On 11/28/2013 5:52 AM, Ophelia wrote:
>
>
> "jmcquown" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On 11/27/2013 1:00 PM, Dave Smith wrote:
>>> On 2013-11-27 12:51 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>>>
>>>> Home warranty works like this. You pay the warranty company money. If
>>>> something breaks, they spend as little as possible to get things
>>>> working
>>>> again and keep the rest of the money. Put that $500 a year into a
>>>> saving account and you can handle just about anything needed around the
>>>> house.
>>>
>>> In Jill's case it seems that she pays the premiums and when there is a
>>> problem they do nothing.
>>
>> That's not true. When I've had plumbing problems they've been fixed
>> immediately. Where can you get a plumber to fix a leaking toilet for
>> a flat $75, parts included? He even had to make a separate trip to
>> the hardware store to get a special ring seal to fit the toilet.
>>
>> My neighbor's house (as old as mine is) has two water heaters. They
>> replaced both of them over the span of a year or so. Again, a flat
>> service charge. And no, they didn't put in used water heaters.
>>
>> The reason I have this home warranty is because of all the antiquated
>> things in this house. Like the 1987 oven/stove/microwave all-in-one
>> unit. The refrigerator. The washer & dryer. The warranty will pay to
>> replace those things when they finally break down. I asked very
>> specific questions when I purchased the warranty.
>>
>>> FWIW, last year I had a problem with the 220
>>> line to my kitchen range. I called an electrician who a friend had
>>> recommended. He was working on a a job nearby and came by when he was
>>> done there. He found the and fixed the problem, checked for other issues
>>> charged me only $60 cash. A plumber charges $95 just to show up.
>>>
>> Around here it's more like $150, and they charge by the hour. The
>> price of some issues the warranty has covered could easily have cost
>> me more than the annual premium if I didn't have it.
>>
>> A year or two ago the attic fan in my HVAC unit died. The temperature
>> was very hot and it was a *holiday* weekend. The home warranty
>> company couldn't get any of their contractors to answer the phone.
>> (It *was* a holiday weekend, after all.) They told me if I could find
>> some other company to fix it they'd reimburse me for the difference
>> between their service fee and the actual charges. And they did. So I
>> was still only out $75.
>
> Sounds like you have a good deal to me.
>
It works for me. I know a bit about how insurance works. This
*isn't* a policy where after I pay the $75 service fee if they discover
it will cost $1000 or whatever I have to pay an extra 20-30%. No.

I don't believe they're using sub-par contractors, which has been
hinted. Where I live there are lots of small or even family run service
companies. Many close for holidays. They also close around 6PM most
week nights. Like anyone else, they'd like to go home.

IMHO, it's not the warranty company's fault. The contracting company is
paid a capitated rate. (No, they don't just get $75 for doing the job.)

All that to say, I completely understand why I didn't get to talk to the
electrician until early the next morning.

At least I didn't lose any food.

Jill