Home Warranty Reviews

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I work for the county in AZ and I decided to try a different warranty company this year (2010) and I made the mistake of basing my choice on the best yearly price rather than the quality of the company. That led me to Colonial Home Warranty in Delaware.
I purchased a new home warranty plan on 01/20/10 for $498.80 that covered all household items and my pool–it had a $50 per visit fee. On 03/10/10 my heating/cooling unit started blasting cold air instead of warm and my 10-month woke us up at 3am to let us know. I immediately filed a claim online and 2 days later a technician from a local HVAC company came out to investigate. He needed authorization from Colonial to do a freon leak detection in the house and outside, but since Colonial closes at 3pm EST on Fridays that request had to wait until Monday morning. Three more days without heat with an infant in the house. Monday morning the local tech called to let me know that “leak detection” was not covered by Colonial and that I needed the come out of pocket $200 for them to determine the source. They found the source at the base of my condenser unit outside and reported that the whole unit needed to be replaced because the aluminum coil where the leak was centralized could not be repaired. It has been since Wednesday the 10th and now it is Monday evening and Colonial Claims Dept insists that this type of claim needs to be sent to the “home office” for approval. No phone calls for 24 hours and so I call the Claims Dept at Colonial on Tuesday afternoon and speak with Brian who is sympathetic but insists that Colonial cannot cover the claim beacuse I cannot produce maintenance logs for the servicing of my HVAC unit for the last 3-5 years. I ask to speak with a manager and none returns my call for another 24 hours. Seven days with no heat as the nighttime tempatures get into the high 40′s, low 50′s in the desert. I finally call the Colonial Claims Dept again on Wednesday the 17th and Brian transfers me to Eric who tells me all the same “company line bs” that Brian told me and then offers to refund my $498.80 if I’ll just go away. I ask him to explain if my policy had a 30-day waiting period and it actually began on 2/20/10 and it’s 3/15/10 then how could this possibly not be covered?? He insists that in the fine print of the warranty contract they have the right to deny any claim for any reason, as long as they believe it is a pre-existing condition. I try and explain that my unit has been working fine for over 8 years and worked fine all summer of 2009 and winter of 09-10, so how could it be a pre-exsting condition? Not interested in my opinions or explanations and basically calls me a liar and a cheat.
I have contacted the both the DE and AZ BBB and I now have to replace the conser unit myself ($3000) before I can get a new home warranty from a reputable company. Shame on Colonial. One wonders how any of them can sleep at night.

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Colonial Home Warranty is worthless! I tried to place a claim over the weekend, instead I got a pathetic call center that didnt know what they were doing. They told me to call back on Monday. What kind of service is this?! They do NOT offer 24/7 service as they state and they are a FRAUD. Colonial is a farce and should be shutdown. I contacted the TX Attorney General’s office and they said that they have already launched and investigation on Colonial.

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I have made 2 claims with Colonial Home Warranty so far one on April 1st for a garbage disposal which was replaced the same day, and the second for an air conditioner on April 2nd which was repaired same day too. Greatly appreciated. Dr. Nasir.

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We are renters and the landlords chose Colonial Home Warranty. The upstairs airconditioning system went out on a Friday morning, June 11, 2010. My husband called by noon and was told a tech would get back to us within 24 hours. Called Colonial Saturday morning and was told if wanted faster service call the tech ourselves. Which we did, several times. Today is Monday, June 14, 2010 at noon and still have not heard anything from either the tech nor Colonial. When speaking with Colonial on Saturday afternoon, asked for a different tech, the person said “they don’t have authority”, when asked to speak to a manager, they responded “there isn’t one here”. I am assuming the person is taking calls from home to keep cost down. I even placed a second service request on-line and still have not heard anything from that request. I have used a homewarranty company in the past – RS Andrews – and for the 4 years I lived in that house had great service and quick response EVERYTIME – This is the biggest problem when giving money to a “THIRD” party situation – customer has no control.

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3 weeks ago I placed a call to colonialhomewarranty and put a claim in for my refrigerator at one of my homes. The contractor came out the next day to look at it and said that since the refrigerator is over 20 years old he wouldn’t recommend repairing the unit since the compressor needed to be replaced and who knows what other issues might arise. he called the issue into colonial and gave them the diagnosis and the cost. since he was still at my home someone from colonial requested to speak to me. they told me they can either do the repair or they can replace the unit. Now I have had other home warranty companies before and I know that when they replace whatever is broken your never guaranteed to get the same thing you have or the same color, it has happened with other companies before. I decided not to go that route. I asked them if they can give me the money for a new unit and I can just buy one instead of them replacing it and they agreed. I went out bought a new fridge and have received my check from them already. very happy with the service. – Andy

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I live in Arizona and my pool pump stopped working while I was away I came back and my pool was starting to turn green. anyone who lives in Arizona knows that a pool can get very bad very quickly in Arizona. I called colonial to make a claim and told them this is an emergency. they told me that pool claims are usually not considered emergencies but they will see if they can get anyone out quickly. within 2 hours I received a call back and was told they have a pool company that can come out the same day. the pool company they sent was very professional found the problem right away and repaired it for me. colonialhomewarranty.com really exceeded my expectations.

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I have the Colonial Home Warranty Independence Plan since May. Last week my central air unit stopped working. Called in a claim, and the tech they sent out said the unit is shot, it needs to be replaced. Colonial sent out another tech, and he said the same thing. He told me he could try and repair it, but parts are not made for the unit anymore, and any repairs would only be a temporary fix. Colonial sent out another tech, who said he can fix it but he had a long list of parts needing to be replaced. Also the last guy said he can’t guarentee the unit will last long with the repairs. Colonial has fought my wife and I every step of the way. First they said they would only pay $900 to fix it, which is not enough to cover the cost even of repair. They they said they would pay up to $1100 but thats it. I would have to pay $250 out of pocket for labor and disposal of freon. After careful examination of their website, I saw at the top of the page it says they limit their liability to $10,000 a year. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, and it says they will only pay up to $1500 for any one item. Not only are they not going to replace the unit like the tech that they sent out (three of them) said needed to be done, they aren’t even going to pay up to the amount that they claim they will pay up to. They seem to pick some arbitrary number and thats it. My wife asked to speak to a manager but only got the runaround. Still dealing with them, still no A/C. I live in Florida, and the temp in my house is now around 93 degrees daily. Here is an excerpt from their website ” Since we cannot prevent your appliances from breaking, Colonial Home Warranty will eliminate both the financial and stressful burdens one encounters when an appliance or system unexpectedly breaks down. What if my home system or appliance cannot be fixed?
If this occurs, Colonial Home Warranty will replace whatever cannot be repaired.” Apparently they haven’t read what they are posting on their website. The have been nothing but un-cooperative and unhelpful. So they will “eliminate both the financial and stressful burdens one encounters when an appliance or system unexpectedly breaks down.” I guess that the $60 service fee plus another $250 of what they say I have to pay out of pocket doesn’t count as a financial burden? These folks are crooks, do yourself a favor and look for a more reputable company.

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I live in Arizona my air conditioner stopped working colonialhomewarranty sent out a contractor same day and repaired the unit.

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DO NOT BUY THIS HOME WARRANTY. I thought I was being a good consumer and even read this warranty word for word. Things can look a lot better on paper. We have recently put a claim in for our garbage disposal. 2 weeks later its still not fixed. Then our hot water heater went out. They already had the plumber picked out so the plumber came for both issues Wednesday. Problem is the office decided to close-without any previous announcement to us or the plumbing co-Thursday and Friday this week. The company claims it has a 24/7 emergency service which is just an answering service from space. You call them, they take a message and the company receives it Monday morning. So now my family and I are without hot water for at least 8 days which could of been fixed in 2.
This was not our first claim. The first one was for our air conditioner in which I had to pick the company, pay the bill and wait to be reimbursed. We were out a lot of money for a while. If they would have picked the company it could of been forever.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE be warry before you buy this warranty.

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I called and reported my washer/dryer combo broke. The item was built in 1986 and they did not make the timer peice anymore. A customer service rep called and told me how much Colonial would pay to replace the item. It did not cover the total cost for the washer / Dryer but I was happy with what they paid. I will have to wait 40 days for payment but the contractor which tried to repare the mechine agree to wait for payment on the new one.

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Dear ABC from California,

We are certainly willing to work with you to resolve your problems. Given the generic information we can not determine your specific issue being experienced. Feel free to call our customer service department at 877-313-0001 or email [email protected] and we will do our best to resolve your problem.

Regards,
Colonial Home Warranty
Complaints Department

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Regarding Kelvin/Ken from Las Vegas, NV

Coverage on this customer’s property went into effect on 9/26/2010. We reviewed a recorded sales conversation and there was no mention or discussion of maintenance on that call. Our full terms and conditions are mailed to the customer’s home within a few days of purchase, they are available online as well for anyone to review at http://www.colonialhomewarranty.com/useragreement.html.

The claim was entered on 10/1/2010 and was assigned to a technician on the spot. The technician reported that the compressor burnt out and the unit is only 7 years old. This was also reported to be the second unit in the home.

A representative spoke to the customer and requested maintenance records shortly after the diagnosis came in. The customer stated that he recently purchased the home and has no records. The representative asked for the home inspection report and was told by the customer that he never had the home inspected.

The customer purchased this home from a foreclosure sale on 9/1/2010. Public records show that this home was repossessed from the prior owner on 6/29/2010. The customer did not perform any maintenance nor was he able to obtain maintenance records from the prior owner. The customer did not have this home inspected by a licensed contractor stating the condition of the systems in the home. The only documentation the customer provided was a Home Appraisal report and a Real Estate walk through. The home appraisal report performed on 7/28/2010 only notes the presence of a central A/C system and that they assume no concealed damage exists. This is by no means a comprehensive assessment of systems in the home. The Real Estate walk through was administered and signed off by the customer on 8/23/2010, not under the supervision of a licensed home inspector or technician. The walk through also states Sold As Is which was handwritten in by the customer.

Regards,
Colonial Home Warranty
Complaints Department

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I am a real estate broker and have used several warranty companies over the years, both persoanally and for my clients. I decided to try a different company when I was purchasing a warranty for my personall residence recently.

What a HUGE mistake I made in making the choice to go with Colonial! I was told one thing when I was interviewing them prior to purchase and then was met with a completely different story when a claim was made. I am still in the process of trying to get a refund for the warranty I purchased, and I expect it to be as difficult as anything else I’ve encountered to date.

Whatever you do, if you are looking for a home warranty company, please save yourselves the headache and look elsewhere.

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I have purchased a property and I have hired a licensed, insured bonded company to install an AC unit and “repair” (and at the same time perform the maintenance) the other one. After I temporarily moved in I have purchased the home warranty. 5-6 weeks after the warranty purchased the AC unit died. The warranty company sent out a technician who did not perform the right diagnostic test and due to that and the assumption on the warranty company’s side that the unit was repaired the warranty company decided that it was a pre-existing condition.
The warranty company claims that my technician is lying and his technician who didn’t perform the right diagnostic tests can touch items and see its past history and because of that it is a pre-existing condition.
BBB wasn’t helpful resolving the issue. Now comes the Attorney Generals office and starting to contact an attorney so that I can start a lawsuit.
Regardless that I have had receipt showing that the unit was working, the company didn’t care about it.

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I called in a claim for three toilets in my home that keep running, plus a leak in one of my bathrooms. The contractor came out within a day of calling it in and fixed all four problems first thing this morning with authorization from colonial home warranty. This was quick and easy. Much Appreciated – David – TX.

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This is a good company, recently replaced my a/c air handler, contractor they sent me was wonderful, very happy with the service, customer service reps are very friendly and attentive.

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Very happy with the plumber they sent to my house, he was on time and very professional, he fixed a few issues in the home including my dishwasher that was draining into my kitchen cabinet. colonial even allowed them to re-install a leaking garbage disposal that my genius husband attempted to put in himself before i signed up for coverage.

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We have two policies with this company on two properties: a home we rent in MO and the home we live in, in MD. We have had 3 claims filed by our tenant in MO. and have found that the contractors sent out by Colonial are incompetent, most of the time. In addition, Colonial does not reimburse in a timely manner and you have to bug them to death to get paid.

We had a bath pipe leak problem which was not properly repaired by the first technician. Upon our insistence, Colonial sent out a second technician who fixed it correctly.

When the AC went out, the contractor said the system had to be replaced and quoted $2,700.00+. We knew better, but Colonial settled for the repair/replacement maximum ($1,300.00). We had then our own contractor repair the system for $1,700.00.

Getting paid from Colonial is a headache and a half. It took two months and repeated phone calls and emails just to get the settlement check from Colonial on the AC. They say they mail you the check 30 days from the date they receive your settlement agreement, however we have not found this to be true. I was told it had been mailed. (We only live a few hours from Colonial, so mail delivery is 2 days.) A week later, no check. Then I’m told it hadn’t been mailed, but would be. Another week goes by, no check. And so it went. More calls, more promises, different stories, no check. Finally, two months later they sent a check certified mail. There is no excuse for this.

Then the 2-year-old dishwasher went on the fritz. The repairman Colonial sent out told the tenant that the problem was in one of the two electronic panels, he wasn’t exactly sure which one, so he ordered a panel, replaced it a week later, but the problem remained. He told the tenant he would have to replace the other panel, in about a week. She never heard from him again. When we called him again to find out what was going on with the part, he simply told us the dishwasher was unrepairable and that the problem was in the electric circuitry and that we needed an electrician and not an appliance repairman. (The electronic panel was displaying “PF” (power failure), but the dishwasher was operating, just wouldn’t cycle through the whole way.) If there was an electrical problem, it wouldn’t have been working at all. Noting that the tech told a completely different story to the tenant than to us, it was obvious that he didn’t want to continue working on this appliance. We then called Colonial and was informed that the tech told them the dishwasher was “unrepairable” and they would settle for $212.00 — not nearly enough to replace it with anything remotely similar. We requested that another technician be dispatched to repair it by replacing the other panel. Colonial could have had Tech #1 remove the panel he put in and replace the second panel, but apparently that’s asking too much. We were left with accepting the buyout. We then sent our own contractor out, who replaced the other panel for $375.00 (labor and parts) and, amazing! – the dishwasher now works like a charm. BUT, once again, we are STILL waiting for the buyout check from Colonial, and, just as before, I was told that a check had been cut and mailed ten days ago, but – surprise, surprise, no check. Here we go again.

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On Monday my water heater stopped heating water, colonial sent a tech to my home that day, the unit was unable to be repaired, the tech got approval to install a brand new unit same day. It was quick and easy, I was very happy with this company.

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Colonial fue muy útil con la fijación de mi lavadora de mi casa. La persona de la reparación fue rápida y fijo mi máquina el mismo día. Gracias por el servicio rápido en mi casa, estoy muy contento con esta compañía.

I agree that the company should not be able to rate the service. I am looking for a home warranty company for my Arizona home and reading reviews. If you take out the all five star reviews of the company the ratings are not nearly as good. I did appreciate the responses of the company which seemed reasonable, but they should not have been allowed to add ratings.

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Hi,

This is my horrible and worst home warranty experience that I would love to share. I purchase home warranty from Colonial over the phone and they claimed that their service is good and timely. I bought the warranty in Dec. 15th 2010 and started the contract Jan 15, 2011. I recently have a stoppage issues on the second floor sink and made a claim request on 24th Jan 2011. The claim was issued to the plumbing contractor, Ana Roys, Royco Plumbing.

It wasn’t many tries (trust me, many calls and voice messages to the plumber and Colonial) that I got reply from the plumber to come over on 26th Jan 2010. After spending 5 mins upstairs, he claimed that he would need authorization from Colonial to do the job to clear the stoppage. I told him that I would need it to be fixed prior to 30th Jan because I am going out of town for 2.5 weeks. The plumber, Sergio claimed that he would call Colonial on 27th and should be able to get back to me on the same day. I am kind of septical, hence, I call the plumber on 27th, which of course, I did not get them… I immdiately call Colonial to check on the status, but Colonial claimed that the system is down and they could not check. I requested them to send urgent request for someone in charge to get back to me. I did the same on 28th, 29th, and 30th (prior to my departure). NO RESPONSE from anyone – no plumber, no Colonial. I felt that I am left hanging in mid air with no reply.

When I am in Singapore (yes, in Asia). I wrote to them on Contact Me.. for them to get back to me on the status on 2nd of Feb (which is 3rd Feb in US). They wrote 2 days later:

“The contractor informed Colonial that this was a main-line backup with no accessible ground level clean out. Per our terms, Colonial only covers main-line backups when there is an accessible ground level clean out. We did inform the contractor of this, we apologize for any inconvenience.”

Imagine how I feel, recieving this. It is not claimed and I paid my service call for $45 for 5min. No recommendation from Colonial or plumbers. I am really pissed. It sounds so scam. I bought home warranty to cover things happened in the home, and I repeatedly asked the sales rep. about the coverage. They claimed that plumbing is covered. Furthermore, the contractor should be able to tell me that it is not covered by the Colonial on the spot or call me in advance. No news from Colonial “authorized” contractors. No news from Colonial till I sent messages out. Ok, I think it is my fault that I did not read the fine print contract carefully… Comeon everyone, this is like the financial credit card, full of technical jagons and I don’t understand most of it. I trust customer service and think I am covered.

I tried message them again and their reply is of no use. No recommendation. Let me say no news from the plumbing contractors.

I tried calling Colonial service line and try to get some resolution. I was passed on to the supervisor call, Brian, requested detail examination for my line. This supervisor was rude and refused to help me in anything or trying to resolve my agony. I requested another plumber to come out to inspect, but instead of getting my original service call (if the result is the same), he insists that I have to foot all the service call charges, because I do not trust the “authorized” contractor that Colonial sent. It is not Colonial responsibility to get customer’s claim resolved at a specific time frame. That means, it is okay that they do not get back to me. I am already pissed by his “hard ball” comment and attitude by this time. Instead of helping, he only quote me on the contract stating that it is my fault of not reading the contracts and I cannot get out of it or cancel it because it is after 30 days. He then rudely hang up on me before I could have anything resolved. I tried calling the corporate office, but no one ever get back to me. As usual, no response.

Colonial Warranty does not have a very good customer service. If their supervisor is rude, and not willing to help their customer on resolving the issues. From the timeline perspective, the process took 2 weeks to get any response and it is on my part to chase after it.

Trust me the bad reviews that you see on this one is REAL… Think hard prior to investing your hard earn money in this company’s warranty. No one would even bother to come to you or response to you on time.

Times are too hard (financially) to play with people’s money…

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I called Colonial Home Warranty this passed weekend when my AC would not come on, they assigned a contractor on the spot who was able to come out on Saturday, within an hour he had my AC up and running, I was so happy with the contractor they sent I kept his number to use for my routine maintenance. I also referred the contractor to my sister who has been having AC issues but did not have a home warranty, though she may get one soon!

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I had a Central Heater broke down in the Winter. They assigned a contractor who was not able to make it for next three days. They approved to get some local technician. They approved me for $300. when I got it repaired. Now they didn’t reimburse my claim for 3 months. When I ever I call them, they treat it as they never heard me calling or they don’t have any record.
It is big a scam company!!!

I would rate something below Poor -5.

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Colonial was very good with fixing my leak in my kitchen, the plumber came out quick and he found leak. He had to cut a small hole in the wall but he did fix it when he was done. This service was very nice and I was happy with the result.

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My heat was out Thursday morning so I logged in to my account on colonialhomewarranty.com and filed a repair request. I had an email 20 minutes later with the name and number of a repair person. I was going to call but they actually called me right away and told me they have a tech in my area who can be in my house in half hour. The tech came on time and was very professional, he changed my thermostat and some other part on my unit and got it working. He even left me his card with his mobile number and told me to call him any time if I have any issues with the system or if I need help programming my new thermostat.

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Policy for water heaters is a joke! Or water heater started leaking on Sunday, called and were assigned a contractor, the next day we were assigned a different contractor. OK, spoke with the new contractor, they said they could not come out until Tuesday, when we told him where our water heater was leaking, he told us we would need a new water heater and Colonial probably would not pay for it. After he came out, confimred we needed a new water heater, but Colonial will not pay for a new water heater due to rust……isn’t that what happens to all water heaters? You have a metal tank holding water for 7+ years, there will eventually be rust. It specifically states it will replace things due to normal wear and tear, which is exactly what rust in the bottom of a water tank is…normal wear and tear. We will DEFINITLY not be renewing our warranty with them. What a waste.

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My only claim with this company was for microwave. I couldn’t find requesting service on their web site. Is it really there? So I called, was assigned a contractor, and promptly got a confirmation email. A contractor showed up and said the control panel need to be replaced and would be ordered. In about a week I called the guy again. He told me that the part was not available at the warehouse and would take a couple of weeks to order.

Couple of weeks later he still didn’t have the part. I called the company during business hours (according to their phone message) and got some answering service. They took my phone #, address, contract #, email. Never called me back. Called again in a couple of days, spoke with their rep only to find out they denied the claim! Why didn’t they even tell me about it? Apparently my number wasn’t right in their system. What about email? What about the number I left with the answering service?

The reason for denying the claim? Apparently contractor found some rust, but didn’t tell me about it. So I was out of $60 fee to contractor and 3 weeks time hoping they’d fix it for me. So I cancelled the policy, and lost even more money. Still looking for that rust in a one-year old microwave.

Agree with Pete from Jacksonville FL. All home warranty companies seem like a total scam. Did you read their contracts end to end? Doesn’t it look like the contract always has something to deny a claim? How hard is it to find rust on an old appliance when you try? I had Old Republic for a while, which is one of the better ones (and more expensive) out there. I was quite pleased compared to others. But they too look for a reason to deny all the time.

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Hey,

I just renewed for my second year with Colonial Home Warranty. I was so happy with them with the first year. I had multiple repairs performed over the course of the year including replacing my furnace over the winter which is a major repair. After all this they didn’t even raise my premium, I was able to renew at the same discounted price I paid last year. I look forward to another year of great service with Colonial.

Regards,
Krissy

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Never, never, never buy colonial home warranty. The technician come and charges the co-pay. Then no answer from anybody. If you call they give you a buy-out-option, but will never receive check. This is a hoax.

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I’m still waiting for a check for a 1/4/2011 claim. Keep getting the run around about the check that was supposedly mailed in March. Come on, the Post Office isn’t that slow. Now when I call I only get answering service. I wouldn’t recommend this company to my worst enemy. In fact, I’m not even sure they are still in business. I will contact the BBB & The Delaware State Attorney’s office if I don’t get a check within a week.

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We have Colonial Home Warranty on our houses. Our air conditioned broke on Sunday April 17, 2011. We called and the tech came out Monday April 18 in the morning. The tech advised us that the motor was inoperative and Colonial would be contacting us with some options. We called CHW several times and always were directed to the 24h call center. We Left several messages. We live in Florida and have an 8 week old infant. The temp has been 88-90 degrees. They finally returned our call Thursday April 21, 2011 at 947a. They advised us that there claim system was down and they had no access to files or claim numbers.
My husband faxed our maintenance records and we were advised by Brian that our claim has been approved, but it would take 5-7 days to get part and have part installed. He also said that if we wanted to pay an additional 300 dollars we could get that part faster and we could have it installed within 3-5 days.
On Friday I received a call from James at CHW warehouse and he told me that they cannot get the part in for 7-14 days. He was calling me to give me an option. The reason being is because we live in Florida and we live in a unlivable condition. He advised us that they would give a check for 548.00 to have the motor replaced and installed by an independent contractor.
I spoke with Brian and he said the 548 dollars is what they are authorized to reimburse us. I asked Brian that if it cost us any additional money would we be reimbursed, he said no. I asked him why we should be penalized because you guys can’t get part ordered within a timely matter. Brian advised me that the 548.00 it what it would cost for CHW to have part replaced and installed. We called CHW contractor Bob Wilson and he advised us that he has the part and he does not understand the 7-14 days.
We decided to take the 548 dollars because we have an infant and the work needs to be done. I asked Brian if he could send the check out to us and he said they need to verify that the work has been done and a check would not be issued until then.

Re: Betty Fuller

The customer did not submit the signed agreement until 2/22/2011. We issued an initial payment on 3/28/2011. The customer reported to Colonial on 4/15/2011 that they did not receive the payment. Colonial verified the mailing address and sent a new check to this customer on 4/18/2011. Accounts Payable reports the customer did receive and deposit this check.

We do our best to ensure our customers are satisfied and did promptly respond to this customer’s request to have a new payment issued.

Regards,
Colonial Home Warranty
Complaints Department

Re: Mrs Aruna Response

We did look into this with Accounts Payable and show that a check processed on your claim on 5/2/2011. The customer should receive it shortly.

In addition all information presented in our response is based on factual information and recorded phone conversations with the customer.

Regards,
Colonial Home Warranty
Complaints Department

Re: JR Brentwood, TN

We are certainly willing to work with you to resolve your problems. Given the generic information we can not determine your specific issue being experienced. Feel free to call our customer service department at 877-313-0001 or email [email protected] and we will do our best to resolve your problem.

Regards,
Colonial Home Warranty
Complaints Department

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I signed up 3 months ago, my pool pump stopped working, the home warranty sent a very nice pool person who found out the motor was toasted. He came back this morning with a brand new motor and everything works excellent. Thank you Colonial Home Warranty!

Regarding Mr. Muppavarapu,

The customer purchased our plan online accepting all of the term and conditions of the contract which is clearly available on out web site http://www.colonialhomewarranty.com.

The customer filed a claim online for his water heater. Colonial assigned a contractor to diagnose the unit. The contractor reported to Colonial that the unit itself was in working order with no functional problems. The only problem found by the contractor was a build-up of sediment caused by a lack of maintenance on the unit which was causing the unit to make a popping sound.

Colonial does not perform or cover maintenance on units. In addition this unit was operating properly with no repairs needed besides for cleaning of the sediment.

Colonial was not aware that this would turn out to be a maintenance issue when the claim was filed by the customer.

The customer filed a claim online, a contractor was assigned next business day, the contractor scheduled an appointment and looked at the unit, the contractor then reported to Colonial that the unit was operating fine and just needed to be cleaned out. The customer requested the service and a contractor did go to the home which is why he was responsible for the service call fee.

Unfortunately this turned out to be a cleaning issue and as such was not covered by Colonial per the terms accepted by the customer upon purchase. We do recommend that the customer perform the proper maintenance on his systems and appliances.

Regards,
Colonial Home Warranty
Complaints Department

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Good price but contractors suck, company makes empty promises, no call backs, etc…. Will NOT renew!

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i feel so sorry for who ever uses this company.try to get question answerd or you have service issue,you will be on the phone for all day.without any solution.read your fine prints on your contract than you see paying this company mean trashing your mony.my AC gone bad after 19 years.first contractor they send demanded my deductable first than he wanted $200 cash to check for freon leak and he was rudest person i have ever seen.so 3 days later they send another one which asked $125 and i paid for it but still colonial rejcted the repair and their excuse was total BS unproper maintenance.how the hell you say that unit worked perfectly for 19 years what elss you can do?and finally colonial supervisors and manegment worthless just like the company they never gona return your calls or solve your problem.save your money and time.the only think colonial can do maybe change battery on your termostat for $50

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Don’t waste your money. Nothing is covered when you call for service.

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DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY. READ BELOW AND SEE WHY!!

On 5-24-2011 at 4:37 PM (according to their records) I contacted Colonial Home Warranty in regards to our Air Conditioning not working. We received the following response:

5-24-2011 5:11 PM Your Claim #2133793 has been assigned to Ron Thompson at Carolina Comfort. The contractor has received your information and should contact you within 24 hours. If this time frame is not sufficient for you and you would like to try and get an earlier appointment feel free to contact the contractor directly at: 910-587-1033.

The automated response does not take into account that the technician did not show up until the 27th. He was able to get the capacitor fixed that was smoking, but no cold air was being blown. We had to file another claim and pay a separate fee for them to come back out and diagnose that we needed a new A/C system due to “no fault of maintenance”. I have a 34 year old system which has held up like a champ up until now. I only wanted to have the system fixed, but the repair company recommended replace. So when the claim was filed, we were immediately put into limbo by Colonial Home Warranty. 2 weeks later, after we sent over our records, we were told that our claim was denied. The stated reason was that the maintenance records did not show that we had a professional come out and perform our maintenance. When we spoke with a supervisor, he stated that this was “required” per the owners manual in “ALL” owners manuals.

I have searched through all of the owners manuals that I can find for my particular brand of A/C unit. (it is a Carrier 68EE series) and none of them state that this maintenance is “required”, nor required to be performed by a professional. In fact it states: “In addition to the routine maintenance that you perform, your home comfort system should be inspected regularly by a properly trained service technician.” Thus, I have performed this maintenance myself and had an inspection done. Upon inspection (which was paid for prior to the issuance of the policy) it was found that my A/C unit was in working order to which I have provided documentation. The service tech that Colonial Home Warranty sent also documented that my unit was in excellent condition for its 34 years of age and that the only problems with this unit were due to “normal wear and tear”. However, the claim was still denied.

To inform us that the claim was denied, they contacted my wife nearly 2 weeks later after 6pm. She was in the middle of a very important meeting and asked them to contact me and gave them my phone number. (one of several requests to do so that was blatantly ignored) No contact was ever made to me. In fact, it took me over 3 days, several emails, multiple phone calls, and nearly an hour total on hold waiting to speak to someone to finally get into contact with this company. At that point I was told that I could go through their lengthy one month review process with the authorization center after I email them everything that I am putting into this review, and they would “let me know”.

Overall, I am not just dissatisfied with this company, but down-right disgusted with them. After telling them several times that I have children living in the house during a heat wave of over 90 degree weather, we were ignored and denied even a repair, let alone a replacement of our system. I have contacted the Delaware Better Business Bureau and will be visiting the Army Consumer Advocacy Department in order to inquire as to how to have this company placed on a list of disreputable businesses that U.S Army Soldiers like myself are advised not to do business with. I believe that the C+ rating and 25+ claims against them with the BBB should say enough, let alone their ratings on this site. Unfortunately for me, a majority of those claims were made on the BBB site AFTER I purchased my so called warranty.

I can understand a company wanting to protect its best interests. I truly can! But when a company will find any possible reason, to include fabricating one to get out of paying a legitimate claim, I find that to be dishonorable and frankly criminal. Their breach of contract will be brought to the attention of the Judge Advocate General’s office of the United States Army. I notice on this site that they only respond to certain people. I challenge them to respond to mine as I have said my peace.

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Filed a claim to one of our homes’ heater not working on 3-21-11. The contractor assigned, and he said that the unit’s electronic ignition module needs replaced and the Colonial denied replacing it as not covered because the contractor said the module was attached to the unit and not inside or some thing like that and as such the rain water damaged the unit. I fought back saying that it survived > 10 years of rain water and had been working without problem & no California code not to place the module attached to the unit outside of it and which ever previous California licensed repairman did it correctly etc. Therefore we requested a 2nd opinion from our own selected California licensed roof-top AC/Heater Combo repairman and submitted his report got authorization to repair with the agreement that we pay him first, send his repaired and paid bill to Colonial and Colonial will send the reimbursement agreement form for my signing and returning it to Colonial and then the check would be issued for the repair bill of $287. All Colonial requested paper work was submitted by 4-18-11 did F/U call & got confirmation that they received all the needed papers. They said the check will be issued on May 16, 2011. Then on nothing came, contacting them by multiple times by phone, by e-mails to claims dept, accounts payable dept etc. ended up on long holds, transfers to voice mails etc., but no check yet nor no replies from Accounts payable section of the Colonial HomeWarranty. What a frustation. No other managers or higher-ups contact numbers or their emails are listed in their web and any live person who comes up after a long hold says, can not give the supervisors numbers or they say they do not have direct numbers. But came to know they all are in the same building but different floors.

Re: EVELY B WEST PALM BEACH FL

We are certainly willing to work with you to resolve your problems. Given the generic information we can not determine your specific issue being experienced. Feel free to call our customer service department at 877-313-0001 or email [email protected] and we will do our best to resolve your problem.

Regards, Colonial Home Warranty Complaints Department

Mrs. Peterson, Sun City, AZ

We have approved other repairs at this home with no questions asked.

The customer filed a claim for a Dishwasher, we sent a contractor, the contractor called in and stated there was no mechanical failures with the unit. The contractor reported the water was not hot enough and they should raise the water heater temperature. The contractor also reported the unit as dirty inside. Since there were no mechanical failures there was nothing to repair.

The customer requested a second opinion and was informed if the second opinion came back with the same diagnosis they would be responsible for the full service call. If the diagnosis was different there would be no service call due. The customer at this point did not yet opt for a second opinion.

Regards,

Colonial Home Warranty
Consumer Complaints Department

Re: kelly,lawrenceville,georgia

We are certainly willing to work with you to resolve your problems. Given the generic information we can not determine your specific issue being experienced. Feel free to call our customer service department at 877-313-0001 or email [email protected] and we will do our best to resolve your problem.

Regards,
Colonial Home Warranty
Complaints Department

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This is in response to Colonial reply -

First be honest when you reply. You guys have never returned any call or voice mail. Pathetic service.

I talked to Dr. Dee’s (Contractor assigned to this case) and they clearly said that the technician mentioned “possibility of unnatural cause” and Insurgence company is hanging on to it possibility word. I looked at the copy they sent to me and it has no mention on such thing.

Don’t try to give false information to people.

worst company and pathetic customer service.

People should cancel colonial right away because when they will need a service you guys are going to find all possible reason to deny it.

Lets see how arbitration and next steps goes.

-Raj

Re: Rajnish, San Jose, ca

The customer filed a Dishwasher claim. A service provider was assigned next business day. The contractor informed Colonial that there was a hole in the plastic tub caused by something sharp piercing it. This was not considered normal wear and tear. The appliance contractor specifically stated this is not normal wear and tear in a recorded conversation.

The customer was informed numerous times that the claim was not being covered due to this not being normal wear and tear. The customer keeps insisting on speaking with supervisors and managers which is probably why he is holding when he calls in.

Regards,

Colonial Home Warranty Consumer Complaints Department

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In March 2011 Colonial Home Warranty sent us to their customers homes to repair items. We did as they asked and submitted the invoices. As of 7/6/11 we have received nothing, we have called and emailed numerous times to receive NO response. We have even faxed the invoices with an aging report a few times. In the messages that we left we have asked them to PLEASE call us and still nothing.

Oh but today they sent us a new work order.

See Ripoff report.com

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Colonial Home Warranty is the worst company we have ever dealt with. Poor response time, poor customer service, and not reliable on the answers they give. We have been waiting to be reimbursed from this company since April 2011. We were told our check would be mailed on June 9, 2011 because they had up to 30 days to mail it to us once we signed an agreement. We called again and were told our check was mailed June 14, 2011. When we asked why it wasn’t mailed on June 9, 2011 – they could not answer. We were told that we would have to wait 14 business days to receive the check. Needless to say we still have not received our check (July 7, 2011). We have tried calling several times with no response and are always put on hold. We will not renew policy or work with this company again.

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So apparently the Colonial Home Warranty claims are based on what season it is?

I was told that because it’s not winter, my heater didnt need to be fixed – despite the fact that when winter rolls around, my warranty will be lapsed.

Why do they even have an after hours line if the idiots they hire and “train” are just going to tell every singel caller that they can’t help them, they’re “just after hours claims” who cant help at all.

This is the worst service I have ever experienced in my life – and I’m in the service industry! I see how people are treated and should be treated on a daily basis and this was the worst customer service ever!

I will be cancelling our policy as soon as I make sure to suck the current policy dry. I am now filing as many claims to get as much repaired as possible.

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Couple of months after purchasing the policy form Colonial Home Warranty Service I had an instance in basement bathroom. Bottom line is that it was not covered because as per colonial contractor the underground pipe was broken and it was not covered. My friend’s friend who is a plumber fixed it using a commercial grade snake (It was a clogged pipeline). So dealing with 3rd class contractor from Colonial Home Warranty I decided to cancel the policy. It’s been 2 months still haven’t received my refund check. I paid for 2 years. They owe me $700. Please if you are reading this don’t go with colonial home warranty service.

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I hate this company so much . I truly cant wait until my warranty expires with them . 1st issue was my garbage disposal broke . We filed a claim ( keep in mind this was on a sat so of course no one came out until wed until somebody finally came out . He then felt the job was way to little for him to do ) So I called them back and they had had to send someone out again. By this time Its been close to a week that I have been using paper plates because I cant use my sink also now I have wood rot and my house stinks of wetness and mold .. So I finally call someone myself and WOW he comes out the same day .I have to pay the money up front to him and they will pay me back .. Ok Here goes another month in a half . They make you wait 30 days before they pay you . 30 days came and gone oh we will send out another check and yes they did quit fast I must say . WITH THE WRONG NAME .. Call them again you can never get ahold of them you always have 2 leave a message and when they do get back to you is a whole another story . It took close to 6 weeks to get a check .. Home warranty is supposed to keep you at ease and protect you not cause you headaches .. Really Truly cant wait for my warranty to expire

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Do not use this company, they are understaffed and not responsive. I had a claim in April 2011 that has never been paid and it is now August 2011. I call them and have to wait 15-20 minutes on hold before a real person answers. They always tell me the check is in the mail, but I never receive it. They never answer their phone, and when I leave a message they do not respond. I have left two phone messages and one email message, which have never been answered. I called them for a 5th time, waited 30 minutes and finally spoke with a billing person. She said she would definitely cut my check. If this doesn’t happen i will be filing a claim with BBB. Will not use this company again.

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Bought policy on 5/23/2011. Standard 30 waiting period for coverage to begin. Filed a claim on July 13, 2011 for pool pump. They assign to a contractor who came out, took my co-payment and proceeds to break the pump and filter apart and makes them both inoperable and never returns. After multiple calls to the contractor with no response, I call Colonial and have them reassign to a new contractor. New contractor comes out and tells them that the previous contractor made the equipment inoperable and the entire system needs to be replaced. It has been 4 weeks now and my pool is green. No follow up from Colonial as to the status. Always told a “supervisor” will call me. NO Calls. I have to initiate all calls to them. Still have never spoken to a supervisor. Finally called in and demanded to speak to supervisor. Both supervisors are on other calls, but the claims person proceeds to tell me that my claim will not be covered because it is a “full system replacement” within the first 30 days of the policy. The first 30 days of the policy was from May to June. Claim was filed July 13. PLEASE do not waist your time with them.

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Had colonial told them my dryer quit working, they came out said I broke it so they wouldn’t fix it. How do you break a dryer anyways?!?! I wouldnt recommend this company to anyone!

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This is the 2 Nd home warranty I have had and I am extremely dissatisfied!!! The first time I used it was because our thermostat was not working so we decided to replace it ourselves. It still was not working and I told the representative that we replaced it ourselves and they did not see that as an issue. When they sent someone out they were 2 hours late and they would not fix the problem because they said it was not covered because we changed it ourselves. We asked if they could at least tell us what was wrong and the technician replied with ” for $65 I can diagnose the problem for you”. He knew what was wrong and would not tell us. We called out another service company who fixed the problem for free. We put one wire in the wrong place.
The next time I called was for my washer. The inside seal broke and caused a leak. This washer cost almost $1000 which is why I got the warranty. Also, the washer sounds like it is off balance and something inside obviously needs to be replaced. The only way it would be covered is if it was not working all together. This home warranty is AWFUL!

Go with Old Republic Holme warranty! They are a little pricy but they are awesome!!! I will steer anyone away from Colonial for now on.

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I have called on several appliances in my home and every time people come they might as well pick up a check and leave.the most recent thing that happened was i called said the specific thing that was wrong with my toilet then the woman at colonial said yes in your policy toilets are covered and then they sent someone out that said yes it is broke and it is not covered under your policy….i am going to the better bussiness burea and making a complaint in these times people make less money and get robbed every which way companies like these should not be in business.

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Use another home warranty company. If you try to make a claim this company will do every thing to get out of repairing/replacing anything. I have used other home warranty companies in the past without a problem with replacements. Customer service is very slow and poor as stated in other reviews. You can see it is the same complaint over and over from all different people. I went through it myself. BE WEARY!!!

RE: Professional Services, Gainesville, FL

All invoices which were approved by Colonial have been paid to this vendor in full. The vendor invoiced two jobs which were never peviously authorized or approved by Colonial. We even had a customer call in and notify us that they paid for one of the jobs which the vendor is billing to Colonial.

We are working with the Vendor and our A/P department to settle these invoices which were submitted without any prior authorization or approval. We do have a procedure which Vendor’s agree to follow upon enrollment. All jobs that this vendor invoiced which were authorized were paid.

Regards,

Colonial Home Warranty

Complaints Department

RE: Xuan, Milpitas Ca

This customer filed a claim on their Air Conditioning system. The contractor went out and reported it to be in very poor condition with a lack of any maintenance. The contactor was old and worn out and caused the wiring to burn up which burnt out the compressor. This was not considered normal wear and tear, the contractor reported it as a lack of maintenance.

Routine maintenance would certainly prevent these types of issues. Contactors are relatively inexpensive parts. Our representative requested maintenance records from the customer and were told they don’t have any maintenance on the unit.

The claim was not covered due to this being a lack of maintenance. The comppressor burning out was also a result of the bad contactor which would make it secondary damage.

Unfortunatly due to the neglect and lack of maintenance on the part of the customer this repair was not covered by Colonial.

Regards,

Colonial Home Warranty

Complaints Department

Re: Dave L. , Round Hill, VA

The customer’s coverage went into effect on 6/9/2011. The claim was filed on 6/30/2011. The contractor went out and found the freon line installed against a steel beam in the home and from vibrations overtime a hole was rubbed into the copper line. The contractor reported that this unit does not have a High or Low pressure switch meaning it will continue to run even if the freon levels drop. The contractor also reported that the unit was charged with freon recently prior to them coming out.

The low freon pressure which was a result of the leak did cause the compressor to burn out. The contractor reported that this was not due to normal wear and tear. The issues were caused by an improper install of the freon line and were likely pre-existing as well. Copper freon lines should not be run against a steel beam.

Due to the fact that this claim was not considered normal wear and tear and was also a pre-existing condition this claim was not covered.

Regards,

Colonial Home Warranty

Complaints Department

Re: Rajnish, San Jose, ca

This customer filed a claim for his dishwahser. Our service vendor went out and found that there was a hole inside the tub caused by a sharp object which pierced it. The customer would need a new tub due to the puncture in the tub wall. The contractor stated this is not normal wear and tear. Holes in the tub do not develop from normal use they would be caused from leaving a loose sharp object in the unit when running the cycle or possible broken glass in the unit.

Due to the fact that this was not normal wear and tear the repair was not covered.

Regards,

Colonial Home Warranty

Complaints Department

Re: S Austin, Davidsonville MD

The customer filed a claim which was assigned on 7/24/2011. The first vendor out reported that the coils were dirty and needed to be cleaned. The contractor also changed out a relay switch.

The customer reported that the contractor never changed any switches and was forcing her into paying him for maintenance.

Colonial assigned a second opinion on 8/5/2011. The new contractor went out and found the pressures were very high on the unit. He found that the coil was full of debris and 90% clogged up. The customer was informed as before that Colonial does not cover maintenance.

The contractor performed the maintenance which did bring the pressures back to normal. The contractor called back a few hours later and reported that the unit did need some freon but everything else on the unit was in proper running condition at this point. Colonial approved the freon for the unit.

This issue should be resolved.

Regards,

Colonial Home Warranty

Complaints Department

Re: Bee Ho

This customer filed numerous claims under the warranty most of which were covered. To date we repaired her heating system, air conditioner two times, appliances, and electrical. This is over the course of a year with no complaints reported by the customer.

On 8/12/11 the customer filed a claim for her toilet. The toilet tank was found to be cracked. Porceline does not just crack on its own, the contractor reported that someone must have leaned on it which caused it to crack. Colonial does not cover cracks in toilet bowls or tanks per our terms.

Due to the fact that this was a cracked toilet tank per our terms this claim was not covered. The customer told Colonial she will cancel the check provided to our vendor for the service call. We do not think it is right to deny a vendor his service call when he takes the time to come out to the home to check on a claim filed by the customer.

Regards,

Colonial Home Warranty

Complaints Department

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I first sent a request for service on the computer on Sunday 8/21/11. Didn’t hear from anyone on Monday the 22 so I called got the answering service they said someone would get a hold of me. That afternoon the contractor called and said they could be out on Wed. This was for my dishwasher. He came out and said they would submit his findings and would recommend a buy out. Waited till Friday nothing. Called on Monday the 29th I was on hold for over 30 minutes the 3rd time I called and finally got someone. He said the would send me the buy out for $164.00 for my dishwasher. I waited 2 days for the e mail for the buy out to sign still waiting. This company is terrible. They are under staffed when you call be prepared to be on hold. If you e mail your service request you will have to follow up with a call because they don’t read there e mails. What a joke. Boy when they want your money and get you to sign up they are calling you until they get you to sign up. Then forget it. Don’t know how they got the rating they did. PASS THIS COMPANY BY.

Re: Penny. AZ

The customer filed a claim for her dishwasher on 8/14/2011. The contractor went out to diagnose the unit and called Colonial with all of the information on 8/19/2011. The contractor had to look up part availability on the unit which took some time since it was 17+ years old. The contractor determined based on the parts and age of the unit it is not worth repair.

Colonial left a message for the customer on 8/19/11 which was a Friday. Colonial spoke to the customer again on 8/22/2011 which was a Monday and went over the buy out which the customer accepted. Colonial generated an email to the customer on 8/22/11, the customer reported not receiving the email, resent on 8/23/11, customer signed and returned the form on 8/24/11. Colonial issued payment to the customer on 8/30/11.

We are unsure what the basis of the customer’s complaint is except that she does not trust that we will get our job done and insists on calling and emailing numerous times each day which actually slows down the process of handing the claim.

We do try to assign higher priorities to air conditioning and plumbing claims, dishwashers are generally not considered high priority. We also can not control email once it leaves our servers, if the customer did not receive it the first time it probably ended up in her junk or spam mail folder.

We do appoligize that the customer feels we did not handle her claim in a timely manner but do hope she enjoys her new dishwasher.

Regards,

Colonial Home Warranty

Complaints Department

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This rateing is based on one policy. The waater heater failed. I scheduled a service call and had to drive 470 miles to arrive for the technician.
The service Co called at 11am in the morning and verified that I was there and would be able to pay the service call fee. She stated that the tech was leaving I waited until 2pm. called Colonial and was advised that the service Co would not come. They assigned another provider. I called the mext morning to verify, they declined to travel to my residence. Colonial kept advising me (three representatives that handled my calls) that I could get my own plumber. I stated that was why I had a service contract and did not want to go on my own. A representative was supposidly contacting area plumbers for my job. After 6 more hours of no results I called a neighbor and got my own plumber as Colonial had advised me. He came in 30 min. We contacted Colonial and asked what was the procedure, followed it as directed. My plumber diagnosed the problem, gave an estimate. However, he was on hold for one hour and 12 min to get authorization. Colonial is only covering about half of the cost, penalizing me for getting my own plumber and not waiting for theirs.
Due to their inaction I feel I was forced to go on my own and thus get reimbursed for about half coverage

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I purchased a home warranty for $515.00 with Colonial Home Warranty by phone on 8/10/11. The sales rep told me there was a 30 day waiting period before coverage started and then I could file a claim. On 9/13/11 my a/c unit upstairs was not cooling properly and I called Colonial and filed a claim. They sent out a contractor to check out the system and I was told that I needed a new compressor. I also paid the contractor a $45 service call fee. On 9/15/11 I received a phone call from a rep at Colonial and was told that the claim was denied and they would not cover the repair. I asked to speak to a supervisor to find out why and was connected to a gentleman named Brian. I pointed out to Brian that the contract clearly states on page 1, Section II that “Coverage will begin 30 days after applicable fees have been received by Colonial” which would be 30 days after 8/10/11. Brian stated that the coverage period doesn’t actually start until 30 days after 9/10/11 when it involves A/C compressors. I mentioned to him that I was never told that when I paid for the warranty and also that I never agreed to those terms verbally or in writing, and I pleaded with him to please abide by the contract. He refused to consider my request and said my only recourse was to submit a formal complaint in writing to Colonial. I then asked for a full refund and they denied that as well and I was told that they would only give me a partial refund of $403.00 due to their cancellation policy, which I was never told about either. This is by far the worst company that I have ever had to deal with and I am registering complaints with the DPR, BBB, and any other federal and/or state regulatory agencies that monitor these types of businesses. They are not operating in an ethical or professional manner, and are taking advantage of people and their hard earned income!

I am preparing a mass email campaign to all realtors and title companies. I tried to work with colonial and that did not work. I have all my documentation as well an offer for colonial to pay $185 of a $750 repair if I will sign that I will accept that as full compensation for the issue. Anyone researching please please believe me this is not a company anyone wants to do business with.

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I filed a home warranty claim with this company in May 2011 to repair my residential A/C unit. A tech came by and contacted Colonial with what was required for the repair, (almost $2000). Colonial expects it’s contractors to pay for parts and labor up front and get reimbursed which can take up to 30 days or more. The contractor was not willing to front the money and Colonial could not find any other local contractors to do the work. On June 6, 2011, they offered me a reimbursement agreement in the amount of $1104.54 which I accepted & faxed & emailed to the company. Repeated calls to this company have gone unanswered. I am owed $1104.54.

It has been almost 4 months since my initial call for service. I have since filed a complaint to the BBB and still have not heard from anyone in the compqany.

Another interesting note, when you call their customer service number, 877-313-0001, it states they are experiencing “system outages” and it is forwarded to an answering service. They have had “system outages” all week.

What a joke of a company…don’t waste your time or money with this company.

Re: Dan, Winter Springs, FL | 09/15/11, 5:35 pm

The customer’s coverage went into effect on 9/10/2011. As clearly stated in our terms the customer would not be eligible for a full system replacement or a compressor replacement until 10/10/2011. This section of our terms is even in bold. Our terms are available on our web site for anyone to review. We also email and mail the customer upon enrollment. The customer also has a full 30 days from purchase to review all terms and cancel for a full refund should they not be satisfied with our program.

The customer filed a claim on 9/13/2011 which was assigned same day. The tech called us on 9/15/2011 and stated the compressor was shot and dead and would need to be replaced. Per the terms this was not covered.

The customer opted to cancel and was issued a refund per the terms as well.

Regards,

Colonial Home Warranty

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I am a full time teacher and it helps so much to have a home warranty. I have filed 4 claims with Colonial and have not had any issues. The first three were minor plumbing and electrical repairs which were simple. The last claim they replaced the air handler for my AC system. It was such a simple process and I was very happy with the results. The customer service representatives walked me through every step of the process. I was very glad that I chose Colonial.

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I called three days last week and each day that I called regarding a claim, I received the following recorded message, “I’m sorry,but our office is experiencing a customer service outage” then it just hangs up on you. This week, I finally got through to customer service who attempted to ‘buy me out;’ however, this was after the claims department hung up on me after being on hold for about one hour total. All day yesterday and today, I have tried to call Colonial at 1-877-313-0001 and I cannot get a hold of anyone in sales, service etc. because the same recording as last week is on “I’m sorry, but our office is experiencing an outage..”

How can you experience an outage two weeks in a row?

Can someone from your office call me?

Thanks

Tammy

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I have contacted Andrew Cuomo about this company! I smell a rat and believe they are the same company that agreed to a settlement with the general attorney last year for fraudulent acts National Home Protection.. These crooks do not cover anything and need to be behind bars. We have located where they are truly based and will uncover this scam. Jail time is imminent for the crooks who will not refund my money, contact Andrew Cuomo or complaints committee for New York General Attorney if you have been scammed like I have they will help you and also give you information on what is currently taken place. These people even stoop low enough to make up fake names. You will be shocked. Contact them now!

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I’m a plumbing service provider for Colonial Home Warranty. I am a plumbing contractor that completes the service request made by homeowners,(given to me by Colonial) in a timely manner with quality & professional service. The PROBLEM I have with Colonial is that they won’t pay me after I have completed the work. They give me the run around about the check and keep putting it off onto someone else. I’m still waiting to get paid for jobs completed in July 2011. This company is a joke. I provide service for 4 other home warranties that pay within 30-45 days. STAY AWAY from Colonial.

Re: Tammy Brisbois Scottsdale, AZ

This customer signed up on our web side for our monthly service plan accepting all terms of coverage. The plan went just went into effect on 9/22/2011. The customer filed a claim on a Washing Machine on 10/3/2011 stating the issue “started” 2 days ago. The service vendor was assigned the same day.

The service vendor called in on 10/12/2011 and stated there was an internal leak in the unit tub bearings on a 10 year old top load basic unit. The contractor stated the unit was not worth repair since the entire tub assembly would need to be redone. Colonial verified the parts needed with the service vendor in addition to availability.

Colonial approved a buy-out on this unit based on the contractor recommendations and our terms. The buy-out was fair for a top load basic unit.

The customer called back on 10/19/2011 and wanted to have the unit repaired instead which would have cost about the same amount than just buying a brand new unit which is what we offered in the buy-out. Colonial did put the part orders in and contacted the service vendor to go over repair approval.

The customer was informed that the parts would be ordered and shipped and can take 5-7 business days since one of the parts was on backorder. The customer insisted on calling Colonial dozens of times for updates which we would not have until the orders were verified with the warehouse. This customer has no patience and the numerous contacts for no reason just slows down our ability to process the claim.

On 10/24/2011 the customer called in to cancel coverage thinking we were not actually processing her claim. Colonial canceled the coverage per the customer request and canceled the order for the parts. The parts were actually in our distribution center at this point and only 3 days to the customer.

The customer had one of two options here, either get a brand new unit, or wait for the parts to be shipped. We offered both options, the customer opted to have her 10 year old basic unit repaired, but did not give us a chance to fulfill the order and repair her unit.

We wish the customer luck and would have gladly followed through with this claim to the final satisfaction of the customer had we been given the chance.

Regards,

Colonial Home Warranty

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Stay away from this company,it’s the worst company i have dealth with,will give you the run around and lies until you get fed up.

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This is the worst company I have ever dealt with. My diverter valve for my shower/tub was not working. The policy clearly states it covers shower valve and diverters. I called in to file a claim stating the diverter was not working. The rep immediately stated diverters were not covered. It told him to read the policy and he stated it was not. I asked to speak with a supervisor and was placed on hold for over 30 minutes. Never was able to speak with a supervisor. I tried again later and was placed on hold again and was not able to speak to a supervisor. I called back and another rep stated they did cover the diverter and scheduled an appointment. Plumber came out and stated he need to call for an authorization. Never heard back so I called Colonial and they told me my repair was not covered because the diverter is connected to the faucet. I told them all the valves in a shower/tub are connected to a faucet and there policy clearly states they cover valves. They did not care. I again asked to speak to a supervisor and was placed on hold for over a half an hour. The rep came back on and told me they only have two supervisors and they are tough to get connected to. I believe their call center is overseas and the workers are told to say repairs are not covered. They are unaware what is and what is not covered. Run away from this company!!!!

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READ THE REVIEWS FIRST! I didn’t. Big mistake. My heater has been maintained annually since it was first installed. Not according to Colonial, so nothing payable under the policy. I knew KNEW that would be the answer after I read these reviews online. Wish I’d done so before I signed up. PAY ATTENTION TO THE REVIEWS!!! Go with another company. Colonial’s a scam. I cancelled the policy, but that should not negate this review. I was fortunate enough to find out how worthless this policy could be in the first months of “service.”

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STAY AWAY! They are currently under investigation. I still have no refund. This company is a scam. I have contacted the attorney general and they have located the corporate offices in NJ, PA and NY Let bring this company down together and stop them from scamming innocent people. Fake names are also used by all the reps!!! They are sending me a list of the real names who run this SCAM and I will be exposing them to help others not to fall for this trap! I will gladly talk to your legal team if you wish just me the information so I can sue you!!

Re: Lynette Setzkorn, Tulsa, Oklahoma

First, this contract went into effect on 11/19/2011.

The customer filed a claim on 11/22/2011, three days after it went active.

The contractor reported the unit is filthy. The condenser had vines growing on it. The unit is packed with dirt. The unit needs to be cleaned. The burners have rust and dust build up. The maintenance condition of the unit is poor.

This unit was found to have a lack of maintenance and as well the issues present did not happen in three days. Due to the lack of maintenance the claim was not covered. The only issue at this point was a burnt out control board which if the customer had repaired in addition to the service would have been able to have future issues covered by Colonial.

The customer informed Colonial that it was serviced last fall. We requested a copy of the records for review. The customer decided to cancel instead of sending in the records for review.

The customer failed to mention that all these issues were found 3 days after the coverage went into effect. At this time per our terms and without a copy of the prior records this claim remains non-covered.

Regards,

Colonial Home Warranty

Complaints Department

Re: F Austin

We are certainly willing to work with you to resolve your problems. Given the generic information we can not determine your specific issue being experienced. Feel free to call our customer service department at 877-313-0001 or email [email protected] and we will do our best to resolve your problem.

Regards,

Colonial Home Warranty

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If there was a rating lower than “poor” I would have selected it. When I called to submit a claim, I was given a number of a local plumber to call only to find out that the plumber works M-F only (it is Friday and it was at 4:30 the call was placed). Called Colonial back and they started “reading” the script that my option is to get my own plumber, pay them and then submit the claim to Colonial for “possible” reimbursement. Thieves, aren’t they? Von, a degenerate representative refused to cancel the claim. Why? No idea. He refused to explain anything and went on and on about the fact that I can raise my issue with the Colonial executives (which means I have to live with plugged sink throughout the weekend). He stated that it is not within his authority to cancel the claim! Why, I asked and his answer was: “I don’t have to answer this question.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and asked to speak to a supervisor. He refused and said there were no supervisors or managers on duty. I asked how he could work in this position without any management or leadership and again he said: “I don’t have to answer the question.”

Colonial is a rip-off Mafia-type of company. DO NOT SIGN UP WITH THESE people: no wonder they are cheaper… you get what you pay for… in this case, headache, lousy service and frustration. I am even calling my old warranty company and switching because this degenerate of a company is worthless…

This is not over. I will publish a blog about Colonial so that the whole world will be aware of this despicable service. I will escalate the issue to the highest executive level and all these degenerates in customer disservice taking the calls, should be immediately replaced.

Merry Xmas!

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Called in November when cold wave barely started. Colonial was unable to dispatch anyone. I called 3 days in a row while temperatures started to drop. I was ready to move to hotel room. They suggested that I find a contractor myself and submit the invoice as a claim. I called and called to find a contractor that finally came the next day, fixed the system and got the heat to work. I submitted the invoice but never got anything from Colonial. Every call I made was: “we have tried to contact the contractor to ask questions on the work done… bla bla bla.” they even challenged me to do all the follow up phone calls. In essence, service is a big zero, work done: nothing, helpfulness:terrible. DO not waste your time and money. All this after they told me at the signing that they had a strong presence in CT. what a rip off. thanks for reading.

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I own a house in a different state and the hot water heater started leaking. The technician explained that we needed to upgrade to earthquake straps a drip pan and a gas line filter to bring it up to code. We paid for that and the deductable and thought it was over. A couple of days later I was informed that it was not coverd and the technician did not get approval. The contractor threated legal action if he was not paid in full that same day. I had to pay the full price to the contractor. Never thought this type of thing would heppen to me so I will not renew my policy!

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I am very happy with colonial home warranty. My two houses are under their coverage and I even renewed them and they are very helpful with my claims and my old mother lives in one of the houses and the peoples they send really good and fix everything for my old mother. I am so pleased with everything they do and appreciate help from they give me for my problems in my house to be handled much better with colonial.

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I had an emergency; my Air Conditioner broke down just before some guests were to arrive from out of town. COLONIAL HOME WARRANTY could not provide any service and had very poor customer service- they referred me to a Service Contractor that said they could not even get someone to LOOK at the air condition for THREE DAYS!!! Of course I cancelled immediately and found a local air conditioner repair shop that advised me by phone and came over the next day and fixed it. Now I am getting a run around over trying to get a REFUND from Colonial Home Warranty, they don’t answer email or mail I send to them, Finally got thru by phone and was told a check was sent, but I never received it and they wont tell me if another check was mailed or where they mailed it to. Dealing with Colonial Home Warranty is a nightmare.

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SINCE JAN.3RD. 2012 HAVE HAD 3 CONTRACTORS ASSIGNED TO REPAIR MY OVER THE RANGE MICROWAVE. NONE EVER CONTACTED US NOR RETURN OUR CALLS. TALKED TO MAURICE, CLAIM MGR. WHO TOLD ME TO GET OUR OWN REPAIRMAN, HAVE HIM DETECT PROBLEM AND CALL HIM. HEARD FROM MAURICE THAT MICROWAVE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, THAT COLONIAL WOULD MAIL US A CHECK FOR $143.00 TOTAL. THEY WOULD PROVIDE THE APPLIANCE IN WHATEVER COLOR THEY HAVE ON HAND AND MANUFACTURER IF ORDERED FROM THEIR WAREHOUSE, TAKING SEVERAL WEEKS. LEAST EXPENSIVE WE COULD FIND ON THE INTERNET IS $190.00 PLUS TAX , PLUS INSTALLATION. I AM CANCELING THE POLICY AND EXPECT FULL REFUND FOR NOT FULFILLING THEIR CONTRACT.
DO NOT USE THESE PEOPLE, THEY ARE CROCKS!!!

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Where to begin? Our 5-year old dishwasher failed. Called Colonial on Dec 13th (I keep notes for obvious reasons). The repair contractor came out, diagnosed the problem, we paid $45. After not hearing from the contractor for over a week, I called him. He said Colonial would rather replace the dishwasher than repair it. Finally reached Colonial. Their offer? $168 (remember, we are already out $45). To replace a $550 dishwasher. So far, no letter from Colonial, which we have to fax back, then wait 30 days for our check. Their amount wouldn’t cover delivery and installation, much less a comparable dishwasher.
I have several attorney friends – their recommendation, never sign a contract that includes a mandatory arbitration clause. For Colonial, the arbiter is AAA Mediation. You need to open a file, which costs $2600, in Delaware. I’m in Texas. This has to be done before you can even attempt to take them to small claims court.
Second, a clause in the fine print, Paragraph 21, states that Colonial reserves the right to offer cash back in lieu of repair or replacement in the amount of Colonial’s actual cost (where they can find a dishwasher for $168, I don’t know and they wouldn’t say).
I will file with the attorney general here in Texas. I have notified the real estate agent board and closing companies in my area. Never buy a “warranty” from these folks, as it is anything but a warranty. I have had these from 3 other companies to date, and all have replaced failed items with minor cost to me (water heater, cooling coil, A/C). NEVER buy Colonial.

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Re: Michael Z , Fremont, CA on 03/13/12.

This website makes no attempt at validating reviews posted against home warranty companies. Many of these posts are no Colonial Home Warranty consumers as with this one there is no records of a customer by this name in Fremont CA.

This web site sells home warranty leads to “sponsored” home warranty companies and its best interest is in profiting from these leads, not in providing fair and balanced information on the home warranty companies rated on this site.

This post is being written on 3/20/2012 but will likely not be posted for another week leaving these fake reviews on the top of the list. That is if they even post this response!

Regards.

Colonial Home Warranty

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We are local real estate agents and also own several rental properties of our own. We tried out this new company last year after they sold us over the phone on how great they were, and within the first 6 months had to call them out to various properties, including our own personal one. They refused to cover any of the repairs and even the contractor they sent out said they aren’t a good home warranty company and suggested we go with Old Republic. He said Colonial is difficult to work with and doesn’t cover the majority of claims. Not to mention their customer service is lack luster. Incredibly frustrating and disappointing. I am now back to searching for a new home warranty company to refer to clients and to use for our 7 properties. Thankful for this site and these reviews. VERY helpful!

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