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CB Appliances, Electronics and Technology Review of The Walker Group Inc. - Extended Warranty Insurance
The Walker Group Inc. - Extended Warranty Insurance

The Walker Group Inc. - Extended Warranty Insurance review: Poor customer service - tried not honor contract 23

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Author of the review
1:59 pm EDT
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After purchasing an extended warranty for a product a purchased through A & B Sound and the product broken down. The Walker Group invented a story that they could not get parts to repair my product and would therefore refund the money I paid for the extended warranty instead of replacing the unit. After finding out that the replacement parts are indeed available I contact them to get my product repaired. I had to deal with 8 different people to get them to get this done. After escalating my complaints about poor customer service including contacting the President of the company I was sent an email not to harass their employee from a senior official of the company also known as the former police chief of vancouver. Is this company serious...after all I go through to try and them to repair or replace my TV and honor their agreement that I paid for I don't want single apology and get passed on from person to person to person who do not return calls or emails to finally get an email saying I'm harassing them? This company tried to screw me out of what I paid for and when I called them on it they became aggressive by sending the former chief of police of vancouver who is now a senior official at the Walker Group to reply to my email. Too little too late. What sort of justice is their for a company that does this. The little guy looses. The irony in this is that they suggested I harass Sony about the broken down TV. I'm sure Sony Canada would love to hear how a company that "warrants" their products suggests to their customers to harass them. I would have simply waited patiently earlier on if someone from the Walker Group would have simply committed in writing that they will honor their terms and conditions of the extended warranty I purchased. Unfortunately they did everything in their power to ignore the issue and hope that I go away. The last resort was the communication by the senior official accusing me of harassment. A company like this should be held to task for their conduct. I want everyone to be aware of this and not to purchase extended warranty from this company or any other product.

Update by Frustrated Customer
Oct 02, 2008 11:41 am EDT

purchased extended warranty from A & B sound and when my product broke the insuring company to whom my extended warranty comes from, tried to get out fixing my product by saying that no parts were available and that they were going to refund the amount I paid for the extended warranty instead replacing the unit. I had to fight tooth and nail with 8 different people a this organization to get them to fix my product. Everyone I dealt with with kept telling me they would call me back and they never did. I eventually was told to stop harassing them. How does a company tell it's customer to stop harassing them when they are not providing them with the services they took my money for.

I will never ever purchase another product from A & B Sound and will never purchase another extended warranty as extended warranty's are just insurance companies who do not want to honor their commitment when it's time to do so. Be careful if you buy extended warranty. Make sure it's not the Walker Group Inc. that you are buying from.

23 comments
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Wildly Delish It Taste So Good Foodie
, US
Jun 19, 2022 12:44 am EDT

where do I call to get the ceo of the company I have been jerked around from January talking to about 30 different people and still no repairs done can I have the phone number please

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Wildly Delish It Taste So Good Foodie
, US
Jun 01, 2022 11:48 am EDT

l bought a cafe stove and had problem from day one I then purchase a 4 year extended warranty and have been calling then since January they set some one that was NOT qualified to fix my stove he was on his cell phone to see how to use the control panel to turn it on he had n clue what he was doing then they send a person without a gas licence for a gas stove 5 months they waist buy not getting someone to come fix my $4,700.00 stove I they get refereed to the walker group to get another service appliance company and they sent me right back to the idiot that said to fix my stove down load app on my phone. The app is for you to turn stove on from where you are dates CONTACTED Jan 5,Jan12,Jan 14,JAN24, Jan26,Jan27,Feb24,Feb 26,march 9 march 16,april 1,April 18, May1 ,May 6, June 6. I was waiting on the phone and the girl had me one there and hung up while i was waiting over 20 minutes

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Theresa 01
port coquitlam, CA
Jul 25, 2011 9:17 pm EDT

This is part of my BBB complaint against Walker Group...I'm having the same problem ...big insurance company avoiding there responsibility to fullfill there part of the contract...hiding behind there interpretation of the fine print.
Im looking for other's who are willing to start a class action lawsuit against Walker group...This is the only way to be heard...

Consumer's Original Complaint :
Hi BBB...On Dec6/2005 i purchased a 70" Hitachi Ultravision tv from A&B Sound and at that time also purchaced the 5 year extended warranty as i did many times before with no problems...during the warranty period i went to file a claim for repair's this is when the headaches began...because A&B Sound was out of business the only contact was by mail/e-mail...after filing the complaint and following all there step's A&b Sound/Walkergroup finally after 3 month's had someone from Audio Video Electronic's come to my house and do an estimate...The estimate of repair's was for $2190.00...i received a call day's later from Audio Video Electronic's stating that the part wasn't available from Hitachi...Shortly after that Walker group emailed saying that because the part wasn't available all they were going to do is reimburse me for the service call i paid for upfront and return the money i initially paid for the warranty...This was unbelievalble to me as i have purchaced many warranties without any problem's over the 25 year's i shopped at A&b Sound...This warranty was "Repair or Replacement warranty and as such if the part was not available the tv was to be replaced after 60 day's with a Comparable Model Tv...Consumer's purchase extended warranty's for piece of mind...who want's to worry about the new tv you just bought...not to just have your money returned to you by a Warranty Company "Walker Group" that feel's that now that A&B Sound is out of business they no longer are obligated to honour the warranty claim in a fair way...I have the original warranty booklet ... i also have other receipt's showing how Walker group has replaced other item's under warranty because part's weren't available if you need to see them...

Thank you in advance for your help.
Theresa

Consumer's Desired Resolution:
As this is a Repair or Replacement policy i would like A&B Sound/Walker Group to replace the tv with a comparable 70'' tv or return my purchase price of $3255 + Tax...Thank You

BBB Processing

2011-03-20 web BBB Complaint Received by BBB
2011-06-06 ERD BBB NM Complaint Validated - USE OTTO
2011-06-06 Otto EMAIL Confirmation Letter to Consumer
2011-06-06 Otto EMAIL NM - Inform Business of the Complaint
2011-06-07 WEB BBB RECEIVED BUSINESS RESPONSE : As per the terms and conditions where a part is not available and our ability to make a repair is impacted we are obligated to return the funds originally paid for the warrant. We are also reimbursing your service call costs as a sign of good faith even though we are not legally obligated to do so.
2011-06-07 ERC EMAIL Forward Business response to Consumer
2011-06-08 WEB BBB CONSUMER SATISFIED WITH RESPONSE : (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
2011-06-08 ERC EMAIL Inform Consumer - Case Closed RESOLVED
2011-06-08 Otto EMAIL Inform Business - Case Closed RESOLVED
2011-06-08 Otto BBB Case Closed RESOLVED
2011-06-28 ERC BBB Re-open a Complaint
2011-06-28 ERC BBB RECEIVED CONSUMER REBUTTAL : Dear Erika.

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Wildly Delish It Taste So Good Foodie
, US
Jun 19, 2022 12:48 am EDT
Replying to comment of Theresa 01

love to be a part of your class action group Im going through the same thing for months now being jerked around

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Latika Baldeo
Delta, CA
Jul 09, 2011 12:07 am EDT

Yes this company the WALKER GROUP is a big RIP OFF and I am still going through the same problems.Noone knows whats going on.When I call never the right answer always being transferred from department to department.I paid for extended waerranty and I wanr my service, I have called the media and also the company that offeref the exteded warranty to me.
I am so tired of this, HOW CAN WALKER GROUP be in business.I will always remind myself not to buy extended warranty ever again from this RIPP OFF COMPANY THE WALKER GROUP

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Frustratedwithliars
Edmonton, CA
Feb 15, 2011 6:04 pm EST

My fridge died on me, so I phone the place I bought it from to get repaired. Surprise there is still extended warranty on it. YAY! or so I thought. I live 15min outside the capital of Alberta. They want to send someone from a summer village over an hours drive from me, who has no access other than snail mail to parts. Was told I would be contacted by ESCALATIONS to discuss my concerns. No one ever called. The guy from the summer village shows, says repeatedly that the fan blade must be replaced, then he MacGyver's it and says there. Not 1hr later the fan has again fallen off it's shaft, and the fridge is not working again. Dealing with there people is impossible, they just lie, and lie, and lie some more telling you what they think you need to hear, instead of fixing the problem and telling the truth. Then they contact a company from the city to come fix, then they change their mind and want to send the same first idiot back, who didn't do his job in the first place. I have no faith in this company, and will never purchase their product again. I could have had my fridge fixed more than 10 days ago if I had just called a local repair man, and paid for it myself. Long story short, I have a funny feeling I'm gonna end up getting my own repair person out here to fix it, if I wait for the Walker Group to get their stuff together I COULD BE WAITING YEARS!

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kellyann0116
Spru, CA
Aug 07, 2010 8:07 am EDT

They did exactly the same thing to me for my washing machine. The machine is 4 years old. The cabinet was damaged when the drum came loose and started crashing around inside. They told me they could not get parts for the repair and would refund my warranty payment. The only part they can't get is the cabinet, which does not effect the machine mechanically, nor does the dent even show (the machine is an under a counter). They asked me to send an email stating that I don't care if the cabinet is replaced. Now I'm waiting to hear back from the repair shop to find out if they have approved the repair.

This should be exposed to the media because many consumers won't fight them or won't know that they can.

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Paddy Whacker
Edmonton (1270), CA
Aug 06, 2010 11:17 am EDT

And the complaints seem to keep on coming. I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt for a short period of time. Then I will be contacting the media first to expose what obviously has the foul stench of con. Then for those that will be interested an escalation to a class action suit will be the next step.

A & B Panasonic Plasma. the got my cash in 15 minutes, but so far its taken more than 10 days, 3 emails and no response.

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Bryan E.
Port Moody, CA
Jun 01, 2010 7:16 pm EDT

It took being persistant, and having all my documentation in order. Eventually I did receive a cheque from the Walker Group honouring the 5 year warranty I had purchased along with our Panasonic television from A&B Sound.

Step

1) Provided proof of purchase to the Walker Group pdf copy of original receipt.
2) Brought televsion to Panasonic and Walker Group approved service deopt. In my case IT Electronics in Burnaby B.C.
3) Sent copy of estimate of repair to the Walker Group. Had to be sent to office address and PO Box as the email system set up by the Walker Group did not allow my response until they emailed me first.
4) After a period of time start to cc. the BBB
5) Sent correspondence to the Walker Group office address, as well as the PO box provided, and emails.

It took approx. 3 1/2 months to receive an agreement to pay to the value of the repair of the television.
Received cheque for the value of repair after I submitted a pdf copy to the Walker for the purchase of a new television of greater value of the repair, but less than the value of the televsion that I had purchased from A & B. However the new television does now have a manufacturers warranty, which I would not of had if the original set had just been repaired.

I am satisfied with the results but I do believe the Walker Group can improve the process as it is cumbersome and frustrating.

I have no way of knowing if everything I did was necessary for the successful outcome, as there was little to no feedback from the Walker Group.

What response that I did receive seemed to be initiated by them and was not in response to anything that I had sent.

Who knows.

Bryan

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Ssseth
Edmonton, CA
Mar 28, 2010 12:28 am EDT

Ridiculous. I have a faulty 37" TV I need to have looked at (also bought at A&B sound). I'm not looking forward to it by the sound of things!

Has anyone tried dealing with their local news station Trouble Shooter folks? I know we have them in Edmonton.

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courserage
xxxx, CA
Feb 26, 2010 3:02 pm EST

Hi,

Having same issue as everyone else.

I also a 5 year warranty. Mine is on a 70 inch Sony set that needs a new optical block (bet you can guess the model). Anyways sent in the requested documentation to the email address 1 month ago and figured I would give the local number a call. The receptionist was very nice but not very helpful ...there is no one person that is handling A&B claims and it appears the only communication method is the email address (800 number is simply a recording that goes nowhere). She told me some people have waited for 2 months to get a response which is ridiculous.

My repair shop wished me luck in dealing with them saying some people have simply paid for the repairs themselves after get sick of waiting for TWG.

Will see where it all leads, not sure how long it will take, but the local media may be interested in hearing about all the issues people are having...

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SNOOKEREDbyWILDBLUE
Crooksville, US
Feb 24, 2010 10:23 pm EST

Hello

I had similar problems with my 5 year trouble free warranty
I paid $199.99 for to cover my Epson video projector.

All I needed was the lamp replaced as it is covered under the
warranty.

All I got after more than 2 months waiting, dozens of visits
to HH GREGG where they fast talked and high pressured me
into buying this so called trouble free warranty, many emails
and over 200 miles in trips to talk to the 'could care less' store
manager and several so called 'customer service representatives'
nothing happened except for my frustration level to elevate.

I last began my series of complaint filings with as many of
the organizations we could think of from the local police dept.
to the White House in Washington D.C.

The main results came from the Better Business Bureau and
my contacts that went to Washington.

Assurant Solutions was the warranty company and they began
calling me. After their phone people lied to me for around 3 weeks,
they finally authorized my repairs in the form of ordering a new
lamp for my projector.

I was told on 3 different calls from them that they had ordered
my new lamp, but could never give me order confirmation
or shipping tracking numbers.

Finally when I refused to withdraw my charges against them they
actually placed their first order for my new lamp and I then received
a call from the supplier confirming my address.

In less than 8 hours from the actual order being placed, my new
lamp arrived at my door which is over 1000 miles from where
it was shipped.

There needs to be severe action and sanctions taken against all
these warranty company scams we consumers have suffered from.

My actions include never again making any purchase from HH GREGG
and to never buy another rip off scam warranty. I spent more out of
pocket trying to have my 'trouble free warranty' do anything for
me than the warranty cost.

I will simply save my money and budget a small amount each month
which I am setting aside to apply to either replacing or repairing
my products myself.

I could have gotten greater satisfaction making a purchase from
a yard sale or second hand store and probably have them replace
or repair an item than from HH GREGG / Assurant Solutions.

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Bryan E.
Port Moody, CA
Feb 24, 2010 9:37 pm EST

I am having exactly the same problem with the Walker Group. The Warranty term written on my sales contract clearly states that the television has a 5 year warranty for a total value of $3001 - $3500. I was supplied a phone number and an email address from the recommended Panasonic repair depot - IT Electronics, who adtvertise on their website that they do warranty repairs for products insured by the Walker Group.

It has only been about a month for me.

So far I have paid for the repair depot determine the fault with the set and availbility of the parts.Neither the repair depot or the Walker Group has responed to my emails. I have however been able to talk with the repair depot.

As for the Walker Group I have only been provided a phone # that has a recorded message telling me the post office box. An email address that they do not responnd to.

I suspect there are many more that are every bit as frustrated but have not responded on this site.

Don't be afraid to turn up the heat.

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Frlinbur
calgary, CA
Oct 26, 2009 7:01 pm EDT

We're in the same boat. Purchased a washing machine from Trail Appliance, with the extended warranty with Walker. Now being told that the parts are not available and Walker will refund our warranty money, they will not replace the machine, even although it says in the warranty "a brand new replacement product if we can't fix yours". Do we need to group together to get some action from this company?

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rob stewart69
weinerpeg, CA
Aug 25, 2009 5:22 pm EDT

Rob Stewart is a beautiful man that has done a lot for the community including liberating starving children and shutting down west vancouver meth labs. If it was bilogically possible I would have his babies but as I am a man all I can do is fantasize about how cool he is.

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Brenda12
Port Coquitlam, CA
Aug 18, 2009 2:59 pm EDT

I am also having the same issue. Bought TV from A & B Sound 52" Toshiba have been waiting for 3 months for the part. Thety have no idea when the part will be available. Walker Group is sayiong that they are not honoring the 60 day repair clause - Any suggestions

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wilke
Nanton, CA
Jul 04, 2009 1:40 pm EDT

I have a very similar story about these clowns.

I purchased a Toshiba 44" DLP television in 2007 from A&B Sound with the TV I also bought the extended warranty.

7 Months ago the TV broke as one of the circuit boards got messed up. After speaking with the extended warranty people they informed me to take it to a specific repair shop. It was at the repair shop for 6 months and it was determined this part could not be ordered from anywhere as they aren't made anymore.

I spoke with the warranty people again who informed me to send in the documentation showing they could not find the part and they would reimburse me for the TV. I have sent them in a copy of the letter from the repair shop and received back a letter that states:

"Unfortunately, your claim cannot be processed because parts are no longer available. As per the terms and conditions of your policy, we are not responsibile for our inability to repair the coverage."

Now my agreement clearly states that if the TV cannot be repaired in 60 days or a part cannot be found they will replace the tv with one of comparable features. No where in the extended warranty documentation does it state they may change the terms of the agreement with or without notice. Additionally during the process of the claim they sent me a letter showing "Aggregate limit of liability: $1499.99".

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Bob John Stewart
,
Dec 01, 2008 12:10 pm EST

Rick try contacting:

Shannon Walker - President: ShannonW@cwalkergroup.com note the last name and the company name. Coincidence?

or

Robert J. Stewart - CFO OR CEO or something - RobertS@cwalkergroup.com ( also known as the former Chief of Police for the City of Vancouver). I didn't get anywhere with this guy other than he told me to stop harrasing his staff and go and harass sony. Can you believe it? Great customer service!

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Bob John Stewart
,
Dec 01, 2008 12:02 pm EST

Hey Rick, it's apparent that the "parts are no longer available" technique is a compnay standard for TWG that they use to get out of the contractual obligations. I hope that you get your projector fixed and I would not accept anything less.

While they are a corporate giant...they need to be exposed. Their practices are to take your money when you buy the warranty and they refund it when they have to pay for repairing something. What is the point then to having a warranty. It's like being life insurance and when you die the insurance company decided to refund your premiums. My intent is to get as many people possible to come forward and present their case so that they can exposed.

I wish you the best. Keep me posted

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Wildly Delish It Taste So Good Foodie
, US
Jun 19, 2022 12:51 am EDT

i here

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rick
,
Nov 28, 2008 11:25 pm EST

This is the problem we are having with them too.Ours is a projector that has been out for repair for 3 months.Hard to get the kids to go downstairs to watch the paint dry.After being told by TWG that the part was on back order and not available .I contacted the Western Rep for panasonisc only to find out that the parts were available this was early Nov.Now in late Nov TWG is telling me they ordered the patr in mid Oct. oops can't keep their story straight. We are thinking we are going to contact the media.At the very least we will lodge a complaint with the BBB in B.C. to try to help the next guy. It will be a cold day somewhere before we deal with this company again or buy equiptment from anyone who deals with them.
Where was the fridge bought from it might be worth letting them know they should find another warrantee company or face loosing bussiness?
We will keep you posted

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Jason Dinga
, CA
Dec 12, 2018 9:28 am EST
Replying to comment of rick

We have had a broken fridge in our home for over 2 months. Not sure how long a family is expected to go without a proper refrigerator?!
They keep saying parts are on order, keep bickering between the repair company and Samsung to decide who’s paying for what. Now they are insisting that I pay for part of the labour - even tho I’ve purchased the warranty. There excuse is that a part needing repair is known to break in this model.
This warranty company is disgusting and should be shut down for repeatedly screwing over paying customers

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