Cinch Home Services Reviews

Our experience with Cinch so far has all been positive. They're easy to communicate with, it's easy to file claims, and they have positive contractors. I've called in to submit claims. Now, the call-in process is a little bit more lengthy and cumbersome. The last couple of claims, I've submitted them online and that's a lot quicker and easier. They normally text you or email you with the contractor's name and say that they'll be contacting you within a certain time period, and then they provide the phone number to call if they don't reach out.

The most recent repair issue we had was on a garbage disposal. They replaced it same day. The contractor came with the item. He said that he keeps certain things on his supply truck. I guess the garbage disposal was one of those. Overall, having Cinch is worth the monthly payment to make sure that we're protected to avoid large expenses.

We had a call-in because our ice maker quit working on our refrigerator. They got me a service repair, that little system, got that set up for the service guy to come out. He came out and checked the ice maker and found that it needed to have a new one installed, because the other one couldn't be repaired. So, he ordered a new one.

Their system for staying in touch, keeping you informed, was definitely adequate. So, then he brought the new one out and put it in. He worked on it for a long time ‘cause it's not an easy part to put in. He said, “This should work within 24 hours. It takes a while for ice to be made.” He said, “If it doesn't, let me know.” It didn't. And it's never made ice. He said he would turn the report into Cinch because, “You're gonna have to get a new refrigerator.” Because this particular model with this particular ice maker was notorious for not being repairable, though sometimes it was.

And the unfortunate thing about this is not a Cinch problem, but the repairman has not turned the report in after being out here for over a month ago. And until he turns the report in and reports to Cinch whatever paperwork they need so that they can take me to the next step, we won't have it yet and that's frustrating. But that's not a Cinch problem. That's the service guy.

But they need a Plan B if the service people don't do their paperwork, ‘cause, obviously, the paperwork is something he doesn't want to do, for whatever reason. They need a Plan B when they can't get the report, so we can move to the next step. Because if this were a faulty refrigerator or an air conditioner, going for over a month, and still not getting the replacement, is not what I booked up for. But that's something they've got to figure out.

They called me and talked to me, which was really nice, because they can improve their phone tree. Their phone tree is a little bit frustrating. And as a realtor, I don't want my customers frustrated with a warranty that they've purchased or gotten from a seller. Their phone tree makes it hard to get to a person. And there's a limit to what phone trees are good for. When you don't get someone to talk through an issue that's not on the phone tree, “Push this button, and you can get to this,” it's very hard to get to a live person. Most people are not tenacious enough to keep pressing to get to a live person.

But I was getting a text for a little bit, an email update, and they just started calling me. They told me what the issue is. They're still trying to get the guy to turn the report in so we can move on, but we don't have it yet.

There was another customer of mine who has a Cinch Warranty. This was her air conditioner. And she had to wait a month for them to come out. That's too long, at this time of the year, to come out to figure out what it needed. She said, “Finally, they came.” And then they were gonna come back in a week and bring the motor out, ‘cause the air conditioner needed a new fan motor. That's not a complicated repair.

And instead of a week, he put her off until the 9th of June. And it's hot and muggy. He's a Sears repair person, but she's getting pushed to the back of the line because she's a warranty person, not a customer off the street. I'm not crazy about that at all.

If you're gonna have people come out to fulfill the repair, they shouldn't be feeling like they're second-class citizens. And it really was discouraging to her. On top of the fact that we're trying to get her house on the market, so we wanna make sure everything's in good shape. And she's got a Cinch Warranty on her new property that she's purchased. So, it's not like she wouldn't use Cinch.

But those are things that could be polished up. They could be a lot better. And Cinch is big enough to make them better. But every time I talk to a Cinch person, they're really very good. I like that, because customer service in my industry and their industry is critical. You have to feel like you're being heard and taken care of. If the company is gonna be fabulous, that's where it starts. 

I also don't think the price is too bad, considering they do cover a lot of things. And it's understandable. Nothing's cheap these days, and everything has gone up. For what you get, I like it. It's a lot of money, but it's a lot more money to not have it.

The only thing that Cinch said was they would give me a certain amount based on the price of that. It ran out, so I ended up paying another $1,000 to get my stove unit put in. I took the blame for some of that but on the same token, the company that they had working did not come back to me. I didn't make sure that I understood the process exactly, and Cinch is getting companies that are not that educated or even have the degree to work on some of the equipment. The guy that came in had no idea about working on the stove. They need to know what they’re doing.

Right now, they had to put in a dryer, and the company that they had said that they could not get the part because the dryer was older. Two days later, Cinch called me and said, “Look, here. We going to be replacing the washer,” and I just signed off on it, and within two days, I have a washer, so it was great. Overall, Cinch is 100% different from the other companies I had. it's night and day. The only thing with this company is that I had to call them one to two times.

In my experience with my microwave, I wasn't impressed with the company. They came out, did an assessment, and said something needed to be replaced. Originally, they told me that it qualified based on age for complete replacement, and when the company came out, they said it was not gonna be replaced. I already paid my $200 and we just needed to replace a simple part. So, I had to wait for another week. That company gave no flexibility or choice. They said they can only see us on this day between these four hours. But in my most recent claim related to my air conditioner, the gentleman was very collaborative and communicated what the issue was. He was very helpful and friendly.

When you call in and directly talk to someone, they are very customer service-oriented, friendly and helpful. I had an issue and Sears couldn't come out to address my air conditioner for two weeks. It was hot at this part of the year and I couldn’t deal without our air conditioning, and they said they would find another provider that could come out to me within the next day or two. And I appreciate that. Overall, the service is good. Cinch just has a few issues that they need to address, which include availability as well as the list of providers for certain services.

When we moved in, we had countless issues with our HVAC system. So far, since we moved in, we've replaced the whole HVAC system, the AC, and the heater. They’ve been pretty cool about it. Last December, my water heater went out on the same exact day I was getting a roof put on the house. Even though we had to pay some out of pocket, it still turned out to be a much nicer experience having them put it in than if I had to do it myself.

We called them for things like a breaker that kept tripping, and I couldn't figure it out. The guy came in, and he said, “It's not covered because it's outside of your domicile. It's on the front lawn. There's a lamppost out there.” He basically said that the wires coming from the lamppost on my front lawn were the ones that were causing the short. I said, “Oh, okay, no problem.” I got under the house and unplugged it myself, ‘cause I know basic electronics.

The amount of work they did to my previous HVAC system probably totaled in the amount of 10 grand. I ended up paying out of pocket, maybe close to $2,000, totaled up. And they kept the HVAC system running until they finally decided that it was time to replace the blower motor, the main board, and the sensors on it. There was just so much work that was done to it. They had the whole heater out when they replaced the AC system. All in all, it would have probably cost me close to 30 grand for everything that was done. To me, they were well worth it. They've also come in countless times and repaired our dryer because it was having issues. My wife covered that.

At one point, there was an introductory period, where they were actually covering my garage. When a gear on my garage door opener stripped, I was already at Menards with the intention of replacing it myself. And I was looking at these garage door openers, and the cheap ones were 250 bucks. I decided to call them, and I asked them. They said, “You're in your introductory period.” This was a few years after we moved in. And he said, “We do cover your garage door opener.”

The guy came out and actually replaced the gear inside my garage door opener. And that garage door opener is 30 years old and still going ever since he fixed it. I have a furnace in the garage. They came out and serviced that early on when we moved in, and that's still going. They have been a big help. I know my premiums have gone up a little bit here and there, but I'm not complaining. It’s kudos for them. I've even mentioned them to other people. Their customer service has always been great. In the middle of the night, I would call them, and they would connect me to some lady in Alabama, and she had a heavy accent and was a pleasure to deal with.

They also made it very easy for me to understand what they did cover and what they didn't cover. All I had to do was call and ask. It was a simple yes or no question. And if I wanted to, they would give me information on other packages they would have. At one point or another, I did ask them, because my wife even chimed in on it, thinking about ensuring our TVs.

Also, my monthly fee is 60 bucks, which is a shot in the bucket to me, compared to my freaking electricity bill, even though I'm on a payment plan, which is still $303 a month. Then their deductible when somebody comes out is 150 bucks. What I like is they're really cool about it ‘cause they closely monitor what the person replaces. If they came out and replaced the sensor, and within the 60-day period, if that sensor goes bad, it's free of charge to me. But if something else goes bad, they make me understand that “The part that we fix is still working. Something else broke. So, you technically owe us.” I'm like, “That's fine. That's honest.” And I like that about a company. We also had an introductory period for two years when we moved in, and we definitely utilized it. And we get the yearly reminder saying, “If you do nothing, this continues for another year.” I don't even look at it ‘cause I'm not changing anything. We've been very happy with them.

I just filed a claim for an air conditioner, and they said, “We can't find anybody to send out, so you'll have to call somebody in. Here's all the paperwork you got to fill out, and we're going to do it.” I understand it's their business. They want to make sure that it's legitimate. I got up at 6 o'clock this morning ‘cause the air conditioner guy came over to look at it to see what he has to do to fix the rest of it, and can't come back until tomorrow or Monday to do it. But they want a complete estimate of everything that needs to be done, and the cost. And what all the service people said was, “They don't want to pay what it's worth. They don't want to pay what we should get paid.” They didn't like it.

I called customer service ‘cause we had a kitchen drain that was plugged. It means we can't run the dishwasher, we can't wash the dishes, and it took a week to get it done. But that was the one that they sent somebody from Lansing to fix it, and I'm in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area.

When the drain was plugged for a week, and I called them, it should have been covered. They gave me 950 bucks back after a month. But that was because I was pissed off and said, “I'm getting that money back one way or the other.” So, I just kept calling the corporate office and left messages on the customer service phone. They finally gave me the money back, but I still paid 450 bucks to have the drain fixed, ‘cause my wife had to go to a laundry room to wash dishes. I'm sick of their customer service. I'm sick of them not being able to get back to you. They just have to have better customer service.