Many homeowners purchase home warranty services covering their air conditioning and heating systems as well as other equipment. They perceive such warranties as a means of avoiding high unexpected expenses when such equipment breaks down. While warranty services help to contain annual expenditures on certain types of home repairs, they do not always benefit the homeowner in the long run.
Warranty services essentially maintain a home's existing equipment. If an air conditioner or heater breaks down, the warranty service will cover the cost of labor and parts required to get they system back on its feet. Generally speaking, they will continue to patch up an old system indefinitely. They do not replace old units with new ones, even when the system becomes so old and inefficient that it does not merit repair. An older unit which has been repeatedly patched up will continue to run, but inefficiently and often unreliably. Such units may use a great deal more power than would a new unit. They are also more likely to break down or to work less efficiently: not a pleasant thought during the scorching Gulf Coast summers. Consumers should bear this in mind when considering the purchase of a home warranty service. Homeowners who have already purchased a home warranty, but who believe (or are advised by a technician) that their heating or cooling system needs to be replaced are not necessarily out of luck. While they do not publicize it, many home warranty services will sometimes (if pressed by the consumer) issue a check towards the purchase of a replacement unit equivalent to the expenditure they would have made to repair the existing unit. For example, if a home warranty service is going to spend $200.00 on parts and labor to fix an air conditioning unit, it may agree to write a check for $200.00 to the homeowner who prefers to go out and purchase a new unit. If you have contracted with a home warranty service, but believe your unit actually needs to be replaced, give us a call. We'll come out and inspect your existing unit, provide a second-opinion (on whether the unit should be repaired or replaced), and give you a free estimate on a new unit
Home warranty services often dictate the type of repairs a contractor can perform on a unit. While cutting costs, this may limit the control a technician has over the quality of his work. A contractor may have to use inferior parts or take short cuts to repair the unit within the allocated cost.
Furthermore, because contractors are reimbursed at rates well below average for work performed on units under home warranty programs, they often give these jobs the lowest priority when planning their schedules. This means that homeowners with home warranty services often have to wait longer for a repairman during the hot summers months than do those customers who call and pay air conditioning technicians directly. Generally, contractors will not service these units on the weekends or after hours. Some home owners avoid long waits for service by contacting a reputable heating and cooling technician to inspect their air conditioners (in the spring) and their furnaces (in the fall) at their own expense. If the technician identifies any problems, the home owner then schedules repairs with a home warranty contractor to reduce the likelihood of the unit breaking down during the busy summer or winter months.
Finally, some home warranty contractors charge homeowners extra for procedures which should normally be covered in the payment they receive for servicing the unit. For example, a contractor may charge extra for cleaning rust from contactors. If this happens, the homeowner should contact the home warranty provider immediately.
