Problem Solved: Delta Auto Protect owes me $1,018 — where's my money?

Why won’t Delta Auto Protect send Tracy Bradley a check for his claim? And is there any way to expedite the payment?

Question: Delta Auto Protect, which handles my car warranty, owes me $1,018 for a claim on my 2010 GMC Acadia. I filed the claim six months ago and have been getting the runaround ever since.

The company promised to send the check in February. It is now April, and there’s no sign of the payment. Can you help me? — Tracy Bradley, Riverdale, Ga.

Answer: If Delta Auto Protect promised you a $1,018 check in February, you should have received the money by now. There’s no excuse for that kind of delay.

Delta Auto Protect is a peculiar company. Although there’s a help form to contact the company and an email address (info@deltaautoprotect.com), it doesn’t list its executives anywhere on the site. My research team’s efforts to find a higher-level contact were unsuccessful. (So, readers, if you know the names, numbers and email addresses for anyone at Delta Auto Protect, send ‘em to me and I’ll publish them as a public service.)

You did, however, manage to get through to a real person using the “info” address. That person repeatedly assured you that the check was in the mail. When I checked with Delta Auto Protect, via the same general address, a representative also told me the payment had been made as well. “It should be arriving very shortly,” he said.

It did not.

I wonder what would happen if the roles were reversed. What if you took more than six months to pay for your warranty? Would a company like Delta Auto Protect patiently continue to ask you for the money? Would it accept a the-check-is-in-the-mail excuse? Would it honor any claims — or cancel the warranty?

I think you know the answer.

This is such a frustrating case, because from where I sit, it looks as if the company is trying to hide from its customers. It also touts a Consumer Affairs accreditation, which means it pays the site and may also pay a commission to the site for new business. Beyond that, it’s not clear to me what that designation means — other than, in this case, perhaps instilling a false sense of security in a customer like you.

A legitimate company probably would not hide from its own customers. A legitimate company probably would not pay for an accreditation that it deserves. But a legitimate company definitely would not wait more than six months to cut you a check.

After some negotiating with Delta Auto Protect, it agreed to cancel your first check and issue a new one. You’ve received your $1,018 check. It might be nice if it threw in a few extra bucks for interest, but you’re fine with that resolution.