Why a Home Warranty Might Not Cover Your HVAC Problem

We frequently receive calls from customers who book a service visit after a home warranty visit goes awry. Homeowners often pay extra for a home warranty, only to be disillusioned with the service they provide. 

Home warranty coverage

During the process of buying a new or new-to-you home, many companies offer a home warranty to provide “coverage” against breakdowns of major home appliances soon after the sale. Homeowners often buy them assuming they’ll save them money down the road.

But their coverage can be a bit misleading. 

Home warranties don’t cover everything  

When you purchase a home warranty, many buy with the understanding they’ll be fully covered in the event of a problem. That’s rarely the case. Home warranties are more like a “discount” off certain services for the time period specified in the contract. 

Most will cover the major HVAC appliances: furnace, air conditioner, heat pumps, and mini-split systems. They’ll protect plumbing systems, and major appliances such as refrigerators and water heaters. 

They’ll provide you with service if a part malfunctions. But they won’t provide coverage if it’s part of a bigger problem such as a flood from a broken water heater. Read the fine print to be sure you understand the details. 

They may also require maintenance visits, to take care of routine wear and tear in order to continue the coverage. If you can’t prove you service your equipment on their timeline, you could risk voiding the warranty. 

Home warranties provide repair and maintenance 

In most cases, you’ll call a service center that sends out their technicians and service help. You can’t select based on your requirements – you use whoever they choose to send. 

This means you get a technician chosen by their team, which may not have a high level of experience. 

It also means that a technician follows internal guidelines on fixing and replacing. They may choose inferior parts, betting on cheaper repairs over time rather than fixing with higher quality equipment. This may not always occur – but you won’t know. They abide by internal strategies, and can’t waiver from what’s acceptable. And we see it happen enough that we know it exists. 

Have you had trouble with a home warranty fix?

If you’re tired of service calls that never seem to fix the problem, maybe it’s time to select a different path to fix your issue once and for all. 

Give us a call today, and we’ll evaluate your entire system, telling you where repairs should be made, and providing you with high quality equipment. 

You’ll know your equipment is in the best shape possible when we walk out the door.