Are home warranties worth it? – KIRO 7 News Seattle

Nathaniel White watched people wait for weeks to get their air conditioners fixed this hot summer and thought it was him

making a smart move to get your wall heating fixed months before fall.

“There’s electricity running, but the heater itself burned out,” White said.

The problem is, the parkland resident said he was getting the cold from his home warranty company.

“Since I pay them $ 64 a month, I expect they will have someone to come out and take care of their commitment,” he said.

White has been waiting for a repair or replacement for weeks, blaming his home warranty company American Home Shield for it.

Home warranties can run from a few hundred to nearly $ 2,000 per year. You can cover the repair or replacement of your large equipment. But are they worth it?

“For most homeowners who buy them, they’re almost always a terrible deal,” Kevin Brasler said of the nonprofit Consumers’ Checkbook.

Brasler studied many of these plans. His biggest problem with all warranty companies is that they – the consumer – can choose the contractor.

“I called the top 20 heating and air conditioning systems and asked if they are, do you work with these companies? They unanimously said no, ”said Brasler.

Brasler warns against paying attention to exclusions and repair and replacement caps – especially for air conditioners and ovens.

“But they limit the utility to about $ 1,500,” said Brasler. “So if your stove or heat pump dies, they’ll pay for part of it

of replacement, but really not nearly enough to have complete protection from a plan. “

However, Bailey Carson of HomeAdvisor, powered by Angi, said home guarantees are a good idea when buying a home

without inspection or are first time buyers with no deep pockets.

“The vendors’ market was so big that it was relatively common to forego home inspections,” said Carson. “If you haven’t done an inspection, a guarantee can be really smart. Because you go in blind, so to speak, and do not know the state of affairs. “

White paid $ 75 just to get someone to look at the heater. The first visit went well. But the wait for a replacement was long.

But White said after waiting a few more days he got a call back – and a new heater.

American Home Shield blames supply chain issues and the weather for the delays. It was said:

“During this time, our contractor, a small business owner, announced that he was handling the overwhelming demand for air

Air conditioning repairs during the record breaking heat wave and failed to postpone installation. ”

In that blast furnace one summer, White feels great now that the heat is on.

“I feel a lot better that it was installed,” he said.

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