Your delight in your customers misery confirms the previous posts regarding the attitude of customer service representatives within your company.

The problem is not with your contracts or the "fine print". The problem is threefold.
1) Your customer service representatives do not listen to their customers. They go only from the report of service technician which in many cases is false information. The reasons for that false information I will describe in 2 and 3.
2) Some of the companies you contract with are startup businesses without any client base. They contract with you to develop a client base. Many times they lack the experience, knowledge or expertise to adequately perform the service.
3) Some of the companies you contract with are just plain unscrupulous. They are very well versed in the wording of your agreement and report the problem as something that is not covered by your agreement because they can gouge the customer for more money on the repair than what you provide in your contract with them. If they think the customer doesn't know anything about the repair they will even jack the price higher. To clarify - a service that you might pay $1300.00 for and having a market value of $1600.00 they will report as not covered to collect the extra $300.00. If they think the customer is totally ignorant of the service performed or the value of the service they may jack the price up as much as $2200.00.

These are the problems facing FA and its customers. I can say this from experience with FA and its servicing companies and as a retired construction worker.[/quote]

I apologize for my co-workers sarcasm. After all the work we do to try to please h/o, websites like this is kind of a downer. So I'm going under the assumption he "enjoyed" it because of all the myths of home warranty that are posted on here that we know to be untrue but the h/o is simply not informed about.

Now than, you made some EXCELLENT points. You're correct, we contract a lot of start-up businesses. Mom and pop shops if you will. Some have a wealth of experience, some very little. And as to your concern over techs over pricing. F/A will send 2nd opinions out to your home for technicians we feel are over pricing you and us.

Contractors dislike us as much as people on epinions dislike us. Contractors have to go through us to do all this work for you, and they don't get paid for a couple weeks afterwards. So you know what they do to spite us? Send their most inexperienced technician to service your home to learn the ropes at the cost of his business' and F/A's reputation. Now this isn't every contractor. There are a lot of reputable contractors whom service in a timely fashion and do the work right the first time. And I love those guys as much as you!!!

"F/A will send 2nd opinions out to your home for technicians we feel are over pricing you and us."

NOT TRUE. FA declined my request for a second opinion. I hired my own contractor for the work after FA declined a second opinion and will be fileing for a cancellation of my contract and refund of my prorated fees. After checking out other home warranty companies I found that they were all basically the same. I will be researching what legislation would be necessary to close down the best scam going.

Overall we had a very poor service and support from First American home warranty as well. Warning: IF you are looking to purchase a home warranty from this company (or renew) I advise you not too.

A few of the details:

One month after moving into our home we started having water plumbing problems and a gas leak problem. These issues never came up during escrow as the gas was always on and we had a full inspection. We also were in the house for almost a month before a gas leak occurred. We called First American and they sent the first plumber to check things out. He was here for two hours and did a great job looking into the problem. He wrote the report to First American and I called them to confirm they received it. They said that it looked they would cover everything but that they wanted another opinion for price matching. They said they would have another company come check it out. They other company was VERY busy and really finally several days later came by for a 'quick visit' which was less an 10 minutes and told us we should just replace the entire system and left us his card. He then reported to First American Home Warranty that the plumbing was 'improperly installed'. This was not the case AT ALL and the area that was leaking had never been touch for years so there is no way it was improperly installed. For that matter the leak was under the house and since he didn't have time to go under the house I find it really hard to believe he gave a fair assesment. I called First American Home Warranty the next day and they told me they were denying my claim because this was improperly installed and because the gas was turned off or flagged over six months ago for issues. They said the only way they could authorize it would be if we got a letter from the gas company that stated it was working properly when we purchased the house.

After hanging up I realized that 1/2 of the claim was related to water plumbing so how could they deny the entire claim. I called back and after talking to about six different people they finally authorized the repairs to the water plumbing. I then called the gas company and found that six months before our purchase they had turned the gas off and that the previous home owners fixed a leak. The fax from the gas company stated that the repairs were completed and all line tests, gas meeter, and gas appliances were working properly at that time. I faxed this too First American Home Warranty as they had requested but now they are telling me that they would need to send A 3rd plumber to the house. Mean while, it has been over a week and 1/2 without gas. I think they will just keep sending someone to get the response that they want. They are in the business of wiggling their way out of these claims. I plan to post several responses on the web, a response to the better business bureau (which they are not part of by the way) and also you better believe I will be trigger happy any time another issue comes up with the house.

BTW - I think its useful to use First American Home Warranty in these responses. I am a web developer and it will help the rankings on google. This way if anyone is looking to purchase a warranty from them they will be able to read these glowing reviews :)

Very very disappointed in the service I have received from FA with respect to my home heating and cooling system. The system is a heat pump and was not able to cool the home the past summer. The first technician that was sent out never went into the attic and inspected the air handler, but rather added 1lb of R-22 and departed. System still did not cool. When I called to complain they sent the same technician out and I went into the attic with him. He said the squirrel cage fan was dirty and poor maintenance was not covered.
I went into my attic that weekend to clean the fan and immeditely when I removed the panel I noticed the mounting brackets on the motor were broken and the fan was barely hanging into proper position. That technician should have identified this problem immediately.....he did not know what he was doing.
F/A denied any claim due to poor maintenance. I replaced the motor for $100 and system still could not cool home below 85F.
On December 28 the heat pump compressor, condenser coil and condenser fan motor failed completely. Tech reported system needed complete replacement. It is now going on 14 days without heat in my home and outside temps in the 30's.
F/A is covering the repair, but when......no urgency from F/A.
I also underestand from contractor they ordered a non matching heat pump for the system and will not replace the air handler and evaporator coil to match the new compressor and replacement heat pump.
Every A/C estimate I have ever had matches the unit on the ground and the unit in the attic.
As an engineer and someone who is a member of ASHRAE I routinely design and spec HVAC systems. F/A response is the cheapest they can get by with and there is no time limit on their response. So if your family is in the cold for weeks.........well F/A did their part at their own sweet time.
There are dozens of HVAC contractors in the area who are more that qualified to install this system within 24 hours and if F/A's low budget contractor could not respond in a reasonable time frame (in freezing weather conditions) F/A should have contracted the installer who could make repairs in a timely manner.
We will never use this company again or renew the policy after the 1 yr. date.
By the way my wife and I are licenced R/E agents.

Home Warranty contracts are very specific about what they cover and what they don't. When the policy holder neglects to read their contract a dispute usually ensues. First American has over 90% customer satisfaction rating. I think that speaks for itself.

After reading all of your postings the common factor here is Contractors. I know when you are in the midst of a claim dispute it feels like the Company doesn't care but they do. Here are a few suggestions that I hope help you. If you don't know who your Area or Regional Manager is then you can find out when you call the 800# ask who your field rep is. That person may be able to get involved and expedite the process for you. You might also want to ask for an outside contractor. Which simply means that if the contractor we use in your area is not responding you can schedule with a contractor of your choice and the company authorizes a dollar amount for that repair. Finally, when all else fails, I usually offer my homeowners a cash out! This is not full retail value but it is always a sufficient amount.

I assure all of you that this company nor is any other warranty company a SCAM. We are regulated by the state that we operate in.

No offense but thats over 90% BS.

These guys really do suck. I had my water heater break (pretty standard), they send out this really scummy plumber. He tells me that it is covered, but he has to do over $350 is modification (FA only covers $250) Of course all the the prices are way over estimate (Install a smitty pan (a $15 pan that sits under the water heater will cost me $200)? Then he wants to charge me for "modifications" that are not covered...reconnect the vent, reconnect the recirculator add up to another $300 +$75 to hall off the old water heater. In the end this NEW water heater is going to cost me over $600 out of pocket.

I called to get a second opinion, they say I am not allowed. Only their plumbers report is valid. So I took the cash out option ($375). Found a good water heater for $400 and am paying a plumber $200 to install the whole thing. So my out of pocket is only $225 and those guy don't get my money (other than the $55).

I just got my renewal in the mail. HA HA HA.

Thank you crinop for validating my experiences and previous post regarding second opinions. I too have found it is much cheaper just to hire a reputable serviceman. So much for "truth in advertising".

I myself have worked for First American and know people whom have been there for SEVERAL years. The company sucks when it comes to customer service. They are cheap and unorganized. The structure of the management in the company is horrnedous and they lack the knowledge needed to properly run the customer service call center!

Instead of management handling your calls and concerns - they pass it off to mere reps that take incoming calls to call you back. Management at First American SUCKS!! They feel as though they are not paid to talk to homeowners and that this is not their job. They dont appreciate the employees that work for them!

Management has gotten rid of all the knowledgeable employees that made a difference.

1st lets start with the customer service department - everyone there is young and immature, they dont care about customer service at all! When you have people at work HIGH on marajuana & DRUNK at thier desks from going to the liqour store on thier breaks, what do you expect. First American doesnt pay but $8 for customer service reps and the training in which they receive is HORRIBLE!

The Claims Resolutions Dept (more like the passoff department) takes your calls and then they do nothing with them. The manager is UNKNOWLEDGEABLE and cares more about taking the calls on hold (QUANTITY) and not (QUALITY) actually handling the claims. They pass them off and dont call you back. Well COMMON SENSE should tell them that if they actually handled the claim & made the follow up calls, they wouldnt have so many on hold (angry customers calling BACK AGAIN!!)

This company is horible. The service is horrible, they dont want to pay the techs and therefore the techs try to get out of work or overcharge the customer because they get the same amount from F/A regardless of if they complete the work or not - ONE PRICE program, where they get one $ for WHATEVER they do!! Which most of the time is $99

Employees at this company can get a warranty on their home for 1/2 price. 90% of the company doesnt purchase one because they know it is a waste of money and a scam!!!

Ask the managers if they have one, they dont! I wouldnt take this product if it were FREE!!

and all that FINE PRINT - it is a way to get out of it, the only thing they cover is NORMAL WEAR & TEAR - if it happens on its own, well there is a reason for everything at F/A!!!

It seems that you are a very bitter person about FA. My thought in reading what you had written is that you were a person terminated from the company. Would that be true? If so, it would explain why you make some of the comments that you do. I have had both good and not so good experiences with FA. In the end, with a little perseverance, it paid off and my issues were fixed. I think as customers that we always want what we want right away, and that is not always possible. We must be realists. I do agree however that it can sometimes take longer than hoped. I guess we as customers must be realistic in our expectations. I will say that having been a customer of another company,(AHS), that company does not even compare to FA. FA is a much better company, and from recent contact, it appears that they are working to improve their customer service. I had to recently speak to a Supervisor and a Manager in the office in Texas I believe and they were extremely professional and knowledgeable. Where did you work?

Maybe you should read what you bought before you "assume" something! Home Warranty companies are not your personal slaves, they save many homeowners several hundres of dollars a year. FA has over 600,000 covered homeowners at this time, that says something about them as a company. They must be doing something right! It states in clear black and white, in the contracts what you are covered under, so it's not that hard to know what would or wouldn't be covered! Its as simple as reading!

First of all pathetic loosers who dont have anything better to do than talk about first american are probably still living at home with your momma. You really need to get a life and move on. You were fired for a reason. Obviously you were one of the problems with first american. They are a better company with out you. GET OVER IT AND MOVE ON!

why call from your cell? Duh, call from a land line! why would you wait 11 months without AC, that's dumb sounds like you are lazy!

Wow I didn't think that people could get more pathetic until I was shown this site. As a home owner, you are aware that things are going to go wrong, and you being the home owner with the problem turn to your warranty to fix it. If they are as bad as this site is making them seem, then why are you their paying customer? Why don't you go fix your a/c, or replace your own ductwork, oh that's right it's because your an incompotent fool. What you don't realize is that they are sending out company's in your local area, saving you time to call them and saving the amount that they would have charged you.They save you time and money, and then you go to a website to trash talk them,your really making a difference in this world.What you may not realize is that first american has a 96% customer satisfaction rating, so really all that you are doing right now is wasting your own time.

It seems like to me, no one FORCED anything upon you, you CHOSE to call First American. You could have gone outside the company and just handled things that way, so if anyone is to blame it appears you are!

oh man...
that's good.
couldn't agree with you more.
props...
mad props.

Sounds like this person was terminated. It seems to be if this person knew all this was going on, why did he/she stay employed for so long? And why did he/she sit back and do nothing? Obviously if it was so horrible for him/her and he/she disagrees so much with it, why would he/she want to work or continue to work with First American? Sounds like he/she was probably most of the problem,you know the saying guilty dog barks first! Obviously it must have not been that bad sweetheart! I know several employees who have the warranty on their home and are quite satisfied! I am a proud FAHBP home warranty owner!!!