[olecapt]

Originally Posted by yellowsnow

I got one when I bought my house. I had to replace the pool pump and the AC. They didn't cover anything. It was a waste as far as I was concerned but it just came with the house. I didn't ask for it.

They did offer to renew my policy but I declined.

It was not one of these free inspection policies by any chance?

That is a pretty obvious scam. You get a free inspection if you take their home warrantee.They use that inspection to rule out anything questionable. Claim it is an existing defect.

Normally you use the inspection to demonstrate that the device was working on purchase. Then it is almost impossible for the insurance company to avoid paying.

Some policies actually don't cover A/C...but it is normally in the first addon.

Say a little more about why the stuff was not covered YS...

[yellowsnow]

Originally Posted by olecapt

It was not one of these free inspection policies by any chance?

That is a pretty obvious scam. You get a free inspection if you take their home warrantee.They use that inspection to rule out anything questionable. Claim it is an existing defect.

Normally you use the inspection to demonstrate that the device was working on purchase. Then it is almost impossible for the insurance company to avoid paying.

Some policies actually don't cover A/C...but it is normally in the first addon.

Say a little more about why the stuff was not covered YS...

They said it was all existing problems. I couldn't fight them because I hadn't owned the house long enough to know.

AND, when I replaced the stuff that went down, I also upgraded and they won't cover that either.

Far as I was concerned, it was a waste. When stuff went belly up, I was in a hurry to get it replaced. If I had had more time to fight with them, I might have gotten something.

[Jukesgrrl]

I got one from a house I bought in Pittsburgh via Coldwell Banker and they replaced the dishwasher when it blew up 8 months after I bought the house. I also purchased one when I sold a house. My Realtor had it on the list of perks on the sales sheet she created for visitors. I think it helped. I don't remember how much it cost, but I seriously doubt I would have done it had it cost anywhere near $500.

[gvc8]

bottom line is whether or not the premium + cost of service is worth the actual service you may or may not need. generally speaking , you are not going to get a high quality repair job from the companies that are selected to do warranty repair work and you have no control over who they send out unless you live in an area where the insurance company have no contracts with local repair shops. But we did learn that if we stated it was an "emergency" repair situation that they responded a little more quickly.

Also, over the last several years, especially when the new HVAC govt minimum energy specs went into effect, they have all raised their service call fees, doubling in some cases. Our first policy was only $35 a call, now it can be $60 or more.

anyway, its like most insurance in that over the course of several years, you generally will be paying out more for premiums than the cost of benefits you may get in return, but thats not putting a price on "peace of mind" of just having a policy in place "just in case" something major happens.

[tiger08]

Home warranties ar ok but if you are a semi handy person, they may be useless.

They tend to use bottom line a/c companies to do their work for them. I have read many nightmares about improper a/c repairs by some home warranty companies and they will usually milk an old system that should be replaced, until it absolutely will not run any longer. Meanwhile, your paying the high a/c bills!

When we first bought our house, they provided a one year warranty and when it expired, I did not renew.

I replaced my own a/c unit myself, for almost nothing and cannot justify the several hundred dollars a year that the contract costs, just incase something that I can fix might break.

But all in all, the prgram may be ok for some people, just beware of the a/c end of it, I cannot stress this enough!

[Spraynard Kruger]

I have found it best in most cases to self-insure for life's curve balls and avoid any kind of extended service plan for anything. I have had much better luck having semi-annual preventive maintenance performed on my HVAC which usually brings high failure rate items, such as capacitors, to my attention before they have a chance to fail. I am diligent about maintaining my home. I prefer preventative maintenance as opposed to waiting for something to fail. I prefer doing simple maintenance myself because it saves me money and I get to lay eyes on things I might have glossed over and fix them before they have a chance to cost me.

[tiger08]

Originally Posted by Spraynard Kruger

I have found it best in most cases to self-insure for life's curve balls and avoid any kind of extended service plan for anything. I have had much better luck having semi-annual preventive maintenance performed on my HVAC which usually brings high failure rate items, such as capacitors, to my attention before they have a chance to fail. I am diligent about maintaining my home. I prefer preventative maintenance as opposed to waiting for something to fail. I prefer doing simple maintenance myself because it saves me money and I get to lay eyes on things I might have glossed over and fix them before they have a chance to cost me.

Preventive a/c maintenance is the best thing you can do for your system.

Sorry thing is, only a small percentage of people follow this good practice.

I have had to repair and replace neglected a/c systems in 110 degree plus heat and it stinks!