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
| 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
Reviews
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Pages: « 9 8 7 6 5 [4] 3 2 1 » Show All
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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 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.
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.
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.
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)
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.