A vehicle service contract is written around the vehicle and around the people allowed to use it. Many households do not match that picture. Teenagers learn to drive, a spouse takes the car during a repair, a grown child moves home and keeps the keys, and a neighbor borrows the truck for a weekend. Before you sign, check whether the contract's terms about users fit who actually drives.
What to look for in the contract
- Whether the contract names an operator, a permitted driver, or only the purchaser.
- Whether the contract says anything about the age or license status of the person behind the wheel.
- Whether a household member who is not the purchaser is covered on the same terms as the purchaser.
- Whether a guest, a lender, or a hired driver is treated differently from a household member.
- Whether any term depends on the registered owner being present at a service visit.
Questions to ask the seller
Ask what happens when a listed household member moves out, and when a new person starts driving the vehicle. Ask whether a change must be made in writing for each change, who signs it, and when it takes effect. Ask what the repairer is told about who drives the vehicle, and whether a visit can be refused because the person who brought the vehicle in is not the purchaser.
Compare the list of drivers to the paper
Make a list of everyone who drives the vehicle in a typical month. Beside each name, write whether the contract names that person, covers that person as a household member, or does not mention that person at all. Any name left without a mark is a question to take back to the seller before you pay. Keep the list with the contract.
The state page on this site for your state sets out the rules for service contracts in plain words. Where the state page and the contract text seem to differ, the contract text is the document that will be read when a visit or claim is handled, so read it closely. The Florida page shows the same layout used for every state.