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OK, maybe the word "scam" is going a little too far. But I think they are close to absolutely worthless.
I purchased a house 2 months ago. It's a pretty good house with very little issues so far. But there were two issues in which I called the warranty service and was very dissatisfied with my experience.
Occurrence 1: When I moved in, I noticed that the washer valves in the laundry room were leaking right out of the spout. Hmm...It seems like this is something that I would have seen (or the inspector) during the walk through. Also, the refrigerator water valve was completely chipped and required a new valve. These are crimped valves, by the way, which needs a plumber to install. Called the warranty service only to find out that pre-existing issues are not covered. WOW!
Imagine buying something from the store, opening the box, and finding something that's broken. Guess what? It's not covered. Same thing here.
OK, fine, whatever. It has to be working initially, and then it has to fail for it to be covered. Fine, whatever.
Occurrence 2: My GFCI outlets in the garage started tripping when they worked flawless for the first month. OK, I knew I finally was covered this time around. After doing some preliminary investigating (I like to fix problems myself if I can) I decided to use my warranty service for this. They called out an electrician company and all they did was replace the GFCI outlet (which by the way is a pretty **** poor way to diagnose an issue because these rarely go bad). The next day, it tripped again after watering the yard. I decided to find the issue myself since I'm the only one that seems to care about my house. So I found that there was a spliced yard lamp connection underground underneath a bush that wasn't properly sealed and it was getting wet. Called the electricians out again now that I found the problem for them (did most of the work). They said that it's outside of the foundation and therefor warrantee doesn't cover it. They disconnected the yard lamp wiring and left. So I just got done fixing this myself with an underground splicer kit for $24 after spending $60 to call them out for the first time.
Home warranty is a scam. It's failed me twice thus far. These people are cheapskates. This was given to me for free by my realtor, but honestly, I would recommend not paying for one. I certainly would have felt devastated if I did. Have they ever worked?
Yes, they work. I have had a couple appliances replaced, an A/C system repaired a week after I moved in and several plumbing issues covered by them.
You just have to know how to use them and primarily what is covered and what is not. They are NOT a free repair/replacement for EVERYTHING in your house.
The items not covered are usually listed very clearly in your paperwork and on the website.
The things you are describing aren't home warranty repairs. Home warranties cover if the dishwasher goes out, furnace dies, etc. Things have to be working and then not work. Since the splice was there before it wouldn't be covered. It isn't like it wasn't spliced and then magically became spliced. The other two issues were clearly there before as well. Pretty straightforward of not being covered.
So the A/C system failed a week after you moved in? Pretty rare for that to happen. If that's really true, then you got lucky. Were those plumbing issues there when you moved in also?
Home Warranty of America has so many stipulations that it isn't "very clear" what it covers. And it doesn't matter, because I've determined that it doesn't cover very much at all thus far.
The things you are describing aren't home warranty repairs. Home warranties cover if the dishwasher goes out, furnace dies, etc. Things have to be working and then not work. Since the splice was there before it wouldn't be covered. It isn't like it wasn't spliced and then magically became spliced. The other two issues were clearly there before as well. Pretty straightforward of not being covered.
See, that's dishonest business in my opinion.
So honestly, I could sell a house and do the shoddiest repair possible (actually creating a fire hazard) and then I get to be very happy knowing that the buyer has to fix it themselves and that it wouldn't be covered?
The outlets in the garage were working, and then they didn't work. So you expect that when the electricians found the splice they have a right to not fix it and for it to not be done under warranty? That just doesn't make sense to me. It was still working at first. The only reason it was working at first is because the water wasn't turned on yet for the yard. Outlet's not working in the garage is not a "minor deal" either. It basically means I have to run an extension cord into the house to be able to water the yard, and can't use any of the outlets inside the garage, either.
So the A/C system failed a week after you moved in? Pretty rare for that to happen. If that's really true, then you got lucky. Were those plumbing issues there when you moved in also?
It was a 10-year-old system, which is why the seller offered the warranty. A thermostat stopped working, and it happened to be a covered part. Got it fixed and the unit worked another 5 years (with some other minor repairs along the way.)
The plumbing issues came up over the years after we lived in the house. My washing machine was 22 years old and after being repaired so many times they finally declared it dead and gave me a new one.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kawahonda
Home Warranty of America has so many stipulations that it isn't "very clear" what it covers. And it doesn't matter, because I've determined that it doesn't cover very much at all thus far.
We used American Home Shield and even paid for it ourselves for a while after the "free" year ran out. We have since replaced most everything in the house so we now save for repairs.
Being cynical doesn't help. Being informed does. They do explain what they cover, and if you read it in advance you won't be disappointed when the repair guy comes out and tells you something is not covered.
So honestly, I could sell a house and do the shoddiest repair possible (actually creating a fire hazard) and then I get to be very happy knowing that the buyer has to fix it themselves and that it wouldn't be covered?
No that is what home inspections are for. If the seller does repairs for you as part of the contract, then that is what reinspections are for.
I had issues in my house with breakers tripping. Over and over. All they can do is replace what was already there. However, I finally pushed it with them when the breakers started burning out. Eventually I got a whole new primary electrical panel put it.
They've fixed many a leak, washers, dryers, replaced a microwave once, fixed the AC more than once, etc. I think they are a good deal and I have kept one in force for probably 15 years or more. I figure if I call once a year, it's paid for itself.
As the others said, you just have to realize what they do and don't pay for. No way they would fix an outdoor DYI wiring issue.
No that is what home inspections are for. If the seller does repairs for you as part of the contract, then that is what reinspections are for.
Not all the time inspections are 100% accurate or thorough. Take for example buying a house during the winter. The A/C nor the sprinkler system gets checked. You know what I'm saying.
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