To "Ben",
I understand how it works ...now...
But other people might not. So why don't you tell them what it means when you write: "...that sales organization maintain no authority...of claims". It means that Carchex will gladly sell you a contract, give 'advice', answer the phone, give 30 days etc. etc. since they're not the guys receiving the claim, processing the claim and rejecting the claim 90+ days down the road.
Carchex is just a sales place, a broker if you will.
"What difference does that make?" you may ask. I will tell you. The difference is that when you call Better Business Bureau to complain about a contract breach the BBB refuses to take the claim against Carchex. Since they're 'only' a broker company they only have to live up to the standards of that. That means that they only promise to create the contact between you and the actual warranty company; to transfer the contract for money and they take their break of it. According to BBB that is what Carchex is listed as and only the actual transaction people can complain about. Not the warranty contract. That is the 'other' company.
Apparently it doesn't matter that in Carchex' web and printed material and in person on the phone they give a different impression. The impression that they are this big and trustworthy company providing good auto warranty when they're actually only brokers and can leave you hanging dry any day and get away with it!!
The 'other' company would then have to care about rating or name. Trust me, they don't. Actually i appears they change name so often that the people working there have a hard time remembering what the company is called. Happened to me.
So the BBB 'rating' "Ben" is boasting about is not the product they sell. It is the brokering process. Think about that for a moment. It would be the same as if Office Depot only were responsible for giving you a good experience at the cashier and not responsible for the office chair they sell. And if it breaks, they leave it up to you to talk to the manufacturing company and see if you can travel across the country and get anything out of them!
So as long as Carchex keep their brokering process clean their BBB 'rating' seem ok.
But don't be deceived. The product (warranty contract) you pay a lot of money for may not even be worth the paper it is written on as soon as the 90 days and 1000 miles is over and you face a problem.
Take a look at the photo of the oil pump from the transmission for your self and see if you think it looks like "wear and tear" or you think it looks like 'mechanical failure of an internally lubricated part' - which by the way was supposed to be covered according to the contract.
Only deal with auto warranty companies where the actual claims department is in the same company or even better the same person that sold it to you, just like it is with eg. local Farmers Insurance agents for auto insurance or home insurance (I'm not associated with them in any way, I have AAA through family, and AAA do claims somewhat similar).
"Ben", your rebuttal sounds nice, just as the rest of what comes from Carchex, but it all covers over the sad reality that it appears that most people don't get the whole truth, but get cheated when they deal with Carchex.