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: 98 Rate this Company!
Service Timeliness
Repair/Replacement Service
Overall Rating
Total Reviews: 98 Rate this Company!
Coverage Area: Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Texas
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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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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)
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.
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.
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
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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).
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!
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.
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!
- 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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
really seemed to go to great lengths to not cover anything, more importantly service not so great.
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.
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.