Choice Home Warranty Reviews
- We require contact information to ensure our reviewers are real.
- Our moderators read all reviews to verify quality and helpfulness.
- We use intelligent software that helps us maintain the integrity of reviews.
+2 more
About Choice Home Warranty
Choice Home Warranty has over 75,000 verified ConsumerAffairs reviews as of publishing. Choice Home Warranty plans are designed to financially protect homeowners from unexpected repairs or replacements on their systems and appliances. Customers have had mixed experiences with Choice Home Warranty. Some have found the representatives helpful and informative, guiding them through the plan options and benefits. However, others have faced challenges with claim denials, service delays and communication issues.
- Optional coverage for roof leaks
- No transfer fee
- 24/7 customer service
- No home inspection required
- Available in most states
- $500 roof repair cap
- Some customer service complaints
- May be difficult to get reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses
Choice Home Warranty Reviews
Filter by Rating
- (46,231)
- (7,774)
- (4,644)
- (3,800)
- (12,825)
Popular Mentions
- 4,885,129 reviews on ConsumerAffairs are verified.
- We require contact information to ensure our reviewers are real.
- We use intelligent software that helps us maintain the integrity of reviews.
- Our moderators read all reviews to verify quality and helpfulness.
Top reviews
- Top reviews
- Recent
- Oldest
- Most helpful
A link has directed you to this review. Its location on this page may change next time you visit.
- 4,885,129 reviews on ConsumerAffairs are verified.
- We require contact information to ensure our reviewers are real.
- We use intelligent software that helps us maintain the integrity of reviews.
- Our moderators read all reviews to verify quality and helpfulness.
Reviewed Nov. 3, 2011
If I could rate in negative stars it would be -5. I have similar complaints as listed here. I contacted them about my refrigerator turning on and off and making loud popping sounds. They stated they don’t send repair techs out for noisy refrigerators. After 4 more calls to them and threats of BBB and legal action they had a company called "the repair guy" contact me. He was going to be in my area around 11PM and he would call when he was in the area. Obviously, that wasn't going to work for us due to our early morning work schedules. The next day I had a voice mail from CHW saying they cancelled the repair call due to lack of response from me. I looked them up on the BBB site and now I know why they have an F rating.
In my experience, this company will try and wear out a contract any way they can. Do yourself a favor and save some time and money by selecting a better warranty provider. This company moved from a prior location and reformed according to the BBB files. This is kind of shady, if you ask me. The company had a chance to resolve this through the BBB and instead pulled the ‘he said, she said’ answer instead of fixing the problem.
Reviewed Nov. 2, 2011
I have been a service provider for Choice Home Warranty for over a year. Every time they send you a service call and you do the job you have to fight with them to get the money they owe you. This is the sorriest warranty company I have ever done business with and I would warn anyone who has a contract with them to stay away from them.
Reviewed Oct. 13, 2011
I was contacted by mail with a brochure outlining coverage. The brochure indicated to go online to purchase the contract. When I did, the coverage was totally different than the brochure indicated so I did not get the policy. Then the phone calls came into my home. I received 8 calls in one day from the same person trying to get me to purchase the policy. A few days later, I received an e-mail from Choice Home Warranty claiming I purchased their policy and my credit card was charged. I immediately called their customer service department on a Thursday morning, and they told me I would have to talk to a cancellation representative. They would not be in until the following Monday. I am not confident I will get that call. Choice Home Warranty does not sound like a good company to deal with.
Reviewed Oct. 9, 2011
One star is even too much for this company. They are a ripoff and a scam! Do not do business with them. Choose any other company for appliance insurance, but not Choice Home Warranty! They will not honor any complaint, they will try to get out of doing service in any way possible, and then when you ask for a refund from the business, which they guarantee if you are not satisfied, they will not honor that either! Buyer beware!
Reviewed Oct. 8, 2011
I requested a service for a unit, which was not responding to turn off. The technician came here and did not check the thermostat or unit. I never tried to run the heater. I took many pictures and said he would submit his findings to the company and they would contact me. They called the next day to say that the unit is not covered because it was dirty. They were very rude, and seemed used to taking the abuse from disgruntled consumers. This company, obviously, is cheating many people and should be stopped.
Reviewed Oct. 7, 2011
I am most concerned, based on my current experience, that Choice Home Warranty (CHW) is operating in a non-businesslike fashion and contract holders should consider a request to cancel or not renew their agreement immediately.
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.
Reviewed Sept. 30, 2011
My husband and I are leasing a home from some amazing people that within the last year, we purchased a warranty from Choice Home Warranty. Unfortunately, we have had to ask them to file a claim that led to a compressor being needed for our downstairs unit. Well, it's been 4 days with no a/c. Hardly any return calls and more importantly, excuse after excuse after excuse. Now, we were told moments ago that nothing will happen through the weekend either. So Monday will come and if this company does not back up its warrant promise and dedication to its policy holder, the Better Business Bureau will be there to help us and the owners of this home.
Reviewed Sept. 29, 2011
This company is obviously scamming contractors. Starting in January of 2011, I was contacted and given an authorization #. Work completed and customer was happy. Repeatedly I resubmitted paperwork, email after email, numerous phone calls to customer service and accounting to inquire about getting paid. Stanley ** in accounting told me several times that a check is being sent out. Stanley doesn't respond back to emails I sent. I called to ask for a VP email address. Customer service said they aren't allowed to give it out. It is extremely hard to get a hold of anybody with this company. Long wait times on the phone when you call in. It is now September 2011 and this company can not even afford to pay out $115. Do not contract out with this company unless you want to work for free.
Reviewed Sept. 28, 2011
The customer representative stated that plumbing is covered. The website states plumbing system is covered. The document detailing coverage states that plumbing, including the drain system is covered. However, in the beginning of the document, the fine print states in an extremely diluted way, that CHW does not cover anything outside the house, including drains. This is clearly misrepresentation. It feels like an old bait and switch scam. We'll do this and this, but wait, read the fine print because we lied. I feel like a fool for trusting this company and wasting money on these criminals.
Reviewed Sept. 22, 2011
We started a plan with Choice Home Warranty and canceled the next day after we found some of the reviews. Should have looked first, but nothing I can do about that now. Anyway they said that they would refund the money.
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.
Reviewed Sept. 20, 2011
I give Choice Home Warranty a big fat **.
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 .
Reviewed Sept. 16, 2011
I am an insurance agency owner of 23 years. I have never experienced such poor service from any company. We had an AC break at our home and were told by Choice that we needed to pay ourselves and then get reimbursed later because we did not pay the deductible on our last repair. The tech actually forgot to take the check and we had previously mailed it to the repair company, which is a client of mine.
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!
Reviewed Sept. 15, 2011
Choice Home Warranty refuses to pay on jobs that they have sent to us and approved all parts needed. After the job was completed, with parts purchased by us, the job completion form was faxed. We waited 30 days with no payment. We daily tried to call and sent several faxes demanding payment. After finally speaking to "Stanley", he promised that a 3-month due bill was in the mail and the other payment due was not received; then moments later, claimed he does have the claim and will process.
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.
Reviewed Sept. 10, 2011
I was contacted in early 2010 by CHW to represent them as a service contractor here in the Austin area. It was not until 2011 when we started getting work orders for claims. We followed protocol when getting so-called "authorization" to execute repairs, and thus submit invoices. We were continued to be contacted by CHW to do work and thus their account continued to rise on what they owed us.
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!
Reviewed Sept. 8, 2011
I have made 3 claims and I have paid my part, but it has been 7 months and the repair company hasn't been paid yet. I have called CHW 7 times and they have been rude and have given me a bunch of lies. Do not trust them.
Reviewed Sept. 7, 2011
This company has done so many unprofessional things that it is hard to know where to start. I signed up with Home Choice Plan warranty but they did not honor the agreement so I switched to Choice Home Warranty. At the bottom of their email, it states that they are in no way affiliated with the other company. After being refused service, I did some research and realized that they were the same company. The contact phone numbers are the same for both. When I called them regarding this, they would just say that I must be confused.
Reviewed Sept. 4, 2011
We did work, as a vendor, for Choice Home Warranty ($1250) and they refused to pay. They keep giving different pay dates, different excuses and are flat out lying! We just want what is owed to us.
Reviewed Aug. 31, 2011
I have been a customer with Choice Home Warranty for something like 8 years. I called CHW and gave them my new banking information since I changed banks. That went fine, until I looked at my old account which has no funds in it and saw that they took the monthly fee out of this old account, and now, I have a $34.00 overdraft fee. CHW also charged my new bank account as well as the old one, so now, I've been charged twice in one month.
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.
Reviewed Aug. 31, 2011
Let me just say that I only submitted 4 claims and all 4 claims were denied because it wasn't in the contract. I purchased the total plan. I will never ever use them again. They are just running a scam.
Reviewed Aug. 30, 2011
I was told by their salesman that they fully cover the AC unit and that they also cover the outdoor plumbing/pipes, since I had an $800 issue with that years ago. He said they did, so I signed up and he took a payment from me immediately. I had to wait 30 days. I was having an issue with my A/C and I called them and I said water was leaking out of it. They told me that was not covered. By this time, I had made 2 months payment to them. I asked for a refund of at least one of those payments and they refused. When I asked to speak to a manager they transferred me to an extension that didn't work. They are very crooked and are scam artists.
Reviewed Aug. 29, 2011
In January 2010, we were contacted by Choice Home Warranty to offer services to their customers. We have been providing services through residential service contracts since the company was inaugurated. This type of work, contact and authorization was quite common for this industry. Over the course of 2010, we found ourselves still waiting for payments. We were advised to "fax" the invoices once work had been completed. We did. In September 2010, 9 months after we began offering HVAC services to Choice's customers, we found ourselves still waiting for payments.
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.
Reviewed Aug. 25, 2011
We have numerous properties covered by Choice Home Warranty (CHW). A rental property had a problem with the air conditioner. Our call was assigned to a service technician who did not have the money to replace the part. So, we asked to be assigned to another technician, which we were. The technician diagnosed the problem and submitted our claim. Our claim was denied because of "rust" which is not covered by the warranty. Nowhere on the paperwork from the technician did it indicate rust. I called the technician to verify and he informed me that the CHW representative was trying to pressure him into saying that it was rust. But he insisted that rust was not the cause of the failure. CHW refused to contact the technician again to verify his diagnosis. They input false information into their system to ensure that the claim would be denied as they knew it would be a costly repair. I was told by Jonathan of the Authorizations Department (Jonathan is the entire department) that I could cancel my warranty and get a refund for the remaining amount.
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.
Reviewed Aug. 19, 2011
They should rate 0 stars. On January 27, 2011, I received a solicitation email from CHW and called the phone number. I spoke to a sales representative named Matt ** who told me they were running a special promotion for new customers who paid annually. I looked over the list of items covered and remarked to him that the heating and a/c systems were listed separately. He asked me if I had both systems, so I proceeded to explain that here in LV, NV we have single packaged HVAC units that handle both the heat and the a/c and that living in LV, my most important item covered was the a/c more than the heat. He said that since it is one unit, the Basic Plan would cover it. I told him I was still very concerned by the terminology and he replied that since they were running a promo special, they will upgrade me to the Total Plan for the Basic Plan price of $327.50.
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.
Reviewed Aug. 18, 2011
I have done work for these crooks for a number of months since 2010. I have purchased parts for their calls and have answered many calls in a very short time. I sent in every invoice the day the work was accomplished.
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.
Reviewed Aug. 16, 2011
I purchased a home warranty on my newly purchased rental on 1/21/2010. Policy was renewed on 2/21/2011. My AC started blowing hot air instead of cold air around the last week of July 2011. Choice Home Warranty sent out an AC company to assess the problem. They reported bad compressor due to bad valves in Scroll compressor. Choice Home Warranty requested service history from me and I have provided it to them. It has been very difficult to get this far with them on this issue and others with this property and other rentals. It appears that they are trying not to cover this problem by the responses I have received from some representatives (will not mention names here) and some vendors.
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.
Reviewed Aug. 13, 2011
07/27/2011: I called CHW concerning an air conditioning problem and I was assigned to Allied Air H&C to carry out repairs. Assigned claim #**.
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.
Reviewed Aug. 12, 2011
After paying the service fee to two different technicians, the second because the first didn't want to deal with Choice Home Warranty, I was told that my A/C wasn't going to be covered because I didn't have records of previous service. I'm not happy about this so I told them to cancel my policy. I was told this was no problem, and that the total of the reset of the Warranty and the extra service fee would be refunded. It was all a LIE. Now when I called to find out about my money, they informed me that there was no indication that the policy was to be canceled and that the second service fee is not refundable. WHAT!
Fax it to **
Reviewed Aug. 8, 2011
I purchased a warranty covering all of the appliances and major units- ac and heat - on 6/3/11 and at the time, all my stuff was running in great shape. Middle of July 2011, Our ac unit would stop working in the heat of the day. On 7/20/11, I called CHW and asked them first of all what my account number was because I never got anything in the mail informing me of my service agreement or account number that the salesman told me would happen. They emailed me my account number and let me know the technician that was assigned. I called but the technician said he couldn't come out to my home because they were too far out to come - I live in Yanceyville, NC. They assigned a guy from Gibsonville, NC over an hour away to come check out my ac.
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.
Reviewed Aug. 5, 2011
I signed up with Choice 5 months ago. Choice is now saying that I have not been with them long enough and therefore, they do not want to incur the expense of repairing an air conditioner. The person they sent out let them know that the airconditioner was well maintained. They are still refusing to pay. They are fraud and cheats. They do not deserve to be in business. Save your money and headaches. Avoid these liars like the plague.
Reviewed Aug. 1, 2011
I purchased a home warranty from Choice Home Warranty with a contract date of 7/10/11 to 8/10/11. On 7/30/11, I called the claim number 888-531-5403 that is advertised as 24x7x365. After several calls and messages that the office was closed, I navigated to an option that someone answered.
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.
Reviewed July 30, 2011
I have Choice Home Warranty. My microwave oven stopped working. I called them and they sent a technician from Masterminds of Appliances to come and take a look. James ** (JP) from Masterminds of Appliances came and took a look at our microwave and cooking range and commented “Door assembly needs to be replaced. Also top___(this word is quite incomprehensible) panel is broken need to be replaced as well.”
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.
Reviewed July 27, 2011
Choice Home Warranty is not in business to help consumers or honor their own warranty. My fridge went out. The tech said it was due to the valves being bad on the compressor. The bad valves caused a freon leak. The company refused to honor warranty even though they admit the compressor valves were bad and that caused the leak.
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.
Reviewed July 26, 2011
I purchased a home warranty from CHW in August 2010. In July 2011, I called to make a claim for my A/C unit not cooling. A technician was sent and found the compressor had gone bad. They submitted it to CHW on July 22, 2011.
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.
Reviewed July 26, 2011
We entered into a vendor agreement; where we would service appliance work order requests from Choice Home Warranty. The terms were 30 days, and we went over 60 days. When we contacted them regarding payment, we were informed that they were "Holding in Reserve" the remaining amounts of money due to our company.
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!
Reviewed July 15, 2011
I filed a claim for central air condition problems. Choice Home assigned a contractor. He completed the inspection and filed a report. Choice Home denied claim due to rust. This was never disclosed when we purchased warranty. (We live in the coastal bend of Texas where humidity is an everyday occurrence.)
Reviewed July 1, 2011
CHW are a bunch liars, liars, liars. They said the contractor told them stuff that isn't true so they could deny the claim.They didn't even pay the contractor. I am going to file a civil suit with my count's clerk's office. They say in their contract no class action suits are allowed. I wonder if such could be filed anyway. CHW is cheating consumers and it is time for them to stop.
Reviewed June 30, 2011
I purchased a home warranty policy from Choice on 6/18/2011. On 6/30/2011 the capacitor on the a/c unit failed. Choice refused to fix it because we had only been a customer for 12 days, and they also refused service on that unit until we furnished proof that the unit had been cleaned and checked. HAS would have serviced the a/c under their coverage. Choice Home Warranty is a scam and should be passed over with haste.
Reviewed June 29, 2011
Choice Home Warranty failed to honor their contract after replacing my air conditioner unit I placed a claim, paid my $45.00 service fee and submitted 2009 an 2010 maintenance records for verification. The claim was submitted on June 17, 2011 and denied on June 28, 2011. As a result of Choice Home Warranty not honoring their contract, I was forced to purchase a new AC unit which I was not financially prepared for in the amount of $3,150.00.
Reviewed June 15, 2011
Be aware of Choice Home Warranty. They will not honor claims over $100 (you pay $45). After years and 2 contracts when our compressor lost pressure and needed to be replaced, they refused to honor the claim stating a 5 year log of twice a year maintenance was required. We only had a few, so the claim was denied. Scam artist. Will not renew and not recommend Choice Home Warranty. 107 degrees in Texas. Sleepless nights. Cost for us $2800 plus the $700 a year premium to Choice. Scam. We even suggested to split the cost with them in all fairness. This was also refused.
Reviewed June 12, 2011
Choice Home Warranty is the most unethical business I have ever dealt with. I paid a plumber the agreed service fee for my first claim. After jumping through hoops, being placed on hold and hung up on several times, I was told I would be reimbursed. Others told I would not be. These people were so rude and such liars I decided to cancel. One rep practically accused me of pulling a fast one. While giving him the information on a plumbing leak, it was more of an interrogation. "How did you know it was a leak?". I saw water in the rafters of the basement. "What were you doing in the basement?", I was with a city official. "Do you live there?". No, it is income property. "Why were you there if you don't live there?". I own the property, I have the right to come and go as I please.
I got the runaround when I wanted to cancel. They said I had to mail, not email, a letter. I did so. After several weeks, I called and was told they never received the letter. I sent it registered-return receipt. I had their signature they received my request. What a liar! I understood the cancellation fee was $50.00. They deducted $117.50 instead. I waited several months to get this partial refund. I would urge anyone who is considering doing business with these people to run, not walk away. If you deal with them after reading all the complaints, you must be **. I made the mistake of sending my money first and reading the remarks after the fact. Don't let them cheat you!
Reviewed June 9, 2011
We purchased home warranty service from Choice Home Warranty, headquarters in New Jersey. However, whenever we call for service, they refused to repair equipment on the ground that we have not maintained our heating/cooling system. We submitted repair records and they still denied saying that: “Since you repair the system your own, therefore the HVAC system is not covered.” We told them in order to service and maintain our system, we had to pay for anything that needs servicing or parts that required replacement.
Choice Home has contracts with local companies who always first collect the service fee of $50 and then they find ways to deny the service claims. We believe that Choice Home have trained them for excuses to deny the claims. The local companies do not mind because they get $50 for not doing anything. My recommendation is for everyone to find other trustworthy and creditable companies for home warranty service. We ended up paying for the repair bills to another company and paid annual fee of over $500 to Choice Home, not to mentioned broken system in the middle of hot weather and no peace of mind!
Reviewed May 4, 2011
On January 27, I had an incident with my water heater. Choice sent a plumber out to fix the problem. After the technician checked the water heater, he called Choice and the claim was denied. As a result of their denial, I told them that I no longer wanted to be a policy holder and that I wanted to cancel my policy since they had just taken the payment out to credit back my account. I was dealing with a Mike **** and he informed me that he could not credit my account and that it would cost $50 to cancel the policy. But he also said that he would cancel the policy and waive the $50 fee. Since my bank is one of those with the recent hacking, I was checking my account and saw a charge from Choice.
I then went back to previous transactions and found that they had been taking money out every month. I called immediately today, May 4, 2011 and spoke with Troy ****. He told me that I didn't cancel in writing and they would not refund my money, not even the money they just took out on May 2 which is not right. First, if you are not satisfied with their service, they want you to pay to get rid of them and they took money from an account yet does not want to refund it. Now he said that I needed to cancel in writing and he was going to handwrite a note and give it to the billing which can my account. This was supposedly done with Mike ****. I should not have to pay for some employees’ failure to do what he said. If you will get a copy of their policy, they will not handle any of the things they said so there will always be a loop hole.
Reviewed March 8, 2011
We were a contractor for Choice Home Warranty. We received a service work order from them in December of 2010. We did the work, got pre-authorization and followed the terms of our contract. They have yet to pay, using excuses like we lost your fax, your paperwork has to be updated yearly (the contract specifically says it renews automatically), wait a few more days, etc. I believe that they had no intention of every paying this claim when we were contacted. We had to bill the customer.
Reviewed March 1, 2011
My heater, which is a central heating system, went off suddenly and is not working. I never use it for more than two hours, but this time I have to use more than five hours. In three days, it went off and only blows out air. I have kept my heater very up to date and clean every year and I am also doing my self-maintenance.
I cannot afford to have any technician to come and do it. I called the Choice company and a technician came and diagnose, troubleshoot and need to change the parts. I called the Choice Company and they told me that they will give approval tomorrow.
Today, they called me in the morning that they cannot give me the approval to get it done because they need the service proof. They declined the repair.
Reviewed Feb. 2, 2011
I paid for a home warranty in July 2009. In January 2010, I had a claim. Today is February 2 , 2011, Choice Home Warranty has not paid the claim. I have contacted them several times and have met with rude, downright nastiness, outright refusal to pay the claim. There is no reason they should not have paid this claim.
I am now being asked by the vendor to pay the bill. I paid my home warranty in full, therefore I will be paying more than twice what the repair would have cost me without a warranty. I feel bad for the vendor but now I am stuck in the middle. I am filing a claim with the Florida State Attorney General's Office and The BBB.
Reviewed Jan. 3, 2011
I signed an agreement with Choice Home Warranty back in December 2009. I paid for a home warranty that was to cover most major appliances and systems in my home. I filed two claims with them and did not receive any service calls at my home for the said repairs and ended up doing all the work myself.
The first was to replace the seal in my freezer and the second to replace the fan in my microwave, which I was told I would be reimbursed for and have not been. I was just informed last week that Choice Home Warranty is not licensed to sell insurance in the state of Washington and that the Washington State Insurance has issued a cease and desist order (case number **) to them.
They have cancelled my contract as of last week and once I found out what they have done, I requested a full refund of all monies paid including the reimbursement since they were not acting legally when they sold me the contract in the first place. They have responded by saying they will not reimburse my fees since they "provided a service", which they clearly did not.
Reviewed Jan. 1, 2011
I had a Choice Home warranty from 10/2009 to 12/2010. In May 2010, my A/C stopped working and I contacted this scam company. They sent some technician after two days. After that, instead of repair ,they sent another technician for a second opinion. I already paid deductible to the first tech as it was part of the contract. Now, the second tech started asking money again.
After seven days, they asked me for a maintenance document, which I provided them. However, they did not repair my A/C. They started threatening by calling on my home phone. I complaint to BBB and their customer service manager offered me to cancel the policy instead of providing a solution for A/C repair. Clearly, they are scammers who are only here to collect premium from innocent people. Please check their rating on BBB, and read reviews on them. They are a very big scam. Don't waste your money.
Reviewed Dec. 8, 2010
Choice Home Warranty did sell me a policy in Florida in 2009, and I renewed it in 2010 for three years. I did not call for service in 2009. I called for service on my central heat on October 13, 2010, and no one in this area would repair my heater under Choice Home Warranty. I canceled my policy with Choice on October 14, 2010. I have not received a refund for the three years I paid for in good faith. I’ve paid $1080.00 for three years coverage. My policy started 07/17/2010.
Reviewed Nov. 5, 2010
I have a heating problem with my unit. I had a certified air condition repairman come to my house and check what was wrong with the unit. He wrote up what the problems were with the unit: evaporator coil, and restriction in the liquid line, and reversing valve. I was told the reversing valve was not covered, (fine) but the rest are not going to be covered because my AC froze during June in 95 degree weather. I took the cover off and let it defrost and turned it back on later and the AC was fine for rest of summer.
Now since it went from 70 to 40 and 30s my family needs heat and the home warranty we paid for when buying the house doesn't cover it because it is classified as a heat problem. I'm pretty sure I'm not interested in my AC getting fixed when I don't have heat to heat my house when it is actually freezing outside. This company is a rip off and keep saying they were reviewing it so I called everyday until today and said that it's an AC problem and they are not going to fix it. I have a warranty that covers the heat and there is not any heat so I don't understand what the problem is about not getting the heat fixed when they claim to cover it in their agreement about what is and is not covered.
Reviewed Nov. 5, 2010
Like many of the other stories I read on here I am the same case. I purchased over the phone under high sales pressure and being promised that I had time to cancel with no penalty. After researching to see their "F" rating on BBB, I decided to cancel, first via e-mail, then they responded with a high pressure sales call to which I still indicated over the phone that I wanted to cancel. I did then send a letter the next day using trackable delivery.
After a few days, I noticed that it had not been delivered and was being held at the post office to be picked up. When I was finally able to get a hold of someone, I was told that they would pick it up the next day. Well, after 3 phone calls as "reminders" to go pick it up, they still refused to go and get the cancellation letter. So I filed a dispute for the charge with Discover card who reversed the funds.
However, the story doesn't end there, it just begins. Choice Home then fabricated false documents showing that I purchased online and therefore had to read the terms and conditions; they even had my IP address to prove it. The thing is, I only looked on their site to get a price quote (remember, I was pressured to buy this over the phone, and paid over the phone).
Their screen print shows not only that I had entered credit card information into their website, but also reflected the special price that I was given over the phone on it (which once again was not on the site I looked at because the salesman offered that as a special deal over the phone). They also claimed with Discover as their reason for not issuing the refund being that they never received the cancellation letter.
Well, isn't that obvious! They refused to go to the Post Office and pick it up. It's all a big scam! This company should be shut down for good! They are scam artists through and through and shouldn't be allowed to practice business. Do not buy! Go to American Home Shield, that is who we ended up with because of a recommendation from a friend. They have been around forever and have an A+ rating with BBB. We are happy so far with those guys.
Reviewed Oct. 15, 2010
I purchased a home warranty from Choice Home Warranty on 03/24/2010, account no. ** and have been paying $36.50 per month since. I filed a claim on 10/11/10 for my garage door opener. A service guy came out on 10/13/10 and agreed with Genie, who I had called, that the problem was the main control board in the garage door opener. In the agreement, it states for garage door opener, included are: All components and parts, except garage doors, hinges, springs, sensors, chains, travelers, tracks, rollers, remote receiving and/or transmitting devices. Choice Home Warranty is now telling me they will not cover this because it's the part of the main control board that receives the signal. It has nothing to do with the remote, it's the main control board inside the unit. The Genie Company that I talked to said this is the only component that controls the entire function of the unit. I have also paid the Service Company that came out $45.00 and now he won't return my calls.
I explained not only to Choice Home Warranty but the repair guy what was wrong. No one once said anything about not being covered. I even had part number to be repaired. The service guy came out and said he'd be back the next day to install a brand new opener. I haven't heard from him since, but he took my check and cashed it.
Check their ratings anywhere. Good service companies won't work for them. They have 228 complaints at the BBB of New Jersey. Anyone that would sign up with this company is a complete idiot. You will get ripped off. Do your homework and go elsewhere fast.
I'm out almost $500.00 with what I have already paid for this coverage and what I have to pay now to have the opener fixed.
Reviewed Oct. 14, 2010
I purchased home warranty from this company 03/24/2010 acct# ** and have been paying $36.50 per month since. I filed a claim on 10/11/10 for my garage door opener. A service guy came out on 10/13/10 and agreed with Genie who I had called that the problem was the main control board in the garage door opener. In the agreement it states for garage door opener, included: All components and parts, except, garage doors, hinges, springs, sensors, chains, travelers, tracks, rollers, remote receiving and/or transmitting devices.
Choice home warranty is now telling me they will not cover this because it's the part of the main control board that receives the signal. It has nothing to do with the remote it's the main control board inside the unit. Genie company that I talked to said this is the only component that controls the entire function of the unit. I have also paid the service company that came out $45.00 and now he won't return my calls.
Reviewed Oct. 12, 2010
Beware of this company. Everybody in this company goes to work everyday with one goal in mind: to deceive you!
I put in a claim for my microwave/convection oven that needed a sensor. After I paid the service call fee, and the parts were ordered, I get a call from "John" at CHW saying, I'm sorry, we only cover built-in's not counter tops." When I told him it was a built-in, he says that is not what the repairman told us.
I call the repair company; they said that's not true and they will call CHW and call me back. They called back and said now it is covered and scheduled the next appointment to my house for repair. Then, I receive a cancellation notice emailed to me saying the policy is canceled, due to my request! !
I called CHW and talked to John; he was a programmed robot that wouldn't budge and said they could not reinstate the policy! Now, the repairman company is coming out under no coverage and deducting my $45 service fee from their no warranty parts & labor cost of $125. So, I am now paying $75 more to get this fixed, all due to the fraudulent ways of CHW. Stay away from this company!
Reviewed Sept. 21, 2010
I am filing a complaint against Choice Home Warranty (CHW) for denying a claim that was not properly justified. CHW is requiring something or documents to keep from honoring their agreement with customers because of the cost to replace the unit. I purchased a Full Protection Home Warranty Plan on July 31, 2010 from Choice Home Warranty (CHW) to get protection on my condo unit equipment and appliances. On September 7, I placed a claim to have my air condition service due to lack of coolest during the prior two days. CHW assigned me a contractor known as Hopkins Brother Heating and Air which they came out to service the air condition.
The contractor technician stated to me that the compressor needed to be replaced due to wear and tear. Within 30 minutes after the contractor called in his diagnose, I received an email from CHW informing me to call. I called CHW which a male representative told me that the claim was denied. The CHW representative claimed that my inoperative compressor was a pre-existing condition although they covered the unit when I bought the plan in July 2010; and, that the technical that serviced my air condition unit stated to CHW that it was also a condition that was existed.
The CHW representative stated that when I placed the claim, September 7, 2010, to have my air condition service that the warranty date started August 31, 2010 and my problem existed prior to that date. I did not know that CHW employees were living in my unit to attest to actual breakdown of my unit or knew when it was going to breakdown. I told the CHW representative that the unit was working properly with no know or unknown pre-existing condition prior to September 5, 2010. CHW representative stated again the claim was denied because of what the technician stated to them.
I called and talked to Keith of Hopkins Brother Heating and Air, which he stated to me that he told the CHW representative that the problem stemmed from be inoperative due to wear and tear and not a pre-existed. Mr. ** also stated that he told the CHW representative that the unit was in fair condition with no other problem.
I called CHW back within 30 minutes and spoke with a female representative and told her what transpired during my first call as well as the conversation with the technician of Hopkins Brother Heating and Air. I also told the CHW representative that the technician stated that he would be available for a three way conference to confirm is statement to the CHW representative. Due to the fact that CHW is not able to support the contractor statement, CHW is now requesting some information to confirm that the unit was working. The CHW representative has asked for maintenance records on my AC unit and I was told by the CHW representative to gather maintenance agreements or some type of document that shows maintenance on the unit. I explained to the CHW representative that these documents should have been requested from customers at the time of purchasing the contract. The CHW representative replied that these documents are not required at the time of purchase.
On September 10, 2010, I fax to CHW copy of our condo July Board Meeting and Status report of work performed by the maintenance people dealing with air condition units. Also, I included two statements from the maintenance personnel who reviewed, service and attest that my air condition unit was operable as of July and August 2010. On September 17, 2010, I fax to CHW copy of invoice from the handyman who service my air condition units over the years. Other than these documents provided and sent to CHW, I have no other documents available or means to obtain any other documents.
CHW stated that the invoice and the other documents were insufficient and that the claim was still denied. I sent a letter filing a dispute against Choice Home Warranty (CHW) for denying the claim. As of this date, I have not heard from CHW nor received their position on this matter.
In the meantime, I have requested my money back because this policy cannot be used since I need maintenance agreements on all of my appliance and equipment. So far, I have not heard back from CHW. CHW position taking on this claim is not justified. I don't understand CHW can take consumer hard earned dollars and deceive them with false security. If documents are required and necessary to obtain a warranty, CHW should request maintenance agreements on all appliance and equipment prior to issuance. Thank you.
Reviewed Aug. 17, 2010
They worked on the a/c unit until the cost went over $100.00. Then the work stopped. They wanted all unit documentation (read: We are not going to cover this! ). And they would not return our calls or answer the phone, caller ID, I guess. These are back room card sharp scammers. Everything you read on this site about them is true, everything! NY Attorney General must have chased them out of NY, because they're in Edison, NJ now. Please beware of this "business"!
Reviewed Aug. 3, 2010
I bought a Choice Home Warranty in October 2009 since the warranty on the old home I owned was expiring and Choice had a better premium. I made two claims on the old upstairs air conditioning unit, one in May 2010 and one in July 2010. The air conditioner vendor claimed nothing wrong in May, but charged Choice $160 which they paid. In July, a new air conditioner vendor said bearings out and Choice refused to pay without yearly maintenance records on this unit that apparently is original and put in by prior owner in 1960.
I have no records for the unit since I didn't purchase the home until 2006. I was never asked for records before until I made a "large" claim. Now they don't want to pay so they are asking for records that I don't have, and thus, gives them the excuse to refuse the claim. This is outrageous! They advertise how costly repairs and replacements are and how you can use their services for these costs, but they never tell you they won't cover anything costly. I cannot get them to cover any of the air conditioner repair costs which the vendor told me would be around $800 or more depending on what they find when they get into it. This whole warranty business is a scam.
Reviewed July 27, 2010
I bought my warranty on 12/09. Last week, I put in a claim for my high end Maytag washing machine. First, I wait four days for the service company. They say some water leaked into the sealed bearing unit and it would cost $1,600 to repair. They submit to choice. I heard nothing, so like others, I called them. After taking three days to return my call, they state the machine is to costly to repair and I agreed with them. But then, the weasels won't replace it as stated in the contract. They opt to buy out at $300.00.
There are no $300.00 washing machines in the US. When challenged about it, they refer back to their opt out close and never make any effort to fix or replace as stated. They take your money in good faith and then **you when you put in a claim. If there are others who would be interested in a class action suit, let me know. Either way, beware. What ** me off the most is I switched from AHS after 9 years just to save a dollar or two in premiums. What a mistake.
Reviewed July 20, 2010
I emailed emergency@choicehomewarranty almost a week ago and have yet to receive a response. I explained that my refrigerator repair was pertinent, being that I have two very small children in the home. But the company has done nothing to help in expediting the repair. Furthermore, upon requesting additional assistance, Jonathan (who claims to be a manager) refuses to allow me to speak with higher management. He has provided me with terrible service from unfulfilled statements, sarcasm, unprofessionalism, to being just plain rude and beyond. I'll be more than happy to provide more documented details. When I called to follow up at 5:07 pm EST, the automated system prompted me that they were closed and gave the operating hours of 9-6. I still do not have a working refrigerator.
Reviewed June 28, 2010
Here are the facts regarding the policies that I signed on Friday, I was on your website to get a quote, within minute that I entered my information. I got a call from Richard, from your sales department. He claimed that he will give the best rate if I sign on the same day before 4:00pm. I told Richard that I need to discuss with my husband first. Richard called me back at 4:12 pm. He conference my husband in. We are just not comfortable with high pressure sales. We clearly stated the following conditions needed to be met before we sign on. Richard agreed all the following terms. We signed 3 policies for trying out.
2) 13 months policy -- one month free;
3) $45 service call;
4) 30 days waiting period is waived;
5) Full refund will be issued, if I am cancelling on Monday.
Less than 12 business hours later, I decided to cancel all my policies. The customer manager Troy told me that there is $50 cancellation fee for each policy. I was shocked that as manager he does not take the responsibility of his employee's false promise and high pitch sales. Facts again, 1) I did not sign any paper regarding $50 cancellation fee; 2) I did not sign the policy on line. It is Richard's responsibility to disclose the cancellation fee.
Reviewed May 24, 2010
We purchased Choice Home Warranty on January 2010. On May 2010, our A/C unit stopped working. Initially, we called a 24-hour emergency repairman that came out and inspected the A/C unit. That was when we initially found out the cost of the repairs. Now, because it had been so long I had forgotten that we had purchased the home warranty from Choice Home Warranty (CHW) and only remembered when the technician was reviewing with us ways that we may be able pay for the repairs or replacement of the A/C. Oh by the way, the technician said the HVAC quit because of a shorted out compressor. We paid the technician $150 for the after hours service call.
After he left, I immediately called CHW in an attempt to file a claim. However, due to it being the weekend, the customer service attendant stated she could not help us with the claim; however, she would make a note on our account listing the problem. So we had to wait until Monday in order to talk to someone within the company. Of course, we called again on Monday. They sent out another technician, who inspected the A/C unit. The technician, told us what he believed was went wrong with the A/C unit and gave us an invoice stating that it was a bad compressor, normal wear and tear.
Additionally, the technician had a copy of our home warranty agreement from CHW to which we reviewed and he stated that we should have no issues with CHW honoring our claim. We paid our $60 co-payment levied by CHW for the technician's services upon his leaving. All and all, Choice refused to honor the claim; first due to rust, corrosion and water damage, which was not true. They lied by stating the technician told them that the cause of our A/C failing was due to rust, corrosion and water damage. We provided them a invoice for a service call conducted in August 2009 whereas the technician added a small amount of Freon but annotated the A/C unit was working ok. Either rate, CHW denied the claim again, this time based upon their belief that we had a leaky compressor, which is also not true.
Throughout my communications with them, they were rude, threatening and were all and all, out right liars. They said and did anything in order to decline our claim. They have done this before and no doubt will continue to do this again. A cursory search on the World Wide Web via the Google search engine utilizing keyword: Choice Home Warranty, resulted in these six websites listed as 2 through 7 on the first page of the search results. Number one on the page of course is the CHW official website.
Please review, these people have all gone through what we are going through now. Some have advocated a Class Action Lawsuit. If there is one ongoing out there, then please seek out and request my name be added. My wife and 8 month year old girl had been sitting in a hot home while they played games with our lives. They just so happened to be sick during that time. Though, their illness predated the A/C going out the variations in temperature exacerbated their problems to the point were my wife and daughter had to go to the doctors. We were led to believe that we were covered by this warranty and hear we find out that we were not merely because they just didn't want to pay. Do not purchase this warranty!
Reviewed May 20, 2010
I have Choice Home Warranty (CHW) for my home since 5/13/2009 and the warranty expires 06/13/2010 from the contract document they sent me. I had "Perfect Temperature Air Conditioning and Heating LLC" repair the air conditioning at my house on 7/1/2009. They received authorization from CHW to go ahead and do the repairs. Perfect Temperature made the repairs and billed CHW for the remainder of the service call as per authorization. CHW has not paid them as of 5/20/2010. Perfect Temperature sent the invoice to a collection agency to get their money and the collection agency called me to pay the remainder of the service charge.
I called CHW this morning and spoke to a not very friendly customer associate (Melanie) to hear that my contract had expired and she can not talk to me about anything that had happened in the past and a manager will call me back. She couldn't transfer the call to a manager nor help me even though I insisted that my contract had not expired and will not until 06/13/2010. She said her system shows the contract expired on 05/13/2010 and the only way they can help is having a manager call me back. I am waiting for someone from CHW to call me and resolve this issue. I have spent more than a day calling different people (Perfect Temperature, the collection agency, CHW, looking through my contracts, invoices and payments from last year etc). This is not the first time I am wasting my time after signing up with CHW to get things taken care of. They have extremely poor customer support and do not treat their customers well.
Reviewed May 4, 2010
Our complaint is a repeat of all the complaints listed here. It was a legitimate contract, paid for months. It was the first claim ever, we needed repair. They requested records and we provided it to them, even phone numbers of our maintenance company so they could ask any questions they want. The stories were changing all the time, lies told, information made up, degrading comments made by Michael ** and he accused us as well as our maintenance contractor of fraud, based on nothing but lies he made up. He threatened us legally.
Before posting this comment, I certainly went to their blog site to attempt to deal directly with Mr. Moss. It was no shock to find that all comment sections are disabled. I went to the Facebook page and no commenting available there either!! So surprised, I tried the email address and it was rejected, a shocker. We have sent everything by fax. We will be pursuing delivering all of this by certified delivery in person to Mr. Moss and his company as well. Based on all of this, we will pursue through the BBB as well.
I only post here to say to anyone who is listening, googling, wondering, considering Choice Home Warranty, don't do it, don't do it! Save yourself the hassle, wasted money and headache on throwing your money ar illegitimate scammers!
Reviewed April 27, 2010
I called for a repair on the built-in microwave and dryer. They would not fix the microwave because they said the turntable motor burned out because of misuse. The dryer needs an element and pulley, which they claim has been back ordered for over two months. We are without a dryer and Choice keeps stalling each time I call. They never called me back as promised. This company should not be allowed to be in business as they are one of the biggest scams of all time. They did call me to see if I would like to renew my policy. Never, ever.
Reviewed April 19, 2010
We are a family-owned appliance repair company and applied to be a service contractor for Choice Home Warranty early in 2010. We immediately began receiving service calls, even though we never received word that we were an approved vendor for them. No one contacted us to let us know what the process was, etc. and calls to the company to make sure that we were filling out their work orders and our invoices correctly were never very clear.
We submitted our vendor application via fax on March 13th and assumed since they were sending us calls, we were approved. After the first three invoices were not paid within the agreed upon 30 days, we called the company, and lo and behold, they had "never received our invoices," even though our fax gave us confirmation that they went through. We refaxed the invoices and were told that it would be another 15-30 days before we got our payment for the four invoices outstanding.
Another call was placed today to ensure that they received the latest fax with the invoices and they stated that they had, but payment would not be made until they received our application to be a vendor, which, of course, was sent five weeks ago by fax (the same fax that seems to eat invoices!). Another rude accounts payable rep said that we were sent an e-mail stating that no invoices were to be paid without an approved application. That e-mail was never received by us. Yet, they continued to send us out on calls even though we weren't approved. I asked to speak with a manager and was told that there wasn't one available. I told them that I would hold, but she told me that she would hang up on me if I continued to hold.
This company will give you the complete runaround in order to not have to pay their obligations. We also believe that they are not only scamming their vendors, but are also scamming their customers. Two out of the four calls that we serviced were not "approved" for repairs and the replacement cost that they wanted to give the customer was a joke.
Oh, and by the way, we sent the CEO an email message as he had asked on one of the consumer complaint websites for "concerned customers" to do if they had a problem with his company, and guess what? We never heard from him! Maybe they have a problem with not only their fax but their email system too.
Reviewed April 18, 2010
Choice Home Warranty has not paid our business for services rendered in January 2010. We faxed them three invoices with our billing address and phone # clearly noted on top of all three invoices. When we called them in mid-February inquiring about payment, we were told they sent payment to our street address, but to a neighboring town! The lady said that the person handling that would be in the next day and would call us. Guess what? There was no phone call.
I called on April 8, 2010 and got Abbie. Abbie placed me on hold, came back and said her supervisor told her that since the check had not come back to them (from a non existent address), and we would have to wait 90 days for them to issue another check. I told her that was not acceptable; it was their error, not ours. I asked where they even got that address and she said their "system locator" gave it to them. I asked to speak to her supervisor and she got nasty and immediately said he wasn't available. I asked how did she know without asking, that she just talked to him and she said in a snotty way that he wasn't available to speak to anyone. When I demanded to speak to him, she said, "Yes ma'am, any more orders? " and put me on hold. Guess what again? He wasn't available.
I asked for her name so when I file a complaint, I'll have it and she spelled it out A-B-B-I-E and her supervisor was S-A-M. When I hung up and called back for customer service instead of accounts receivable, I was put on hold. Guess what again? I got transferred to Abbie. I told Abbie I would just call Corporate and she said there was no corporate. It was just a website and anyway, there was no one available to speak to me for 24 hours. I told her I didn't want to deal with her anymore and she told me she didn't want to talk to me either and hung up. So, now here I am, stuck with $670 owed and no way to know if we'll get payment. It looks as if we won't, since I've read some other complaints.
Reviewed April 15, 2010
This company does not honor their policy. They advertise 24hr service and are not there to accept claims. They do not authorize the repairs after sending out a service person. They tell you they will send a check for an amount they determine the repair should be and they never send the check. They are rude on the phone and lie about everything. We signed up for service in put in a claim for water heater and a month later for our garage door opener. Got the run around finally fixed both on our own for $135 and $230. They won't pay. This company is dishonest. They just want your money and they lack customer service. To sum it up, it's a scam.
Reviewed April 12, 2010
I signed up with Choice Home Warranty on 3/11/10. On 3/17/10, I had put in a service request for my fridge and was told that my contract was not in effect until 4/9/10. When I signed up, there was no indication that the effective date would be 4/9/10 and this was not mentioned on their 'welcome' email either. So I waited until 4/9/10 to do the same service request. Then this morning, 4/12/10, I received a call telling me that this service request cannot be rendered since I have already made a request on 3/17 and that this problem already existed before the contract was in effect. And if I still want the service that I would pay the regular service fee outside the contract. Now what lame excuse is that? Please save yourself money and headache. Do no sign up with Choice Home Warranty!
Reviewed April 9, 2010
I contacted Choice about a A/C problem. They gave me the name of two contractors who was contacted by Choice. When I called the contractors, they stated that they do not work with Choice because they won't pay their bills and won't authorize a big claim for their clients. I called Choice back and they gave me the number to another tech who came out and stated that the unit had a hold in the compressor that could not be repaired due to new regulations that would not allow him to fix the unit. The tech recommended unit replacement.
I contacted Choice because they did not call me to find out what was going to take place. Choice stated that they were not going to replaced the A/C unit because it had some rust and corrosion from everyday/every year use. The unit is 16 years old with this being the first problem and Choice found a loop hold to not pay the claim. How do you keep a A/C unit that is 16 years old from not having rust with it is rained on and produces water. This is the second claim that has been denied by Choice. I had a roof leak and they refused to take care of the problem which just needed shingles replaced. I read some of the other complaints and the responses from Choice if they say I'm not a client I will provide you with my contract and claim numbers.
Reviewed March 24, 2010
When I initially signed up in November, although my contract didn't start until December, I was never told that the company did not cover my water chiller system. I found that out when I called for service and was told that they did not service that kind of heating system. I called to cancel, as they said I could cancel anytime, especially because they were fraudulent initially when I signed up. I kept getting the runaround.
Then I finally spoke to a manager, which it's always the same manager that they send you to, who never responds until he wants to. He said that the only way I could can cancel is that I sign a waiver that all issues are resolved so that I won't go to the Better Business Bureau. They try to take away your civil rights and threaten you if you say that you're going to BBB. They also said if I went to BBB, they definitely would not refund any money to my account. Initially, they quoted one price to me that they would refund on 2/17 and on 3/24 the price that they initially quoted dropped $100.
Reviewed March 10, 2010
My company has been a contractor with Choice Home Warranty for a while now. When we became a contractor for them, we were promoted to be paid within a 30 day time period. We have not once been paid in a timely manner. I have invoices over 5 months old. Every time I call, they have a rude lady that acts like you are just interrupting her days by calling. She says they are being processed or we sent them. They always say that and we still yet to receive. The first time we received after this call was about a few weeks later but now it has happened again.
So I email the complaint address and they don't have any professionals. They tell me to ask to speak with a claims manger. So I tried and every day I have called and asked to speak with a claims manager they always tell me one isn't available. They don't even have a voicemail. Then they always transfer me to this girl named Rachel who is I can't say what she is. She is very unprofessional and rude. Every customer that we have serviced from Choice said they hate Choice and will not be renewing their contracts with them for the fact of the customer service skills and the fact that they cover nothing. I feel bad for the people who have them because you are paying for a service and they will not cover you it is always your fault and not theirs. I can't seem to get to a professional person to get this taken care of.
Reviewed March 9, 2010
A couple of days ago, the water company came by and told us that we probably have a leak due to the huge difference in our consumption in the past few weeks. We had forgotten we had Choice Home Warranty, so our neighbor came with his backhoe and made several cutoff valves to figure out where the leak is. Once we figured out the area it may be, we realized we probably needed to replace several feet of pipe once we uncovered it.
I realized that Choice Home Warranty may cover it, so I called and explained to them exactly where the leak was and was told it was covered. My husband and I were elated! We even received an email saying that a service tech would be out and that we need to pay him $45. He came out and couldn't figure out where the leak was and called Choice and the lady told him they didn't cover it but needed to know where the leak is.
Then, the tech said you owe me $125, the $4!. So I called Choice and was hung up on by John **, who by the way said they would refund the $80! I called back and talked Troy ** who said that we would not get a refund and it was not covered. It seems like it depends on who you talk to that tells you different stories. We used to have American Home Shield and never had this problem. I intend on cancelling with Choice and going back to American Home Shield. Choice Home Warranty is a sham and a scam.
Reviewed March 2, 2010
We signed with Choice on 7/09. We purchased an old home so we needed a warranty to cover unexpected costs. We changed to Choice because they were cheaper and had a rating with BBB of B+. They currently have an F. We have had claims for our disposal (which they would not cover full cost), oven, plumbing, water well, and furnace. They wouldn't cover the water well, wouldn't pay full price for disposal and will not repair the furnace. They have only snaked the sewer pipes and replaced a fuse in the oven. The technician has been out for the furnace five times in six months for the same problem. The unit is 23 years old and they denied the claim. When I asked why they lied and said the technician had said it was improperly installed.
I called the tech and they said the compressor was bad and no mention of installation had been made. That was exactly what the tech had told me before submitting the claim. When I called to report this to Choice, the woman hung up on me. I called back to talk to the supervisor and Mr. Jim R got on the phone. I could hear him speaking to the woman and laughing as I tried to explain that she had hung up on me. I asked what they needed to fix the furnace and he said that they needed maintenance records (I now see that is there common practice). I sent the records via email and then emailed asking for a confirmation to which Mr. R did not reply. I sent the email again. No reply.
I then called and Miss A stated they had no records on file. I then submitted them to her and she admitted she received them. One week later, nothing. I called and they stated that they had denied the claim. When I asked why, they said they needed records from the previous owners for the past three years. I stated that was not possible and that when the unit was serviced in August 2008, the tech stated it was in working condition. Then I asked if I was able to get the records would they fix the unit and they stated probably not. I also received complaints about the companies they contracted with on their rude manner on the phone. They are a total scam.
Reviewed Feb. 19, 2010
I opened a claim on 1-20-10 as my furnace was leaking brown water all over. The contractor assigned, Owl HVAC, came to my home on 1-21-10 and indicated that the boiler needed to be replaced as there was a crack that couldn't be repaired. They quoted me approximately $6,000 and said Choice was reviewing the claim and would get back to me on coverage. Later that day, I got a second opinion from Energy Unlimited, LLC who quoted me $5,000 and I had them install a new boiler on 1-25-10.
When I spoke with Choice (John **), they first said the claim wasn't covered because I had only been a customer of theirs for a handful of months, but I opened my contract on 4-13-09, much more than a handful and not a reason to deny a claim. I was then told that the claim was denied due to lack of maintenance. I explained that I haven't been in the house a year yet and before I bought the house, it was inspected and a cleaning was done (9-10-08). I informed John that the owners before me had it serviced every year prior as well. I had 2 other service calls related to the furnace, 9-14-09 (Owl) and 1-11-10 (David Robbins Plumbing).
Neither of them made any indication that the furnace was not being maintained properly. Choice said they needed proof of maintenance, so I sent them photos of the furnace that shows the sticker with the history of maintenance, the 9-10-08 cleaning tag and the home inspection report indicating it was functioning.
When I signed up for the warranty program, no one came to inspect any of my items to determine if they were properly maintained so I don't understand how they feel it wasn't maintained, on what basis? On 2-11-10, I received a message from Choice indicating they reassigned the claim to Dyson, as they wanted a second opinion. I called Choice and asked what was the purpose of the second opinion as I've already replaced the furnace. I have asked to speak to the supervisor, Jim **, on several occasions and left messages. He has not returned any of my calls. They have violated their contract with me.
As of today, Jim ** is telling me that they are not covering still due to maintenance, but it has been maintained. I have proof. After looking online, I see many people have ran into this same problem. Choice is a scam artist, they should be shut down. By them not covering my claim, I am out the money and that was the whole point of having a home warranty contract - to be covered.
Reviewed Jan. 8, 2010
I purchased a home warranty policy from Choice Home Warranty, effective in December 2009. In January, 2010, our gas furnace stopped heating so we called for service. A technician's name was supplied and we called for service, waited two days, and when he came, diagnosed the problem as the furnace igniter, but could not fix it until receiving permission from Choice. It was late in the afternoon, and when he called Choice, they stated that it would have to be reviewed due to our not having the policy very long. Therefore, we waited for another day before having heat. The weather in SC was abnormally cold, and heat was necessary.
The next day, Choice said that they would not authorize the fix due to the possibility of it being a problem before we took out the agreement. They stated that the problem could have been caused by our not taking the care of it the way that we should have, cleaning, etc., for maintenance. It was appalling that they asked for any and all paper work having to do with the furnace. I sent them the paperwork for the check-up, cleaning, etc., which we always do before time to turn on the heat. That was not enough information for them, and they called to inform us that the repair could not be made, insinuating that we knew there was a problem, thus the reason we took out the home warranty. Apparently, one is required to become heating specialist to check out his furnace and know when a future problem might occur. I paid $400 plus for the warranty, and the $45 service fee for the technician's visit, and had to pay myself in order to have heat, to get the furnace operational. Needless to say, I cancelled the contract with Choice, after an unpleasant conversation with customer service. The furnace was working fine when we first used it, so nothing we did or didn't do had anything to do with the timing of the igniter going bad. I expressed my chagrin that what else does one do but have the yearly checks, cleaning, etc., to prove that the furnace is being taken care of. This company did not live up to their agreement for less than the cost of the yearly fee given to them to fix the problem and keep a customer. Choice is certainly not a company one should trust. Thank you.
Reviewed Jan. 5, 2010
I called up this company on 08/19/09 to inquire about Home warranty plans and price and spoke to a representative named Kevin. He initially told me $400 for Total Plan and when I told him I need to discuss it with my family. Then he said he could make it $330 if I sign up right away and I have 30 days to decide whether I want to keep it or cancel it. Company will refund my full money if I cancel before 09/19/09 when warranty starts.
Then I investigated about this company on web. I found out that people had really bad experience with them and there are lots of complaints against them. So after 9 days only on 08/28/09, when I called up to tell them that I do not want to make this contract since we are planning to move to a different school district because of better school choices and I spoke to Mr. Robert **. Unfortunately I will have to say that he was very rude and highly unprofessional after I told him that I do not want to make this contract. Then he said there is a $50 penalty for cancelling it. I told him my contract did not starts even and previously I had been told by your person only (Kevin) that there will be no deduction if I cancel before starting date of contract which is Sept.19, 2009. Then he said there will be an investigation for it. After that they never got back to me and they deducted $50 for no reason.
I never had a contract with them and I did not take any service from them. In spite of many calls to this company, I am not able to get my $50 back from them. And logically also if I cancel after the contract starts then they can deduct money. If I cancel before even if starts they are supposed to deduct any money. I lost my $50 for no reason even though their person said there won't be any deduction.
Reviewed Dec. 16, 2009
Choice Home Warranty is a scam. People, be careful when you sign with them. My sincere advice for all of you out there is not to do business with them. They are totally illegitimate business. They will find any/every reason to decline your claims. They come up with so many reasons and frustrate their customers so that the customers stop calling them. Choice Home Warranty screwed me big time. The guy who sold me this policy was so nice, promising everything until he gets my business. His name is Brad **. He said that they will fix any problem that we report with no questions asked. Here is what happened to me:
On October 19, 2009, I signed up with these guys. As of last week, my heating furnace started making some noise when I turn it on, which I reported to Choice Home Warranty. I never had any problems before with any of my appliances. Then a technician came to my home and saw the heating furnace (in fact, he told me that I should pay him first before he even touches my furnace; that is what has been told to him by Choice home Warranty, which is fine). He immediately said that the inducer motor has gone bad. This is due to normal wear and tear in the bearings of the motor, then he left. After 2 days, I got a call from Choice Home Warranty saying that they will not process my claim unless I provide them the maintenance records (they never mentioned about this when you sign up for the warranty. This is the first scam).
I faxed all my maintenance records for the furnace and a couple of days later, they contacted me saying that they will not pay for the claim. That means they will not fix my furnace. The reason stated is that they will not fix any noise coming from the furnace. That means basically they will not pay any for any of your complaints/claims. I spent a couple of hours on the phone with their customer service department, authorization department, etc., arguing that when some moving/rotating part in a motor goes bad, it does make noise. If it had not made any noise, I guess I wouldn't have come to know the problem itself. What kind of a company which denies the claim on this ground? Hence I filed a complaint with the BBB (Better Business Bureau) on how they are cheating people. Hence guys, please be careful when you sign up for something like this.
Reviewed Dec. 9, 2009
We filed a claim on 12-5-2009 because our heater went out. Long story short, they denied our claim because they said the unit was not properly maintained because we did not have any documentation to send them showing that the system had been serviced every season since we owned the house. The system is 25 years old! Obviously, it has been maintained or else it would not have lasted this long. I am an MBA and my husband is a PhD, we keep excellent records/receipts for everything in our home, but never once have we heard of seasonal maintenance for a heating system. We are tired of insurance/warranty companies taking our money and not performing the service when we need it.
We have paid $500 in premiums/service fees during the 4 months we have had this warranty and they told us that since we do not have a long enough history with them, they need all of our maintenance records for the heating system (which is just their way of finding a reason to deny the claim). We sent them 2 years' worth of service receipts to show the repairs that had been made to the system and they said that was not enough, and that we only sent them documentation for when the system broke, not documentation for how we maintained the system. What is the point of buying a warranty if they are not going to fix items when they break?
To add insult to injury, the weather is 20 degrees which constitutes emergency service, but after 4 days we still have no heat! We have only had this warranty 4 months and Choice Home Warranty has already breached the contract by not performing emergency service. We filed a complaint with the BBB requesting our heat be fixed or our $500 premium/service fees refunded and this warranty cancelled so we can find a reputable company that will actually perform the service we are paying for!
Reviewed Dec. 4, 2009
I was outraged with the phone call I received this morning from your supervisor, Jim **. He was quite rude and arrogant on the phone. I put a claim in on my washing machine on Saturday, November 28th, 31 days after my contract was purchased. I was doing my laundry, as I do every week, and noticed water leaking on the laundry room floor. I pulled out my contract and was relieved that the 30-day waiting period was over. I didn't appreciate the intent from Mr. ** that my claim was fraudulent and that my washer could not have broken one day after the waiting period. He stated that there were numerous things wrong with the machine that were preexisting prior to me getting the contract. It may seem odd, but things do break down with no warning from normal wear and tear.
I have had other home warranty policies in the past and have never been questioned on a claim. I cancelled my plan with another home warranty which I purchased in August to go with Choice per my brother's recommendation. He purchased a two-year warranty, as well as a two-year warranty for my father. The contract states that the covered items will be repaired or replaced 30 days after acceptance of application by CHW. It doesn't say 31 or 37 days of purchasing the plan. I bought this warranty in good faith. When Mr. ** refused to do anything regarding this matter, I instructed him to cancel my warranty and I would go back to my previous plan. He said he would not allow me to do that. When I asked why, he said, "Because I said so and I won't let you." He then offered to give me $180 to do whatever I wanted with. What I want is to have my washer repaired or replaced as stated in the contract.
My husband and I have left several messages for the manager, Mr. **, and have not received a call back. If you cannot make good on this claim, then I want to cancel the warranty at both of my properties. The contract clearly states that a contract can be cancelled after 30 days for a pro rata refund. I expect a full refund. I will contact the BBB and anyone else I need to, to get this resolved.
Reviewed Nov. 19, 2009
Brad sold me the contract, and he was persistent and kept lowering the fees. One thing that I had failed to call and ask about was the contract. I called a week or so later, and they sent me the Contract Agreement that said very little and a Choice Home Warranty.
My galvanized pipe broke this past week, and they would not repair it, because it was galvanized. I kept asking where in the warranty did it say that, and the young lady on the phone kept saying that I needed to look at the contract that was online, plumbing and paragraph 8. This was never given to me. I was so mad. I told them not to renew my contract when it comes due in May 2010. Their company sucks big time. Things that I have read about them are so true of their character. Also, when I called, I was given a plumbing company that was 70 miles or more away from my house. The lady on the phone insisted they were a few miles away. I called the plumber two times, and they finally called me and confirmed what I had been telling the Choice rep. I should have stayed with American Home Shield. In other words, you get what you pay for - sucky service!
Reviewed Nov. 4, 2009
Do not deal with this company. They will find any reason necessary to decline a repair bill. If it's too high, they will just tell you it's a pre-existing condition. Deal with Choice Home Warranty at your own risk.
Reviewed Nov. 4, 2009
I called up this company on 08/19/09 to inquire about home warranty plans & price & spoke to a representative named Kevin. He initially told me $380 for the Total Plan & I told him I needed to discuss it with my family. Then he kept decreasing the price & finally he could make it $330 if I sign up & pay right away. Plus, he assured me I have 30 days to decide whether I want to keep it or cancel it. He was rushing me to enroll for a contract as if they will be providing the best service for it. The company would refund my full money if I cancel before 09/19/09.
On 08/28/09, when I called up to cancel this contract since we were planning to move to a different school district because of better school choices, I spoke to Mr. Robert **. Unfortunately, I will have to say that he was very rude & highly unprofessional after I told him that I wanted to cancel this contract. Then he said, "There is a $50 penalty for cancelling it." I told him that previously I had been told by your person only (Kevin) that there would be no deduction if I cancel before the starting date of contract which is Sept.19, 2009. Then he said that there would be an investigation for it . But after several phone calls, the company has refunded only $280 to me whereas I cancelled 3 weeks before the contract was about to start. In these recession times, I don't expect that companies should start snatching money from the public like this & fool them.
Reviewed Oct. 30, 2009
We have been servicing appliances for 19 years. We warn every one of our customers. Do not do business with Choice Home Warranty. They will not pay your bill when it comes down to it. We told them we did not want their business anymore after they refused to pay us for services on their customers. We ended up billing the customers. Do not do business with this company.
Reviewed Oct. 29, 2009
After listening to the sales pitch from Troy ** and asking numerous questions about repair services, service turnaround time, preexisting conditions, etc., I was assured a level of efficiency and coverage that my husband & I would be happy with as we would have a 30-day grace before the effective date of the policies to make a decision. Not once did Troy mention that I could read their terms and conditions online nor did he tell me that upon cancellation each policy charges a $50 cancellation fee. I told Troy that I would call back after discussing Home Choice with my husband. He was persistent that if I sign-up for the coverage, there would be no problem if I/we changed our minds, to call back & cancel. When I called back to cancel, I was told that Home Choice charges $50 per policy (we have 2 rental properties) to cancel even though I had not received a policy. It took them less than an hour to charge my credit card. However, I never received a policy or terms and conditions stating the $50 charge to cancel. Customer Service and Management were rude, screaming and yelling throughout our conversations on 10/19 and 10/30.
Reviewed Oct. 9, 2009
I made the contract with Choice Home Warranty for Total Plan on my appliances and systems on 08/10/09. The term started 09/10/09. Before, I was a customer for 15 years of American Home Shield Warranty. The only reason I decided to switch to Choice was increasing service call fee from $35 to $60. Otherwise, I was very happy with AHS. I thought that all home warranty companies are the same reliable. But it happened that Choice just charges money for the service and full year payment, but doesn't bother to do the service. On 09/11/09, my refrigerator stopped working. I called Choice and they send the technician to find out what is the problem.
The technician told me that it is the compressor. I told him that the compressor was replaced by AHS a year and 9 months ago. He told me that compressor went out of order because the person improperly turned the valve, the oil from compressor was spilled out and freon leaked, and the compressor needs to be replaced again. Then Choice refuses to fix the problem, considering it as "pre-existing condition". But it worked good for 1 year and 9 months. The warranty on any compressor and labor to install it is only 90 days.
When I made the contract with Choice, everything worked fine. I was not asked if the compressor was replaced or something in my house was wrong. The compressor did not have any pre-existing condition and it is not my fault that the companies hire people who do not do the work properly. I am the victim of bad service. When I made the contract, I asked Kevin (Choice representative) to e-mail me the copy of the contract as well as to mail a paper copy. I also asked him to include the counter top microwave instead of a built-in microwave which I don't have. I never received anything till I called back after 3 weeks. He promised that he will do it.
Finally, I received a paper copy of the contract, but the counter top microwave was not included again. Then I called Choice to make a complaint to the supervisor. It was Mr. **. He fixed the mistakes on the contract. I was suspicious about the reputation of their company after even doing the contract I had so much trouble with them. Mr. ** said that they are "highly reputable company". Unfortunately, my feelings were right. They charge money without any intention to do the service.
I am devastated about this situation. I am on disability retirement. I bought the plan hoping to avoid problems, but the problems only multiplied. The money that I paid for the contract for the whole year in advance ($450.00), as well as the $45.00 that I paid partially to the technician to fix it - I would rather spend it toward the new refrigerator. But why? I have "service" of the company that should take care of it.
Reviewed Sept. 12, 2009
If you want a reliable home warranty, do not use Choice Home Warranty! They will find anyway and everyway to get out of granting your claim. My brief description is “no AC.” The customer service didn't care that it was over 100 degrees in our house. It was so hot in our house it melted the butter that was left out. It took them 3 days to finally tell my family that we were denied. I asked why it took 3 days when we had no air. They stated they were busy. They never had any intention to grant us our claim. Buyers beware: they look for reason and any every reason to not to grant your claim. Don’t waste your money!
Reviewed July 15, 2009
The sales representative assured us that it did not matter, the age of the home or the appliances, and after 30 days of sign up, everything would be covered, no questions asked! He made it clear that unlike the other companies, Choice will honor all repairs or replacements.
Three months after signing up, Mom's central air conditioner went out. She lives in a mobile home and the temperature gauge was reading over 100 degrees. Mom is a 3-time cancer survivor and had just lost the love of her life, and she did not need to hear that Choice would not honor their agreement and cover her A/C unit.
I wrote them a letter, hoping to get some remedy and resolve. They never did reply to my letter. Mom ended up buying a new A/C unit. Because the loophole they used is written in the contract: if the appliance has not had yearly professional maintenance check ups, then they do not have to repair or replace. Tell me who has all their appliances professionally checked every year? That is a ridiculous expectation. Well, we have learned the hard way to look for this loophole in any other home warranty service company we might consider.
Reviewed July 3, 2009
I had an AC problem and it was determined that the compressor needed to be replaced. They said I had to provide exhaustive maintenance records. I provided receipts of all past AC maintenance done on the unit, many were from my own maintenance like changing filters, etc. After faxing to them, they said I need all the receipts. Who in the world is going to get receipts of every filter replaced? After I provided them as many receipts as possible, they said the records were not what they expected so they denied the claim. I had to fix the AC problem myself! What's the point of a home warranty service! Watch out for these guys and their super, super tiny fine print which they mail you is not even the complete picture.
When I called them, they said they had the right to change the terms anytime and I had to go to their website instead which has different clauses which allows them a way to bail out of a claim. They had to direct me to their website that had additional fine print, which indicated they can ask for maintenance records of all kinds and that gives them reason to deny claims! Plus, if you decide to cancel, there is further fine print that says they could deny the cancellation and if it's not to their benefit, they will charge you for everything they ever did for you during your time with them.
Reviewed June 16, 2009
Choice Home Warranty used to be National Home Protection. Prior to that, they were something else. And before that, they were also something else and so on for the last 14 or 15 years. They go around scamming people and they change their names after enough complaints keeps them from doing business and they decide to just close their doors and keep the warranty money. I had also a problem with a heating unit where I had religiously kept my twice a year maintenance required by American Home Shield.
I provided them with proof of coverage with American Home Shield and the invoices for my maintenance. They still denied my claim, stating that it was a pre-existing condition. He yelled and screamed at me and then laughed at my face, telling me he was simply not going to fix my unit. The tech they sent to my house was so shocked by their behavior that he cancelled his contract with them. The tech fixed my unit on his own and charged me a very low price because he felt so bad. I tried going to Dateline, but my complaint alone will not do it. Please, all of us that have been scammed by this company, go to the Dateline’s website and complain about them. If enough people do it, maybe they'll take us seriously and get someone to take them out of business for good. The emotional distress this has caused was way more damaging than the money they took.
Reviewed April 2, 2009
Why is a Choice Home Warranty a bad mistake? Because the only way you can even hope they will honor what they profess to cover is to spend several hundred dollars each year on maintenance in addition to their contract price of $450-$500. Like so many others, I recently learned the hard way. They glibly refer you to section 9.1.2 in their contract, and this is their catch all loophole in which they are able to legally deny claims. Legal, yes. Ethical? Fair? Reasonable? Not in the least.
Briefly, you are required to have professional service people come in yearly to perform maintenance for each appliance or system in your home, and you have to keep the records for 5 years. Even the IRS only asks for 3 years. The homeowner is not allowed to perform this maintenance. So assuming a home has a heating system, AC, a hot water heater, appliances, etc., you are being forced to spend money on each of these yearly or they will refuse to honor the warranty. In order to cover these items, this requires you to spend $500, $600, $700 per year. Add that to their contract price and you are now talking about an insurance policy that really costs between $950 and $1150 each year. In two years time, if you just put this money in a savings account, you would have enough to pay for almost any system that broke.
So, bottom line, how does a Choice Home Warranty make economic sense? It doesn't.
Oh, one other item. My problem was a hot water heater. I had been with American Home Shield for three years, as was my neighbor. He had a similar problem last year and they replaced his water heater for the $55 service fee. Foolishly, I had decided to switch to Choice and they refused to honor the contract due to section 9.1.2 even though I could prove that I'd had continuous coverage. Incredibly, they even have an out there. If you don't show them proof of an existing contract within 15 days of signing up with Choice, they act as if an existing contract never existed! Duh! So, I had to spend $1900 today and I can't get out of the Choice contract, but I will never get another one of these contracts again.
Reviewed Jan. 21, 2009
I have a consumer purchased home warranty with Choice Home Warranty. My dishwasher recently broke and was deemed unrepairable. I was given two options for replacement: I could wait 8-12 weeks for a new dishwasher or could buy out for $113.00, which was the wholesale purchase price of the replacement dishwasher that was on backorder.
Reviewed Dec. 16, 2008
I started the contract with Choice Home Warranty (Choicehomewarranty.com ) on 10/27/2008 covering HVAC and making one-time payment of $344 for the contract lasting one year. On 12/02/2008 2 units (furnaces) stopped working. I contacted Choice with repair request. The technician was sent on 12/03/2008 to do the diagnosis. Control boards needed to be replaced. Choice refused a repair without additional documentation. The following documents were submitted: home inspection report done upon purchasing the property, diagnosis/checkup of the HVAC systems done on 07/27/2007, repair and checkup of the HVAC systems done on 06/26/2008.
After many phone calls and 14 days with no heat, the customer representative from Choice, Ron **, stated that the repair could not be cover because: it is odd that two of the systems fail in the same time? There is no date on the document from 6/26/2008 (?) even though it is printed. There is no signatures on the receipt from 06/26/2008 (?) even though it states on the receipt that it is a electronic invoice and the authenticity can be proven by contacting the company that did the repair/checkup service on 6/26/2008. Ron ** stated that no company will be contacted? There are many inconsistencies in provided documentation (?) with no additional comments provided.
I need to add that dealing with this guy (company) was the worst customer service experience. Imagine rep. screaming, inventing stories that do not add up. The management needs to review your files (?) and than 5 sec. later (?) "Oh, it just popped up on my screen that your claim was denied"? I asked for the manager many times but never - no one was available. He was accusing me of taking long time sending the documentation where in fact they (or he) were not replying to my faxes, emails and phone calls. The faxes were being lost and I had to resend the documentation. I felt like it was really immature, irresponsible, unprofessional, ripoff one person shop.
Media


