Most likely when you purchased your Amarillo home, you received a home warranty that was bought by the seller to cover the home for one year. Maybe you have even renewed the policy since then. I receive calls almost every day from clients who have a home warranty and need help getting repairs done. I have two main issues with a home warranty. I am not saying they are a bad investment, but I do want my clients to be informed consumers.
What To Be Aware Of
Most home warranties contract with local companies to perform their service.
- The homeowner has no say in which company is used and no assurances that the service technician has passed a background check or a drug screen.
- The home warranty will only cover enough repairs to get the unit working while the technician is there.
- Most deductibles are $60 per service call. If the next day something else breaks and you need to call them back out, you’ll pay another $60. Had the repairman done a full system evaluation, he would have seen that the other part is about to fail and recommended replacing it on the first service call. Partial fixes can also ultimately shorten the lifespan of the main components of your HVAC unit by adding strain on items like the compressor and motors.
In the end, what a home warranty does is take choices away from the homeowner. You cannot choose who comes to your home, or when they will be there. Some clients call us after waiting more than a week without AC – not cool in Texas! You also lose the right to decide what repair options are best for your system and your home. Although home warranties might be a good option for some of your appliances, I would do a lot of research before purchasing one for your HVAC system.
The Gary's Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. Difference
At Gary’s Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc., we tell our clients that we will work directly for them and provide them with a detailed report of everything we checked, and our recommendations, so that they can decide what is best for their home and family.