Choice Home Warranty

Our primary residence A/C-Heat Pump unit failed on Saturday, September 24, and our family has had no A/C or heat since then. My claim was filed immediately. Their authorized local service vendor was summoned on September 27 and initially misdiagnosed the issue (one co-pay paid), returned on September 29 (another co-pay paid), and indicated that my compressor needed replacement.

I contacted CHW that same day. I did not receive a call back and finally spoke with a CHW representative named J++ (a well-known figure as I read in other similar complaints) on October 3, who told me to submit my maintenance service records over two years to his personal email. After waiting and not receiving follow-up after three days, I contacted CHW on October 6, was placed on hold for 15 minutes, and then, was told to re-submit those same maintenance records as well as all pages of my current maintenance contract.

I also was told failure by my current or former A/C heating service technicians to "check all of the boxes" on their respective maintenance report documents stating what services were performed on my A/C heating unit over the years may result in my claim being denied. Jokingly, I responded to the CHW representative that had I known this may be true, one could assume forgery of these "check marks" on those documents prior to submission would be condoned as a means to get one's claim approved.

Waited two months and they still haven't refunded the money. I called back and they are refusing to refund the money. So I looked what others have posted and they have lost a lot of money.

This is what we need to do. Contact your local police department and file a complaint with a detective and have them fax the complaint to the Edison, NJ Police Department at (732) 287-4192. It takes about 5 minutes of your time.

If they get enough complaints, they will start an official criminal investigation. Listing your complaint on the BBB may get them a bad grade, but that's it. If they are ripping other people off like they did me then they need more than just a bad grade from the BBB. Consumers need to be protected.

We have been working on a leaky tub spout for over a month and now no plumbers in Mohave county, AZ want to work for these crooks since they know they won't get paid. The customers will be told, "Oh that's not covered under your contract."

What a scam and waste of money. Go with American Home Shield or 2-10 .

Choice now does not want to pay anything on the repair we paid for because they said we did not get pre-authorization. We did exactly what they told us to do. And now they are going back on their word. Terrible!

They will not let us cancel the warranty and give us a refund on the premium either!

We have other outstanding claims that we are going to have to contact the customer and advise them that they are responsible for payment since their home warranty refuses to pay and "Stanley" told me that he was going to sue us for "definition". I told him it is in our rights to do so and will. He then hung the phone up on me with no other comments about the other payments. I spoke to our attorney, who informed me that we are within our rights to contact the customer and advise them that they are responsible for payment since their home warranty company refuses to pay.

After a few months, I saw that they were not being truthful as to when they would pay. I left voice messages for someone to call me back, sent emails but they continually ignore my request to communicate with someone about my account. We did several service calls between April and June. Eventually I was able to speak to an individual in the Accounts Payable Department, he called himself, Stan. Stan was someone arrogant and rude when we would speak. As of to date, I have yet to receive payment. He made several claims that our payments were either in process or getting ready to be mailed. Neither of which was true. I caught him lying about payment. He had told me once that the computer notes showed that a payment of $655.00 was in process and he assured me that a check was to be mailed on Monday, Aug. 22, 2011. We had this conversation on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2011. I told him that I would call again on Thursday, Aug.18, 2011 to follow up and verify. When I spoke to him on Thursday, the 18th, he told me that, "It looks like a check is to be mailed out by Wednesday, the 24th or Thursday, the 25th". I told him that that was not what he told me on Tuesday and that he lied to me for the third time. His response was a pure admission to it but "Oh well".

Corporate companies like this swallow up smaller contractors trying to survive. I don't have the power to fight against them, but if we stand together, those who they have taken advantage of, maybe we can have a voice. Do not work for this company. They are crooks and liar!

I called and talked to a male named Troy and he says he is the manager, and I asked him about taking care of the $34.00 overdraft fee that I incurred due to them using my old account, and his response was that he cannot do anything about that fee and that it was my problem. If this is the kind of managers that CHW has, then they will be losing a lot more business than just mine. I've paid CHW in monthly fees of over $4,000 and they can't take care of the $34.00 fee that they caused me to have. Well, I am no longer a customer with CHW and I do not and will not refer anyone to this company.

So now, I have $34.00 in the hole, and I have to go through issues with the banks to make sure CHW will not have access to my funds. I'm sure it's is going to cost me as well to stop payment with CHW.

We spoke with a rep named Stan **. He stated, "You have to sign up as a contractor to receive payments." We reiterated to him we have been contacted by Choice over 20 times in the past 9 months. We have provided service, retained authorization, and have yet to receive any form of payment from Choice for services rendered. I was advised we had to sign an agreement 9 months after in order to be paid. So, we did. In November, we contacted Stan ** asking where the funds were. He said, "Oh, fax them." I expressed we have, multiple times. He said, "Oh well, fax them to me." So, we did.

In December, I was assured in a telephone conversation that they are working on getting the check cut, but due to the holidays they are running behind. January 2011 came and went. I left messages for Stan ** in February. Shortly after that, Mr. ** called me back and said, "Being these invoices are now over a year old, could we maybe get a discount on some of them?" We went over every invoice. We did offer 2.00 off this work order, 8.00 off of that work order. I was assured that we would receive funding in 2 payments beginning with a check in the amount of $924.00. This was told to me on the 25th of March 2011. Then, after that check, we would receive another payment of $370.00. And 1 week after that payment was received, we would receive another payment in the amount of $385.00.

On April 21, 2011 at 9:10 am, I spoke with Mr. **. He assured me the check would be sent to me immediately. The check I received was backdated to April 18, 2011 in the amount of 924.00. It was the first of multiple installments. Also, we were asked to continue to offer services while all the money issues were being worked out. This was the only payment ever received from Choice Home Warranty. I had called multiple times, left multiple voicemails and emails to Stan **. In June 2011, I spoke to Mr. **. His reason for non payment was: "I heard you told a customer we did not pay our bills!" I asked him for such a customer's name etc. He said, "I am not obligated to tell you, and good luck getting the rest of your money." Everyone should be aware of such businesses such as Choice Home Warranty. We are owed several hundred dollars for services rendered.

After purchasing a warranty through another company, we called to cancel and were told by the Cancellation Manager that policies can only be cancelled within 30 days of ordering. Jonathan is on vacation and the Cancellation Manager was not even willing to pull up my account to see if Jonathan had noted that we could cancel. I have already filed a complaint with the NJ Attorney General and my complaint has been forwarded to the FCC. If there are any attorneys who would care to investigate, I'm sure we are not the only customers this has happened to and I believe a Civil suit could be possible. We live in California, and ironically, CHW is no longer offering warranty coverage in California.

Whatever you do, stay as far away from this company. They are the reason people from New Jersey get such a bad name.

I told him that I wanted to cover my pool and spas, and he said that $130 would cover them. I charged $457.50 to my Discover card for the policy to be effective on 2/27/11 thru 3/27/11. On Tuesday, August 9, 2011, my a/c stopped working. I called the customer service department and spoke to representative, Mary, who told me I did not have coverage for my a/c because I had the basic and not the total plan. I explained what Matt ** had told me, and she gave me a claim number and instructed me to call back on Wednesday, 8/10/11. When I called, I got representative Steve who said my a/c was not covered, but if I pay an additional $130, I would be covered in the Total Plan from 2/27/11.

I gave my credit card information to him, and when I was done, he said, "Now, you have a 30 day waiting period." I said, "I would not have paid the additional $130, unless my a/c is covered now." He said to hold on and then came back on the phone and said, "We will cover you as of today for the a/c but are charging you for the year," and he gave me the name of a contractor to contact for my diagnosis. I called the contractor and he was very reluctant to come to my house because he said CHW owed him over $1,500 and he knew he was never going to get paid, so he asked me if I could call them and tell them he was too busy.

I called customer service again and told them that I needed another contractor and they gave me a different contractor to call. I called and scheduled a diagnosis appointment and paid him my $45 deductible. He diagnosed that I needed a compressor and a control board. He said he would call the Authorization Department in the morning. He called me the next day and said he spoke to a representative in Authorizations and told him I had a very well maintained the unit and that it was clean and free from rust and corrosion. I also told them that I needed a compressor which would be about $1700. He said that the representative said, "Have a nice life," and hung up on him.

I called customer service and spoke to Mike and said that I needed my a/c fixed a.s.a.p because it is 107 degrees in LV. He told me they needed me to send or fax my maintenance records for the unit and someone would contact me within 24 hrs. I faxed two of the most recent maintenance tune-up invoices and never heard from anyone. I called and spoke to representative Alex who said they required more proof. I faxed 8 more pages and waited another 24 hours and no one called. I called back the next day and spoke to the supervisor, Jonathan **, who told me to fax again because no one received it. Again, no one called.

I called back on Friday and spoke to supervisor Ben ** who said it was in the Review Department and someone would call me Monday. I waited all day and no one called. I then called to verify that someone received my faxes and was told to re- fax the information, so I did. On Tuesday, no one called me, so I called again and spoke to supervisor Jonathan ** who told me that Ben was wrong and they were not in the review department, and I needed to fax the papers to him directly. He promised to call me back and said that he would take them to the Review Department, personally.

On Wednesday, he never called me, so I called again. Jonathan said he didn't receive the faxes (5th time), so I asked him to go to the Review Department and double check to see if they received them. He came back on the phone and said they were still in review. I asked him to please go back and tell them I am desperate to have my a/c repaired and to see if they could speed up the process. He came back on the phone and told me they never even bothered to read my paperwork because I did not have coverage for my a/c. I said, "Then why did your company take more money from me and send a contractor that I paid $45 to and email me a contract that clearly states a Total Plan for $587.50 effective 2/27/11? He said, "Well, they made a mistake and the contract you have is not valid."

I was so upset. I told him that I wanted a full refund of the $587.50 I paid CHW, plus the $45 deductible I paid the contractor for absolutely nothing. He said they would waive their $50 cancellation fee and pro-rate my policy and that I would receive a refund for the 7 months of unearned premium @ $38 per month, plus the $130 extra I paid them, totaling to $396. I told him that since everything so far that I was told on the phone was a lie, I wanted it in writing. He said, "I will shoot you a cancellation form letter with the amount printed on it for you to sign." I agreed.

Later that day, I received an email with a standard form letter and a standard blank cancellation form with absolutely no money amount printed on it. I have not signed it yet due to the fact that it is not what I agreed upon. This is the worst company I have ever dealt with and should have their license to sell revoked in all states, not only WA state where they were "pulled". They have an F rating with the BBB and over 400 complaints.

This August (2011), I have repeatedly called the accounts payable department and I talked to someone who identified himself as Stanley. He insisted on me faxing him another copy of all my work orders, which I did, and he told me that I will get paid within 45 days. When that time was up, I called again to request for my money and was told that since I have terminated my contract with these people, my payment is under review. He can only pay me when he gets permission from the president of the company. He refused to give me that person’s name and a mailing address to contact him.

I called the number on the invoices and asked the receptionist at the customer service if the address listed on the form and on the website is the actual location of their company. She replied, "Why do you want to know?" I said, “I would like to go there and see you, people, face to face.” She replied, "Why would you want to do that?" She refused to give me the address and also refused to forward my call to the president of the company.

These slugs are dubious at best. Don't use them under any circumstances. If you are in Marietta, GA, you can call me and I will give you the name and number of a good home warranty company: 4041-569-3091 Marietta Comfort Air.

They are reviewing the information that I sent them. Also, they are refusing to obtain a second opinion, instead have decided to give me a difficult time. Another professional AC company has informed me that Scroll compressors do not have valves. Also, from my online research, it appears that the diagnosis may be faulty.

It is not clear how the AC company arrived at their conclusion. I have requested further explanation from the AC vendor but have not received any additional details. I have paid my deductible promptly but have not received the proper service. Tenants with small kids are now enduring the condition and have not paid me rent as yet for August 2011.

I await Choice Home Warranty's decision and I will update you accordingly. (Note: on some smaller issues, they try to be prompt and helpful. But at times, maybe due to the contractors that they are able to obtain, quality service has been hampered). I have contacted a local attorney and have kept him informed of the proceedings.

07/28/2011: I called Allied Air H&C and they said they had problems with CHW and don't do work for them anymore. I called CHW, they requested a previous contractor (Aire-Serv) but was told that they were no longer doing work for CHW. CHW gave me new contractor, Farr Plumbing & Heating. CHW told that Farr P&H would call within 30 minutes but they did not, so I called Farr P&H and they said they would have a technician out on Monday August 1, 2011.

08/01/2011: Farr P&H showed up and diagnosed problem as compressor failure due to leak in evaporator coil. They will size replacement for $45.

08/10/2011: I called Farr H&P to get the status. They said they'd call back but never did so I called CHW for status. They said they'd call back but didn't.

08/11/2011: I called CHW again to check the status. CHW said they were waiting on the contractor to source parts. I called Farr P&H receptionist and said she had told the technician to call me yesterday, but will tell him to call again today. No one called back. I called again to make a claim for second air conditioning system failure. The A/C upstairs which was repaired earlier on claim no. ** has failed. CHW said they will put into dispatch and they will call today. No one called back!

08/12/2011: Someone from CHW called and said my first claim was sent to their compliance section for review. He requested maintenance documentation to verify that unit was maintained properly. I faxed required documents today and tried to call him, but no one answered at the number I was given. I called CHW to find out if a company has been selected for my second A/C claim. I was transferred to Compliance Section (the guy who didn't answer my call) and said he will check if my fax was received and will call me back. He never called back.

Fax it to **

I contacted them again via website and on 7/26/11, the new man came out. After evaluating my unit he said it was the motor and the fan needed to be replaced. He asked me if I had any problems before. I told him the motor and blade was replaced over a year ago which was under warranty form the original purchase and it was fixed through that warranty but since then we had no problems, until this year. He came back in and said your warranty is not valid through CHW - I just paid for it so when I called they told me that this was a pre-existing problem which was explained in the customer agreement, I informed them that I have had not seen that agreement and I was unaware of such things. He said, "Plus your warranty is so new, it won't be covered because of that too."

I was a little upset and said to him, "First of all, I was unaware of my ac messing up when I purchased this service agreement and how would I know if it was going to break down?" I also told the salesman all my stuff were 5 years old and asked specifically if all my stuff being 5 years old would be covered. He replied, "As long as it isn't in the excluded portion of the agreement, it will be covered." The guy on the phone now was not concerned. He just told me that it wouldn't cover it at all and I said your service is worthless and I wasn't informed of such things, verbally or in written form, and that I wanted my money back since this is worthless to me. He told me to write the headquarters to cancel and I will have a refund, so I did.

I reported an issue with my air conditioning. The unit seemed to be freezing up, and had drawn moisture and was leaking water through the ceiling. I was told that they had no contractors in my area but that my claim would be sent to the 'on duty' person.

I never received a call from the 'on duty' person so I called back on 7/31/11. The agent who answered this call told me that they did not have contractors in my area and that I could call the company during normal business hours of Monday-Friday from 9:00AM to 6:00PM to discuss my claim. I called at 9:00AM on 8/1/11. After waiting on hold for some time, my call was answered and the lady who answered the call said she would have to transfer me to someone else to determine if I could make a claim. She transferred me to Jonathan who informed me that air conditioning was not covered in my policy. I have the policy and air conditioning is listed as a covered system. I asked to speak to a manager and was disconnected. I called back and asked to speak to a manager and was transferred to a no-name voicemail box. I left a voicemail requesting that a manager call me. I have received no callback.

They have my money and are denying coverage of a system that is clearly stated as covered in the policy. I am suspicious that this company may be a scam. They seem to be using all possible ways to avoid fixing my air conditioning. Other than not resolving my reported issue, I will say that the agents that I spoke with this weekend did act in a professional manner. The agents that I spoke with during normal business hours were rude and unprofessional.

Masterminds of Appliances invoiced me for $60. I was very reluctant to make a payment without any service, however JP told me that it was their policy. They needed to order a part for it to be fixed and they cannot order the part if I did not pay the $60. JP also assured me that they do not do business like that and that he was going to order the part and fix it as soon as the part arrived (in about 10-15 days). I reluctantly made the $60 payment only to receive a call back from Choice Home Warranty telling me that it is not covered under the insurance.

I feel cheated of my $60 and also the insurance premium that I have been paying every year.

JP does not answer my phone calls anymore.

The fact that there was a leak had nothing to do with bad valves. They only wanted to see the leak. What caused the leak...bad valves! Their customer service is terrible. Never tried to make things right. Terrible, terrible company.

On July 25, 2011, I got a call from CHW saying that they needed my maintenance records. I emailed them copies of what I could find from the few years I have owned the house. I even showed them where I had the inside coil unit replaced in December 07-- when I installed a new indoor heating unit.

On July 26, 2011, CHW called and said that my maintenance records are "repair" records, and that they had denied the claim. Of course, when I had my annual inspection if anything needed to be repaired I would have it done at the same time. The only "repair" that was made was to my thermostat that was under warranty, and had nothing to do with the outside unit. The unit is a 1997 model, and has lasted through Texas summers for 15 years. I think that speaks to the maintenance of the unit. This year, we have been over 100 degrees for over a month.

I have searched and searched. It appears that anyone who makes a claim on an A/C unit gets the same records runaround, and is denied service.

My contract with them ends on August 19, 2011 and I have no intention of ever dealing with these people again. I have also reported them to the BBB, where they have a rating of F, and they are not members.

They appear to be less than honest and reputable, and they do not have anyone that is accountable for their company's actions.

Do not utilize this company, either as a consumer or as a vendor working on their behalf - you won't get paid!