What is Choice Home Warranty?
Choice Home Warranty is a trusted home protection company that provides coverage for essential household systems and appliances. Its main goal is to protect homeowners from unexpected repair or replacement costs caused by normal wear and tear. Instead of paying high repair bills, customers can rely on the Choice Home Warranty Plan to handle covered breakdowns quickly and affordably.
What we like about Choice Home Warranty
The company will pay up to $3,000 for each covered item, which is more than some of its rivals will pay. Choice Home Warranty also has consistent pricing, so you’ll pay the same as other homeowners for the same coverage regardless of your location. We also like that Choice is available just about everywhere (every state except Washington).
What we wish was better about Choice Home Warranty
Choice only offers a 30-day repair guarantee, which is lower than some of its competitors’ guarantees. Additionally, its cheaper plan doesn’t cover air conditioning repairs, and both plans are for comprehensive coverage — so you can’t cover only appliances or only systems. Choice also has mixed customer satisfaction scores on consumer review websites.
Choice Home Warranty’s plans
Choice Home Warranty has two plans:
- Basic Plan: Covers heating, electrical, plumbing, water heaters and most kitchen appliances, including ovens, ranges, stoves, cooktops, dishwashers, built-in microwaves and garbage disposals. It also covers garage door openers and ceiling and exhaust fans.
- Total Plan: Includes items in the Basic Plan, plus air conditioning, refrigerators and washer and dryer sets.
What does Choice Home Warranty cover?
As can be seen below, the Choice Home Warranty covers a wide range of items. I never thought I’d need this level of services given my home is in great shape, built in 2014, and without any visible issues in and outside of the house. The appliances were also taken great care of by the previous owner. But let me tell you – things do break in the most unexpected and inconvenient moments. Experienced homeowners will know this, but novices should be aware of the unavoidable consequences (things do break) and the real reason why a home warranty is a necessity when owning a home.
Choice Home Warranty price
Choice Home Warranty plans start at $51.66 per month. Our research shows that the company offers consistent pricing in most areas.
You can get a good idea of how much a plan will cost by requesting a quote through Choice’s website. The company requires customers to provide their addresses and contact information to get price quotes.
To compare Choice Home Warranty’s pricing, we requested quotes for both plans in three cities that represent different costs of living.
Like other home warranty companies, Choice Home Warranty charges a service fee, so you’ll pay $100 when a technician visits your home, even if the company denies your claim. Plans come with a repair guarantee, so you won’t have to pay a second service fee if a covered repair fails within 30 days of an approved repair. However, even though a 30-day guarantee is the standard with home warranty companies, several competitors offer longer guarantees.
How Does it Work?
If I have a problem with something that I believe it covered then I call their 24-hr claim line or submit my claim online. They give a response within 48-hrs to determine if the claim is for a covered item. Sometimes they need a little more info to determine if the claim is covered from you so be ready with specifics if you can.
They will find a service provider, you don’t get to pick unless they can’t find anyone for that specific service in your area, and send them over. You pay the repairman the service fee ($75 in my case) and they take care of the rest of the billing with Choice Home Warranty.
I’ve put in 3 claims so far and here’s how they have gone so far:
- Well Pump Broke – I bought add-on coverage for a well pump because our irrigation runs on a well. That was a mistake because the coverage for wells only applies if your well feeds your drinking water. That was a big bust so I had to pay for that out of pocket. My mistake for not reading the fine print. -1 for the warranty.
- Refrigerator Leak – My refrigerator wasn’t cooling properly, would get really hot and then start leaking. It’s a 10-year old SubZero that came with the house when we bought it so I did not want to buy a new one! It took about 1 week instead of 48 hrs to find a repairman who knows how to work on SubZeros. Apparently there are fewer of them. He kind of fixed it, but not really, so we called again and they sent out a different guy who actually fixed the problem and now we’re back to working. Score 1 for the warranty.
- Attic Fan Broken – One of our attic fans stopped working so we called and we were provided with a repairman within 24-hrs. The repairman was not responsive and missed their appointment multiple times. I ended up repairing the attic fan myself because I thought it would make good content for the blog. I’m sure if I followed up more aggressively I would have gotten a new guy to come fix it though. No score for this one.
Customer reviews and experiences
We considered customer reviews from three review websites to get a wider perspective of customer experiences. We’ve highlighted the types of experiences that we’ve found to be most common, keeping in mind that online reviews tend to lean toward negative experiences.
What customers like about Choice Home Warranty
Some customers say the technicians are professional and repair items quickly. Positive reviews also highlight Choice Home Warranty’s fast scheduling, with technicians available to make repairs within a few days of customers filing claims. Customers have also highlighted Choice’s easy claim submission process.
What customers don’t like about Choice Home Warranty
Many negative customer reviews say that the company and technicians are slow to resolve issues or make appointments; some customers also mention interactions with unfriendly technicians. Unhappy customers also report that Choice inaccurately denies claims that should be covered. Several reviews mention customers having to find their own technicians to perform work as well. Some reviewers also say customer service is unhelpful and they struggle to get in touch with anyone to help them.
What to know before buying a home warranty
Reading the coverage and exclusions information in your contract is one of the most impactful things you can do to avoid costly misunderstandings in the future. You have a right to read your contract before purchasing a plan, and it’s important to understand that home warranties:
- Always have exclusions to coverage – no matter what their sales pitches say. Read your contract carefully before purchasing a plan — especially anything listed as an exclusion or limit of liability. For example, a company might cover air conditioning systems but exclude certain parts or components, such as coils. Other companies cover plumbing repairs but won’t pay to clear all plumbing stoppages or repair certain types of leaks.
- Are not a type of insurance – Even though some companies call their service fees deductibles, home warranties do not work the same way as insurance policies. They differ in what they cover and how they pay for repairs or replacements. A home warranty is not a supplement for homeowners insurance.
- Limit how much they pay – If the cost of a repair or replacement goes beyond a limit stated in your contract, you’ll have to pay the difference. For example, if the bill for a repair is $2,000 and the limit is $1,500, you’re required to cover $500. This is in addition to your monthly premium and service fee.
- Can deny your claim for several reasons – Examples include if you had work performed on a covered item without approval or you modified the system or appliance.
- May not pay enough to cover the full cost of replacing a covered item – Home warranties often depreciate the value of items as they age, so you’ll likely have to pay at least some money to replace an item, even if it’s covered by the contract.
FAQ
Q 1. How much does the Choice Home Warranty cost?
The Total Plan costs $55 per month, and the Basic Plan costs $46.67 per month, according to the quotes gathered by SafeWise. You can also add on to your plan, a la carte style for additional fees.
Q 2. What are preexisting conditions?
A preexisting condition is any problem or defect an appliance has before home warranty coverage begins. Most home warranty companies will not cover any problems that existed before you signed your contract. Home warranty companies often deny a claim if they see signs of a preexisting condition, such as rust.
Q 3. Is air conditioning covered by Choice Home Warranty?
Air conditioning is only offered under the Total Plan, but it does not include window units.
Q 4. How long does it take for an item to get fixed after I submit a claim?
Choice Home Warranty’s user agreement states, “We will begin contacting Service Provider(s) within 4 hours. You will receive the name, phone number, and appointment date and time upon acceptance of the request by a Service Provider. In some circumstances, it could take more than 48 hours for a Service Provider to accept the request.” After that, it seems the time it takes to fix your item mostly depends on the service provider. The company doesn’t seem to offer more of a timeline than that.
Q 5.What’s the difference between homeowners insurance and a home warranty?
While homeowners insurance covers accidental damages to your home like fire or flooding, a home warranty only covers home system and appliance breakdowns or repairs that result from wear and tear.
Conclusion: Is Choice Home Warranty Good?
Owning a home is a huge responsibility and it inevitably comes with many risks. Broken systems occur more often than we’d like even for new homes and appliances. My experience was quite positive in the first few years but Choice Home Warranty slowed down in their response time and willingness to accommodate repairs. While some of my friends and family members are still customers of Choice Home Warranty, we aren’t thinking about renewing once our contract runs out. In the future, we’ll be exploring more premium home warranty companies – or simply paying out of pocket for repairs as they come up through our trusted network of contractors.
