Cease and desist order issued for "Prolong Plus" auto warranties

A New Jersey-based company selling vehicle warranties paired with engine additives has been ordered to stop selling unauthorized vehicle warranties in Washington state. The order takes effect immediately.
The Choice Manufacturing Company, Inc., also known as The Choice Warranty, Inc., is not authorized to sell vehicle service contracts in Washington. Their application was denied in 2008 because they didn't meet several requirements of the state's insurance law.

Despite that denial, however, the company continued to sell its "Prolong Plus" vehicle warranty in Washington. When state officials investigated, the company and principal Peter Masi refused to provide information or cooperate.

Our office has received several complaints from people who bought the warranties. Each said that the company had wrongly denied claims.

The Prolong Plus warranty requires consumers to put additives in their car radiators, engine oil, air conditioning or batteries. The additives are manufactured by Choice Manufacturing.

What if you live in Washington and bought one of these warranties? Even though the warranty was not legally sold here, the company is still required to honor the terms of the contract.