How to Cover All Your Home Maintenance, Repairs & Appliance Warranties With 1 Fee, 1 Phone Number

Everything I said in this article was true at the time I wrote it. Ultimately, I was disappointed. Appointments became no-shows, phone calls were not returned. The particular service I chose was a new business that lacked the number of clients needed to support someone being on-call all the time. There is always a lesson, and my advice would be to choose an established company. The testamonial below sheds additional light on what to expect.

Last summer, during a heat wave, my central air conditioning went on the fritz. Every service company I called said it would take a week or more till they could get here. Then I posted a notice on my neighborhood listserve. Within an hour I received an email from Harold Cash who said he would be happy to take a look at it.

Harold's company is called American Masters Warranty Services. It took a few visits, but Harold solved the air conditioner problem for less than 10 % of what I worried someone would charge to come out and tell me I needed a new compressor, even though it turned out I didn't.

Until I met Harold, I had only a vague idea that warranty services existed. Harold told me that for a fixed annual fee, his company could provide warranties on all my appliances as well as on my heat and air conditioning systems. In addition, I could call him for any repair or maintenance needs and he or one of his employees would show up in short order.

After having several conversations with Harold and checking references, I signed up.

The Service

In addition to the warranties, the basic service ($600 per year) covers two inspections a year as well as two seasonal checkups for heat and AC units, including any filter changes. Additional calls are $100 each.

The next level ($1500 per year), includes 9 visits for handyman services, after which any visits cost $100 per call.

I chose the highest or concierge level ($1800), which means I can call Harold whenever I need something and he or one of his employees will come within 24 hours if necessary, sooner if it's an emergency. They also maintain my gutters. As Harold says, he takes care of my house "the way a doctor takes care of your health."

Advantages

Typically each year I need two or three gutter cleanings, 2 HVAC visits, 10 or more handyman visits, and random electrical, plumbing and/or appliance fixes. For each I would call a different company and, after several days, wait during my assigned three- or four-hour window for them to show up.

Now I call just one phone number. It's such a relief not to have to scramble around for a service person when, say, I wake up in the morning and the heat isn't working. In addition, I now have a warranty, included in the fee, on all my appliances and on my HVAC. This gives the company a great incentive, of course, to do a good job maintaining everything in my home.

Pitfalls

Harold advises that if you do sign up with a home warranty company, you should be mindful of exclusions. Read the contract carefully. For example, the refrigerator might be covered but it's ice maker might not be.

And, as with any service you use, it's always good to get references and talk to other customers: 

• Do they show up at the agreed time?
• How is the quality of the work?
• Do they wear booties over their shoes so as not to soil your floors?
• Do they really respond within 24 hours?
• How quickly do they resolve problems from the time of your phone call to completion?

Testamonial

Here's what a friend, who uses a different warranty service company, wrote:

"I use American Home Shield for my house and another house that I rent out. In general I am satisfied. It's sure handy to just give them a call and they set up the repairs within a short time. Just a few weeks ago a whole circuit went out in the rental and an electrician was there the next day, pulled out wires in the wall, and re-wired where they were damaged. The repair per my contract plan was the standard $60 per incident. That also means if it's not completed on the first round, you don't pay again. And a few months ago my dryer broke, they replaced several parts and it's running like a charm. Again just $60.

Their schtick is that if they cannot repair something, they'll replace it with something of equal value. I have figured out how they get around that because I have had to replace a Miele dishwasher, a washing machine, and other appliances over the years. What they do is say they are looking everywhere for the part and it'll take X amount of time...usually way too long to wait for an essential item. So they offer you some cash (I have never rec'd more than $275 for anything) and a discount with certain vendors."  

My Decision

I chose to go with Harold and American Masters Warranty Services. I got to know him while he was working on my air conditioner and I liked that he would be my point person. Rather than calling an 800 number, such as I'd need to do with another warranty company, the personal touch of being able to phone Harold, appealed to me, as did the quality of his work.

When Harold came to service my HVAC last month, he noticed that a brick wall in my basement was damp. Later that week, He had someone come for the better part of day, sealing off the moisture from the outside.

Life feels so much less complicated now that all I have to do is keep one number on my speed dial for whenever I need help with things like a leaking roof or a running toilet (which, by the way, should always be repaired immediately or your water bill can skyrocket).

SEE SOME OF MY RELATED ARTICLES:

RENOVATION BASICS, WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW IF YOU REMODEL

ARE YOU PREPARED IF A TREE FALLS ON YOUR HOUSE?

COMPOSTING, IT'S EASIER THAN YOU THINK

8 SIMPLE WAYS TO BRIGHTEN YOUR FALL GARDEN

Have you ever used a home warranty service? If so I'd love to hear about your experience in the comments below.