Warranty Direct is a provider of direct consumer

warranties In contract law, a warranty is a promise which is not a condition of the contract or an innominate term: (1) it is a term "not going to the root of the contract",Hogg M. (2011). ''Promises and Contract Law: Comparative Perspectives''p. 48 Cambrid ...

based in the United Kingdom. The brand advertises products such as new car warranty, and

extended warranty An extended warranty, sometimes called a service agreement, a service contract, or a maintenance agreement, is a prolonged warranty offered to consumers in addition to the standard warranty on new items. The extended warranty may be offered by the ...

History

Extended warranties were the norm in North America, and were growing in popularity, at the time of the launch of Warranty Direct, in the summer of 1997, due in part to changes in the

Sale of Goods Act Sale of Goods Acts (with variations) regulate the sale of goods in several legal jurisdictions including Malaysia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the common law provinces of Canada. The Bill for an Act with this short title will have been kn ...

, which was issued in December 1979. With the typical manufacturer's warranty lasting only three years, a large number of cars did not hold any form of extended mechanical, and electrical repair insurance. Warranty Direct was founded by father and son, David McClure Fisher and Duncan McClure Fisher, in June 1997, its sole service was vehicle warranties, primarily for second hand cars and private sales, until 1999, when warranties for ''Household Appliance'' were launched. David and Duncan McClure Fisher sold the majority stake in April 2008, and was sold to the arm of BNP Paribas Assurance, in the United Kingdom,

Cardif Pinnacle Cardif is an international insurance company based in France with a presence worldwide. The company is part of the BNP Paribas Group. History In 1973 the French bank ''Compagnie bancaire'' founded a life insurance company ''Compagnie d'Assura ...

, who purchased the remaining shares, in July 2013. The company offers a range of services to people buying used cars. In December 2020 Warranty Direct closed their website and business to new customers. In January 2021 the brand was taken over by FirstBaseFM Ltd. a UK based Insurtech Company to develop and modernise the brand.

Underwriters

Since the launch of Warranty Direct, underwriters have varied. Originally with

Lloyd's of London Lloyd's of London, generally known simply as Lloyd's, is an insurance and reinsurance market located in London, England. Unlike most of its competitors in the industry, it is not an insurance company; rather, Lloyd's is a corporate body gov ...

, the majority of current policies are now underwritten by Cardif Pinnacle and administered by Warranty Direct. Warranty Direct is regulated by the

Financial Conduct Authority The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is a financial regulation, financial regulatory body in the United Kingdom, but operates independently of the UK Government, and is financed by charging fees to members of the financial services industry. The ...

(FCA Register Number 309075) and as such, customers can seek help from the

Financial Ombudsman Service The Financial Ombudsman Service is an ombudsman in the United Kingdom. It was established in 2000, and given statutory powers in 2001 by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, to help settle disputes between consumers and UK-based bus ...

(FOS) and

Financial Services Compensation Scheme The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) is the UK's statutory deposit insurance and investors compensation scheme for customers of authorised financial services firms. This means that FSCS can pay compensation if a firm is unable, or l ...

where necessary.

Affiliated Websites

The ''Reliability Index'' has been running since April 2000. Data, from Warranty Direct’s paid claims, is used to establish the reliability of cars. This information is used to rank the car manufacturers and models, by reliability, and allocate the “Warranty Direct Rating”. The results are released in association with ''

What Car? ''What Car?'' is a British monthly automobile magazine and website, currently edited by Steve Huntingford and published by Haymarket Consumer Media. Other team members include deputy editor Darren Moss and test editors Will Nightingale, Neil ...

''. ''Potholes.co.uk'' allows the public to report potholes, and highlights problem areas, to local authorities.

References

{{Reflist, 2 United Kingdom contract law