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1-year of AHS came with my house when I bought it and I was happy with their service. The co-pay makes it not really worth it for small things but the two times I did call them, they sent someone promptly and fixed it right with absolutely no hassle. That said, I decided not to renew, ran the numbers and it just didn't make sense, especially because I have mostly new systems in the house. If I had a house with a lot of old appliances and systems I'd probably buy one.
Nathan, yes the home warranty companies know this too. That's why they have what is called "pre-existing conditions" clause in the contract among countless other loopholes that give them a way out without paying, or fixing anything if they so choose.
We had AHS. One year it was worth it because our A/C went out during a stretch of 100 plus degree weather in North Texas. It took several days to get someone out but that would probably be the case regardless of the warranty. I also know that some A/C repair people can sometimes be a little on the dishonest side when they know people are desperate. This was the first year we had the policy and the co pay was really low, like $25. They fixed the unit and it worked perfectly for a few years after that even though it was older. After the first year of the warranty the copay went up to around $75 and we found it wasn't really worth it for the type of repairs/ issues that came up. We also were able to find a good handyman we trusted. Some of the vendors the warranty company sent out seemed a little sketchy and we did have them deny something that clearly should have been covered--by a repair man who obviously just wanted to collect his copay and be done. We have an older house now. It has been completely redone and almost everything is new. In our first year of living here the only major problem we have had is our gas fireplace and most warranty companies don't cover that anyway. We also had a garage door repair and that was $45 so I'm glad we didn't get a warranty.
We had AHS. One year it was worth it because our A/C went out during a stretch of 100 plus degree weather in North Texas. It took several days to get someone out but that would probably be the case regardless of the warranty. I also know that some A/C repair people can sometimes be a little on the dishonest side when they know people are desperate.
Every area is different due to a host of factors, but I run my own HVAC service and offer same day service. Obviously when I say same day, I am referring to calls booked in the day so there can be limitations because this work is seasonal with heavy demands at times. You might be referring to 2011 where we had 100 degree weather for 30 days straight. I still ran service the same way. (I'm in Katy, Tx area)
As far as dishonesty goes, I see this more on the home warranty side of things than a normal licensed HVAC service, the rub of this is getting a "tech" that thinks he knows what is wrong with it, but just guessing. I say that because I have gone behind other companies and see this quite often and it just appears to me to be laziness to inspect the system and find the problem.
The other side of the coin are people who are trying to be minimalistic and try to get by doing something that isn't going to last. But yet they expect the 8-15 year old neglected unit to perform in 95 degree heat without breaking again for the rest of the summer.
There really is no real reason to be dishonest in this business. Certainly the sting ops paint a different picture but these programs are there to draw ratings... so you have to be realistic. You can steer clear of a lot of this non-sense by using a licensed HVAC contractor in your area.
It's very easy to make a mistake, given the hours I can put in during a heat wave and in the heat no less makes this job especially challenging. I've done installs all day long in a 130 degree attic only to go out and run additional service calls later that evening. Most of us HVAC contractors earn every penny we get.
The person asked which home warranty company was better. Why doesn't someone just answer the question. If there is someone out there who had, actual, experience with both companies and can compare & contrast them--THAT would be the helpful thing. I have only had experience with AHS, they had someone fix our dishwasher. He did a good job, wasn't the quickest response, but it, also, didn't cost me anywhere near what it would have cost without the home warranty. And we were offered the choice of getting it fixed or, for something like $75., get a new dishwasher. Since ours was, relatively, new--we just went with the repair and it lasted another 7 years.
Any insurance of any kind feels like a rip-off when you don't need to use it. Insurance is there for when you need it. If you have life insurance, but don't die, do you keep kicking yourself for paying into it? It's there for WHEN something goes wrong.
If you have life insurance, but don't die, do you keep kicking yourself for paying into it?
If you do die you won't see a dime anyway... you'll be dead.
There is no such thing as a "BETTER" home warranty. Do not kid yourself. They are in business to make money, they can not do this by giving things away for $50-75 service fee + annual contract fee. Nice con game they got, but that's about it.
I have had crappy techs work on my Air Cond guaranteed by total home and now I am operating off of window units ...for the last 3 months. I have been given the run around, CANCELLED MY CONTRACT WITHOUT NOTICE AND LEFT WITHOUT RESOLUTION. I have engaged local help to the tune of $1,000.+ and they say they can not fix it after the other guys (chosen by THP) screwed it up.
If you want the real whole story please reply.
Ms. Finn is the owner or CEO or something , that lives in Fla. Give her a call.
In their brochures you seem to be assured you have no more worries!!!! repair or replacement...Yea Right!
R. R. King Prairieville, La.
The house is under warranty for appliance repair with First American Home Buyers Protection Corp, out in California. This outfit is apparently used by sellers and realtors locally as an inducement to home buyers. Over a month ago I reported a dishwasher did not function. They assigned B&A Appliances (45230) which came several times, ordered parts, and finally admitted they could not repair the defect. The last visit was yesterday and the worker came in a battered, unmarked white van. He +- installed a new circuit board, scratched his head, and left. I have been contacting the warranty company frequently during this period: long waits on the phone waiting for their rep in Nicaragua to (again) tell me that help is on the way. They have now assigned another repair company because 'additional expertise is needed'. Right. They needed to send a competent repairman the first time. The 'new' company cannot schedule a visit for another week. I've reported the experience to the OH Attorney General and the BBB out in California, and will also report to the Cinci Bd of Realtors.
There was an episode on CNBC American Greed about a home warranty company that was committing one of the biggest multimillion dollar scams ever. Everything written on the policy was meaningless. They didn't even honor their money back guarantee. Read the fine and very fine print before purchasing a policy.
Any insurance of any kind feels like a rip-off when you don't need to use it. Insurance is there for when you need it. If you have life insurance, but don't die, do you keep kicking yourself for paying into it? It's there for WHEN something goes wrong.
Your comparison is not accurate. My experience with home warranty companies is that they don't pay out even when you are 'alive'. Or to put it in another way, your life insurance refuses to pay out, due to the fact that the reason why you died is that 15 years earlier, you unknowingly inhaled asbestos which caused the lung cancer "AKA pre-existing condition". The fact that you didn't know how your cancer was caused is not their concern. I can relate to this exact scenario, including a "doctor" who had already decided that he knew why our A/C stopped working....
Bought a fixer-upper in Dec 2012. Was provided the AHS by the seller. I upgraded the service offered by AHS after closing for one time additional $130 (or something like that). Within a year, I had: two plumbing services, one gas heater services, one cook-top circuit replaced, $60 deductible for each service.
*) kitchen sink clog - the guy came fixed it by snaking from the clean-out to the main line 20ft away
*) bathroom drain clog - first guy came and tried to snake it from the sink drain hole. He told me the piping was install incorrectly because the snake went up rather then down. He told me because of this, it was not covered and he refused to do anything to fix it. he refused to remove the p-trap for better access. Took my $60 and left - cursed loudly on his way out. After he left, I found out the plastic p-trap was cracked - possible caused by running the snake through it. Call AHS a few times and the reps kept telling me there was nothing they can do since the installation was wrong. I asked for a supervisor and told him I bought the upgrade which should cover the "undetectable problems" and if they did not send someone else to at least replace the broken p-trap, I would hire a local plumber and if the problem is indeed covered by the terms, I would take them to court. He finally agreed to send someone from different company for second opinion. The second guy came which turned out to be a great serviceman. He replaced the p-trap and after snaking and looking deep into the pipe, he found a rubber-band blocking the elbow deep in which caused the snake to go up into the vent pipe, rather than down. He fixed all the problems and apologized for the couple drops of spill, which I would care less.
*) 50 years old central gas heater pilot light failed - The service guy came and replace the pilot light valve. He then offered to check my whole system and adjusted the mechanical thermostat and safety shut-off for free - end up used him the next year to upgrade the HVAC system.
*) gas cook-top ignition failed - a kid with Russian accent came and tried the usual things but could not figure out the cause. He then called someone over the phone speaking in Russian while using an ohm meter probing around. An hour later he told me the circuit board needed to be replaced. He came back two days later to find out they sent him the wrong component. Came back again two days later and finally had the problem fixed. He told me AHS only paid him $45 for the whole job and he had to pay for the gas and mileage himself - 100 miles round trip multiply by three visits. all for $45 + $60 deductible I paid. He had to come because he had the contract with AHS. He told me this was his last job and he would quit after it was done.
*) water heater intake valve seal leaking - called AHS and since I did not want to wait two days without hot water, I bought the replacement part from Home Depot and fixed it myself - $15 and 30 minutes of my time.
I live in Santa Barbara, which the local labor rate is quite expensive here. Not too surprising that all the servicemen sent by AHS came from the Los Angeles area. AHS usually had someone out within the next business day which I think is very reasonable. However, as others already mentioned, the reps will try all they can to not authorizing service which would cost them money. By all means, you should push back as hard or even harder. After all, I did not renew the warranty since I had a good sense on what was going on after a year living in the house. There was another clog recently and the local plumber charged $97 for one hour labor. For that, I had him snaked and cleared the clog, fixed the kitchen sink leak, flushed the water heater and sealed the exhaust vent.
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