Home warranty recommendations?

[sage]

Hi---

I'm in the process of ordering a home warranty for the place I'm buying--it's in Texas.

Anyone have a good experience with a home warranty company? or know of anyone I should stay away from?

I have a list of few that my realtor passed on but I don't know anything about what type of customer service they provide.

Thanks in advance.
-Shannon

[PAMMELA]

We had American Home Shield purchased for the warranty on our home in North Texas last year. We used it 3 times and it is $55 per call. We were very pleased with the customer service and the work performed. We actually renewed with them for another year.

AHS (http://www.ahswarranty.com/)

[funniegrrl]

I have a warranty for my first house, which I purchased in Dec. Off the top of my head I can't remember the company name, but I can look it up at home tonight. In the contract my agent made it a requirement of the seller to purchase a one-year policy. Before I even moved in I had to call them because the furnace -- which appeared to be functioning properly and had passed the home inspection -- had a cracked heat exchanger and was a carbon monoxide hazard. Given the scary exclusionary wording of the policy, I was scared they wouldn't cover it, but they did! I got a new furnace with efficient, kind service from the co. and the HVAC company. I did have to pay a service call fee, plus some extra because they had to rework some ducts and that wasn't covered. Saved me muuuuuucho money, and I will be renewing the policy!

[aggie94]

We also had American Home Shield on our home in Texas and used them once for an issue with the stovetop/range. We never had any problems with them.

[Terri_A]

I have First American on my house. It's $50 per service call. I've used them about 3or 4 times and they've been really easy to work with.

[Beth]

We had American Home Shield on one house and Aon/Cendant on the other. The Cendant is just for seller's relocation packages, as I understand it. We were the buyers on both and didn't have any choice. AHS ws probably better to deal with voerall, and they offered a renewal. We took it since we had aging water heaters and AC/heating systems. Cendant did not offer a renewal and was a PITA on at least one of the claims. I think we had a couple before that they handles pretty well.

[shscharles]

Another thumbs up here for AHS. It came with the house in 1999 and I've kept it up ever since. We've saved a ton of money by keeping the policy. Last year a toilet had a problem the technician couldn't get parts for and they replaced it. It would have been $800.00 for the replacement, labor and hauling off charges, but it was only $55.00.

The policy costs abut $400 per year and it's paid for itself over and over again. The customer service is really good...they always respond within 4 hours.

[PAMMELA]

The policy costs abut $400 per year and it's paid for itself over and over again. The customer service is really good...they always respond within 4 hours.

I just paid $600 to renew. But that includes the pool, spa, etc. I still think it's reasonable and worth it. I still need to call regarding our pool and spa lights (there is some kind of short where you can't have them both on at the same time)....but I'm sure i'll be happy to be getting that fixed for $55.

[Melman]

I had AHS for years and hated them. In this particular area, I felt like they went out of their way to look for the repair companies that gave the worst customer service, had questionable repair skills, and were never on time. I ended up sending a letter to their president one time because of the incredibly poor service I'd been receiving. I did get a quick response that time!

When I finally had another option, I grabbed it. I'm fortunate enough to live in an area where I'm part of an electric cooperative that provides an option for appliance warranty. I pay <$30 a month, and the service calls are only $10 each. Anyone who has ever been to my house for a service call has been extremely professional and timely, and has provided an overall pleasant experience.