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Old Republic Home Warranty - Electrical

Old Republic Home Warranty • Air conditioning • Heating • Water heater • Electrical • Plumbing • Refrigerator • Microwave

Greg of Mulvane KS (6/2/03):
We bought this house in July of 2002. With it we purchased a warranty plan from Old Republic. First thing to go out were two of the four burners on the stove, we're still waiting for that to be fixed. Then the condenser fan on the A/C went out. They were very prompt getting that taken care of.

The third thing has me the most concerned. Before the purchase the inspector found that the house has aluminum wiring and put that in his report. How was I to know that was a problem? How many people, other than an electrician, would know how dangerous that is?

We've had flickering lights all over the house. A sizzling noise comming from light switches. Balls of blue fire from outlets when we unplug things. The door bell rings all by its lonesome. They have sent an electrician out twice. The first time he replaced one sizzling light switch, found a wire in the breaker box that was completly burned two inches back then went outside to the lead-in box, pulled the cover and found the entire inside covered with black soot. The second time he came out he replaced eleven switches and one light fixture where he found that the light had got so hot that the light insulation was gone and the wires had become brittle. He also found charring on the wood.

When he ran out of allowed time we did a walk through to note what else needed done. He called Old Republic for authorization and they denied it. They called me the next day and offered to settle for $800.00. I said, "No, thank you". Then they called back and wanted a second opinion and sent another electrician out and he came to the same conclusion as the first guy.

Now they're saying that I've reached my limit. I've read through my copy of the contract and found that they do have limits on HVAC, plumbing and appliances but they don't state any monetary limit on electrical. After I explained this to them on the phone, they said, "Well, it's on a case by case basis". Basically, they're just trying to weasle out of their deal.

Greg's inspector should have explained the dangers of aluminum wiring to him, rather than merely noting it in his report. If Greg is certain the policy does not set a limit on electrical repairs, he should have the work done by a contractor, then sue Old Republic in Small Claims Court to recover.

Mary Jane of Tallahassee FL (1/31/03):
I bought an older home last year and for this reason thought it a good idea to buy the home warranty from Old Republic. It was offered by the real estate agent who sold me the home. Right after I moved in, the dishwasher stopped working. I called Old Republic and they quickly sent the technician by. He showed me a clump of wires that had melted together underneath the dishwasher and said he could fix it. He said he would order the parts and they should come in the following week.

Over the next two weeks I called Old Republic several times to ask about when the parts were coming in and the dishwasher would be fixed. To make a long story short, the technician claimed his wife had called and left a message for me on my answering machine (she didn't) that the parts had come in and that it was my fault so much time had gone by. Nonetheless, he came by on the third week and "fixed" the dishwasher.

The other night I was running the dishwasher and smelled something burning. Just bought a new dishwasher to replace the one that "could have burned down the house" because it was not fixed and really could not have been fixed, it should have been replaced. The same bunch of wires had all melted together again. I didn't bother calling Old Republic. The competent technician told me the previous contractor simply replaced the wires that had melted but did not correct the problem, thus if I had not smelled the burning wires and turned off the dishwasher, a fire would have started.

I am going to attempt to have Old Republic reimburse me for the new dishwasher and installation. I just received my renewal notice from Old Republic but I think I will let it lapse because I realize now it is just a waste of money.

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