I got a letter today from a company offering to extend the coverage. The company is "Auto Protection Direct", located at 300 North Tucker, St. Louis, MO. This is not the same company with which i have the current policy. Like mentioned, the letter just showed up. There is a toll free number to call..

So, the original policy, covering from 36,000 to 70,000 miles, cost about $32/1000 miles. It also covers just about everything except a broken radio knob or the chrome in the ashtray. That is, it covers things like oil leaks from the rear main seal or valve covers, exhaust system, air conditioning plenum door motors, power locks, burnt wiring.. and of course engine and transmission failures "even if I break it". The list of these covered items is lengthy, specific, and occupies several pages in the pamphlet. The same list is also an exhibit in the actual policy.

So, with 69,000+ on the dial of my Chevy truck, I call Auto Protection Direct (since they were so kind to send me a letter) and tell them what mileage I have, the VIN, etc. First thing they come back with is $3520 to cover 70,000 to 120,000 miles. Yow, that's $70.40 per 1000 miles! More than twice the rate I already have. So, I tell the guy that's too much. Almost immediately, he comes back with $2720. So, I am thinking, the truck does have a slightly higher risk of something going wrong. What does the policy cover? I asked him if he had an itemized list and told him I was going to compare with the Chevy dealer's offering, and to make me his best offer.

The price dropped to $2520.. This sequence of events is very curious. How can a respectable merchant like Auto Protection Direct take such a cut on their price? Well I have to admit I don't understand the insurance business very well. I just go by what is in the policy.

So, I ask again if the gentleman can e-mail me a list of covered items. He has to go check with this finance person (huh? we were discussing covered items, not the price). Another person comes on the line, and offers me a drivetrain and powerplant policy to cover from 70,000 miles to 170,000 miles, for only $2205. How about that? Hmm. That's $22.05 per 1000 miles. Certainly cheap enough! But what does that cover, exactly? I ask him for an itemized list, and I am told that for "legal reasons" he cannot give me the list of covered items until after I pay a downpayment, and then I will receive a package in the mail detailing all of this. He also said they operate in so many places, they can't just have pamphlets lying around. This is very strange.

Why would a respectable company like Auto Protection Direct not want to tell their prospective customers exactly what they are buying? To allay my worries, he told me that they deal with all Chevy dealerships, and even do business in Florida to AARP members. Huh. Maybe the package and sales procedure they use is designed for retired older folks who might be naiieve, gullible, or overly fearful of a vehicle failure.

I admit I don't know much about legal matters, except that I try to stay on the honest side of the law. So I can't say why Auto Protection Direct wouldn't want to show me a list of what is covered, but instead insisted I make a payment first. I think it is suspicious to have hidden or secret parts of a deal before the "consummation". And then there is always the question of whom is consummating whom.

So, what's the conclusion?
1.) I don't trust them. No list of what is covered until -after- I pay.
2.) Phony sounding reason for not showing me a list of what is covered.
3.) The price just kept dropping. I believe they genuinely did want my money, er, business.

I don't trust any business that won't tell me what I am getting before I buy the product. I suggest that you don't either.