Hello and thank you for being a DL contributor. We are changing the login scheme for contributors for simpler login and to better support using multiple devices. Please click here to update your account with a username and password.

Hello. Some features on this site require registration. Please click here to register for free.

Hello and thank you for registering. Please complete the process by verifying your email address. If you can't find the email you can resend it here.

Hello. Some features on this site require a subscription. Please click here to get full access and no ads for $1.99 or less per month.

Are Home Warranties worth it?

I’m buying my first home and am nervous about prospect of being Responsible for replacing the HVAC, a/c, furnace. I am less nervous about kitchen Appliances. Anyone have experience with home warranties?

by Anonymousreply 93February 8, 2022 12:44 PM

Get your REALTOR to ask that the buyer pays for the home warranty.

by Anonymousreply 1October 15, 2018 7:34 PM

Not worth the paper they're printed on for most big ticket items.

Say you have a policy and they honor it (a BIG if).

Instead of replacing your central AC with one of like quality, you get a bargain basement model. It's an AC all right, but it'll probably be prone to repair and not very energy efficient.

by Anonymousreply 2October 15, 2018 7:38 PM

Check Angie's List for opinions.

by Anonymousreply 3October 15, 2018 7:39 PM

Angie’s List for cintesctors? Or warranties ?

by Anonymousreply 4October 15, 2018 7:43 PM

They suck. The details vary, but the warrantor will likely have you get the work done, pay for it, and then let you fight them to be reimbursed. They may or may not have "recommended" or "affiliated" contractors/repair people but try getting on of them to actually come and do the work.

For years, I happily paid about $200 a year in addition to the gas bill for the gas company to cover any repair work on the furnace. They covered it all and because $200 was the "premium" service (they had "basic" for, like, $99) they guaranteed a four hour response time if you didn't have heat which is important here in the (soon-to-be) frozen north. One time they practically rewired the whole three-zone system with new electronic thermostats at no cost to me and during the two or three times it crapped out over the twenty years they covered it, we never had a n issue with them. The local company got bought out by National Grid who are 1: Brits, and 2: suck. The contract is now $300, getting an annual tune-up appointment that has to be booked three months in advance was a 45 minute ordeal. They're supposed to come tomorrow but who knows? Last year they rescheduled three times before the kid finally came. But they use that contract as the jumping off point to get you to insure everything else in the house from the a/c to the sewer line and when I read the fine print (or worse, the online reviews) it seems very little is covered. Pivotal Home Solutions is one name they use but the whole model - "Give us your money and we say we'll be there to fix it" - has little relationship to the reality most people reviewing them report. It's more like, "Give us your money and we won't be able to help you when you need it so go hire someone yourself and we might pay you back."

by Anonymousreply 5October 15, 2018 7:44 PM

I haven’t had one, but I’d spend the money on a good home inspector instead. Even get two.

I have read that when you buy electronics, or other, you should always turn down the insurance/warrantee the seller tries to sell you.

When I bought my couch recently, the seller wanted to sell me the fabric warrantee. Then I asked about the warrantee on the couch I was throwing out. I bought it from her 7 years earlier, and it had a 10 year warrantee on the springs. Well, she had a fit when I filed a claim on the springs. She said that no one had ever filed a claim before, she went on and on. And they ducked and dodged. The springs went bad, but they didn’t honor their warrantee. I suggested I get 30% of the value of the couch, since I had 30% of ten years left on the warrantee, because I had no power. It wasn’t like I could sue them over the warrantee.

So, my hunch is that warrantees suck.

by Anonymousreply 6October 15, 2018 7:51 PM

Which one did you have r5?

by Anonymousreply 7October 15, 2018 7:52 PM

American Home Shield has the best reviews. Anyone have it?

by Anonymousreply 8October 15, 2018 7:53 PM

Which one what?

by Anonymousreply 9October 15, 2018 7:53 PM

Which company?

by Anonymousreply 10October 15, 2018 7:54 PM

An odd circumstance, when I splurged and bought a good home entertainment system for about $3500, I got some kind of discount for opening a Best Buy credit card. Then Best Buy did a high pressure sales pitch for their credit card balance insurance. I would normally say “no”, but they said I could cancel any time, and I was working but suspected I might go out on disability sometime in the future.

So, I took the insurance, then forgot about it until I got the first bill. It was $50 a month! I’d have cancelled that shit, but I indeed went out on disability, and wound up getting my home entertainment system mostly for free! I wish I also got that mortgage insurance that I occasionally read about, haha.

by Anonymousreply 11October 15, 2018 8:03 PM

Mortgage insurance ain’t cheap

by Anonymousreply 12October 15, 2018 8:04 PM

I agree with the suggestion to get more than one home inspection. Both times I bought a home, the inspector missed major items. When I complained, I was told they look for structural issues and whether the furnace meets code, not that the hose between the dishwasher and drain pipe is leaking and rotting the floorboards. If the appliances are older and out of warranty, ask that the seller personally warrants all appliances for 2 years. (They will negotiate that down to one.)

If you read the fine print on most home warranties, you will see that they have a lot of conditions and disclaimers.

Slightly off point. A friend bought a refrigerator from a major appliance outlet. The manufacturer determined the power cords on the model she purchased were defective and sent a recall notice to all their retailers, advising them to alert their customers. The cord on her unit shorted out, caused a fire which damaged her condo and the one above. Now the insurance companies (hers and the retailer's) are suing each other over whether the retailer notified all buyers. My friend reads every piece of mail she gets and is absolutely certain she never got a recall notice. While the insurance companies battle it out, the repairs on her condo still have not started almost a year later. The lesson here, besides registering all new appliances, is to do a search by make and model of every major appliance in the home you are buying to ensure there haven't been any recalls.

by Anonymousreply 13October 15, 2018 8:14 PM

Good point. The scary thing is it can buy defective appliances before there is a formal recall

by Anonymousreply 14October 15, 2018 8:26 PM

Home inspectors limit their warrantee to the cost of their service, so if they charge you $300 for the inspection, or whatever, and your home burns down due to R13’s electrical short, they might give you the $300 back. And no more. The warrantee details are in really small print, haha.

Once people have your money, it’s really hard to get it back, as a general rule.

by Anonymousreply 15October 15, 2018 8:27 PM

Where did you get that piece of garbage R15?

by Anonymousreply 16October 15, 2018 8:28 PM

R5 Pivotal Home Solutions for the furnace and water heater only. I wouldn't buy the rest. I'm getting a new central a/c compressor in the spring and may do the heating system, too - what's there is 30 years old and they are separate units - and I'll go with a local guy to do the work and who can then do the upkeep. In which case, [italic]sayonarra[/italic] Pivotal Home Solutions. Their customer service is atrocious - read any of the online review sites.

by Anonymousreply 17October 15, 2018 8:29 PM

Bump

by Anonymousreply 18October 16, 2018 5:42 PM

Pivotal Home Solutions just called. Once again - same as last year - they cancelled at 2 pm having said the tech would be here between 12 and 4 for the annual furnace tune-up. They've rescheduled for later this month. I don't mind paying for a service unless, as here, again, I don't get it. What worries me is their ability or willingness to respond when there is a problem and the pipes will freeze if someone isn't there asap. Which for them seems to mean "this month" if at all.

From Yelp reviews: "Columbia/Pivotal Home Solutions has 191 complaints on file at the Better Business Bureau, their Yelp rating is 1 star, Google is 2 stars and pissedconsumer.com is 1.4 stars."

"They prey on elderly...my parents were royally screwed over by this company.. Told them their furnace was too old to repair yet no one told them it was too old to insure."

"This company is JOKE. They will take your money for many years - but when you need service - they will do nothing to help you."

There are lots more but they seem to be typical of this industry. Take your money but when you need someone to fix something, either they don't have the people to do it or, if they do, the person says it can't be fixed.

If you're worried about appliances, don't. What can it cost to replace one? And sure, not having a dryer or fridge can be inconvenient, but that's it: inconvenient. Better to set aside some money every month to cover repairs and let the fund build up, drawing from it as needed. Heat and a/c? You need it, not so much for the cost as for the presence of someone who knows how to fix it when it's busted. That can be life-threatening in a way that not having, say, a dishwasher is not.

by Anonymousreply 19October 16, 2018 6:28 PM

Try American Home Shield

by Anonymousreply 20October 16, 2018 8:08 PM

Is it worth it? It depends. The house I was bought was owned by a "contractor." I could tell that several of the repairs were probably done haphazardly, and he may have used parts that were left over from other jobs. I liked the house and the location, so I opted for the home warranty, since it included poor maintenance or repairs performed incorrectly under the contract.

It was a good decision on my part.

So far, I have placed six service calls my first year under coverage. Five of them required major maintenance work. Out of those, three were covered completely by the $75 service fee (two plumbing issues & an HVAC issue). The garage door was partially covered by the contract (the motor, rail, and chain), and I was responsible for the remaining damage (the door rollers & replacement, which were $200). I also needed a hot water heater replacement that had an "off-cost" to bring the work to code. That *would* have cost over $500, HOWEVER, the warranty company neglected to inform me about the charge in advance, so they assumed the cost. If you're gonna' say "I can't believe that," neither can I. But I confirmed it TWICE with the plumber, and the home warranty company dealt with them directly regarding the balance.

I read somewhere that it's not a bad idea to have a home warranty for the first year you own your home, until you get to know it. I am a bit ahead of my total contract cost ($700 plus $450 in service fees) , but I will probably cancel it once I hit the one year mark in this house. I already know that if my HVAC goes belly-up, there will be a substantial off cost, and I can't justify paying that for a (likely) substandard heat pump / air handler. I'd rather pay a bit more and get a high quality system.

by Anonymousreply 21October 16, 2018 8:33 PM

You have to be thorough in what you buy with a Home Owner’s Warranty. They’re not an omnibus package, meaning they don’t cover everything. A basic package may cover your furnace and water heater, but not cover major appliances. You’d have to get an upgraded package for major appliances, another for garage door & opener, yet another for hot tub, etc.

The age of your appliances, furnace, air conditioners play a role in what the insurance pays. Sometimes the service flat out sucks. We’ve had some seriously craptastic service guys come out who really had no clue what they were doing. The last service call was on our 16 year old refrigerator . The guys they sent were not licensed techs, had no plumbing certs or experienced and completely screwed up our refrigerator.

You can bet you’ll have experiences with waiting all day for the service tech to show - and they never do. But your service calls are usually $75. But the trick is they have to be for the same class of product. So, you can mix your kitchen appliances on the same service call for $75, or your laundry appliances - but not the two together.

We’ve had mostly ok experience, with two air conditioners, a furnace, a hot water heater replaced. For our house, that would have been around $10K for around $1200 per year.

by Anonymousreply 22October 16, 2018 11:23 PM

My experience is no they are mostly a scam and exclude practically everything of import and have high deductibles if they are forced to pay for anything.

by Anonymousreply 23October 17, 2018 12:34 AM

as to home inspectors..........WHATEVER you do DONT use the inspector your realtor wants you to use. THey will have a relationship built up long term and part of it is the inspector never fails a house so the realtor never loses out on a commission. I strongly advise researching home inpectors on your own in your area and picking one of your choice.

by Anonymousreply 24October 17, 2018 12:38 AM

Total bullshit R24. No inspector is going to risk a lawsuit and/or losing their license for a REALTOR.

by Anonymousreply 25October 17, 2018 12:50 AM

Yeah, and the realtor is not gonna risk his reputation either

by Anonymousreply 26October 17, 2018 1:29 AM

The problem with not having a warranty is it can cost $200 just to have a contractor come out and look at a problem, let alone fix it. The labor costs make repair of home appliances and systems frightening

by Anonymousreply 27October 17, 2018 5:20 PM

I heard that these companies will deny the claim if the appliance had any issues on the inspection when you buy the home. I have a very old AC condenser that needs replacing and I decided not to get the warranty because I think they would deny the claim because the thing was older than dirt when I bought the place. Instead, I pressured the seller for credit to closing costs so I can have that money for when the thing dies.

by Anonymousreply 28October 17, 2018 5:42 PM

How old was/is it?

by Anonymousreply 29October 17, 2018 9:52 PM

I’ve talked to many people who claim their home warranties are worth every penny. Even newer homes sometimes have catastrophic failures of major systems that are not under warranty.

by Anonymousreply 30October 17, 2018 9:53 PM

R24 that’s actually damn good advice. Check your state laws for licensing requirements of inspectors. Not all states require licensing, so it could potentially be some putz off the Home Depot lot. Who knows? In any case - you need to have your own inspector who is contracted by you.

The realtor under state law represents the interests of the seller, not the buyer, unless you’ve signed a separate contract for buyer’s agency. Unless you know what this is - you haven’t done it. That inspection is to protect the seller, not the buyer.

Bringing your own inspector is good idea., usually costs less than $250 and saves you a butt load of money by forcing disclosure of everything from inadequate water pressure, busted fireplace flue, water heater about to go to the great flame in the sky, furnace and air conditioner near death etc.

by Anonymousreply 31October 18, 2018 2:31 AM

The inspector works for the buyer R31, not the REALTOR or the seller. The misinformation on this thread is appalling. Prices for an inspection vary greatly. Don't know what it is like in others states, but in mine the age of the home and the size are factors in how much an inspection is going to cost. I've seen good inspectors and bad inspectors. As a buyer you should thoroughly go over the inspection report and if you have any questions ask the inspector. I've seen people nitpick over stupid things and overlook the other problems that should be addressed. You have your inspection period and take advantage of it. If something comes up, like plumbing, contact a plumber and have them do an inspection. That slow drain might just be hair and other buildup or it could be a pipe that needs to be replaced Yes, it is going to cost you more money, but in the long run it can save you a lot of headaches. If you are buying an older home not only do you want to know if they replumbed, but did they redo the sewer lines. Redoing sewer lines can easily cost you $10,000+ and that is just for the new sewer lines. Need to redo the electrical will cost you $10,000+, depending on the size of your home and the access for the new electrical. And stop thinking you know more than your REALTOR. You are buying one home whereas we have sold hundreds and been through hundreds of inspections.

by Anonymousreply 32October 18, 2018 3:03 PM

Anyone tried Complete Appliance Protection? It seems legit

by Anonymousreply 33October 18, 2018 3:35 PM

R32, so which warranty company is best from your expertise?

by Anonymousreply 34October 18, 2018 3:54 PM

Why not depend on the kindness of strangers?

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 35October 18, 2018 5:09 PM

I need to befriend a contractor

by Anonymousreply 36October 18, 2018 5:31 PM

Toots, focus on your capitalization skills first.

by Anonymousreply 37October 18, 2018 5:44 PM

Toots?

by Anonymousreply 38October 18, 2018 6:23 PM

I deal with the representatives R34. Even within the same company the representatives can differ greatly. Unfortunately you (REALTOR) don't get to choose your representative as they are regional. There was one representative I dealt with that really went out of her way to help if a client had a problem. Her counterpart in another city I couldn't stand. Like anything, people have different experiences with companies. I don't recommend home warranty companies because if they have a bad experience with them they are going to blame me. I will give my client pamphlets for the companies and let them decide. BTW, we develop business relationships with these representatives so if you are having a problem with the home warranty company contact your REALTOR. Despite what some say here, there are some of us that really care about our clients and that extends beyond the closing.

by Anonymousreply 39October 19, 2018 2:29 PM

R32 Not in DC nor in Virginia. You should have stipulated which state laws apply and where your statement is true.

by Anonymousreply 40October 19, 2018 9:29 PM

This has nothing to do with state law R40.

by Anonymousreply 41October 19, 2018 10:20 PM

R41 right. So you clearly have never *bought* a home and had to sue for material defect in the inspection you twat. Let me explain this to you. I’ll type slow so you understand.

DC has no licensing requirements for an inspector, so you can drag along anybody you want. Realtors pull this shit a lot around here and only a fool falls for it. So you hire your own. Unless you have a contract for buyer’s agency, any of the inspection in Virginia is for the sellers interest - not the buyers.

In Virginia, you have extremely limited rights as the buyer. If you don’t provide your own inspection, then you have no evidence to present of material defect or breach that will be accepted by the Attorney General for Consumer Affairs where compensation issues are addressed. In new construction, this is usually over foundation and roofing.

Ever build a million dollar home where the foundation sinks and the sellers inspector didn’t disclose the house was build on potomac clay? Ohhh yeah . That. You have to address that during construction as abatement can’t be addressed after construction. I had my inspector working during construction to check the anchors and piers. Not my first house to build.

My trust in real estate agents is zero because you lot like to present a lot of things that aren’t true. At settlement, the builder thought they’d collect a nice big fee for upgrades on the maple cabinets . Wrong again. I had the original representation documents for free upgrades, which were over. $15,000.

Builder tried to weasel out of it, but my lawyer and I held firm. Where else did the sellers inspector screw up? Oh yeah. The pouring of the foundation. Let me think. I had a sunroom added. It was supposed to be fairly small, 10x20. That was in the contract. I saw they poured the foundation the width of the house so it was 20x40.

Their inspector didn’t say anything so he was just aces. Sure enough, the seller wanted another $75K, I told him he could rip the sunroom out because I wasn’t paying for it. He shut up and left it.

The sellers inspector however completely missed the screwed up plumbing lines and electrical on the furnace which caused it to fail within six months of moving in. That cost me almost $10K. My guy wasn’t rated for plumbing, which was my mistake.

So I call complete and total bullshit on the realtors inspector working for the buyer. The concept on its face is a conflict of interest which if you had a lick of sense would be apparant to you.

by Anonymousreply 42October 19, 2018 10:36 PM

Fuck off R42. You don't know what the hell you are talking about.

by Anonymousreply 43October 19, 2018 11:41 PM

Sounds sus

by Anonymousreply 44October 20, 2018 12:53 AM

American Home Shield used to be good when they first started out. We had an AHS policy 20 years ago, and they replaced 2 A/C units and a hot water heater, so it paid for itself many times over. My partner handled all of that, and I do remember that he had to pressure them into paying for the replacements. They always wanted to patch repair something first before agreeing to a full replacement. He had to be aggressive with them, and he had the repair guy tell them that it was unfixable. You can't be timid, or they'll walk all over you.

However, I've heard that AHS has since become much stingier in what they pay out since then. I'm not sure it's worth it anymore.

by Anonymousreply 45October 20, 2018 1:30 AM

Any more recommendations?

by Anonymousreply 46November 4, 2018 12:43 AM

Seller always pays for the home warranty never the buyer. And they are ALWAYS worthless. Always.

by Anonymousreply 47November 4, 2018 1:05 AM

I've used American Home Shield, as well. I'm certainly glad I had coverage on appliances. Even though they were not very old, several had major issues and the repairs, and in the case of my dishwasher, replacement were covered by the warranty with no out of pocket cost. I did have to pay more than expected in out of pocket costs to replace a water heater. Basically, they bought a new unit and paid for the install, but I had to pay for them to do other things to meet code.

by Anonymousreply 48November 4, 2018 1:10 AM

Do you still have the warranty?

by Anonymousreply 49November 4, 2018 9:47 AM

Article

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 50April 28, 2019 6:54 PM

Never get Fidelity National Home Warranty they are the WORST!

by Anonymousreply 51April 28, 2019 7:12 PM

Oh yeah r51? What do you have now?

by Anonymousreply 52April 28, 2019 7:18 PM

R52 Landmark

by Anonymousreply 53April 28, 2019 7:19 PM

How much per year? I hear none are really worth it

by Anonymousreply 54April 28, 2019 8:08 PM

Not worth it. Better off self insuring. Realtors are barely a step up from used car salesmen. You don't even need a high school diploma to get a real estate license. Realtors are parasites and their industry is ripe for disruption.

by Anonymousreply 55April 28, 2019 11:06 PM

R43. Fuck *you* cunt. I’ve owned four homes, the current one is at $1M. I’ve had 2-10, currently have AHS. I’ve had hot water heaters, furnaces, air conditioning systems replaced for less than $100 under the less than $800 cost of the annual plan.

Now spend 3 years in litigation in Virginia where there is no defense against the shitstorm incompetence of construction (motto: “Fuck it, can’t see it from my house”). Where housing inspections are signed off without having actually done inspections, which was part of my legal action against the county for both water and gas.

Yeah, the assholes signed off the inspections based on what the builder told them. So, go fuck yourself. You’re probably one fo the crapass builders who dot the countryside with litterbox houses that have dropped in value. Thanks for ripping off everyone, asshole - and why like all my neighbors, we’ve had to replace all our windows and roof.

Fuckhead.

by Anonymousreply 56April 28, 2019 11:24 PM

@FirstAmWarranty Home warranties are a total scam on consumers. I’ve had a similar experience as folks here. We should consider a class action lawsuit. I plan on making complaints to the CA state attorney general and the Better Business Bureau about @FirstAmHomeWarranty. Total rip off

by Anonymousreply 57July 12, 2019 10:18 PM

I am glad this thread appeared. I have had a policy for two years now and it is coming up for renewal. I am wondering if it is worth it.

by Anonymousreply 58July 12, 2019 10:37 PM

Damn, this thread is timely. I have been looking into getting one. (I am losing my connection aka brother-in-law who is a HVAC dude and does other stuff).

by Anonymousreply 59July 12, 2019 11:48 PM

I have Fidelity Home Warranty, and I pay around $500 a year for everything that breaks down INSIDE my home. They don't pay for outside repairs.

Pro: Anyway, long story short. They've replaced my heating system, central air, hot water heater, and leaks over the years. No labor or parts to pay.

Con: For some reason, the repairman didn't think my stove needed to be replaced, even though it caught on fire 3 times! However, I can't say the repairman's bad call was Fidelity's fault. $75 deductible. There didn't use to be a deductible.

OP: A lot of times, you are at the mercy of the repairman who comes to your home. They make the call on whether something can be repaired or needs to be fixed.

Conclusion: More pros than cons.

by Anonymousreply 60July 13, 2019 7:27 AM

I bought, and had my washer & dryer installed, by a major company who also convinced me to buy their extended warranty.

Fourteen months later the washer failed. Three times I waited at home for repair men who, when they finally arrived, insisted they needed to have more parts delivered - twice claiming the prior repairman had ordered incorrectly.

The fourth guy at first also claimed I needed a special part - which I happened to have on hand from the first guy’s order - and, after I gave him the requested part, still refused to fix the washer on the grounds that I should have disassembled the built-ins they’d installed so that he could do the work quickly. Said contract required [italic] I [/italic] make appliances readily accessible for repair.

Fortunately, with some effort, I came “this close” to getting the entire purchase contract and warranty cancelled. They “settled” by installing a new washer.

by Anonymousreply 61July 13, 2019 8:21 AM

They can work for a minority of people, but most pay much more into them than the value they will receive

by Anonymousreply 62July 19, 2019 3:36 PM

[quote]There didn't use to be a deductible.

Oh, dear!

by Anonymousreply 63July 19, 2019 3:55 PM

[quote]OP: A lot of times, you are at the mercy of the repairman who comes to your home. They make the call on whether something can be repaired or needs to be fixed.

I wonder how many home owners slip a repairman a $100 bill to get him to say the appliance needs to be replaced. What's $100 when you're talking about getting a new A/C that costs thousands of dollars?

by Anonymousreply 64July 19, 2019 3:56 PM

I love how r42 makes it a point to say whom to trust, then goes on and tells a story about him conning the builder.

When they made a mistake (in their minds) with the maple cabinets, he called them out and insisted he wouldn’t pay. Then, when he saw a mistake that benefits him (the sunroom), he wasn’t so quick to call it out, and was thankful their inspector didn’t either.

You sound like an upstanding guy. Not.

by Anonymousreply 65July 19, 2019 3:59 PM

Hehe

by Anonymousreply 66July 19, 2019 4:01 PM

R64, the warranty company still has to approve it. They can say the owner failed to properly maintain the appliance

by Anonymousreply 67July 19, 2019 4:02 PM

I think it depends on the company and what the service is. Years ago, on the advice of a friend who had American Home Shield, I got their service. She swore up and down on how great they were how she'd constantly have issues in her house and would have someone out at least one a month to fix something and AHS always sent someone immediately and covered everything.

I got it and over the course of 2 years called them 3 times, once for a water heater, once for a garbage disposal and once for a dryer. All three times they wouldn't cover it because the technician claimed something wasn't done to code (which was a lie) or would find some other made up excuse that would favor the company so they wouldn't have to cover it.

So basically, YMMV.

by Anonymousreply 68July 19, 2019 5:39 PM

For every person that says they are worth it, five say they are a scam. No other type business has more complaints from consumers

by Anonymousreply 69July 19, 2019 6:05 PM

I decided not to get it. I called a plumber twice for a clogged drain and a leak. He charged me $100 first time, $50 the next, less than the $100 service fee for warranty calls

by Anonymousreply 70July 19, 2019 6:07 PM

I would never go to Angies list for this.

What the fuck does that bitch know about cintesctors r4.

by Anonymousreply 71July 19, 2019 6:10 PM

Go to Next Door app for recommendations

by Anonymousreply 72July 19, 2019 6:19 PM

I've had good results with Old Republic. Over the years I've had air conditioning systems, fridge, microwave completely replaced. Oh, and an evaporative cooling system.

by Anonymousreply 73July 19, 2019 6:45 PM

How much per year?

by Anonymousreply 74July 19, 2019 8:00 PM

I pay $475 a year for everything in my house, and that's for American Fidelity. $75 deductible.

Over the 14 years w/the company: I got a water heater, a new AC system, multiple plumbing jobs, faucet, extermination, and a new heating system.

What they don't fix are cosmetic issues that are the result of a leaking pipe from upstairs that broke a hole in the ceiling below.

They don't cover code stuff, so you'll have to pay a $100-$200 to bring something up to code. Yet, they will fix and replace stuff and bring it up to code.

by Anonymousreply 75July 21, 2019 5:25 AM

What have you done to get up to code?

by Anonymousreply 76July 21, 2019 12:34 PM

R76 I pay an extra charge to the repair company or to American Fidelity to bring it up to code. I haven't paid more than $175 dollars, and that was for a new central air unit for a 2500 sq foot home.

by Anonymousreply 77July 23, 2019 7:03 AM

Dang

by Anonymousreply 78July 23, 2019 11:16 AM

R78 The extra for bringing a 40-year-old AC unit to code isn't that bad when they are installing a $15,000 AC unit.

by Anonymousreply 79July 23, 2019 5:04 PM

Otherwise, I would have been out of pocket the $15k to purchase, labor, and the $175 to upgrade it.

by Anonymousreply 80July 23, 2019 5:05 PM

The following year, I had to do the same thing with my heater. I had to bring it up to code (about $175) and they installed a $12k unit.

by Anonymousreply 81July 23, 2019 5:07 PM

R78 Otherwise, if I didn't have the warranty, I would still need to pay someone to bring a newer unit up to code, because they don't make things like they use to do.

(don't know why my brain or my finger is causing me to press post, a second before I remember something else to post)

by Anonymousreply 82July 23, 2019 5:10 PM

How hard is it to get them to replace an expensive A/C? And will they only replace it with a subpar brand, or do you get to choose which brand you want?

by Anonymousreply 83July 23, 2019 8:32 PM

I got a free year the owner paid for. Thank god because the ac linked out that July.

by Anonymousreply 84July 23, 2019 8:38 PM

[quote]How hard is it to get them to replace an expensive A/C? And will they only replace it with a subpar brand, or do you get to choose which brand you want?

Well, the repairmen will try to fix it, if they deem it is beyond repair, they will make the call -- not the Warranty company.

Interesting story, the AC guy was taking his sweet time making the call, and somehow my 30 pound dog got out. The repairman ran out of my house. I ran behind him to see if he was okay, and that's when he told me I got a new AC.

To answer your second question:

My new AC is energy efficient and up to date. My old one was a monster that drained energy. The new AC is smaller, so it takes up less space in the back yard.

The new AC cools the house better as well.

To answer your last question:

No, I didn't get to choose the brand of AC, nor heating system, hot water heater, or faucet. I didn't like the faucet that they chose, because it was inferior to the one that I purchased. However, the faucet that I had kept breaking, and the one they used is still working, years later.

by Anonymousreply 85July 24, 2019 5:58 AM

I don't trust any warranties, ever. They are written by lawyers for a reason. They are all a scam. Even the little shit like lifetime warranties on umbrellas or stuff like that is bullshit because it will cost you more to pay to ship it than to just buy a new one.

The only time I had a warranty worth it was one that was a universal guarantee on a Jansport backpack when I was in school 20 years ago. It was automatically on every backpack they sold. All you had to do was go to a store that sold them and get a postage paid shipping bag. Stuff your broken backpack in there. Three weeks later, a brand new bag mailed to you. If that one broke, do it over. I'm sure that one has also gone to shit in the last 20 years.

by Anonymousreply 86July 24, 2019 6:33 AM

R86 is correct

by Anonymousreply 87July 24, 2019 7:47 AM

Don’t do it

by Anonymousreply 88September 24, 2019 2:24 PM

They are usually a scam

by Anonymousreply 89September 20, 2020 1:03 PM

They are not worth it for most. Save money for repairs. Warranty companies make sure they deny a large percentage of claims and make it hard for them to pay out

by Anonymousreply 90June 18, 2021 3:37 PM

Bump

by Anonymousreply 91February 8, 2022 11:27 AM

Generally not worth it. As part of your home inspection insist on learning the age of the HVAC condensers and boilers/furnaces, and maybe air ciculating or other major components. Like all building materials and systems they have an expected shelf life (and in this case rarely exceed it by long.) It's about 15 years but can vary depending on equipment. That should tell you that you are at year 6 or year 14 of a system with a remaining life expectancy of 9 or 1 years, for example. If a lot of appliances and systems are near the end of their expected life (easily checked online for kitchen appliances, washers/dryers, and that sort of thing), then a home warranty might start to become attractive to buy you a couple of years of time and insurance toward repairs or replacement. In fact, tell your building inspector to concentrate on big-cost items rather than punch-lists of broken plastic outlet covers that cost 49-cents each.

by Anonymousreply 92February 8, 2022 12:42 PM

As a seller, throwing in two years of a home warranty can really be an attractive incentive

by Anonymousreply 93February 8, 2022 12:44 PM
Loading
Need more help? Click Here.

Yes indeed, we too use "cookies." Take a look at our privacy/terms or if you just want to see the damn site without all this bureaucratic nonsense, click ACCEPT. Otherwise, you'll just have to find some other site for your pointless bitchery needs.

×

Become a contributor - post when you want with no ads!