Fidelity National Home Warranty
Home Warranty Plan Details and Reviews for Fidelity National Home Warranty
Premium: $350-445
Deductible: $55
Effective: upon payment receipt
Web: homewarranty.com
Deductible: $55
Effective: upon payment receipt
Web: homewarranty.com
Customer Service 
Service Timeliness
Repair/Replacement Service
Overall Rating
Total Reviews: 80 Rate this Company!
Service Timeliness
Repair/Replacement Service
Overall Rating
Total Reviews: 80 Rate this Company!
Coverage Area: Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Texas
| Home warranty is a complex insurance product. Unlike home insurance, it does not provide blanket coverage for all appliances. Pre-existing conditions and problems resulting from lack of maintenance of appliance are are generally not covered by home warranty companies. Home warranty sellers may not state these factors clearly, and this will create dissatisfaction among customers. Due to these factors, you will see many negative reviews here. Don't be intimidated by some negative reviews here. If you have maintained your appliances in good condition and go with a reputed home warranty provider, your coverage will be fine. |
We do not endorse any company in particular, however you should ignore the reviews that are overly negative or positive. Such reviews are not likely to offer a balanced view and some of them could be fake reviews posted to promote or demote a company. It is always a good idea to check BBB ratings and make sure the company is licensed to do business in your State by contacting State Insurance Commission. Try to avoid paying annual premium and keep your cancellation rights
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Total satisfaction: 100% Claim Rejection Rate
This is a very cost sensitive home warranty company. They would go to the extreme to find any excuse to reject your claims. In my case, five claims for garage door, plumbing, heater, electricity, and tub faucet, all rejected. The first third party repairman arrived in the evening for an early morning appointment, and could not figure out the problem. But the $50 service deductible was still billed. The company sent in a second one, who absolutely disgusted Fidelity National Home Warranty, warned me that FNHW would not cover anything. He was right! He fixed the problem, at my own cost.
Amazingly, FNHW was able to successfully aruge that all the problems in my claims were caused by faulty installations. Five out of five, 100% claim rejection rate!!! Luckily, my warranty was purchased by the previous home owner when I purchased the house.
On the bright side, FNHW promised to write great claim rejection letters, which could be used against the seller in court.
So for those whose claims got denied by FNHW, don’t get frustrated. It’s the rejection letters we are after:-). If you’re a home seller and you buy FNHW policy for the buyer, you need to pray the buyer forget the warranty before it expires. For home buyers who want to purchase a FNHW warranty, you’re on your own. Sorry!
The service representatives could be polite and super nice, or rude and bitchy depending on whether you are accepting their disclaim or arguing your case. She did said “Have a nice day!” before she hung up on you.
Totally statisfied?? Could be, after the court.
Their phone system stinks – I get cut off half the times I am on hold
Their vendors stink – never have I had a technician solve a problem on the first try. They leave before it is done because Fidelity didn’t authorize enough time. This is $ and inconvenience for you.
really seemed to go to great lengths to not cover anything, more importantly service not so great.
Short Version:
My refidgorater door hindge is worn out and the door wont stay 100% closed.
My claim was denied because it was considered “Unnormal wear and tear”. The mechanism is visibly fine and untouched. I paid a total of $525 and when i asked for a more specific answer they were unable to explain. They have no specific’s or any sort of logical answer or cause, just because the issue is caused by something outside their normal wear and tear guarantee.
FHW & their service company has lost all credability, I can see how they can afford to expand so rapidly, they don’t honor their contracts.
$525 Wasted!
I’ve only made 2 service calls during my contract and both claims were rejected. I have the Comprehensive Option, which apparently only means that you pay more money for nothing, because even though the comprehensive option covers code violations, Limits of Liability #5, states that if something is improperly installed, then it won’t be covered.
Buyer beware. We purchased a home warranty and Fidelity has failed to fix two appliances that are unquestionably covered in the contract. Both appliances were working when we purchased our home, and then failed at different times. Fidelity did not fix the pool pump that was covered by our purchase of the additional pool coverage. We had to replace it at our own expense. They kept stating that it must be an underground leak that is not covered – but this was not the case. Now we are looking into taking Fidelity to small claims court for both items. What a hassle. Stay away from this company unless you want hassles.
Update on my refrigerator:
Fidelity said the only thing they could do is get a second opinion about why the hindge isn’t working properly.
The second service company called me, nice lady but she said they are only in my area once a week(i live in San Diego, you could drive across the city in 30 minutes w/ no traffic). So, they are not able to come look at my refrigerator for a week.
I’ve now canceled the option for the second opinion now because my 1 year old’s son’s milk is going sour along with all the other food. I have no choice but to go purchase a new refrigerator.
This company has no logic in their denial of my claim. The frustrating part is the only thing i can do is file a complaint with the BBB. And, most people will only read these reviews until after they have an issue, not before they puchase the service, like me. Damn!
BTW – Check out the examination report that was done in 2004 by the Dept. of Insurance @ http://www.insurance.ca.gov/0250-insurers/0300-insurers/0400-reports-examination/upload/Fidelity_natl_h_w_04.pdf
Fidelity was out of compliance and could not provide proper documentation to support their annual claims expenses. Probably because there wasn’t any claim processed!
The contractors for Home Warranty are not upto the mark. The contractor assigned for my work order did not show up for the work on scheduled day (scheduled 3 days after the work order was placed). In discussing timing issue with customer service, I got rude response effectively saying you are stuck.
Fidelity Home Warranty company will not believe the customers. They believed the contractor who managed to convince that water leak in basement is not covered under warranty, even though contract specifically mentions that any leak in the water main is completely covered.
With about 4 hours of arguings and rude discussions, I ended up paying $50 for absolutely no work.
I would stay away from this company if possible. It is not a total fraud, but pretty close to one.
- They are pretty good about handling calls.
- They try to dispatch a local contractor but there is no guarantee on when the contractor might show up.
- We had a broken cooking range and the contractor decided to show up after 1 week and then he took his time to report the issue to Fidelity and they never bothered to call back on whether they would pay or not…I had to call to find out that it was not a normal wear and so they won’t pay.
- Another time….had a bath tub faucet problem…the plumber came out a few days later but nevertheless came…and instead of getting a proper fitting faucet…got a spare part that wouldn’t fit well.
Overall…I wouldn’t want to go back to them again.
DO NOT PURCHASE with Fidelity. Our Escrow agent set up our coverage with Fidelity. We NEVER got our contract terms and conditions. When we had an emergency pipe burst/flood they denied coverage. When called to discuss claim with Fidelity they said they could have sent someone to fix flood/bursted pipe the next day. Customer service was RUDE! DO NOT USE!
Actually I was surprised by all the negative messages that I found here.
I have been with FNHW for 5 years. During that period I filed just 3 claims: 2 for the same ceiling fan and 1 for jacuzzi pump. At first time the ceiling fan was successfully repaired and was in order for the next 2 years. After it failed again and was inspected by a technician they sent they decided to replace it and sent me a check very promptly.
The pump for jacuzzi failed about a week ago and a technician appeared 2 days later. I wasn’t home, but he called on my cell phoneme and reported that pump is unrepairable and needs to be replaced. Yesterday they called me again and scheduled the installation appointment for tomorrow…
So… I have no any reasons to blaim on them.
Not too thrilled with this company. So far I made 3 calls.
1-Plumbing: they send a company, all they can tell me, your pipes are not covered, they have to be plastic and was told we can’t touch them I paid the $ 50 copay.
2. Air condition: I called private co. and I was told I need a part will cost $199, Luckly I rembered I have insurance, I call, pay the co-pay, he did not replace the part, states, I don’t need it, well I wonder why there was a part in the first place? Not to mention that the breakers are still flipping (one of the reasons for my call).
3. Swimming pool pump quit on me. I called, I paid the $50 co-pay. The guy looked at the pump, and said, the pump was bigger than the recommended size, so bye 50 dollars, Fidelity National Home Warranty says it is fixable for $600 dollars, My god. I am done with warranties, no more.
Finally the ceiling fan in the kitchen smells scary and the light is flickering. What to do if you have insurance? Call them right? Fidelity-NO WAY!!!!!!! I saved my $50.00 went to LOWES and purchased a new fan/light for $80.00. Hey at least I get a new fan and I don’t have to wonder what kind of excuse Fidelity will come up with!
Even our 11 year old daughter says, “GOOD RIDENCE Fidelity!!!!!!”
My plumbing still leaks, Air conditioner still flips breakers and my pool is a lovely shade of green in the 100 degree heat in California.
Fidelity SUCKS!
I have had this company now for two years since buying the house. Originally, the seller paid, but I renewed after one year. So far, they have fixed several plumbing problems, and replaced my pool filter, all without much argument. Mostly, they were concerned about pre-existing problems, but after one year, there was no resistance on that subject. For the very first plumbing problem, they contacted a plumber who was not responsive. I complained, and they quickly contacted another very competent plumber who came out rather quickly to address my issues which were leaking faucets. He spent quite a bit of time, and recommended a replacement which Fidelity paid for; I only paid an upgrade fee because I wanted more than a basic model. The upgrade fee was $40, and I got a $150 faucet set plus installation for a total of $90 including the $50 deductible. Just paying for a plumber to come out will cost around $90 here in Southern California. For the pool filter, it was leaking, and they sent out a very knowledgeable tech who recommended a replacement. Again, I knew the brands and wanted a better brand, so I paid $150 upgrade to get a Hayward DES filter which, my regular pool man told me would have cost around $900 including installation. My cost: $200 with Fidelity. I had a heating problem. Fidelity contacted a very competent Heating/AC firm. The tech who came out was VERY good, considerate, and fixed the issue without replacing anything. My cost, $50. So far, I have been quite satisfied with Fidelity and will probably renew again ($545 – with comprehensive, pool/spa + built-in refridgerator).
They are good at setting things up for appointments, but never follow up on problem items when then issues are not resolved.
I have had Fidelity Home Warranty (recommended by my realtor) since 2003 purchase of my home and I renewed each year for about $390. They have fixed my garage door twice ($45 service call each) , replaced one overhead motor. They replaced my dishwasher pump promptly around 2004 which involved two visits for one $45 or $50 service charge and recently I called because gas water heater went out (6 yr warranty, lasted over 10 yrs).
They sent plumber within hours assigning it as a priority. He determined that the heater needed replacement. Fidelity offered me the option of $520 cash (fair offer) or let him replace. I paid $50 for the service call, $55 to haul the water heater and $95 for upgrade to 9 yr warranty. Another very reliable plumber here currently charges $700 for this service but because the Fidelity plumber was on site and was same who had fixed my dishwasher, I had him replace the heater. He offered two brands and I randomly selected one because it was same as the long-lasting original. My mistake. Not Fidelity. I was in too much of a hurry to get hot water again.
I wish I had taken the time to do more homework re: brands of water heaters because I have found out the other option was top-rated brand and the one I selected was not.
Happened upon this site by chance during research this brand of heater. Only reason I gave 4 /5 on replacement service was because plumber could not tell me anything about efficiency rating and was unaware of published problems with the brand (my highest rating would go to plumbers aware of both). In talking to the parent company of the heater and the store where it was purchased, I’m somewhat reassured about potential problems with this heater. Time will tell.
After reading comments online, will keep proof of appliance maintenance file. To date, am pleased with Fidelity in my city. Only reason not to renew would be weighing anticipated future claims against the annual fees.
Service and authorization literaly stinks so do the contractors they work with. Reported an Ac fault which was diagonised as fault with the cooling coil whihc was literally dripping and had flooded the furnance.
Fidelity sent a contractor who said the Ac fault is covered, but eh furnace is “secondary” and needs to be borne by client! Moreover, the new evaporaing coils dont “fit” in the needed slot, so there is a “modification charge” and other costs in addition to my bearing th cost of the furnace.
They also said they could fix the furnace wich was flooded! and hence it would not be covered – every other repair man was against it.
The coverage was comprehensive – but they never ran out of excuses on why I should bear the cost!
Calls to their manager bear no result as well – they NEVER return calls on time and have a cozy schedule to sleep over.
I am changing the moment I get out of this and select another company.
THIS COMPANY IS A TOTAL FRAUD. Anyone who really thinks they are going to have a piece of mind by having this home warranty service from this company is in for a BIG SURPRISE. My thermostat broke down after about a week since I purchased the home warranty from this company. I placed a service call and after waiting 2 days for a technician to show up I am told that this thermostat is a pre-existing condition which they will not cover. After a heated discussion on what their contract mentions “Unknown preexisting conditions *are* covered by the plan etc. etc” the protection company say that this thermostat could not have broken in a day- it has not been working for weeks. Anyways I went ahead and paid 230 dollars to their technician for fixing a thermostat which probably costs about 50 bucks. I was told by Fidelity that I will not be responsible for the 55 dollar service charge fee and to my utter disappointment I get a bill for 55 dollars after about a month. Not to mention the technician was the rudest person I have ever met. He never issued me a receipt for the money.
I wish I had never gone with a home protection company .
SO PLEASE DO NOT BE FOOLED BY THE RAVE REVIEWS posted on their website.
I too am surprised at the negative ratings listed here. I live in So. California and I have had a warranty with Fidelity now for 10 years. Not every call has been perfect, but in the end they have taken care of everything that should have been covered.
In the last 10 years they have replaced my water heater twice, my spa pump and recently my spa heater. I have had two slab leaks (which they only cover $1,000 towards the repairs), my dishwasher replaced, they replaced my air conditioner, fixed my garage door opener twice, replaced duct work that was leaking, and have sent out plumbers for at least 5 different plumbing issues that I can remember.
I have had to pay out of pocket for the upgrades that I wanted, and some modification charges on the A/C unit and water heater replacements. I haven’t been thrilled with every technician that has come out, but I haven’t been that fond of many that I have hired on my own, either. Their customer service has always been helpful, and I usually do receive follow-up calls to make sure I am happy with the repairs that were done.
I will continue to renew my policy with Fidelity without hesitation.
I contacted fnhw about a plumbing leak under my house. The plumber they sent reported I had two breaks in black plastic pipe, but they could not do the work because there was water under the breaks?????? Yes under the breaks there was water. Their plumber said I would have to have a hazmat type co. come in to clean up the water/mud before he could do the repair. What does their plumber do? Not fix leaks? I called three plumbers in my yellow pages and they would do the job no problem. If anything they might charge me for a tarp or wood if that was required. $55 was charged for nothing more than being told I had a leak under my house that I already knew I had. I will do the repair myself, and the know it will be done right. Do not waste your hard earned $ on this worthless policy.
I purchased Fidelity Home warranty for my home in California believing I am covered for any plumbing failures and any major appliance failures. But I feel it’s just a waste of money. I would have saved myself a few hundred dollars if I had just stayed out off it.
Recently, I filed a service request when I found out; there was water under my kitchen sink. Fidelity sent a plumber, who determined the leakage was due to wearing of sealant around the faucet. My wife asked him to fix it but he refused saying Fidelity insurance will fix /replace the faucet but will not cover any failure due to wearing off of sealant or caulk. He demanded $50 service charge for coming to this conclusion. I was so surprised by his conclusion, that I called Fidelity and asked them about this. A supervisor told me to read my contract and lo and behold, their contract excludes any wear and tear due to failure in caulking. So in essence Fidelity is telling me caulking is not part of plumbing. I can imagine if at all Fidelity replaces a faucet, the plumber they send is not going to put a water seal around the faucet.
Why does Fidelity do this? I am sure they conducted an audit, which showed them that most of the service calls they were getting regarding plumbing was due to failure of sealants or caulking. So they decided to exclude it. What a nice way to deny a claim. On top of it, I cannot even cancel their plan as I already paid for it upfront.
Is it worth buying the policy just for the sake of big appliances? I had another bad experience last year. I have a GE Profile Stainless steel Refrigerator in my house. For some reason, the freezer could not maintain low temperature. I called Fidelity and they sent out a Sears Home technician. He came out and changed a part. Now the refrigerator started freezing everything kept in it. Even milk and food kept in it would freeze. I called Fidelity again. They sent the technician. The problem did not go away. I made nearly 6 service calls, and the technician came nearly 10 times. Every time they give you a six-hour window and I had to take half day off from work to wait for them. I called Fidelity and asked them, why are they not simply replacing the refrigerator as they promise in their contracts. They response, they never promise, they will replace an appliance. They will think of it only when, the total cost of repairs exceeds $1000 for a $1600 refrigerator. Even after 6 service costs, the total cost was only $600.
So in essence Fidelity is telling me it never cares about its customer’s convenience or “peace of mind” as they put it in their ads. The supervisor I talked to never cared about all those half days of leave I had to take from my job and all those $50s I paid for service calls. They were only hoping I will get fed up and replace the refrigerator my self or stop calling them. That’s what I ended up doing in the end. I could not afford to buy another refrigerator but I just started buying milk for just 2 days.
the worst of the worst company total FRAUD is their policy very good to take ur money & give u nothing they disapproved 3 claims of plumbing even though it is written undercontract it shopuld be covered & cracks & leaks… will take them to court noo logic at all of denying any claim u submit
DO NOT buy a warranty from this company. My AC went out and they did not even try to have it fixed and in the end it cost me an extra $6000 to have it fixed. They are scum.
DON’T EVER BUY FROM FIDELITY HOME WARRANTY. They will NOT honor their contract and their customer service is rude and a complete joke.
I had a plumbing stoppage two days before thanksgiving. I had dinner reservations at 6pm and told them someone would need to be done by 5:30/ Fidelity was to send someone between 8 and noon, then they called at noon and said by 5pm, then they called at 5pm and said 5:30, and I changed my reservations to 6:30. At 5:30 I called them and they said by 7pm. I told them they would need to send someone the next day. They promised someone at 7am. I said fine but no later because I am leaving town at 10am to visit relatives for Thanksgiving. The plumber comes and tells me he CAN’T fix my stoppage, but he recommended that I put in a new cleanout with a bigger pipe for $1000, then he can do it and Fidelity will pay for it. I asked why? A plumber had come out a few years back and snaked it. I called Fidelity and the person at Fidelity tells me that the last time it was a courtesy and that my home doesn’t have a large enough cleanout, per the plumber, so the plumber can’t run a snake through it. Even though it’s been done before and paid by Fidelity. Even though it was NEVER mentioned by any plumber or Fidelity rep. Even though the house was insured by Fidelity with the same size cleanout I have today. Even though there is nothing in the contract that mandates a certain size cleanout. Even though the plumber I paid to come out the next day said that it was a bunch of crap and cleared the stoppage using the existing cleanout in less than 15 minutes and without hesitation.
I called to discuss it again after speaking with another plumber and the customer service rep was ruder than rude. Cut me off. Wouldn’t let me speak. Told me it wasn’t covered, and gave me the story that the plumber said it couldn’t be done. When I asked to speak to a supervisor, she transferred me to voicemail. The service was appalling and the reason for rejecting my claim was fictitious. I tell everyone I know not to ever use one of their policies.
My experience with Fidelity nhw has been mixed.
The time to service is reasonable. Some of the other reviews expect perfection. But repairmen can’t be perfect. If I called a repair man myself, it will usually be the same time frame, maybe a little earlier. Fidelity is fine on this.
I’ve called Fidelity about four times. Three were denied as they said they don’t cover it (for example: plumbing leak caused by cracked grout).
The good experience:
One time, I had a drain stoppage in my upper bathroom. After calling a repair company myself (I forgot Fidelity covers stoppages), the repairman could not fix it with his snake machine. Then I remembered Fidelity. The plumber they sent fixed the issue quickly for the nominal $50 service fee. I was happy with that service.
However, combining it with the previous denied claims I had, I’ve decided I will not renew my coverage. It’s just not worth it. I’m looking for discount reliable handiwork, not an insurance policy that doesn’t pay. I’m better off testing and finding the right handyman.
Ultimately, Fidelity will only cover up to $1000 of plumbing or heating problems. $405 is a high premium to pay for $1000 coverage. Any person who knows insurance would not buy a home warranty policy, unless they are doing it solely for the discounted repair rates.(Which Fidelity rarely accepted my claims)
I was really surprised that there were a few people who had positive things to say about Fidelity. This warranty was arranged thru my realator at the sale of our mobile home, so half was paid by me half by the seller. I’v had to call the company 3 times in the past year. They are nearly always rude on the phone, and usually act as tho they paying for everything out of their own pocket. I finally gave up after the third call on my dishwasher. The first time out on this call, they sent a fellow new to this country, so we could not understand each other. He kept looking at his watch very nervously, he did replace the heating element, then took off. dishwasher never worked, had to call again. this time they sent someone new, but again, their was a language barrier. he fixed the washer and it worked ONCE. went back to the same thing it had done in the first place, just kept washing over and over. on the third call, after schedulling another trip, I got to thinking that if they come out and tell me “oh, its a new problem” thats another 50.00 bucks out of my pocket, with no guantee the washer will be fixed, so I canceled the call, and told them I was just going out and buy a new washer. this nickle and diming my self to death makes no sense to me. so good luck to anyone that buys thru this company. I just do not trust them at all. I know how expensive repairs are, especially in so. ca., but you should have some assurance that when you spend the money on whole house warrranties, the doggone thing should kick in.
We received the home warranty from the seller when we purchased our house this year. After our built in microwave broke, I made a claim about a month ago. They scheduled one technician who came out and told me the key pad was not working. Then the scheduled a 2nd technician for the “2nd opinion” to tell me the exact same thing. Both technicians were professional and seemed very competent.
Now Home Fidelity is saying they are sending a 3rd technician from a different company to get another opinion. Do I really need 3 technicians to tell me the same thing? When does anyone fix anything or replace anything?
I think they just don’t want to pay for the microwave. Every time they have to schedule a technician to come, I have to miss work for a 4 hour block of time. I tried to complain to customer service but dealt with a few rude people who were not very helpful.
I will not be renewing my warranty with them. 16 hours of missed work and the $50 deductable, I could have purchased my a new one already.
I would recommend going with some other company.
I read all the comments before making the phone call to Fidelity National Home Warranty. After reading all the comments I mentally prepared myself to get rejected and treated rudely.
Surprisingly, the customer service was not as bad as expected. The phone reps were OK in professionalism, but still far from the greatest though. Service promptness was good. I called 8 am and by 1 pm I had the plumber arrive. But just as other comments said, the plumber claimed the dishwasher was not covered due to faulty installation and insurance will not pay. The garbage disposal didn’t work, and because they found a coin inside, they claimed it was due to faulty use by me and once again did not cover.
The only good thing the insurance did was send an electrician to fix the circuit breaker that controlled the garbage disposal. In the end, the outlet works for the garbage disposal, but my sink still clogs and my dishwasher still overflows with sewage water. Despite the obvious need to repair, insurance said they can do nothing. And in the end, I still had to pay them $55 for the service call. Sure, they fixed the electrical, but the insurance cost over $400. Just as with other people, the Home Warranty give me a false sense of coverage.
I will NOT renew my coverage. Good luck to you all. Maybe you’ll have better luck than me.
My experience with Fidelity has been wonderful. Not only do they do what they promise, but they send very professional techs to my home.
i called ahs on 1/6/09 for two ceiling fans with lights. i had to call the technician twice, because he never responded. after he left, i waited a week, because i had not heard from ahs, so i called them. was informed that after over a week the technician had not sent in his report. i waited another week, and was told that he had still not sent in his results and was forwarding me to another vendor. well, i waited two days, and I called ahs again, and was told that the first vendor finally sent in his report and was on his way to pick up my fans.
Well, i was astounded. how could a vendor pick out fans form my house and i had not given ahs or this vendor authority to pick out anything for me. well, ahs stated that the choice of fans is black, and if i did not wish to have the black fans, that they will send to me, then i could do a “cash out” and i was offered $300 for the two fans which include installation. this is absurb and i am definitely NOT renweing my contract with this company. How dare they think that anyone can pick out any fixtures for my home.
Fidelity Home Warranty has failed to send a technican within the required 24 hour “business” day period on 2 occasions. In both circumstances Fidelity has contracted with companies that have provided sub-standard customer service … The most recent Hurst Plumbing provided such poor customer service that they the didn’t show up, call or reschedule. Their response to missing the appointment was that they had an “emergency”, couldn’t call because “you know how men are”, and told me that my appointment “wasn’t worth their trouble”! Fidelity should contract with reputable companies and not those the cut them the best deal!
Fidelity National Home Warranty is only good in talking. They are nice when you call customer service. But the plumber they sent out have no intention to fix your problem. They are told by FNHW not to do this and not to do that. All they want is your $55 plus the premium you already paid. It is cheaper not to have FNHW because they will do nothing for you. If the seller offer you FNHW, you tell the seller to give you cash. DO NOT BUY IT unless you want to reduce your life span. I consider this is a scam.
FIdelity are thieves i wish i would have read these reviews before i joined. We had water heater go out and they say it was pre existing and of course it is not. If theres a class action suit against these thieves please count me in.
Had a leak under kitchen sink, figured it would be easy, so I got the parts and tried to do it myself, took off the hoses and could not get the on and off valve to come off, so I just called for service, was told by plumber that since I started the process they would not cover it. I was not very happy about this, it only took him 10 min and charged me 130.00. Advised I would complain to Fidelity and he just said they will not cover it. Next time don’t touch the piping. I advised him that they did not say this would be a problem. I feel fidelity should have stated this to me on the phone, I would have tried harder to fix issue if I had known this.
I understand what everyone here is saying. Unfortunately I am one of their service providers and I will openly say…this is a game. Your Service provider (the repair man) is the one who must explain what the problem is and why Fidelity should cover it. He sets the price to Fidelity. Basically this is the smart service providers game. As a provider – it is way more beneficial to me to help you, than to help Fidelity. Unfortunately, many of these guys are just some service guy for a large company with only a salary in mind – not your best interest. Ask for a small independent operator.He’s hungry and making deals. Only the impossible can not be overcome.
Good Luck all
I switched to Fidelity in 2008 because their service charge was lower than my last home warranty company. Service call were prompt, technicians were courteous and professional and completed all repairs. This year, 2009, they increased their rates by $80 and increased the service fee bt $5. I am shopping for a new home warranty company.
they change the policy every year they have changed it so that they do not cover what they did in 2004. Now they say all is excluded. They won’t go on roof for clean out when they did 5 years before, they find any excuse like alleged faulty sink installation not up to code when the sink was inspected by my tough city inspectors. Times are tough but I would say the premiums match the cost and you can get a contractor. During boom times the contractors are not happy to be there but now it is slower they are there johnny on the spot. I don’t like how they try to get out of things on technicality. One time they fixed my garage and another time they said it was excluded so it depends who you get and if they have a pulse or not. Some people may be rewarded for denying claims. If you report them to your Department of Insurance in your state, they seem to reconsider because they are always in trouble with the state for some violation and since they are insurers they need that certification or they will be put out of business. Bottom line, usually it covers the premium maybe and you can get people during boom times that normally would not show up unless big buck jobs are involved. In a bad economy they are hit by housing and selling policies so expect them to decline more on first go around and appeal to the Department of Insurance. I don’t have much respect for them but after all they are an insurance company and better than nothing like all insurance, you have to fight them and try to get to their jugular or they will screw you over.
Just bought a home and on the first day, we had an issue with the toilets clogging up and water backing into the shower. We called Fidelity thinking they’ll fix it. Well, They sent out a plumber at 7pm. So he shows up in the dark with a flashlight saying that we only have a 1 way clean out and the clog is inside the house, so Fidelity doesn’t cover it. We spoke to the “authorization dept” and they said “sorry too bad, we can’t help you, you need a 2 way clean out before we can help you.” The service guy (AJ Bono) then says he’ll charge us $750 to install a 2way. (Highway robbery!) And if we wanted to be able to take a shower anytime soon we would have to pay him $350 to flush the vent, but it wouldn’t be warrantied. So now we have to pay someone else to do the job in order for Fidelity to ever come back and unclog any stoppage. But after reading these reviews, I think they’ll come up with an excuse every time regardless if we spend $400 or $750 for this 2 way clean out. What a joke!!
Have Fidelity Home Warranty coverage on several rental houses that I own. Most of the Fidelity staff have been very courteous. A few service suppliers have sent out incompetent people who couldn’t or wouldn’t complete the work in an effective manner. I’ve reported each case of poor service, in writing, to Fidelity. If after that the same service company was scheduled to come out to a house, I request an alternate provider and explain why. Most of the incompetent companies disappear after a short while. They do have some problem providers like the pool service company that ALWAYS reports that the “malfunction was due to lack of maintenance”, or the plumber who installed a water heater incorrectly and the wires to the unit shorted out a couple of days after installation. I haven’t been offered their names for quite a while, which tells me that if you keep them posted, they try to weed out the bad apples.
On the other hand if an air conditioner fails on a Saturday afternoon when it’s 110 in Phoenix, they will authorize me to find an outside contractor who can give same day service. My tenants have been very appreciative.
Then there was the time that a built in microwave oven died. The tech who came out to work on it said that it needed to be replaced. Fidelity arranged for a replacement unit. The new microwave failed two weeks after it was installed. Unfortunately the microwave seller and manufacturer got corsswise with one another and neither would take care of the unit. The seller wanted me to uninstall the built in microwave and deliver it to the store for service. Finally I was able to have Fidelity direct the merchant to replace the unit. That merchant, a national chain, no longer is an approved appliance provider to Fidelity.
Are they perfect? No. But they do try to make things work out OK, if you call and explain the problem, in a calm and courteous manner. Also their service provider notification system doesn’t always work properly. The worst part being that occasionally they have failed to notify the service provider that I have paid the $50 service fee in advance. As a result the service man has demanded the $50 from our tenant. But all it takes is a few phone calls to get something like that sorted out.
Over the years the cost of the Fidelity policies has been quite a bit more than what we would have saved had we not had the coverage. However the policy allows us to not have to worry about finding a service contractor, when an emergency occurs at one of our houses.
Very hesitant to pay anything, it’s like throwing your money into a garbage bin! Horrible!
This company is in the business of denying all claims to refuse from paying . They are always looking for ways to not pay for a coverage item saying it was installed incorrectly. By coincedence they installed it and later after failing to work I called and said it wasn’t covered since it was installed wrong. BUNCH OF JERKS
I have Fidelity Home Warranty for my rental property in San Diego. I have had this policy for over two years and am thrilled with the excellent service I receive. Not one of my repairs has every been turned down. I have had another company for my primary home and they are not nearly as good. I am switching my primary home to Fidelity when it renews this fall. Fidelity is by far the best warranty company in my book! P.S. This is a totally sincere and legitimate compliment.
Thank you
FNHW has done a wonderful job for us the last 10 years!
We are currently living the nightmare that everyone else has been through.
We had our heater on our spa go out and would not work. We called Fid. they said a spa repairman would come out but he is only in our area (he wan’t even in Orange County!) 1-2x week. so, he finally came out a week later and we paid our $50 (rip off right there). He says, “Yep, I know what the problem is, BUT, you don’t have a GFCI installed according to code. (Evidentally the original owner of the house AND the owner before us AND the 3 inspectors of each home sale failed to realize this major code violation.) And fid. would not authorize him to fix the spa until we put in a GFCI box.
So, I go down to Home Depot, buy the $100 GFCI and, with the help of my buddy who’s an electrician put in the GFCI. And I pay my buddy for his help $100. So, $250 just to get the OK to come out and fix it.
So, stay with me, I call Fidelity to tell them I put in the GFCI and they say they will send out the spa guy.
He comes out, I have to take off work, and he repairs the problem with the heater component.So, I thought, “Well, at least it’s fixed and done.”
not so fast, he calls today and tells me Fidelity is now NOT authorizing it. He says we either have to pay him $300 for the part or he has to come take the part he installed back.
So, I call Fidelity, and of course the rep is clueless and I’m sent to a “que” to leave a message for a supervisor and they will “call me back”.
WHY did you give the spa guy authorization to fix something that isn’t covered? And why wasn’t I told what was being replaced and if it was or was not covered??
Let’s just say, regardless of what this outcome is, we will not review our coverage. for the amount of times you might need it it isn’t worth the payments.
Very unprofessional and often rude answering service. Company also contructs incompitent service technicians.
I inherited my policy from the seller of my condo. My dishwasher broke and was leakign water into my bedroom, on my carpet. They sent a plumber who spent a total of FIVE minutes looking at the dishwasher, determined that was the problem but he was not an “appliance specialisT”, so he left. Didn’t bother to turn off the water to the dishwasher or ANYTHING.
Fidelity called an “appliance specialist” next day who could not come for another TWO days. Meanwhile, carpet is getting soaked-I had no idea how to turn off water. I call Fidelity back, frustrated, say I need someone sooner. Nope! Can’t get anyone sooner. Woman at Customer Service tells me ot turn off the valve.
Well, there is more than 1 valve.
Next day, my carpet is drenched and water is leaking outside when I come home from work.
I call Fidelity. No, they can’t send a plumber tonight-there are none available. I had to express to them that my carpet was getting drenched and this is an EMERGENCY. They finally agreed to let me go “out of the plan.” But the plumber had to call them at all times, which was a pain-they kept us on hold for forever. They gave me AND the plumber a hard time for pulling out the dishwasher but he had no other way of making sure that was REALLY the propblem. This plumber, since I picked him, was good.
He actually turned off the water!
“Appliance specialist” came the next day (Today). He told me a seal is broken. Apparently they don’t even make that seal anymore but Fidelity has told me they’re gonna take the next 2-3 days to “search for the part.” I can’t wait til they come back and tell me a bunch of BS to get out of having to replace my dishwasher. I will sue them so fast their heads will spin.
Oh, and I’ll make them pay for damage mitigation on my carpet and drywall, even tho they told me these are “secondary damages” and NOT COVERED.
BTW, THERE IS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST THIS COMPANY.
Just google “Fidelity National Home Warranty” and lawsuit.
They hide behind some fine print that they failed to inform you of when they sold you the policy. They are very difficut to work with and it seems as if that “everything is covered” is really not that much.
Imagine how much money this company makes with charging everyone $50. for sending people to your home and doing absulutely nothing!! I think the person who chose this company (the seller in my case) knew about the plumbing problem and was allowed to pass it off on me. The bank should have to pay since they are the ones who chose this company.
We changed to Fidelity from American Home Shield after having very costly problems related to their very poor service. American Home Shield doesn’t even know if the contractor’s they send out are currently licensed. One very hot August our central air went out. We were given the names of the worst service reps in the area. One of them came out long enough to collect the service fee and when the air went out 15 minutes later he was no where to be found. When I checked his name with the Registrar of Contractors his license had lapsed several months prior. The most costly damage to us was when they kept sending out the same clueless plumbing company to find out why it seemed the water in the toilet kept running. Almost a week later and finally calling our homeowners insurance company did we find out one of the pipes behind our washer broke. Since this wasn’t fixed right away as it should have been it required tearing out walls, our shower, parts of our bathroom for mold remediation and testing. We live in the desert and the testing was required because the size of the water pooled in our laundry area was over 18″. All because American Home Shield sends out the bottom of the barrel companies to your home. They gave us a few vouchers of $100 each for the delays but that only covered part of our $500 deductible with USAA. The total cost of repairs was $9000!! I don’t know why real estate companies are pushing them since they are the worst company we’ve had the misfortune of dealing with. When we sell our home we will have to disclose this of course and since it involved mold remediation it may very well have a negative effect on the price we can get for our home. AHS should be sued out of existence. We’ve had Fidelity for almost three years and are very happy with the quality of the people they’ve sent out and the professional customer service reps.
Put in claims for the water heater, 2 bathrooms and the AC. After paying out $220 in deductibles only the 2nd bathroom was repaired. Even though PG&E said certain things needed to be fixed on the water heater, the tech they sent out said everything was fine and refused to do anything, of course we still had to pay the $55 deductible. When our AC unit wouldn’t cool, the tech they sent out said it should be repaired and paid for by Fidelity National, that it should not be a problem, yet Fidelity National again denied the claim! We strongly feel that something should be done about this company. They shouldn’t be allowed to continue doing business. We rarely had problems with Old Republic Home Warranty. They were flexible in who was sent out and rarely denied a claim.
When the heater in my home broke in the middle of two winters back, a call to these guys had the service man out the next day and the problem fixed the day after that. No problems/issues. That was the only reason I have had to call them though (luckily).
Fidelity National Home Warranty will do everything possible to get out of paying a claim. DO NOT use this company if at all possible. Every single time we have to call them it is a battle.
Here’s something crazy – with them you pay by the trade, not by the incident. So if your dryer goes out and that causes an electrical problem, here is what happens: they send a dryer repair person who will tell you that he can only make repairs up to $150, after which they may or may not cover you. But the repairman can’t fix the electrical problem so he tells you that you need to call an electrician. So you call Fidelity to get an electrician and they tell you that because it is a separate trade you need to pay ANOTHER service charge (deductible), and then you have to go through the same thing all over again with the electrician.
There is a special place in hell for the people who approve claims in insurance companies, and the people at Fidelity national home warranty are at the front of the line.
I have had Fidelity for 2 years and will not be using them again. The first year nothing broke but this last year I have called them out on three different occasions for A/C and pool issues and all three times I’ve been told they won’t pay because the issue was due to negligence. Today it was because I had the wrong size a/c filter installed. It is a rent house so that may be true but I don’t think that caused the freon to leak. They didn’t fix my pool because the filter basket broke and that’s what caused the damage but because the basket isn’t covered they aren’t liable for the other damage. As long as nothing breaks they are great!
Very bad customer services. They do their best to avoid the payment, don’t buy policy from them.
Bought the house a couple of months ago. Inspection said all appliances worked fine. A month later A/C stopped working. Fidelity refused to cover it (after charging me $55.00 to look at it) because someone (before I bought the house) fiddled with the wiring. Absolutely worthless.
Ever since I’ve owned my house in 2006, I’ve had nothing but problems with Fidelity and their contractors. Their contractors always had to come back to do the job correctly. Unlike, AHS, their contractors are very much experienced and knew what they were doing. Also, one thing I didn’t really like much about Fidelity contractors is that they have been rude. I haven’t contacted this company for a repair that it only took one time to fix the problem. They always had to come back and had to pay $50 and repair the same problem at least 2-3 times a year. Then, if you complain to Fidelity about paying another $50, the timeframe allowed to waive the $50 is already over. I’m not very happy with this company. Every three months I had to call Fidelity for the same problems over and over again. I am so dissatisfied that I am transferring my coverage with AHS, even if I have to pay a little higher but the hassle my family and I have been through with the Fidelity contractors are not worth my time and money. The worst experience is that we did not have air condition last year for 3 months because it took Fidelity this long to fix our air condition. The entire family had to sleep in the living room for three months during summer of 2008. One Plumbing contractor had indicated that there was a foreign material stuck in the sink, although I was behind his back watching him fix it and didn’t see a foreign material. However, I’m thinking that he didn’t want to come back and fix the problem and so had to report this to Fidelity so Fidelity had advised me that they will not cover our sink anymore because of this foreign material, which was not even true.
I was very impressed by the service provided by FNHW. I was a customer of AHS and First American before and then i switched to FNHW 2 weeks back. Couple of days back there was some small noise coming from the A/c unit situated outside and i created a service request. They assigned a contractor straight away and they called me imm* to set up an appointment for today. Licensed technician came and he was on target to find out what happened. No game.. just mentioned some bug insie the contactor making noise.. As he couldnt clean it up, just changed .. some thing around $75+small labor for the insurance company.. my problem fixed..
I am very impressed. I am sure people have different expectations when you subscribe to home warranty, but I am always clear on what I am expecting from these companies. I want very honest genuine support person coming to my house, without cheating me, i want to get the work done. it is not about paying an amount, but we should pay only thing we deserve. Through a home warranty company, we are assured, at least we dont end up cheated.
Fidelity was great over the phone with their customer service; however, when it came to actually making sure that they fullfilled their responsiblity to me as the customer I was left out in the cold, or in this case the heat. At 95 to 115 degrees temperature for 30 days after the technician’s first visit. Communication after this was poor at best and with 2 small children in the house they really did not seem to care at all. Needless to say I will not be renewing my contract. I would discourage anyone who desires to do any business with Fidelity.
We bought a house almost a year ago. The stove did not work properly. We have now had to call for our 10th service call, and the problem remains same. They WILL NOT replace the stove because it is less expensive to keep sending repairmen out than to replace it (they have told us this!). This is very frustrating. Our contract is up in a week. If we can’t resolve I am going to report them to the BBB.
I bought an older home so wanted to be sure I started with a warranty. I chose Fidelity after reading reviews on this site.
I’ve only been in the house 3 months and have already had 2 plumbing issues. I called Fidelity and both times their representative was very helpful and both times there was a plumber at our house within 3 hours, including one time being the day after a major holiday.
Although much of the work needed the first time was not covered by the warranty, the plumber and Fidelity were very clear on what was and was not covered and what the additional expense would be. The 2nd time the work done was covered (it was a different section of the house and not related to the first main line root-caused blockage found)
So far I am very satisfied with the response from Fidelity and the service from their contractor.
I had the owner of SCC Appliance Repair come to my home over 3 weeks ago (Aug 19, 2009) to inspect the Oven (F1 code) and the range (the ignition would not stop clicking). In about less than 10 minutes he know exactly what the problem was and told me that parts have to be ordered and he will (or some one from his office will) let us know when the parts will arrive. If the parts are not available then the warranty company will call us back. He also mentioned that he may have to get “used” parts to fix the problem.
Today is September 11, 2009 and I am still waiting to hear from either of them. I had called the service company about 2 weeks ago and the owner’s wife had told me that some one will call back the next day on the status of the repair (has not happened yet).
In short, please follow up with this folks and be on top of them. AND never pay the repair company your CO_PAY amount. Tell them you will pay when the work is completed. Otherwise you will never hear from any one for a long time.
8.45am 9/11/09 I just got a call from Richard at ext 2937 and was told by him that the repair company will get the part by Sept 15th or 16th. He was not sure if the part that was ordered was a new one or a used one. He also went to the extent of telling me that some times it can take over a month or longer to get the part. If so, atleast have the courtesy to follow up with the customer…where is your customer service skills? They are very skillful when they need our money.
On August 12th my A/C stopped blowing cold air – the fan on the outside floor unit was not working. I called the Warranty Co immediately and was given to a Company who could not come out to service the unit until the 17th, which was impossible to accept considering the temperature was 100+. I called the Warranty Co back and they switched the company. According to the A/C company the compressor and the condensor was bad. It took over a week for the Warranty Co to approve the compressor to be replaced and an extra 2 weeks for them to even ship the part!!! Not even 48 hours after the part was replaced the same problem occured. Now the Warranty Co approved the compressor to be replace but I am responsible for paying another service fee. When I called and asked why this would be the woman who took my call told me that they are different parts therefore another charge is due. When I told her that it is the same problem that I called on initially she then said that since the part worked fine when it was installed it is considered a different problem. She then proceeded to yell at me because I couldn’t understand why this was and that if I had a problem I could take it up with them at a later date and that all of this is explained in the notes (as if I can see them). I asked to speak with her Supervisor who’s voice mail picked up…I do not expect a phone call back. This is my first home that I purchased in April (not even six months) and am already researching other Warranty Co’s to switch to.
1. My first experience with home warranty was the in-house vacuum system. A man came out and lied to me saying that I needed an entire new system since Sequoia Vac Systems were “out of business” and it was an obsolete system. I suspected something fishy so I got his “estimate” which was for a totally new system, then looked this company up in the phone book. There they were in black and white. They were very much still in business. The owner came out and fixed the motor. It is a fraction of the cost the man from the Fidelity Home Warranty company wanted for a new system.
2. Second experience was with Viking fridge. They came out, supposedly diagnosed the problem, ordered 4 parts (of unknown type to me) and didn’t show up again for a month. I called him and he said he was still waiting for the parts. Another week and he came out, tried installing those parts, and said “oh dear they sent me the wrong parts” as I was watching him install them. Another month ensued and he never returned my calls. A total flake. So we had Viking rep recommend a good company and it was fixed within a week. A freon leak, not at all what the other man had said it was.
3. Our Dacor Microwave oven was not working. Called home warranty. They came out and said e needed a new one since that model was not made anymore. True. As my kitchen has all stainless steel upscale appliances in it, I felt that we should get the same brand and in the stainless steel. The representative spoke with me on the phone after the diagnosis from Fidelity Home Warranty and wanted to install a white model from Sears, a much cheaper brand. It would look awful. I refused and we put in the Dacor one ourselves and have not renewed our contract.
So there you have it. I very much dislike Fidelity Home Warranty.
My hot water heater has a problem with allowing the water to cool down too much before re-heating it. Sometimes I get hot water, sometimes luke warm. I’ve had to take many showers with the faucet turned all the way to hot even though the temperature on the hot water heater is turned up nearly to the hottest setting. But because this appears to be an intermittent problem and did not occur when the plumber was present, Fidelity will not pay to have the thermostat replaced. Apparently my word alone is insufficient. Also, the plumber they chose did not call within the required 24-hour period and the appointment to check the hot water heater was a couple days after that. The re-call check took even longer. And, of course, the hot water heater is still not working properly. I will be switching to another warranty company when this contract expires.
The worst ever I have seen in customer service to person coming our to inspect. i paid extra coverage for the a/c and when my a/c stopped working. they said that its not covered. I paid extra for nothing.
My first experience with Fidelity Home Warranty has been very poor. I recieved a telephone call from Fidelity to authorize a service call that had been made the day before. The Authorizing agent from Fidelity was hostile from the beginning of the conversation. When I politely asked a question the tone in which I was answered was condisending. I was forced to ask 3 seperate times for another representative to speak to. Although the second representative was more helpful the taste left in my mouth is still bitter. I would not suggest this company to any friend or family.
My microwave broke on 9/7/09 and I immediately called Fidelity to have someone come out and repair it. The first appointment we could get that was convienent for us was a week later. After the problem was diagnosed, we were told we would hear back within 48 hours. We didn’t, so I called. They said give them another day. And another. Eventually we got the contractor (ABC Appliance in Fairfield, CA) to admit that he didn’t make any documentation of his visit (!), so he had to come back out again to rediagnosis the problem. Instead, I told them what the problem was (broken door) and told them to replace it. After waiting several days while they unsuccessfuly tried to find a replacement part I was told that they would replace the unit….just not in the same color as the original. Sears were to deliver the microwave. I was told to call Sears the night before to arrange a delivery time for the next evening when I got home from work. Sears said they couldn’t do that, and it would have to be between 11am-1pm (when I work). So we had them deliver it several days later at a more convenient time. We then called Fidelity to have someone come and install it. We were told to expect a call from the contractor that same day…needless to say, we didn’t get one. So we called the next day…and they promised the same thing. Still no call. I left them a message on Friday night…no call back over the weekend (they operate 24/7). Monday morning I call and they said they just spoke to the contractor and he will call back today to arrange a time to install it tomorrow, for which I will have to take time off work. I’m not holding my breath because I don’t expect that call.
To summarize, it has been 1 month and 6 days and still we have no microwave. This has cost the $410 premium + $50 service fee. Absolutely incompetent service from Fidelity and ABC Appliance.
I tried scheduling a service and the first word out of their mouth was not to be helpful, but how not to help me… we pay so much money to these guys and when it comes to servicing, they want to back out.
Try not to go with them if you have another option.
This company will do everything possible to get out of a claim even if clearly legitimate. Do not use them. we only had them due to our real estate agent advising them. I would never use them again and would question any agent who advises them.
I would not recommend using Fidelity. I’ve used their service for several years as a property manager. Every time something comes up they are elusive and do not fix the issue.
For example when the AC would not work correctly they came out and said it was “just old” and functioning. Though it still ran it did not cool the house! I ended up having to paying for a new AC out of pocket.
When the garage door no longer worked they would not fix it because it was a “preexisting condition.” The garage door was the original that came with the house. It functioned perfectly when I took out the policy with Fidelity a few years ago!
I even made the mistake of buying a beefed up package to ensure my things would be covered then ended up paying for everything out of pocket. I would strongly recommend saving your money or using a different home warranty company. Using fidelity is like flushing your money down the drain, realizing your mistake but still having to call a plumber to fix the clog.
Will not renew my policy for 3 reasons:
1. It took 4 visits from a repairman to fix one problem with stove. When all was said and done, he never did fix temp. so I had to pay deductibe for a second time and request a different repair company to get temp. fixed.
2. Having to pay $55 every time a repairman comes, whether he fixes it or not. Example: I pay $55 and repairman fails to fix freezer. He told me it was a “design flaw”. However, a different repairman said it was fixable, but I have to pay $55 again to get him to come out and fix.
3. Not good value for the money. Deductible every time there’s a service call, and annual premium at $395 does not include Washer/dryer. (add’l 75/year)
Your information is wrong and some of the comments would not be related to Fidelity. Our price is $360 and the service fee is $55. There was a couple of negitive comments where nither the policy or service fee was correct . If your going to provide a service such as this you should keep the information current and also make sure that the negitive comments are correct. Because maybe it’s not Fidelity.
We took out the premium policy including pool but found that the pool valves that started to leak and the wine cooler that stopped working were not coverred. When the dishwasher began running extra cycles in the middle of the night. The manufacturer said this was not normal but fidelity said because their technician ran it through a cycle and it worked, there was no verifiable problem and we paid $55 for this opinion. By far the worst home warranty I have ever had.
As I write this, I am waiting on a plumber to come to “repair” an issue for the third time. The plumbers Fidelity sends have been either scary or incompetent. The customer service agents are generally nice, but Becky is completely unhelpful. Stay away from this company!
Also, the cost is up to $425 now.
My house flooded due to the water heater breaking…totally covered by the policy. However, because it was Thanksgiving morning and I woke up to my downstairs flooded. I contacted my homeowners insurance first to get the waterdamage taken care of. Come to find out insurance won’t pay for plumbing because its “normal wear and tear” and that is for home warranty to cover. But, FNHW refuses to pay because I didn’t call them first and it clearly states that in the contract. Who pulls out a contract to read while their house is flooded!! These people just kept repeating, “its stated in the contract”. Worse customer serivce ever…and the kicker their slogan…Fidelity National Home Warranty is dedicated to providing more than the customer expects! Don’t count on it!
As a Broker, I provide FNHW at no cost. Anytime I have ever had any problems, and I have had a few, I call my Rep and she makes it right. If you have a problem, have the real estate agent that gave you the policy call his or her Rep at FNHW and have them make some noise. In 10 years I have always been able to make my clients happy with the repairs.
HAVE THE REAL ESTATE AGENT THAT PROVIDED THE POLICY CALL HIS OR HER REP AND MAKE SOME NOISE. YOU WILL GET WHAT YOU NEED!
Very unhappy with the Fidelity Reps. Service Tech was great, but nothing he could do…. Garage door safety latch was locked with a factory spring/pin that was never removed at install. Emergency happened, no way to disengage the door from crushing (now broken) hand – had to pull the screw/pin from hinge. That caused the cable to come undone. Even though the comprehensive extra warranty states that it covers code violations, and additional parts of the garage door opener, I now have to pay for the door and parts to be fixed that were broken because the opener and safety equipment failed. First call I received from the Fidelity reps didn’t even acknowledge that I had the comprehensive plan at all, and only the items under the standard coverage were covered – NOTHING! It took an additional call to the warranty department for acknowledgement of the additional coverage. Of course, I am still stuck with paying for everything to be fixed before they can determine if anything might be covered, which they assure me won’t. My last home’s warranty company & service were wonderful, and I will be contacting them again as this coverage is worthless. Fidelity Ins. was purchased through my agent.
Came to this website before I resign with them, to see some other options. We have had Fidelity for 2 years. First call was within a few days of moving in. A plumbing issue, a water leak in the attic, that dripped down into the kitchen cabinet. They determined this was preexisting, which was frustrating, because we had just had a VERY thorough home inspection, which did not show a preexisting leak in that area. We even had pictures to prove this. This was the first time we had the water turned on to the home for a few days, and this is when the issue showed up. The house had been empty for a year. So very frustrating to fight with them right off the bat. And the plumber that came to look at the issue was absolutely horrible and rude. He looked for a minute, and was calling to get authorization to put a hole in our ceiling and go up, tearing things up along the way, until I suggested starting by looking in the attic.
Then we have had issues with a clogged pipe that came from he kitchen sink, and was draining gray water into the backyard. The problem was fixed thankfully, but the plumber was fairly incompetent, even telling us we had a septic tank, when we don’t. This was a different pluming company.
We had issues with a clogged shower, that needed to be unclogged 3 times, over 6 months, costing us $55 each time.
Last issue was a broken wall mounted toilet from 1968. I had no idea a toilet would be such an issue. The warranty covered the issue up to $1000, and it took all of that to fix it. They replaced the toilet, and rigged it to fit, because it didn’t fit correctly. The hole in the wall is still there around the toilet. The toilet moves when we sit on it. (Which leads me to believe that it will need to be redone, so why fix the hole at this point) The plumbers…I feel like we get the HMO version of plumbers, not so great, though very friendly.
They did call after about 2 weeks to see how it was all going, and I mentioned the hole in the drywall, never heard back from them. Fidelity is okay I guess, I just think the people/plumbers they used are not good. But I was pleased and appreciative that they replaced the country blue toilet we had, and short of drilling into the foundation, or us paying out of pocket, there weren’t many options.
Fidelity, you are okay, but you need new plumbers on your list, for sure. As it stands, my coverage expires today, and the office is closed, and my account online says I owe nothing, and won’t let me pay. My bill is for $410 for the year, and $55 per visit. If people see a difference in price, this could be due to location.
If you go in knowing what to expect out of your home warranty, then Fidelity is fine, though I haven’t had others. The contractors are knowledgeable enough, and come quickly enough. My main beef is that Fidelity doesn’t cover most of the things that I need to be fixed. Like leaking skylights. Broken garage door openers. Flashing around roof vents. Doors that don’t close correctly. We have owned several houses now, and have vowed to only use the “free” year that comes with the home, then ditch them. They provide very little value, in my opinion.
I had a very bad experience with Fidelity recently. My stove sounds clicking every a few hours. My oven also have a problem where it beeps loudly one night. The problems just come and go. I called Fidelity. Two weeks later, They had a technician come and did nothing other than writing down the mode number and taking $55 copay. One week passed, no followup happened from Fidelity. I had to call them again, this time they said they cannot fix it because the technician couldn’t reproduce the problem. But at the first time, I already told them on the phone that the problem happened every few hours, it would be difficult to reproduce the problem. They said if the problem happens again, I can call them within 30 days since I first submitted the claim. But when she told me this, three weeks already passed since the claim was submitted. What if next time technician come and still cannot reproduce the problem, is it okay I record the problem in video? But she kept telling me nothing they can do until technician see it on the site. Instead of understanding my suggestion, the representative on the phone kept asking me to renew my policy. I was not happy because I paid $55 for nothing.
In the San Diego area, Fidelity uses a repair company which seems to consist of a guy, his wife, and a couple of relatives. They’re based in North County, and as I’m in South County, responsiveness can be tricky – which I totally understand.
What I can’t understand is the absolutely crippling inability to schedule effective service calls. Our dishwasher died on 2 Feb. We reported it on 3 Feb. It’s now 26 Feb, and after four appointments, we still don’t have a functioning dishwasher. This isn’t one of those “head-scratching mystery” problems either – once the technician actually got a look at the machine, the diagnosis – “bad pump motor” – was pretty clear. The problem was that the Fidelity repair contractor a) blew off their first appointment; b) took a week to reschedule; c) after diagnosing, it took them over a week to get the part; d) when the technician came to install the part (a new motor & pump), he was unable to move the dishwasher, having apparently not noticed during his previous visit that it was full of water; and e) after coming back w/ another technician to move the dishwasher and replace the pump/motor assembly, he left without testing the dishwasher (which, OF COURSE, immediately threw a “bad pump” error as soon as we tried to use it). So now I’m waiting… again… for another repair visit.
They say you’re judged by the quality of your friends. If a home warranty company is judged by the quality of their repair contractors, RUN – do not walk – to ANY OTHER home warranty company. (BTW, I gave them a “2″ for customer service because one CSR at Fidelity totally commiserated with this ludicrous situation. Didn’t change anything, just felt vindicating.)
We had pluming issues. They send the plumber very fast (within 48 hrs). The first time the service man did minimal job, we asked him to check around to see for any other obvious problem and after a very brief look around said none.
After a week 3 new problems showed up. We called again, the new plumber came after 2 days. After 15 minutes (and damaging the hex pin) was unable to open it and said will be back within 2-3 days to replace the faucet and there would be no cost on the top of the $55. After 5 days he called and said insurance have authorized him to do the job. I asked him to reaffirm that there is no additional cost and her referred me to the Fidelity.
I called Fidelity and they told me the there is $380 (+ $55) . When I asked why, she said the hex screw was already damaged and the whole faucet should be replaced ($190), also there is a part missing (sink stopper, value $12.00) another $190. I asked to talk a supervisor, a very un-polite and unhappy (why am I asking for validity of charges) person. She refused to provide any rational and was getting angrier and more un-polite after each question. I told them I do not trust the competence of the plumber she said you can ask for 2nd opinion (and I should pay) and they may consider/reject the appeal.
We canceled the request and I was able to fix the problem – with a proper tool (not sure why plumber did not have it!!!) and $15.00 parts.
After almost a 3 weeks they send a letter and formally reject the request. If I would not have asked the plumber and customer service and “problem” was fixed by that plumber I would have paid about $400.00 for a $15 job. Thanks for the timely and fast notice!!!!
I have lost my trust and confidence to this service: they hire incompetent technician, customer service is phony, and adjusters are there to essentially reject requests as much as they can. I WOULD NOT RENEW MY CONTRACT WITH FIDELITY AND WOULD LET THOSE THAT I KNOW NOT TO USE THIS SERVICE.