to live in a world of “my word, is my bond” and where a handshake meant significantly more than you might catch a virus!
Unfortunately, these days, the world is full of dishonest people who believe this is a handout for them. They’ll do their very best to come up with some mechanism for making a fake claim and getting a bonus check. Weeding out the trash definitely delays the refund for the honest owner with a legit claim. Over the years in our shops, we’ve seen people try to involve us in “previous repair refund” schemes, and extended warranty scams, that were just plain dishonest. We told them all to go forth and multiply!
We also suspect that Porsche seriously misjudged the response – rather than a few claims trickling in unnoticed, we believe they have been inundated with claims. Who hasn’t had to replace the shabby transfer case? On our website, more than 1000 people a week read the original article describing the warranty extension. That has to translate to quite a few claims.
When Did You Make Your Refund Claim?
Here is the story of one claim made in September 2020 – we changed the names to protect the innocent:
Dave went through the process of making his claim with supporting documentation in September 2020 and it was duly acknowledged by the claim processor. He reached out to the claims processor in November last year to follow up –
From: Questions@TransferCaseWarrantyExtension.com
Sent: Wednesday, November 4, 2020 11:40 AM
To: xxxxxx@gmail.com
Subject: RE: Follow up on reimbursement
Dear XXXXXX,
Thank you for your email.
Once you have submitted your Reimbursement Form along with the necessary documentation, Epiq will review all of the documents and information to verify eligibility for reimbursement and the amount to be reimbursed. If additional information is needed, you will be contacted directly by Epiq. Once all information has been reviewed and verified, you will receive your reimbursement via check, which will be mailed directly to the address you provide on your form. Timing may depend on volume and completeness of documentation submitted. However, a general estimate is 4 to 10 weeks for processing from the time Epiq receives the final documentation required to complete your claim.
Regards, E W.
Transfer Case Warranty Extension
Claims Administrator
10 weeks after the claim filing, Dave followed up again to see if anything had changed. Here’s the reply:
On Dec 23, 2020, at 2:48 PM, Questions@transfercasewarrantyextension.com wrote:
Dear XXXX,
Thank you for your patience while we researched your inquiry.
This email serves as confirmation that your claim has been reviewed and is approved for reimbursement. We expect payments will be after the holidays; sometime in January. However, we do not know the exact date of distribution at this time. You will receive your reimbursement via check, which will be mailed directly to the address you provide on your claim form. No further action is needed by you at this time
Regards,
M R.
Transfer Case Warranty Extension
Claims Administrator
With the end of January approaching and no check in the mailbox, Dave again reached out and received this reply:
From: Questions@TransferCaseWarrantyExtension.com
Sent: Tuesday, January 26, 2021 9:48 AM
To: xxxxxx@gmail.com
Subject: RE: Re: Follow up on reimbursement
Dear xxxxxx,
Thank you for your email.
Your inquiry requires further consideration, we will respond to you once information is available.
Regards,
E M.
Transfer Case Warranty Extension
Claims Administrator
17 weeks have passed since Dave made his valid claim. According to the email, it was approved for a refund in December, yet by January the claim requires further consideration. Confused?
We don’t have the answers, but we sincerely hope that someone from Porsche would at least advise those that have made claims, as to when they might receive their check. At least keep owners informed as to the progress and why there might be delays.
The current approach is an excellent way of turning a strong belief in the Porsche brand into a bad taste and that could well be reflected in new car sales going forward.
Let us know if you have similar issues or if you have the magic refund check yet.