WTA Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 Anybody had any experience with these? I got one with my original mortgage last year and it's time to renew. Some things I've read/heard say they're a crock, other things say they can be invaluable.Main reason I think I need one is because my AC unit is about 13-14 years old and could go out at any time. The representative from the home warranty company is adamant that if it goes out they will replace it for free or replace the coils if needed, etc. Now, I had a tech come out and service it a few months ago and he told me that he deals with these companies alot and that they don't pay for the replacement of the unit if it goes out. Talked to another rep today and she once again said that the tech didn't know what he was talking about and if my unit goes out it would be replaced at no cost.So has anyone had any experience with one of these? It's like $450 for another year but if they won't replace my AC unit there's really no need for me to get one. If they will do what they say they will then it's worth it to me. I'm just a little leery.Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostone Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 (edited) They will sweat you out or freeze you to death. Your furnace will either break in the dead of winter or in the heat wave of summer. If you are single you may make it, but if you are married yeah it's going to be horrible. Oh and when your hot water heater goes out (mine did) they replaced it... Then the guy comes out and says you are not up to code... 800+ dollars later... I do not recommend them. Edited September 16, 2014 by lostone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTA Posted September 16, 2014 Author Share Posted September 16, 2014 Yeah she mentioned the thing about being up to code and that I could hafta come out of pocket if that's the case in order to get up to code... Said it would be a max of $250 though. But then could be another $250 if I gotta pay to have the old unit disposed of... And maybe one more thing that she said I could possibly have to pay for. But even then say a total of $1250 when you factor in the price of the warranty plus the out of pocket stuff would still be better than having to drop 10k on a new unit...I'm just leery that they won't end up paying for the new one for some reason... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capologist Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 Home warranties are bad deals. You could save the premium yourself and in the long run, win out with a lot less hassle... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flip Wilson Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 Warranties in general are a gamble. Recently I have had 2 car warranties that really paid off....first couple of times in my life though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrews_31 Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 Not worth the paper they are writtien on! Long ago, I knew this woman that purchased an older home. The home had a "Heat Pack" on the first level and a conventional HVAC furnance/compressor combo for the second level. The home warranty was included in the sale. The Heat Pack konked out first. The deductable alone was nasty, but she had the unit "fixed." The furnance went out next upstairs. Instead of fixing the unit, the warranty people had the tech braze (fill in) the hole in unit. Again, the deductible was nasty, but she had it "fixed." Both of them worked for about a month and a half afterwards, and quit completely. She thought she was covered, but the warranty company said no because she had reached her limit! Bottom line, the warranty company approves the fixes (and in her case, the were all half azzed patches!), you pay the deductible, and you're left with a false sense of security! She ended up replacing both of those old POS units with brand new (that she paid for). She would have been better putting the deductibles she paid (steep) on the new units! I would print the name of the company, but I will not (they were invovled in a lawsuit later on). Again, I don't think they are worth it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrews_31 Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 ^^^ written........Sorry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTA Posted September 16, 2014 Author Share Posted September 16, 2014 ^This is my biggest concern. I'm not worried about wasting money if it's not used, to me the "insurance" part of it is worth it in my situation...The thing that I'm most worried about is them not paying for a new unit for whatever reason if mine does indeed go out. I think I'm just gonna move on without one and hope my unit lasts a few more years. I'll probably sell the house in the next couple years anyway. I know it's an older HVAC unit but I've heard of them lasting 20-25 years in come cases, and since I'm single and work during the day mine really only runs for about 3-6 hours each day.Just gonna hope I can squeeze a few more years out of it I suppose. Thanks for the help fellas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconsd56 Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 I know I am late but my experience with home warranty is pretty good......... my home is older ( 1967) and my AC when I purchased it was installed in 1985 ( I got the house in 2009) It took about 5 attempts for them to fix it but the warranty paid for a brand new unit that would have cost well 10k if I did it myself.For for 1000 in terms of cost of warranty and excessive trips I still got a new ac unit that will freeze you out.And in NW florida you need that.So its been positive for me overall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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