To all the researchers out there, like me - and thank goodness for this site, I strongly recommend NOT buying a policy with HWA. We bought a policy with them last year and had 3 claims: a dead garbage disposal, a dead washing machine and finally, the ever-favorite air-conditioner claim.

Our original troubles began last year with them claiming they didn't have an electrical contractor in our area, a suburb of Kansas City, population 1+ million people?! The garbage disposal took 2 weeks to get replaced.

After that struggle, our washing machine went out. They offered to replace it - in 6-8 WEEKS? We have kids?! I pushed for them to cut me a check instead and had to settle for a lower amount out of desperation, "the price THEY would've paid."

Then the a/c...we have 2 units - 1 for the upper level and 1 for the main level. It gets HOT and HUMID in KC in the summer, especially in August. These two units could not get the house below 76 degrees; they had to run all night to catch up to 72, and then run all day again. It was miserable. The first guy they dispatched never showed up and the second one was some poor man from 100+ miles away. He said we were low on freon in both units and had a bad thermostat, which he replaced. The a/c worked fine for the rest of August & September until it was no longer needed. LESS THAN A YEAR LATER, WE HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM.

Unfortunately, due to financial constraints, we had to allow the policy to lapse for 2 months. I renewed it, paid the premium in full and called in to report the a/c problem again. THEY REFUSE TO HONOR THE CLAIM under the guise of "the equipment is supposed be in good working order when the policy takes effect." Mind you, we hadn't turned on the a/c yet to find if it was or wasn't, nor did they send anyone out to ascertain that! They weakly assume it wasn't and quickly offered to refund my $520, instead of honoring their terms of the CONTRACT. They simply saw dollar signs because we obviously have some kind of freon leak and that could easily prove to be a costly repair.

I am furious at their audacity. I tried to escalate through upper management and guess what? No one will call me back? I'm contacting an attorney.

In the meantime, please avoid this company. I've heard mixed results about AHS - I used to have them on a previous home and my parents have them cover their rentals and their own home. We haven't had any bad experiences (we did have to push them a couple of times tho), but reading all the negative feedback is frightening. I'm back to shopping around for a new Home Warranty Co. If someone has a good recommendation, I'd love to hear from you. :)

There has been a class action lawsuit filed in Cook County. 06 ch 28361 is case number and public record.

American Home Shield is another company who provides warranties to existing homes. They are not for new homes as the manufacturer of the appliance is responsible to warrant the appliance for whatever the period is according to your owners manual. The builder is responsible in all states for Material & Workmanship defects, Major Systems which would include wiring, ductwork, plumbing, HVAC, etc. (basically anything within the walls you cannot see in the first year including structure. When buying a brand new home, consumers should insist the Builder include a 10 Year Insured Structural Warranty. They hold the Builder responsible for an additional year for major systems. In addition, studies show structural failures are more common than house fires. These type warranties that are insured basically put the builders promises in writing and if the Builder is unwilling or unable to adhere to the standards set forth the insurer will make the warrantable repairs. The warranty booklet also lists maintenace items the homeowner needs to be aware of to make sure they don't cause a problem by not cleaning the gutters or changing the landscape which in turn changes the lay of the land and can cause water intrusion. I know no one who would purchase a car without a warranty..Why would a purchaser making the most expensive purchase of his or her life not insist a warranty be provided??? No Brainer..

Recently my washing machine went out. The claim was initially entered into their system incorrectly on 5/31 as "Range, Oven, Cooktop". The vendor had not contacted me after five hours, so I called them to schedule an appointment. When I explained that I had an less known brand of washer, they'd apparently contacted HWA about their inability to service and it was moved to another vendor. I called the next day to get the details of the vendor change and correct the apparent mistake of which appliance was being serviced. I then found out that the second vendor didn't service that item either and the original vendor was reassigned to a new claim. When HWA realized that the original vendor was still unable to service the obscure brand, a third vendor was brought in to look at the machine. They came out on Sunday (6/3) to determine that the motor was fried and that a significant repair (or replacement) was in order. When I'd called on Monday afternoon to find out the status of my claim, I was told the vendor was still pricing parts for the repair and that I would be updated later in the day. I called the next day (Tuesday 6/5) to find that the vendor was still retrieving pricing information for the repair. On Wednesday (6/6), I received another email and a phone call that a fourth vendor was being called in to give a second opinion and that my claim was in jeopardy of being rejected as the third vendor indicated that a lightning strike could have possibly been the cause of the problem. This was preposterous!

The washing machine was running when it starting smoking and tripped the circuit breaker on Thursday in the late morning. I opened door and windows to my house on a sunny breezy day to clear out the smoke. There wasn’t a lightning strike for miles around that day.

I have made several attempts to contact the fourth vendor to no avail. Their voicemail box is full and I cannot leave a message. I’ve sent an email and have not received a reply. HWA has informed me that they have been scheduled to come out on Saturday (6/9), but I’ve been unable to confirm this appointment with the vendor. Additionally, the two notices that I’ve received regarding this fourth vendor both indicate that I would be responsible for another $50 service fee. Two representatives from HWA have assured me over the phone that I would not be held accountable for that charge as I’ve already paid the service fee to the third vendor. I haven’t received anything in writing that confirms this assertion nor do I know that the fourth vendor is aware of this.

This has been a very frustrating series of phone calls/appointments and I’m becoming exceedingly dissatisfied with their claims process.

I've used HWA for three years and have had mixed results with their service. HVAC repairs are hit or miss, but when they miss, it's usually during the hottest part of the Texas summer. Depending on how well the issue with my washer is resolved, I'll be deciding on whether or not to renew. So far, I'd say they're not bad, but they're not that great either.

I have been having Problems with HWA since November of 2005 when I called because water was pouring into my bathroom from a leak in the roof. They sent me the vendor info and no one got in touch with me. I sent this:

I called HWA Tuesday morning, I called the roofing place, Tuesday night, I still haven't heard anything. I don't know what good it's going to do now, if it's not raining. How are they going to find the leak if it's not leaking?

I sent this on 12/18/05

I want to let you know that I'm not happy with the level of service that I am getting. No one ever came to repair my roof. Out of necessity, I had to do it myself before my bathroom ceiling caved in. I made the first call and was told that HWA would call me back with the results. I never heard from anyone. I called back and HWA apologized and gave me vendor info and told ME to contact the vendor. I did and got an answering machine. I left a message. Nobody returned my calls. I left a second message, nothing. I emailed HWA telling them of my lack of progress. I've heard nothing back. Before the water damage became too severe I had to get a friend to help me repair the leak in the roof. The same thing happened last year when I reported a leak in my basement. Nobody came to fix it, and when I called again for leaking in my basement and they found two leaks, I was told that they would only fix one because that's all I called for. After I pointed out that I had called months before on the first leak and nobody came, and a lot of back and forth, and me not wanting to renew, the problem was finally addressed. Now this. What am I paying for? I there needs to be a follow up system with the vendor to make sure that they did the work, and people like me aren't waiting for someone who isn't coming.

After a few more emails I sent a copy of the last email yet again with this intro. This was sent in Feb. of 2006:

I am simultaneously sending this to info and to the claims department. I have sent over three emails to you over the past few months and you won't even acknowledge me.
I wait at least a month between emails to give you time, but apparently I don't exist. What do I have to do to get satisfaction? Go to an outside group for help with this? I'm letting you know about a failing in your system. I would think that you would want to know, so there aren't a rash of lawsuits stating that you haven't kept up your end of the contract, but you won't give me the common courtesy of an answer to my emails. I need to be recognized. It would be nice to know that you value your customers, instead of leading me to believe that once you have my money, you don't care. Here is the copy of my last email:

Again, I heard nothing

While this was all going on I had some leaking in my basement, they never sent anyone. I called again at a later date and this email fro September of 2005 should explain it all:

I just received an email about renewal. In Feb. or March I called about leaks in my basement. They said someone would contact me, but no one did. I got sick and didn't call back. Recently the leaks got worse especially in one area, so I called back. A plumber was sent (Kenco). He found the causes for the leaks (kitchen sink, toilets, and shower). He called it in and they said that he was only allowed to fix the sink ($100 deductible). They said that that is what I called about. I am not a plumber. I called about leaks. I did not know exactly where it was coming from. When I called back and complained, they looked it up and realized that I had called about the leaks before, so they said that he could fix it, but I'd have to pay another $100 deductible. Then the plumbing company called me and told me that HWA said that I would have to pay $100 for the leak in the toilet, and $100 for the leak in the shower and $100 for any other work that was done. It is all leaking from the same place in my basement. I want the leak fixed. I don't want to pay $300 or $400 to have it done (I've already paid $100). That's why I have a home warranty. So, I didn't have the rest of the work done and my basement is still leaking. If I have to pay all that money to have the leak fixed, why renew? What's the point? I'm very unclear as to what I should do here.
I sent another email with a copy of the original email on 10/03/2006 with this intro:

I am contacting the Better Business Bureau unless I hear from someone within the next week. I am fed up. I have sent many emails to multiple addresses and have received nothing in the way of a reply. I paid you people for a service which wasn't provided. This dates back to November of 2005. That's almost a year with no reply!
I am pasting my last email below.

I finally got a reply this was it:
You need to know that we do not resolve situations or claims over email. I apologize but that is not how we work. When we get an email from a customer, we look up there information and we call them. Just like we have done for you. We have never heard back. We will again call you later on today, if we miss you please call us back.

Sincerely,
Email Support
Home Warranty Of America
PO BOX 850
Lincolnshire, IL 60069
This was pure fantasy. I immediately sent this follow up:
My home phone is forwarded to my cell phone, always (even when I'm home). Because of my business, I'm never without my phone. I have NEVER received a phone call from you on this issue. In case you have the wrong number, but I don't think you do being that initially my phone call was returned and I was given info as to who was going to contact me, but after that, I never received any communication.

I finally got a phone call. It was not pleasant. I told them that I paid for my contract and expect service on the contract in a timely fashion and I felt that I was owed some sort of compensation. After much back and forth, It was agreed that they would fix the roof and that I wouldn’t have to pay the service charge. The problem is, they couldn’t find anyone to fix my roof and I didn’t have the out of pocket expense to find someone, pay for it, and have them reimburse me. It’s not my job. That’s why I pay them. It is now June of 2007. My bathroom wall was rotting away (my house is three years old). I called a painter to look at it (I’m sure HWA doesn’t cover this). He asked if he could look in the attic space. When he came down he told me that the plywood on the roof was all black and rotting, that the bathroom wall damage was from the leak in the roof and that I needed to have the roof repaired first before he would feel comfortable about repairing my wall. I made another attempt to call HWA. They finally sent someone out to do an estimate. They told me what the painter had said. The leak in the roof rotted the plywood (and in turn rotted the bathroom wall). HWA had the nerve to call me and say that they wouldn’t cover it because they don’t cover plywood and that the plywood caused the leak in the roof. I lost my mind. I told them that this had been going on since 2005 and that, because they never came the leak rotted my plywood and in turn rotted my bathroom wall and ceiling, which was going to cost me $500 to repair, all because they never honored the contract. He said that he would get back to me. He called back and said that they would cover the repair to the roof, but not the plywood (which I found out was $42). I reluctantly agreed. Then I was informed that the repair to the roof would cost $642 and thatthere was a cap and they would only cover $300! I was beside myself. I argued back and forth citing that the damage was due to them not responding in a timely fashion, but to no avail. I needed the work done so I had them do it. I then received a call fro the roofing company saying that they had bad news. They said that they fought for me, but HWA said that they weren’t paying for the estimate that HWA had ordered. They said that it was part of the total bill and that they would only pay $300. I called HWA back. I was livid. I told them that they ordered the estimate, that there would be no $62 fee had they told them to do the work right away and that I had been promised that I would not have to pay the service fee. They said that, if it had been $100 under the $300 cap, then they would not charge me the service fee. But, since it was over, they would only pay $300 dollars. Needless to say, this has not been a good experience for me. Luckily the job was less than they said, so out of pocket wasn’t as much as I thought, but because of them ignoring me for almost two years, I had to pay $500 to have my bathroom wall and ceiling repaired and painted. Well…that was my experience.

I cannot believe what I am reading! I am having such an awful experience with Home Warranty of America too and I have no idea what to do! They have sent 2 different repairmen to my home on at least 7-8 occasions and my stove still doesn't work. They are refusing to replace it. My main concern is that it is unsafe as the gas build up under the burner and if it eventually decides to light, there is a huge flame. I don't get it - I have a contract! I think the worst part is the attitude you are met with. I am contacting the Illinois Attorney General office by the end of the week if they don't agree to replace it but how ridiculous that it has to get to this point. My mom is a realtor and everyone in her office has agreed not to use this company anymore. I just don't know how to get satisfaction. What a huge rip off.

What they say in their contract with you is not exactly how they handle their claims. That $55 service fee is on a sliding scale based upon how much you need the job done. They lure you into believing that all is OK with your claim and then give you that late in the day call saying now " to fix your problem you must pay: special tool fees, disposal fees, etc." and anything else they can dream up. I have been around air conditioning systems for over 30 years in a related field - so their pitch about special tools, refrigerant recovery, etc didn't fly in my case. Their last ditch effort now is a $75 fee for me because they want to install an air handler unit of a different make than our original and they want me to pay for the sheet metal changes in the ducts to accommodate their mismatched choice of replacement parts. Per them " it is all in the contract and we can do it."
They do give you a buy out option at about 1/2 the needed amount to fix the problem. You have to realize that they make money when you loose it. It is a scam in many cases.

I live in Shawnee and use a great company - Complete Appliance Protection. They are out of Topeka. The program runs month to month and there is no deductible. Claims are easy and resolved quickly. I would suggest checking out their web site if you're still lookin for a recommendation :)

Agreed! They called me out of desperation for a local contractor in my area as they had none. I agreed to try them out and become a vendor as there was an older woman without air and ambient temps were rising above 100. They are extremely difficult to get a hold of and do not, or have at least not paid me to date after 2 month's when agreeing to payment within 2 weeks.

This is where the problem lays. Most contractors have enough work already....at least knowledgeable, reputable ones. Why would we want to take on extra work, at a cut rate and have to wait for payment? It really drives motivation down to even show up and or accept the work.

Beware! You get what you pay for.

Part 2, unhappy contractor. After checking the Better Business Bureau, HWA has some better than 250 complaints over the past undetermined amount of time while only taking care of some 70 or so within the past year with most customers not agreeing with the outcome or determination.

Class action law suits and the like. I wish I had checked them out better before taking on any sort of work for them. OH, and by the way....still not paid.

Beware again!

i recently became a vendor for hwa. im a heating and cooling contractor and what a mistake. i cant believe the how rude, unprofessional, and ignorant these people are. ive done only 2 service calls for them and both are by far the worst experiences ive had in my 10 years in this trade. they do anything possible to not pay even lie. i still have not been paid even after calling several times. all they do is argue. if you ask to talk to someone in charge they tell you they are and wont let you speak to anyone else. i cant believe they get away with this. ive tried to contact the "vendor department manager" but he never answers the phone-NEVER. and doesnt return calls. if your a contractor run like hell from these people.

I called after owing my home for 4 days. The dryer will not heat up, it spins, but no heat. Called the HWA, they say it has to break down due to normal wera an tear. I say "It did". He tells me it's not possible to have it break from normal wear and tear in 4 days. They decide to send a repairman, he fixes it and it's all done...NOT. They call me a few days later and say thay the clim is not covered as the gas valve was closed and this can't possibly be from normal wear and tear. "How can that be" I said? Well, he tells me, gas valves just don;t close, they should be open..HOW THE HELL DID IT CLOSE THEN??? IS'NT THIS THE DEFINAITION OF BREAKING, IT WORKS ONE DAY AND THEN DOES NOT THE NEXT....WHAT A JOKE.

THEY ALSO REFUSED TO COVER THE MICROWAVE THAT "POPPED AND BLEW SMOKE" BECAUSE IT WAS NOT "BUILT IN".

THEY ALSO WILL NOT COVER THE BROKEN FLOOR HEATER AS IT IS NOT THE PRIMARY HEAT SOURCE OF THE HOUSE.

WHAT A WAIST OF DOUGH!

I am very upset and disappointed with HWA, as well. I bought their coverage for a couple of my clients and they all have asked me to refer them to someone else after a few months into the contract. I can not share their stories but I can share mine.

I signed up for my own house last year with HWA. Their response center is extremely slow and very much under staffed. They usually route my calls to their answering service promising to return my call within two hours. They never do!

Another issue I find with them is their use of less than knowledgeable technicians. I was amazed at how little these people knew about the equipment they were called on.

HWA never second guess these "less than knowledgeable" technicians. Whatever they feed them, goes. One of my service requests was rejected by HWA because the technician had told them that I was the cause of breakdown. HWA did not even attempt to discuss the issue. They never returned my call at least telling me that my service request was cancelled! After 2 days in a very hot summer, I finally had to give them a call and find about the bad news. The next technician I hired, laughed at their diagnosis and apologized for the bad reputation caused by these kind of people.

Subsequent to this event, HWA suspended my account for 6 months without telling me! I only found out about it once I called to report a Water Heater problem. They said my account was suspended because I did not pay the A/C technician 6 months ago! and they wanted me to produce receipt to show I had paid them. WHO HAS SEEN A TECHNICIAN LEAVING WITHOUT GETTING HIS FEES?

HWA also said, even if I pay the delinquent fee, they would still not attend my Water heater issue because the issue was reported while the account was suspended! There is nothing in the contract implying this kind of consequences.

I tried to contact their manager about 12 times. Left messages but she never bothered to call me back.

This is how they take care of their customers.

In the past year, I needed them 3 times, in total; twice for Air conditioning issues and third for water heater.

Unfortunately, they never came through. They have lost me and my customers forever!!!

If you put the same amount of time and energy in to being positive and productive you wouldn't always be a victim!

Have you heard of the Law of Attraction?

You will always get screwed or feel like people are screwing you over, because you think the world is out to get you.

I think you must be a HWA agent or employee.

We have had several issues with warranty work. We have had an issue with our downstairs bathroom plumbing that has been going on now for over a month. We have had up to 3 different plumbers come out and they are all "waiting on parts" and would never get back with us. We have made numerous calls and emails trying to get this matter resolved. We are now over 4 weeks later and they are offering us a settlement to do the work ourselves and hire someone to come out. The issue is that the faucet for the bathtub needs to be replaced but the plumbing has to be cut from inside the wall to replace it. They are going through the sheet rock on the back side of the wall. They are offering us $8 as a settlement. I let them know that this is just an insult and am still waiting on someone to call back.

I've been having problems with Home Warranty of America. We moved into Northeastern home in November. In December our insinkerator garbage disposal went out and needed to be replaced. They agreed to replace it with a different brand (cheaper model) and we were stuck paying the difference to have the same model reinstalled. Then 6 months later I noticed that there was a leak under the sink that looked like it was related to the installation of the garbage disposal. HWA said that was had to proces a new claim and that I had to pay another service charge due to it had been longer than 90 days since the previous work had been done. It turned out that the company did not tighten the 3 screws on the diposal which holds the unit tightly against the sink which caused the leak. Also, I called HWA about our air conditioner not coming on in May when we needed it. They told us since we did not have the air conditioner on when we first moved into our home during the WINTER, they would not cover the charges. We have to use the air conditioner everyday in order for them to cover the charges. They look for ANY excuse not hold up their end of the bargain. When they do choose to fix something, they replace it with a cheaper version instead of replacing the model that came with the home. They should also guarantee workmanship on any device that they have had installed regardless of time. It takes time for a slow leak to show. The only reason I caught it was because of the mold growing around the ring of the gasket. This company is a total waste of time and money. You are better off rolling the dice and paying for anything that goes wrong in your new home.

Purchasing a contract with Home Warranty of America is a total waste of money. You probably have a better chance of winning the lottery than getting them to honor a valid claim.

Unfortunately my daughter purchased a HWA contract when she purchased her home. Home Warranty of America is worse than a bad joke; they are nothing short of an organization conspiring to defraud unsuspecting victims all across the US. A washing machine covered under the warranty stopped functioning properly. A service technician who is a contractor with HWA came out and inspected the machine and found the transmission and clutch assembly to be in need of replacement. He stated in his report to HWA that the parts needed replacement due to "Normal Wear & Tear". When HWA was contacted they said the claim would not be honored because the malfunction was due to "rust & corrosion". No where in his report did the technician state the parts needed replacing due to rust & corrosion; in fact, he specifically stated there was NO rust or corrosion and reiterated it was normal wear & tear. HWA stands by their decision that despite the technician's report and the fact that they never saw the parts, the parts had to be the victim of rust & corrosion and there could be no other reason for the parts to go bad. Obviously it is policy of HWA to deny ALL claims with some fictional excuse as to why it is not covered. How this company is still in business and its owners not behind bars for fraud is beyond comprehension.

I hope anyone reading this who has had a similar problem with HWA reports them to the Attorney General of your state. The people who run that company need to be stopped from doing further business anywhere in the US before more unsuspecting consumers are taken advantage of.