First American Home Warranty Reviews

The only thing is I'm a Realtor, so I've got an account that way, and then I have two separate properties that are management properties and two different owners, so sometimes, when I call, it pulls my phone number then it calls a different name for a different client and for different address, so I can't usually do the automated system. I have to talk to somebody, which is fine but I don't know if that's just the reason because I'm in there three different ways and it doesn't know what to do. Other than that, they took care of getting my thing ordered, figured out what I needed, and it was very quick and easy.

While I didn't get to meet the technician this time because I already had an appointment scheduled, he met with my tenant. He figured out something I didn't know, which is good. He fixed the problem so that we wouldn't have it again because it had happened once before where the GFCI went off in the bathroom and it caused the bedroom to go blank. We thought we had figured out which GFCI, but apparently there are two, and I didn't realize there was a second one, so he made sure that that one wasn't hooked up to the bedroom so that if it did get tripped again, it wouldn't turn off all the power to the bedroom.

For the most part, everything's great with First American. It's just that one little hiccup as far as when I call and try and do automated, and it doesn't ever seem to pick the right property. Other than that, I plan on continuing to use First American until they get too expensive. I tell my homeowners it's probably best to have this than to wait and go, “Oh! It really was a big problem,” and you have to spend $5,000 when you could have just done the home warranty.

Lately, we’ve faced unexpected costs. I paid $1,600 for fittings on my hot water tank due to modifications, which was disturbing and outlandish, but I also see it as an investment for the future. Although the work was completed efficiently and cleanly, last-minute charges could be discussed in advance and more thoroughly. They need to put a cap on the increases. If I don’t use all the things in my contract, all these changes in prices should not impact me to the extent. Filing multiple claims has become costly, $90 per appliance, where previously one call could cover several items.

I usually submit claims by phone because the online system cancels multiple claims. Most experiences have been positive, except for the claims rep for my last claim, who was not very customer-service-oriented and not helpful, which required contacting a lady rep in California. She was professional, and followed up with the vendors and contractors. She follows through on her word, communicates well, and ensures my needs are met. She is what I expect from First American and for excellent customer service, and she’s the reason I continue to use First American.

Technicians have mostly been fine, though I dislike taking time off work for service calls and the lack of communication in regards to my time. For example, I was told the contractor was going to be here between 1:00 and 3:00, so I rushed to get home. They didn’t call nor show up until 8 or 9 o’clock, and only for them to tell me they can’t do anything because they have to order parts that would take two weeks. I don’t appreciate that at all. The contractors who replaced my water heater were fantastic.

Overall, contractors have been fantastic, except for the appliance repair guys. The rep reassigned my claim when the original contractor failed, demonstrating First American’s advocacy. I would definitely recommend First American to friends and family. They’ve been fantastic for the past 20 years. While service in the past two years has been subpar, the warranty is still a valuable investment. They schedule repairs, advocate for customers, and continue to be transparent. They follow up and act as a liaison between you and the service companies to make sure your needs are addressed. I appreciate that.

The phone interaction with First American was good. It was quick. We didn't have to wait. They contacted the plumber quickly, and we liked the plumber. He was perfectly nice, and did the job, and did when he said he was going to do it. So, we were pleased with that. It's always a little confusing about what costs are covered and what are not, and he was really helpful to us in explaining what does get covered and what doesn't, and how you can kind of estimate how much out of pocket it's going to be when you have a job done. First American is worth it even though there is a pretty substantial out-of-pocket cost.

We have to be prepared for the fact that there's quite a large out-of-pocket expense. We've come to the conclusion that out-of-pocket expenses come to about half of a big job would be. It's never completely covered. That could probably be stated more clearly in the fine print. I also know that that's part of the game. You try to get people to think that they're really, really covered, and in reality, they're about halfway covered. I understand why and I get that. For us, it's just a balancing of, "Is it worth the yearly cost versus what we get out of it?" We've used First American twice for the air conditioner, once for the washing machine, and once for this water heater. So, on balance, for about 10 years, we've come out at least even.

We live in an area where there are power outages occasionally because of the high winds. We had a power outage over the summer and I don't know exactly when it happened, but in my garage, I couldn't get the outlets to work. The power was on and I could turn the lights on. The garage door opener worked but anything that was plugged into the walls didn't work. I kept trying to troubleshoot the issue. I thought maybe it was something with the circuit breaker. I also thought I had to replace something on the panels. I was playing around with that, looking things up, and trying to figure out what was going on.

Come to find out the power outage blew something on one of the outlets that has a button that you can reuse to reset it and it has a surge protector. The electrician replaced that outlet that had that circuit breaker. As soon as he replaced it, all the other outlets were working in the garage again. He was in and out in probably 20 minutes.

The claims process with First American Home Warranty can use some improvements though especially when you know exactly what the issue is. They keep it going the roundabout way until they finally get to what you need. It was an issue in my garage, but they kept trying to go to different areas with the automated system. I've also disagreed with what they pay and don't pay. But what I can't deny them is it's usually in writing in a little handbook they give you. I was having an issue with my garage door. I called them for that too. But they didn't cover certain things that pertained to the garage door. Apparently, some important part broke and that was why the garage door couldn't open anymore. They had that part specifically that they did not cover. It was the same thing with my AC unit. I'm sure there are certain things they cover and certain things they don't cover, and I get that.

Other than those, having First American home warranty is worthwhile. The garage door opener cost us $1,500 to get that fixed one-time. I thought the electrical was gonna be something similar, but it only cost me the claim fee which is 80 or 100 bucks. That's well worth it versus $1,500.

Having utilized the service over the years, I wanted to share some of my experiences. We've often needed to submit claims, and the online process for doing so is straightforward. The site is user-friendly, making it simple to fill out the necessary forms. This convenience is complemented by the quick notifications I receive about contractors coming to our aid, usually through both email and text, which includes their contact information.

The quality of the contractors sent out by First American has generally been impressive. We've encountered no significant issues with them, though I must mention one specific situation with an air conditioning repair. The repair process was stretched out due to disagreements over the recovery of Freon, which required ongoing communication among myself, the contractor, and First American. It was challenging, but eventually resolved.

Most recently, we dealt with an issue where our air conditioning unit was losing Freon, causing it to freeze up. The contractor not only added more Freon but also applied a sealant to address a slow leak and handled some necessary caulking work. Thankfully, everything is now functioning smoothly.

Overall, I would rate First American Home Warranty just above 4, although not quite a perfect grade due to the prolonged AC repair issue. Apart from this, I've been pleased with the additional coverage options the program provides, allowing us to tailor our plan to fit our needs. Their ability to get service personnel out promptly, especially for critical heating and cooling matters, is commendable.

For those considering a home warranty, I would definitely recommend First American, as it's proven to be a beneficial choice for us. Checking if this warranty suits one's home needs could be worthwhile. If asked, I'd speak highly of their customer service, coverage options, and pricing, as these areas have been notably satisfactory in our experience.

I was a little disappointed at one time because First American didn't have an electrician in the area that they could find when we have so many of them here in the city, but I guess they were not on their list. Also, I had one issue that I didn't understand. I had a toilet that was messed up and was running. When the guy came out, he said I needed a new toilet. He worked on that part and got it to stop running. But they wouldn't put it in a new toilet because First American said the tank was cracked, and that's from not normal wear and tear. I don't know what would crack a toilet other than wear and tear since it's porcelain. But I didn't argue with them on that. I just let them fix the running part and gave up on that.

I have no problems with First American, and I actually refer them to any of my friends that ask about it. Unfortunately, the cost goes up every year, but that's the world we live in. So that's inflation. Each individual has to look at themselves and saying, "Can I afford this?" I always say I always had a good experience. So that's what I tell my friends and even my kids. As they're starting to buy houses, I tell them that whenever they buy, they should get it. And then if they can afford it, then they should. Because it gives you the peace of mind that when something goes wrong that you don't know how to fix, that you get someone else to do it for you. You recoup your money on a couple events, whether it's dishwasher or garbage disposal. I have a pool and I use their pool service, and that's why mine's a little bit more. I can work on some things, but I can't work on pool equipment.