Choice Home Warranty

July 7, 2023

Subject: Formal Complaint regarding Unfair Denial of Claims

I am writing to express my profound disappointment and frustration with the services provided by Choice Home Warranty. I consider Choice Home Warranty to be a scammer, as my experience with the company has been nothing short of dishonest and despicable.

My recent complaint is regarding Choice Home Warranty’s refusal to honor my legitimate claim for the repair of my HVAC system, which is in direct violation of the coverage outlined in Section A2 of the policy. I am deeply dissatisfied with the way my claim has been handled and the lack of transparency and fairness displayed by Choice Home Warranty.

On June 25, 2023, I filed a claim with Choice Home Warranty for the repair of my HVAC system, which had become inoperative due to normal wear and tear. The Blower Wheel had deteriorated and cracked, a common occurrence for an AC unit that is 13 years old. However, despite the clear coverage provided in Section A2 of the policy, CHW relied solely on their own technician's report and disregarded the report submitted by Mr. Naveed from BACServices.

According to the report from Mr. Naveed, he clearly stated that the HVAC failure was a result of normal wear and tear, aligning perfectly with the coverage specified in Section A2 “Become inoperative due to normal wear and tear”. I repeatedly requested access to the technician's report, but they failed to provide this crucial document, impeding my ability to present a comprehensive case for the validity of my claim.

Furthermore, my attempts to communicate with CHW company regarding this matter have been met with frustration and disappointment. I have sent several messages and made numerous phone calls, providing necessary support and seeking reconsideration of the unlawful decision, but to no avail. It is evident that they are not considering honoring my request for HVAC repairs or providing the Technician's report as requested.

This pattern of behavior raises serious concerns about the integrity and reliability of Choice Home Warranty as a service provider. I find it deeply troubling that I have paid for home warranty coverage for a three year contract, only to have most of my claims denied unjustifiably. This level of dishonesty and disregard for customer satisfaction is completely unacceptable.

Over the course of three years, I faithfully paid for home warranty coverage with the expectation that my claims would be honored according to the terms and conditions outlined in the policy. However, to my dismay, the majority of my claims have been denied unjustifiably.

This pattern of denying legitimate claims has left me feeling deceived and taken advantage of. I trusted Choice Home Warranty to provide the coverage and support promised, only to be met with repeated denials and a complete lack of transparency.

It is utterly unacceptable that a company would take advantage of customers who rely on their services for essential repairs and maintenance. I trusted in the integrity of Choice Home Warranty, only to be let down at every turn.

I strongly urge you to reevaluate your business practices and consider the detrimental impact they have on customers like myself. It is essential that you prioritize fairness, honesty, and customer satisfaction. Failing to do so undermines the trust and confidence of your policyholders and reflects poorly on your company's reputation.

I demand immediate resolution to the outstanding claims and a thorough review of your claims evaluation process. It is imperative that you rectify this situation and honor your contractual obligations. I expect a prompt response addressing my concerns and providing a satisfactory resolution to this matter.

Should my concerns not be adequately addressed, I will have no choice but to escalate this issue further through legal means and make my negative experience widely known to protect other consumers from falling victim to your deceptive practices.

I hope that you take this complaint seriously and act swiftly to address the grievances I have outlined. I look forward to receiving a timely response from your company.

On our oast service call in Oct or Nov the choice technician did not perform. He misdiagnosed why our KitchenAid refrigerator lights were out and said he wasn't skilled enough to make the repair anyway. Choice told us to find somebody on our own. And pay a second trip charge. And submit a diagnosis before the repair was made there by incurring a third trip charge. We went through their resolution process and ultimately we were paid. But it was rigorous and irritating and they can't do the job. So we canceled. Our premium is paid through april. They keep telling the Better Business Bureau of New Jersey that they don't owe us any money because of their terms. You don't see those terms and the mouse print until after you buy the policy that it's too late to reject them. An ethical company would simply refund the unused premium and be done with it. They keep telling the BBB the matter is closed. No it isn't.

Choice Home Warranty is the worst company to do business with on any claim. Every claim is denied no matter what the problem. My dryer outlet and cord burnt out and they said that there were probably rodents under my house that caused the problem and would not cover it. It cost me over $700.

I had a plumbing leak under the house of a pipe that had broken through normal wear and tear and they denied the claim. Another $150 out of my pocket. I recently filed a claim for a faucet leaking from the wall to the laundry sink. Choice Home Warranty it was denied because it probably was not normal wear and tear. That cost me $950. I am through with this company. I filed a review of the last problem. They sent me an email with a name and number of a Claim Representative. I have tried numerous times to reach this individual both by phone and email. I have received no response.

I am tired of paying a $60 service fee plus the cost of the repair for things that are supposed to be covered by Choice Home Warranty.

We switched from AHS to Choice Home Warranty because of continuing problems with AHS and they offered immediate coverage since we were a current AHS customer. We called about a problem with a unit that we started to have trouble with. We where then denied the claim due to lack of maintenance. A unit which was 17 years old and had been worked on previously, but never told of the problem they listed. The part was the coil, so we asked how someone would maintain it. They could not give an answer just that it was preexisting and would not cover it. I'm sure after 17 years parts deteriorate, but since we where not told my the previous company that it was a problem, not sure how we could have known. Besides, isn't that what a home warranty is for, to fix things that are old and wearing out?
This was "reviewed" by a "complaint specialists" after more that a weeks wait. Without any conversation to speech of he basically said, NOT COVERED. We then canceled and of course, were charged a cancellation fee so they could add one more insult and take more of our money even though no mention of a cancellation fee was mentioned when we signed up.
This is a classic case of bait and switch as well as just BS. It is obvious, that this company did this primarily because we were a new customer and don;t want to pay.
We will now go back to the other warranty serve we had. They were more expensive, but at least they fixed the items they said they would, including older appliances and HVAC equipment.
Bottom line, maintenance or not, 17 year old is going to wear out and need to be replaced, so the question is, would they have fixed it if we had been a long term customer? BTW - Yes, it had be maintained as stated previously.

On August 14th I put in a claim for hot water heater. It took them over 30 days to respond with a tech. In the mean time the hot water heater leaked and flooded my basement. They refused to replace the furnance. That ended up costing me $3400 to replace. They said they wouldnt replace because of flooding. Had they got a tech to me faster that could have been avoided.
They took so long getting the paper work to the tech. I went ahead and paid for it .. I was out of water for 30 days.. Now they wont pay the tech and he wont refund me my money til He get his money from them. It has now been over 3 months.

CHW Logo

Tuesday September 15th, 2020

Claim 97110399

904 Scott St

Muscatine IA 52761

Dear Peggy Iverson,

This letter is in reference to your Heating System claim. We have carefully reviewed the details of the claim and a coverage determination has been reached.

During the coverage period, our sole responsibility will be to arrange for a qualified service contractor to repair or replace, at our expense, the systems and components mentioned as "Included" in accordance with the terms and conditions of your contract so long as such systems and components:

Are located inside the confines of the main foundation of the home or attached or detached garage (with the exception of the exterior pool/spa, well pump, septic tank pumping and air conditioner);and
Become inoperative due to normal wear and tear; and
Are in place and in proper working order on the effective date of this home warranty contract. This contract does not cover any known or unknown pre-existing conditions. Coverage is for occupied, owned or rented residential property.

Your claim was submitted on 09/10/20 and was assigned to Tappendorf Plumbing on 09/14/20. After the appointment date on 09/14/20 the technician submitted details pertaining to your system failure.

It has been determined that the furnace is failing due to water damage.

Please refer to your terms and conditions section F number 8; we are not liable for conditions caused by fire, freezing, electrical failure or surge, water damage, lightening, mud, earthquake, soil movement, soil settlement, settling of home, storms, accidents, pest damage, acts of god.

Appeal Rights

You may request a review of this claim in writing by visiting https://www.choicehomewarranty.com/cads/claimreview.php?ccid=pqMKKfNxrE-Atng6vaQIy6EjJjlQPA8ZR6i9eF6g1g0. The request for review must be sent within 7 days of receipt of this letter and state the reasons why you feel your claim should have been approved.

Nothing contained in this letter should be construed as a waiver of any rights or defenses under the policy. This determination has been made in good faith and without prejudice under the terms and conditions of the contract, whether or not specifically mentioned herein.

Thank you for choosing Choice Home Warranty to be part of protecting your home from unexpected covered repairs.

Sincerely,

Team CHW

* Click Here to view complete limits of liability and any exclusions. CHW offers service contracts which are not warranties.

© 2018 Choice Home Warranty | 1090 King George's Post Road | Edison, NJ 08837

Reply, Reply All or Forward

I purchased a policy with C H W
My premium was 40.00 per month.
On 28 August 2020, I had my hot water heater go bad, and subsequently, it did close t0 10 K all tolled.

I called CHW for 8 days, yes eight days, and each time they were supposed to dispatch some one to my home and assess the situation.
I had to stay in a hotel for 8 days! Eight days!
Each time I called them, they would lie to me about how I am a "priority" and they would have someone dispatched immediately.
They did absolutley nothing for eight days! Eight days. I called them at least 3 times a day inquiring about a technician, and they gave me the same song and dance, and again, multiple times flat out lied to me each time.
On the 8th day, I decided to call a contractor myself, and the matter was resolved that evening.
My complaint is that these folks have celebrities like george 4man and a few other shills that come on tv and "endorse" these crooks.

I am beyond livid that they hung me out to dry for eight days, offered no help, and continued to lie to me.

I would at least try ti get my premiums back.
I'd really like to see them all go tojail!

I opened a policy at the beginning of august, and had already made 2 monthly premium payments. Then, after I turned my heat on for the first time of the season, something happened with my oil burner and water is leaking everywhere now. So I thought good thing I got that home warranty and opened a claim. The claim was denied because my system was aging. That is exactly what they tout on their website... Aging systems don't worry we got you covered! Ha!

We've had Choice Warranty 2 years now and we filed a claim because the air conditioner in our rental property was not cooling. They sent someone out 2 days later. The technician stated that a new condenser was needed. Choice rejected the claim at this point stating that condenser went out for lack of maintenance and not because of normal wear and tear. I am disputing this because ac was serviced 3 months ago. I was assigned a case manager and told that I only have to deal with this person. I have called at least 25 times and sent 1 email on Friday, I have yet to hear from this person or any person. I have called everyday since Friday and I keep getting the run around, i'm told that my case has been escalated, I've been told numerous times that a supervisor will call me asap, etc. etc. It literally can be a 100 degrees in southern Louisiana in September and I've had to house the tenants in a hotel because I cannot expect them to live without an air conditioner and now I've had to purchase a new condensor, which cost me close to $3000, which I'm sure is the reason they have not called back in anticipation that I would be forced to do this and they could later state that I didn't follow the guidelines. Choice Warranty is horrible, I will not be renewing this contract and would not recommend them to anyone. By the way, this is day 6 and I still have not heard back.
DO NOT even consider dealing or getting a warranty with this company, you will regret it as have I.

I have been tying to dispute a claim for 3 weeks. Case manager Ortez or anybody from chw does not return emails or phone calls. They hang up on me (both Rudy and Alfonso, customer service reps) and will not disclose corporate phone number. They sent a repair man to look at my dishwasher in august 2020. Chw elected to replace the dw instead of repairing. They offered $179.00 to replace a mid to upper quality dishwasher. You can barely buy a quality blender for that much. Since I disputed the amount chw has not communicated or returned any correspondents.

Jeff A
[protected]@yahoo.com

I have a choice warranty that is active. On saturday august 29th I called to have my refrigerator service. The refrigerator is saying that the freezing temperature is too high but the refrigerator is not cold at all and all of my food has now spoiled. I was told by the claims department that in 24 hours a technician will contact me to come out and service my refrigerator. I have not heard from anyone, I called on tuesday september 1st and the claims department apologized for the delay and stated they will prioritize my claim and someone will call me right away for service. I have not heard anything from anyone, again for the 2nd time. This is the worst warranty place that I have experience. I want my refrigerator repaired immediately and I want a refund for all my food that was lost due to choice warranty not upholding the warranty that I have with them. I also contact them in a email in regards to this matter on tuesday sept 1st. Still no response from anyone. I want a full refund of my renewal that I paid for an extra 14 months. My current warranty with choice is still active until september 26, 2020. My policy number is [protected] and the claim# [protected]. I will be calling again today september 2, 2020 in regards to getting service for my refrigerator. If I do not get a response I will obtain an attorney.

Most recent claim #[protected]- July 17, 2020

Let me start off by saying this company does live up to their promises. I have experienced problems with my HVAC system on two occasions, dispatching of unqualified technicians.

I have had intense and in-depth conversations with numerous representatives. It is frustrating when you have to constantly repeat the same information related to the service problem that has already been relayed to the previous representative.

My most recent communication was very frustrating and disappointing….there was absolutely no record of the previous offer of refund, which was an agreed upon solution that was made back in July. I was made to feel like I was not telling the truth about what was promised! Are customer service telephone calls not monitored by supervisors?

Now more than a month later, still no resolution.

To say this is a scam is putting it lightly. I had 2 small services calls and it was great, this is where I suspect the multiple positive reviews are coming from. I had a leak with my AC, the lady on the phone said, we can't send someone out for a leak, but you mentioned a noise, so we can say that.. The guy comes out and cleans the drain and charges me $150 for the cleaning and $75 for the service call. Which sucked, why am I paying for the service fee to choice if I need to pay for service. He then tells me, if I give him 250 more dollars he will fix this other problem he thinks he sees something else. I told him to get out. Well, low and behold within an hour of turning my system on it now sounds like the entire thing is destroyed. I had to get new tech company and pay another 75 for them to tell me things are all messed up.. Which they weren't prior to the first technician. Long story short after going round and round and round with Choice, they are telling me despite this being their licensed and vetted contractor, I need to call the original contractor them and take the entire issue up with them and have them come back out. Exactly why am I paying Choice. This is a scam to the highest degree. Both the contractors they use are crooked as well as they are. If I am paying them for a service, they are responsible for the contractors they send.

They constantly delay and delay. You can never get to talk to anyone that has any answers. They don't even have ways within their company to make direct contacts to get you and answer on what the status of claim is.

I have had a claim in on my washing machine since May 25, today August 4 still trying to get it fixed. The first contractor kept no showing appointment, finally came out and ordered parts. Then kept no showing the appointments to install parts. Finally told choice to get someone else. That took over a week then the next guy was't even aware of what he was out for, didn't have tools or authority to do work. Choice cancelled him and then sent me email to get my own technician. When he arrived he made diagnosis and sent in required information to fix. He never got it. Over a week later, choice said issue is with the approval department and I should hear back within 24 hours. They have told me that almost everyday I call for past week. Still waiting for this to get approved.

I will never go with this company and would't recommend it to anyone. I'm also filing a complaint with my state consumer affairs agency.

Paid $850+ for a home warranty and the first problem I have after filing my claim was to email me daily a lie, a duplicate email daily saying nobody in my area can services my claim. I called the local people who are open and they said they have never received a call.
They are to schedule and pay for all repairs that are covered under the contract. They are asking me to pay for it and reimburse me. They are lying and not honoring their contract. Claiming due to covid all business's are closed. No business's are closed in my area expect bars.
Policy #: 46059XXXX
Claim #: 89946XXX
ISSUE REPORTED: Pool Salt Water

We are diligently working on assigning your claim to the best available technician in your area. At this time, technicians have not responded with a reasonable timeframe to schedule your appointment. We are continuing to work on finding you a reasonable appointment.

In order to avoid further delay, we offer a reimbursement option. Upon selecting the reimbursement option CHW will stop working on finding you an appointment and you will be required to find your own technician to service your claim.

The CHW Reimbursement Process is Simple:
1. Click the Start Reimbursement Process button below
2. You hire your own technician
3. Your technician submits the diagnosis at www.chwclaims.com
4. CHW reimburses you for covered repairs in 30 days or less

The link to file a claim says different than above.
Upon selecting the reimbursement option CHW will stop working on finding you an appointment and you will be required to find your own technician to service your claim. Upon diagnosis, the technician must submit the information online at chwclaims.com. The cost of all covered claims are reimbursed to you within 30 days.

I signed up for their warranty plan and paid $2, 030 for 6 years of coverage on tuesday and after reading the reviews cancelled the plan on following monday. They guarantee me a full refund however when I requested it they said it will take 15 to 30 days to send the refund.

This is not a reliable company as there is no reason for them to hold my money for 30 days. When I talked to resolution manager he said there is nothing he could do other than for me to wait. This is absolutely ridiculous!

Back in October I reached out to Choice to send a technician due to my air conditioning improperly working. They sent out a technician three times who replaced the modem yet my house as still not cooling. I asked them to send another technician since this technician had been out three times and still did not fix the problem. They said I would have to pay another $60 service fee. I agreed to have the same technician come to my house as I did not think I should have to pay another service fee. He came out and said my unit needing replacing. Choice denied the claim due to corrosion. I ended up paying $8, 000 for a new unit and had a reputable HVAC company install that. They also told me that the last technician installed the modem incorrectly causing it to eat through wires so Choice technican not only did not fi my issue but cause a bigger issue as before he came I was getting a little cool air and once he installed the modem wrong I had not cool air.
I am now needing my duct work repaired as it was determined by another technician Choice sent out that my supply plenum is not properly sealed and must be replaced. They denied this claim stating we are not responsible for repairs related to inadequacy, lack of capacity, improper installation, mismatched systems, oversized systems, undersized systems, previous repair or design, manufacturers defect, and any modification to the system or appliance.
I do not see how my supply plenum not working properly falls with the conditions they sent me. Since they did not pay for my new HVAC unit they should be able to at least pay for a new supply plenum.

Yesterday, June 19, 2020 my credit card was billed for the next 30 days. When I opened the account, I was told that in 30 days I would receive my second billing after opening the account. To that end, me being billed indicated that 30 days had lapsed. After paying my credit card bill, I called Choice Warranty and spoke to a representative by the name of Queenie/Gweenie (it was difficult to understand her) to inquire about making a claim for someone to check my air conditioning system since indeed 30 days had to have passed since I was billed. She takes information including all contact information, and then tells me no will come out because it is preexisting since 30 days would be today (June 20--in less than 24 hours). I then asked why I was billed if 30 days had not lapsed. She told me to read my contract I replied that the same 30 days that dictated the payment due should be the same 30 days that I could request service and that it was an unfair and unlawful practice and that I wanted to speak to a manager. She informed me that I could not speak to a manager because she was working remotely. I explained that there had to be a supervisor even if my information if my forwarded. She repeated to me that she could not forward my information to a manager and to read my contract. I again asked why I was charged if 30 days had not passed and when I opened the account, I was told I would be charged again in 30 days, and again that the same 30 days was for both the consumer and the company. She then said, " I don't know so you want to ask about billing." I replied yes and that I wanted to just cancel my account since I was experiencing unethical practices with them. She then disconnected me--hung up, and I attempted to call back a number of times yesterday, but I continued to be put on hold by recording and twice I opted for the automated option to receive a call back, as opposed to continuing to hold. I did not receive a callback yesterday. At this point, I would like my money refunded.

I have called about a problem and am getting no HELP. No one has helped with my problem& no one calls back. This is going on for 3rd day, dirty clothes are piling up. contract # [protected]

Open claim for waste line block and septic pump out claims, one for plumbing service, 2nd for septic pump out > Septic tank full to ground level Rep ignored plumber request, took 9 days to confirm septic claim. Messed up septic service, arbitrarily cancelled service. additional 11 days with no toilet or shower in wife's bathroom. Limited and slow in all other facilities. Ten calls for hesitance, still no resolution from Choice Home Warranty. Promised phone call from managers no calls, system will hang up on me, no answer from corporate number 16 rings than disconnects. This is the worst Home Warranty co in America.

I filed a claim because my hot water heater was leaking. The assigned technician came out and determined the hot water heater need replacing, as well the the wiring components needed to be brought up to specs.
Choice Warranty sent a not explaining that the replacement was not covered, rather, only components inside the tank, therefore, I would have to pay $955.

Of course, I disputed the charge and was immediately assigned a Case Manager, via a form letter. After not hearing from my Case Manager in two days, I called and emailed him constantly. Phone calls went to voice mail, emails, unanswered.

After four days of constant calling and emailing, I was finally able to reach him. Of course, he stated he could not authorize additional funds. I said ok, I need hot water, so please send the repairman. I asked for his corporate office phone number and he became unresponsive, then indignant. I thought I was on the way to hot water. Four days later, no contact from my technician. Called the Case Manager back, who apparently assumed I was calling Home Office on him, therefore, did nothing to further my case. Called and sent another email. Then the unthinkable happened. When I got him on the phone, he pretended he couldn't hear me. I called six or seven times, same result. He finally answered and put me on 'hold' for 45 minutes, them hung up.

I finally went into my claim file online and asked for delivery and installation of a hot water heater. After three weeks, my hot water was installed by a very professional and component technician.

Unacceptable!

We've done 4 jobs for them. They claim to pay for a diagnosis and for repair. Everything has to be done through their website. Their website is set up to rip off the repair services in as many ways as they can think of.in the first case, we billed for the diagnosis, then the bill for the parts and repair were rejected, even with their "authorization number" because an invoice had already been ssubmitted for that claim. When I tried earlier to bill for the diagnosis and repair, it was rejected because it was "over the authorized limit." on the second service call, they kept rejecting the repair cost submitted with the diagnosis. After several days, and having to resubmit the same repair cost because of their delays, they finally accepted it but tried to get me to reduce the price over the phone. Now I know to bill for the repair cost, but we are cheated out of the diagnosis cost.in each case the homeowner received poorer quality appliances that what was replaced!

Sorry to say, the poor homeowners will have a lein placed on their home because these creeps don't pay for work they authorize. Stay away! Far far away!

We purchased home warranty on 02/09/20 and paid for full year. We requested a repair on our garbage disposal on 05/04/20, repairman came on 05/07 but could not complete repair; came back on 05/08/20 and replaced our garbage disposal. Now Home Warranty refuses to pay the repairman for the garbage disposal because they say we made a claim for a leak under our sink on 02/06/20 - which was denied - therefore, this is a pre-existing condition. We couldn't make a claim on 02/06/20 because we did not get a contract with them until 02/09/20. Called business office and were basically told too bad. They way we did make a claim on 02/06/20 and they can prove it - therefore, the repairman will not get paid for the garbage disposal. These people (and I mean clear up to the main office) are liars, and I wish we had known how dishonest they are before we purchased a whole year worth of useless home warranty on appliances, which they will probably refuse anyway. We will not use them in the future, and would not recommend them to anyone, unless they want to get ripped off.