Comments on: Fidelity National Home Warranty

By: mansour zand, laguna Niguel,, CA

mansour zand, laguna Niguel,, CA — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 21:03:54 +0000

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.

By: Mike, Coronado, CA

Mike, Coronado, CA — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 03:41:58 +0000

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.)

By: Yong, Stevenson Ranch, CA

Yong, Stevenson Ranch, CA — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 18:36:33 +0000

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.

By: JP, Danville, CA

JP, Danville, CA — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 04:24:39 +0000

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.

By: Dani, Quartz Hill, CA

Dani, Quartz Hill, CA — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 23:11:45 +0000

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.

By: RY, Oceanside, CA

RY, Oceanside, CA — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:24:04 +0000

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.

By: Charles Heller, Los Angeles, CA

Charles Heller, Los Angeles, CA — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:47:05 +0000

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!

By: anne, tacoma, wa

anne, tacoma, wa — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 19:35:35 +0000

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!

By: Jill, Visalia, CA

Jill, Visalia, CA — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 00:54:37 +0000

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.

By: BREA, CA

BREA, CA — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:01:55 +0000

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.