HMS
Home Warranty Plan Details and Reviews for HMS
Premium: $360-400
Deductible: $100
Effective: 30 days after enrollment
Web: www.hmsnet.com
Deductible: $100
Effective: 30 days after enrollment
Web: www.hmsnet.com
Customer Service 
Service Timeliness
Repair/Replacement Service
Overall Rating
Total Reviews: 82 Rate this Company!
Service Timeliness
Repair/Replacement Service
Overall Rating
Total Reviews: 82 Rate this Company!
Coverage Area: USA - All States
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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
This company also operates under the following alternate business names
- Total Protect
- Cross Country Home Services
- Haa Of Virginia
- HMS Home Warranty
- Home Warranty Service
- HomeSure of America Inc.
- Homesure of Virginia, Inc
- HomeSure Services, Inc.
Source: Better Business Bureau
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I had American home Shield, and used them a few times a year, always were able to fix those small issues that arose around the house.
When time came to renew I found out that AHS wasn’t including all the appliances that I needed coverage on, so I switched to HMS.
Those “few” calls I did a year, not one of them was covered by the HMS warranty. I had a kitchen Faucet, that decided to drizzle, and that wasn’t covered.
My 17yr old A/C finally bit the bullet, (main reason I did the Home warranty) and After 4 visits, and 3 weeks later they came back to tell me that they were going to replace my unit, of course, not all of it, and the adapters that I needed, the company charged OUTRAGEOUS prices for. basically, they said, we’ll replace it, and you got to spend $700 from your own pocket. There is alot more to this VERY short story, but I’m giving them a 1, and will never use HMS or the associated maintenance companies.
The worst warranty company period. My AC unit has been broken since June and it is now October. They would tell me my claim has been finalized then it’s hasn’t been then it has. Then they would tell me they have a 24-72 hr turnaround time. It has been 2 weeks and I had to contact them everytime.
Denied Claim for repairing heating unit claiming the problem was an pre-existing condition. Total scam. Don’t use HMS or Cross Country or whatever name they go by.
Denied heater repair claim. HMS said the problem is a pre-existing condition even though the repairman told me it should be a covered repair. Total scam. Don’t use HMS or Cross Country or whatever name they go by.
Just Google “HMS Complaints”…you’ll see I’m not the only one upset by this company.
HMS are extremely slow and the customer service is really bad. The contractors they use are so bottom of the barrel. Don’t use them!
On Sunday am I woke to a flooded basement 6 mo after moving in. Hot water heater was 19 yr old; corrosion caused leakage from the top. Only plumber on HMS’s list in my area had never heard of HMS & refused to do service for them. HMS said I could find someone in the phone book, which I did. I submitted required paperwork for the $1,284 bill, & waited the required 4 wk review time – only to have it denied. Why? “The work wasn’t authorized.” I appealed. Denied. I appealed & asked for a call-back. No call back. I called & re-appealed. Denied. I asked for a transcript of the initial recorded call where they said I agreed to the “owner’s code,” but a male supervisor said there was no recording. His supervisor called & said she’d pay $423.75, their replacement cost. [Lowe’s cost: $340} Male supervisor called back within minutes & said he had initial recording which had me agreeing to the owner’s code, said “Thank you for being such a valued customer” in a very sarcastic voice, & hung up on me. Clearly HMS is a rip off.
This company just collects yearly fees and denies claims.
Dishonest and rude receptionists.
This company has a habit of hiring contractors out of the area to save on costs. As a result, multiple appointments to repair my boiler were by contractors who were hours away in Delaware. This company sees nothing wrong with hiring a plumber more than 100 miles away to save a buck. Who cares if you have to wait a few more days or at least several more hours for the comapny to arrive. I would never use this company again. They are the worst.
Horrible customer service and their “authorized” companies who provide “repairs” are even worse.
I have been with HMS for 9 years and they have always been very good on service calls and repairs. Until now when my air conditioning unit failed and the contactor that they assigned to my repair told me the outdoor unit needed to be replaced. It was leaking refrigerant and several sensors were gone. He said that it was cut and dried, it had to be replaced and not repaired. He called in the information on Tuesday of last week. I contacted HMS that day and warned them that a heat wave was about to hit the DC area and the claim needed to be expedited. When I called on Wednesday, the told me that a replacement unit had been located and that the authorization department had the claim. I was told they would contact me by 6 pm on Thursday. I called them at 6:30PM and they indicated that it was still in the authorization department. I called on Friday morning, finally got a supervisor who approved the claim himself since the authorization department hadn’t acted on the claim. This was after telling them I would contact the Better Business Bureau and the Insurance Commission in Va. On Friday, they indicated that I had to tell them whether I wanted a claim credit and have the unit replaced on my own or if I wanted them to provide a replacement unit to the contractor. They offered $1121 on a $2200 replacement. I told them now way, replace the unit under the policy. The purchasing department screwed around on Friday and on Monday and finally told the contractor the replacement unit was at a Carrier distributor less than 10 miles from my house (the replacement unit had been at that distributor the prior Tuesday when the first service call was made). Since HMS screwed around for an entire week, the contactor booked up with calls through this Thursday and now I have to wait until Friday for the unit to be replaced. Meanwhile, it has been over 90 degrees 5 days in a row. The only concession HMS made after they made multiple promises and never fulfilled one was that they would pick up the $135 in non-covered costs as compensation for their ineptitude.
I’m certainly not going to renew with HMS.
My A/C unit have been out of service for 4 weeks. The process for claims is extremely long. I believe this is a possible process according to the customer service representatives information.
-HMS gives you a local company to perform the repair.
-Depending on the workload of the company this may take approximately 1 week. You may require multiple companies, some are small and don’t even return calls.
-HMS receives replacement parts list from a local repair company.
-The information takes more than one day to be uploaded to their system.
-HMS approves the parts, takes a few days.
-Purchasing department order parts and ships them to the local repair company, this would take about 1 week.
-Local repair company receives a work order approval, even as its seem logical to approve the work order along with a replacement part they don’t do it.
-Coordinate with a local company for the installation.
The customer service is very deficient, you always get a different story each time you call. If you require to contact a supervisor they are never available or care to return a phone call, email etc.
I would never recommend this company to anyone, its a frustrating experience.
We bought this house Oct 07, the inspection went well and HMS was a supposed added bonus. The house was built in 2001. Well November 07 rolls around and the pilot light on the gas stove continues to go out. Have had 4 repair men come by all doing different things, issue not resolved. Ended up buying a new gas stove. The dishwasher wasnt working correctly so we called on them because one of the repair guys looked at it when he was inspecting the stove, said the subpump needed to be replaced, but that I would have to file a claim with HMS. I called had someone come out to tell me that the heater coil wouldnt get hot enough and that it wasnt made to get the required temp. So HMS denied that claim and never fixed the stove. Come Dec 2007 the heater was making an awful noise, and they sent out someone, again it didnt get fixed. Then the Evap cooler didnt work so we paid to have central a/c installed through Sears. The prior owners took out the refridge air and put in Evap. Well two months later and the Blend Air motor is blown in the central air/furnace. I call and they sent someone out. First off the people they hire to do “so called work” are the bottom of the barrel, really before he even looked at the HVAC system he was trying to sell us a cleaning of the unit. Yes the 7 yr old furnace is dusty but not dirty. Anyway he comfirms what we already had investigated online the Blend Air needed to be replaced. The guy gives us a receipt that states that and “cleaning” So HMS in their usual manner denies the claim, saying to clean the machine and if that doesnt fix the issue then we pay to have the same moron come out again. So at this point I have argued with a Supervisior, and gotten no where. She claimed that she talked to the company then denied that she had just said that. So I faxed a copy of the Blend Air needing to be replaced, and Coleman’s diagnostic of the red flashing light and alarm being a mechanical issue-NOT cleaning issue. I am sure that I wont get a call from them, but am filing a BBB complaint against them tonight. And I am also canceling our policy with them. HMS is a scam and fruad from what I have found out through reseach tonight.
I had an HMS home warranty on the first house I purchased. I think using home warranties are a little like having an HMO for health insurance. They’re not set up to be terribly convenient, but in the long run, they do save money. I am in a different home now, and again have an HMS home warranty. They are consistent. They provide me a claim number and contractor when I call. If I can’t reach the contractor, or they can’t provide service in a reasonable time, HMS will provide another name. Most often, the contractor repairs whatever it is that isn’t working, but there have been a few times when they’ve had to replace things. I don’t think I’ve ever been treated unfairly, but I have to admit, the contractors they use do very little to accommodate my schedule.
We are really angry with their services, they did not try to evaluate the claim, they didn’t care what evidence we had, the only thing they would do was to say, “Sorry, it’s pre-existing condition, we won’t pay for it.”
We don’t feel they are trying to provide any service, really just taking money and to bribe the realtors.
I have been a customer of HMS for several years, and every time I use them, I am frustrated by their terrible customer service and slow response times. They prey on people’s fears, but I will not be victim to them any longer. I live in a town of 25,000 people. There are plenty of repair companies in my phone book. But every time I call HMS with a claim, it seems they only have one repair company in the area, and that company is booked. I have asked them several times to work to have more contractors lined up, but they haven’t. Today, the customer service rep I spoke with named “Quantina” told me that they only have one service company in my area. I asked her why not more, and her response was “A lot of companies don’t want the hassle of dealing with us. They would rather work on their own.” Well, if they experience the same frustrations with HMS that I do, I can understand why. So here I sit with a plumbing leak and no one here to fix it. Meanwhile, HMS has the $450 I paid them for my contract and hasn’t done anything to make sure I get the timely service I deserve. The only thing I get from their warranty is a guarantee I will be frustrated.
I have been trying for 3 weeks to get my water heaters repaired – turns out only one is covered, they don’t cover the catch pans (that are leaking), they don’t cover the pressure valves for the water heaters, etc. (if you get the drift – they don’t really cover anything) on top of that I can’t even get their plumber out here!!!
We have had HMS for three years. The first two years, we were…well, not pleased, but at least willing to renew because we have an old boiler system and we don’t want to risk replacing it out of pocket.
This year, so far, they have denied responsibility for an electric claim–legitimately enough, but they sent someone out anyway and collected their deductible although I clearly explained the problem and they should have known they wouldn’t cover it.
Then, the boiler stopped working and they sent someone out who then stopped returning calls and has not sent a service report. Without the service report, they won’t help us at all–they won’t send another contractor, won’t do anything. On top of that, there is no supervisor available for me to talk to–none.
So our house is 44 degrees and falling. I have a 2-year-old and a 6-month-old. I am worried about freezing pipes. This is absolutely unacceptable customer service and I am not renewing a contract with HMS ever again. Nor do I feel the slightest bit confident that they will cover anything they don’t feel like covering.
The pump (and motor) in my dishwasher needed replacing. I contacted HMS, and was recommended three different repair services. The first didn’t want to work with HMS. The second was Sears (enough said). The third was faxed over a work order through HMS. This company DID NOT contact me for over 24 hours. After calling HMS to complain, the appliance repair service claimed that “they had until 5:00 that evening to contact me” and were apparently waiting until the last minute. Anyway, the claim went as follows:
1) HMS decided to repair, rather than replace my 15 year old dishwasher.
2) From start to finish, the claim took 9 days.
3) The appliance repair company seemed to have a problem with returning calls. This issue happened more than once.
Prognosis: The dishwasher seems to be working okay…just didn’t seem cost effective to repair an appliance that old. I discussed the issue of repair vs. replacement with an HMS manager, and was told that under their warranty, parts and repair are “heavily discounted”, hence, their discount would prove less expensive than paying to replace the item. As George Bush would say…sounds like “fuzzy math” to me.
This is a must have insurance for any homeowner especially now when things are so tight. Only 3 months into purchasing this plan our dryer broke we only had to pay a $60 dollar deductible and a new dryer is bieng delivered:) The plan we got through this company covers upwards of $50,000.00 in appliances Furnace,Washer,Dryer,Hot water heater,etc. We are so thankful we got it $60 verses $379.00 min is a much needed savings. Best wishes
Our furnace went out in the middle of winter and i called HMS to come out and take a look. I explained to them i had a 2 month old and a 2 year old so i really needed it fast. They assured me that it would be done quickly. Two days later a company came to look at it and told me what i already new was wrong. They said they would talk to the company and let me know. I called the next day and they said it would be replaced fast and i had nothing to worry about. I called 3 days later and they told me the same thing. It took them 6 weeks to finally put in my new furnace and i had to come out of pocket 1200 dollars!!! plus a $100 deductible. My babies were without heat for 6 weeks and they could care less!!! Never use this company. It is the worst ever!!!!
This is the biggest waste of time and money. The company states that they are available 24/7. It is impossible to speak to customer service. I was on hold for more than 1 hour and still didn’t speak to anyone. This has happend on multiple occassions. I have had terrible service from Jameson Electrical. The people they contract to do the work on your house are terrible and don’t know what they are doing. I would never recommend purchasing a home warranty from this company. It is not worth the hassle, time or money.
Contract is vague, questions are not specifically answered. End up having to pay more because claims weren’t covered due to location, appliances only partially covered.
Contract is vague, questions were not answered specifically about coverage. Claims were not covered at times & had to pay more than deductible due to location, appliances & mechanical garage door were only partial covered.
I’ve had issues with the contractors they require including them not truly diagnosing the problem to them not sending in reports to the warranty company for up to 5 days after assesing the situation.
HMS has been doing an “upgrade” on their systems to better service their customers, but in the mean time they are getting nothing done and have been “crippled” for over 4 days. They don’t even say they will call me back, instead it is “please call us back”.
After several months and 2 inspections (not to mention the Seller having to replace several items throughout the house), we were finally able to close in the beginning of March. We had the AC running (primarily the fan) for several weeks so that we could paint with maximum air circulation. When the weather got hotter, we realized that the air, although cool, was not cold nor was it coming out as strong as it should be. We contacted HMS, who sent out a rude, arrogant man to inspect the AC unit. He was horrible (not the kind of person I would have ever allowed into my home by choice). He sent a report back to HMS who denied the claim, stating that the AC unit is broken and has been since before the policy went into effect. I’m not sure what the point is in getting a Home Warranty if they aren’t going to cover things that break, but we are trying to go through the process of appealing the denial. They make it difficult, by basically blaming us for turning on the system and stating that we somehow had some control over the property from the time of the inspection to the date of settlement and should have ensured that the unit wasn’t being run. I wish that there was a way to make sure every settlement company out there knows better than to offer this company’s service. I would have rather purchased another plan through another company. I am filing complaints with all governing boards regarding this company in hopes that it helps prevent this company from ripping off other consumers.
HMS is a horrible company. They have no desire to do any type of business. I have been promised phone calls which have never been received. Repairs have been attempted 3 times over the period of one month. The unit (dishwasher) is unable to be repaired. It is over 10 years old and the model is no longer in production. Replacement is not even an option to HMS. They want me to pay over $200 for repairs when I can purchase a brand new machine for that money. STAY AWAY FROM HMS WARRANTIES
I purchased a HMS home warranty after buying my home in Washington, DC 2 years ago on the sole recommendation of my realtor. I filed two claims (and eventually cancelled them both) in two years and decided to just pay for the work out of pocket. The failures weren’t major and I didn’t want to deal with all the BS. I recently received my renewal notice and after reading all the horrible reviews relative to HMS, I definitely WILL NOT renew with them again.
Does anyone know of a reputable company servicing the DC metropolitian area?
HMS IS ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE!!! Bought my home a year ago and purchased the HMS Home Warranty. 6 months after moving in my heat pump broke. Filed a claim with HMS and they “determined” the coils were dirty, I asked the contractor while he was there if he could just go ahead and perform the work and I would pay out of pocket….He told me he wasnt licensed to do that type of work. WTF!! You are a HVAC company. Anyway had another company come out and they advised me that the coils were fine! Now here is it memorial day weekend and my AC stops working. I call and file another claim. Contacted the HVAC company and they can’t come for 6 days. It is 92 degrees in my house, I have 2 small children. I call HMS and ask for another service provider…they tell me that we have to give them a chance to respond. I told the lady that it was 92 degrees in my house and that was totally unacceptable! She then placed me on hold for 10 minutes and got back on the line to advise me that she had looked up the weather forecast for my area and the temperature was not supposed to rise over 80 degrees so I would be fine. YOU HAVE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!! So now here it is 6 days later and the contractor finally shows up. He determines that the circuit board burned up and needed to be replaced. He would call it in for approval and be back within a day or two to repair. Two days go by, nothing. I call HMS, they havent received the report back yet. 3 more days go by, nothing! By this point I am totally irate. I called them and told them this was absolutely unacceptable. Then they suddenly received the paperwork from the contractor and “determined” it could have been caused my a storm so my claim was DENIED! I contacted the HVAC company to question them and they told me that nothing to that effect was ever mentioned and he couldnt believe that they were doing this! I am absolutely furious with this place!! I am supposed to renew my warranty with this company tomorrow for $540! Def. will not be happening. WARNING TO ALL: STAY CLEAR OF THIS COMPANY!!!
Anyway if anyone is interested in hiring a lawyer and getting a case together let me know. I will def. be contacting a lawyer today! Email me at anwtabb041505@yahoo.com.
Everything that all the prior reviews have said is completely true. The company seems to do everything they can to slow this process down and screw the customer. If you have this company as your home warranty provider, you have to call everyday and do all the coordination with the repair company. If they say they’ll call, they won’t, so be on top of things.
If there was a rating less that “1″ I would choose that option! I bought my home two years ago (an older home – built in ‘96) and at the time of purchase an HMS warranty was included. My first problem was the hot water heater which would not work due to sediment build up. No, they did not cover it….which I may have understood…until my experiences this year.
My built-in microwave went out. The service man could not figure out what was wrong with it so they took it into the shop. Well, evidently there was a small amount of paint which had chipped off from the interior (which I still do not see) so HMS rejected the claim. THUS I paid my $100 deductible for a non-working, non-repaired microwave. Certainly an expensive service call!
Then, that same week my A/C went out. This was the second time – it happend last year, as well. The assigned service provider came out, replaced freon, said he checked for leaks – I paid my $100 end of story. NOPE! Evidently the tech did not check very well as again this year I was empty of freon and this time he finds a RUSTED condensor coil (and this just happened? don’t think so!). Bottom line, when HMS FINALLY contacted me – they are covering $736 out of a $2,000 job. They do not cover permits, duct work, etc. What a rip off! DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY! I am just thankful that this happened prior to my June 18th renewal date! My renewal is $450 with a $100 deductible. Thanks but no thanks, HMS!
Scam, they will not give me a refund of any amount because the “short rate” daily. They explained they take out a random amount from the premium everyday. Of course this is after they refused to fix my AC and the C&R Mech. co they sent out threatened to kick my ***. Huge waste of money.
I’m a company that was working for HMS/Crossing Country and they do want you to treat the customer with no respect we are not going to work for this company as not only do they not take care of there warranty customers but they treated the company’s that want to be honest to the customer by not paying them for jobs they do If any company works for them and is happy working and treating customers the way they want you to be aware that they will not treat you fairly and cheat you out of what you have payed to have work done. concerned x-employee of HMS/Cross Country
After holding for a hour, I finally filed a claim with HMS, but this is only the beginning of my nightmare. The customer service is rude and they denied my claim based on something that the technician didn’t mention at all. For anyone who is looking for home warranty, please don’t waste your money and time.
so my ac unit did not come on this year. We called to place the claim and that was 2 months ago. They approved the the claim after about 3 weeks. I was given a cash option of 500 or take repairs. per a friend the A coil was what needs to be replaced and he said it runs 1200. So of course we took the repair option. Well here it is more than half way through the summer and still not fixed. The repair company never calls to give me status. I call they say they have not heard anything. Well finnaly they got the part and its the wrong part. so weeks go by no word, so i start calling HMS and the repair shop. I get no where. Finally HMS calls me and tells me they are only going to provide the part they sent that with some modifications it can work. Of course modifications at my expense of 350. So i have to pay 350 to RIG my AC unit because that is the only part available to them. I dont think so! I told the ac repair shop what they told me and that i need to look into an attorney because I am not paying to rig my ac unit, because they dont want to pay for the right part. They are trying to work it out, so meanwhile 2 more weeks go by. I will be lucky to have it fixed in time for winter. So much for a hot summer with no air and kids!!!!! I use to praise this company for the first year our hot water heater went out they replaced it within a week. I cant say the same anymore. If i ever get through this I must say i dont think its worth the hassle. We will see.
Before closing on our home, we had a home inspection conducted as was suggested by our real estate agent. After determining there was an issue with the heater, the sellers fixed to have it repaired and everything else was ready to go for closing. We closed and took possession July 31 and enjoyed our first home.
The air conditioner worked fine until September 16. We contacted HMS that evening and were able to get a service person to our home the next day. After determining the unit was low on Freon, the unit was noted as having holes in the coil, and we paid the $100 for nothing because the service representative could not recharge the unit knowing there was a leak. He told us he would file the necessary paperwork to get this repair started because it was a covered expense under our warranty.
A representative from HMS contacted us, told us it was denied because we only lived in the house for a little over a month, so it must have been a pre-existing condition. However, we informed the representative of the home inspection report showing the A/C was in working order and faxed it to their office at our expense. He was supposed to call us later on September 17. On Saturday, September 19, we were told a supervisor had to approve the claim but he was on vacation. When we told them our house was 88 degrees and it was almost 90% humidity, the representative gave us a sarcastic “sorry to hear that” and told us to wait it out.
As of today, we have had to refax the home inspection report only to have a new “supervisor” deny the claim because our return drop temperature was 13 degrees and HMS standard is 14, so the A/C was not considered working at the time of closing based on their company standards despite the home inspector contacting them about the A/C actually being in working, acceptable order by the rules of our state.
So, here it is almost October and we can either pay for a new coil in our A/C or keep fighting the good fight to hope HMS will approve our claim. Our closing attorney told us that suing would cost about the same as having the repairs completed, and the home inspector said he has recently seen an up-turn in home owners contacting him regarding issues with their home warranty companies (mostly the same as ours) denying claims for similar one-degree disputes of return air temperatures.
Nothing but a ripoff. If your defective unit is too old and/or expensive to replace (A/C-heating, etc.), they will figure out ways to reject your claim. Their “selected” contractor works in unison. This company is nothing but a BIG RIPOFF! Don’t waste your hard earned money on this company.
I have been with HMS for 9 years. My HVAC unit is serviced at least twice a year through my policy. My main issue with them is their lack to replace my unit which is almost 30 years old. My other issue with them is the fact that they don’t cover pressure reducing valves. The pressure reducing valve for my hot water heater was leaking due to cracks from normal wear and tear and it was not covered under my policy. Per my experiences the company’s customer service is ok. I’ve been very satisfied with the techs they use.
HMS National Home Warranty was contacted over 2 weeks ago to replace a hot water heater. They sent out a service repair contract plumber who arrived not even knowing what he was coming out for 8 hours after he was supposed to show up. Plumber never returns calls. Says HMS has to give us our options. When calling HMS they blame the delay on the plumber. HMS has quoted me anywhere from $75 only just for the service fee to $220. The plumber says they turned in a out of pocket cost to HMS for over $621. They go back & forth; neither seems to tell the same story. Neither returns calls. They seem to be in cahoots and want the caller to either pay the exorbatant fee or get frustrated and repair it on their own without coverage. Stay away from this fraudulent schister!!! They are liars and theives!
The Heating A/C system have had twice yearly service check ups. The A/C failed this past summer. HMS takes a gazillion minutes to actually take the call. They then send out a repairman who schedules a visit and they’re very busy so it takes a few days.(I have no way of knowing how they screen the repairmen they use.) The first one (notice first) shows up. He evidently doesn’t work on condos so he doesn’t even look at the problem. Another mega wait phone call to HMS. The second one comes and says the system hasn’t been maintained. UGH!!! The story is too long to write out, but after several repairmen and each with a different version of what’s wrong nothing gets covered by THE WARRANTY COMPANY. Please save your money and use Check Book for finding reputable repairmen.
I think it’s time to investigate just how much ‘kick-back’ realtors are getting for pushing and selling HMS warraties for homes. Our realtor was pushing and insisting, and at the last minute, to use HMS while we were asking for another company we’ve trusted for the past 5 years. What are the chances an attorney will take a class aciton suit cause? We now there must be deep pockets on the other end.
Iam a plumber thats Worked for HMS for over a year. I personly had no problems out of HMS from the begining But did hear alot of neg. feed back from most home ownerners, most of the home owners complimented on my same day service and my workmanship,but for the last 8 months I been having nothing but trouble from the regional coordinator for the state of Virginia so my company no longer work for HMS. PS. GOOD LUCK’ ALSO IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEMS CONTACT YOUR STATE REGIONAL COORINATOR, THANK YOU UPSET PLUMBER
My heat has been out since 12/30/09 and have been waiting for a part to be delivered. After reviewing other complaints online, I am convinced I am getting the run around about the part (induser motor) to be delivered. I have been pressing them all week to have the part delivered immediately so that my family has heat however; they are unresponsive to numerous calls and unwilling to help. My family has been without heat for almost a week and was just told today the part may not arrive for 6 more days. I feel media pressure on scams such as this should be addressed as well.
I had HMS for 10 years. I inherited the coverage from the previous homeowner, and kept it because I thought it was a smart thing to do with a house that was 10-11 years old.
Due to life getting in the way, my coverage lapsed the last quarter of 2009. A couple of months after, I sent in my renewal. 10 days after the payment posted, I was not getting any heat in my house. I called Claims, but they said my policy wouldn’t be effective for another two weeks.
I then contacted the local HMS office, and they said that they would present to Corporate that the policy be active but have the policy retroactive to when the previous one expired.
Corporate said “no”, the 21-day deductible applies because they are treating it as a new policy, not a renewal.
Apparently my paying premiums for ten years wasn’t good enough. So I canceled my policy, am getting my money back, and have signed on with another Home Warranty company.
I guess there is a reason they are rated so poorly.
Nearly a month ago, my furnace went out. HMS sent a service technician who only changed the air filters. I awoke to an electrical fire coming from our unit. HMS sent another company who condemned the unit. That company would not submit a report for nearly a month even though I was calling HMS on a near daily basis to get them to acquire the report. Finally, yesterday they finalized the report over the phone and sent another service company to work on it. The technician arrived this morning and told me he won’t work on it because of its location on my house. Basically, he told me HMS wasn’t going to cover it and that I should take out a loan to fix it myself. This was told to me after a month of frustrating phone calls to HMS and living in a house during a winter in which I can see the steam of my breath in my own home. I understand this is part of home ownership but I should have been told this on the first visit before the electrical fire. Their customer service personnel are as nice as you could expect but are completely powerless to do anything to help the situation. In the end, HMS denied my claim anyway which I actually assume is standard operating procedure on all claims if you own a house that is more than a decade old. Basically, this home warranty is a waste of time and money. I would suggest to anyone that they should take the money they would put towards the warranty and put it in savings towards fixing any future possible problems.
I moved into my home the end of November and my microwave went out in December. I called HMS and told them about the situation. They called a Service company Best Solutions to check it out. They said the motor and other parts were burned out and it needed some parts. After two weeks went by I called them and asked, what is up with my repair because I had not heard from either. I called HMS and they said they didn’t get any paper work from Best Solutions and Best Solution said they called it in. After a month, they still going back and forth with this. ( no parts )
so now February 3rd I get a call after calling them yesterday after being left in the dark, the telling me they can give me a countertop microwave and mine was over the range 1100w very nice and they want to replace with a countertop that doesn’t have vents or $156.00- where can you find an over the range for that?
I am so frustrated.
do not use this company.
Loise in Jacksonville, AR
[...] launch of its new Claim-No-Claim Home Protection Plan. This home protection plan, provided through HMS Home Warranty, now includes coverage for unknown pre-existing conditions, lack of maintenance and jetted bathtubs [...]
I had a similar experience to S. Cohen, except I renewed as soon as I discovered my policy had lapsed in March 09. At the time HMS told me I would have to wait 30 days before my policiy was effective. Imagine my surprise when I tried to place a claim a few days ago and was told I did not have a policy. I called corporate today and was told that records showed I renewed my policiy in Mar 09, but the payment was never processed. Well…….
So I talked with HMS today and Randolph said they could back date the policy and place the claim. I told him NO, and that they can start a new policy from today. He said they would and that the policy would be effective today and then I could place the claim. Okay, sounds like a good resolution. NOT!!! I got a call an hour later from Ann stumbling all over herself saying they could back date the policy, but couldn’t start a policy from today and have it be effective immediately; basically reneging on everything Randolph had promised. I asked her why would I want to pay $409.00 today and then have to pay another $409.00 when my policy comes up for renewal in 30 days? I told her to cancel the whole thing and I would find another company. That was pretty low for them to go back on their word. I never even got an explanation as to why the payment wasn’t processed.
As a former plumber with this company I have to admit they are at least very disorganized, slow, irresponsible, lack knowledgeable information when calling in claims, low balls claims, evasive, cheap, and the list is endless.
After three years with this company as a plumber, finally said no thanks and refuse to do work for this company. If your looking for quality home owners warranty programs look else where.
There customer service reps are deceptive, misleading and outright negative. Their authorizers are simply lost and clueless for understanding repairs. Many have no concept of plumbing, or what is required for a plumbing job.
There main focus now is to low ball claims and find the lowest costs per item, lowest cost of labor, regardless of he consequences.
If you renew your current plan, it’s at your risk.
I just got the new HMS plan, and was excited to see that if i didnt place a claim in the first 9 months they would pay for a cleaning of my AC!!
I received two years of HMS when I bought my home, one bought by the seller and one bought by my real estate agent. I was not presented with options, HMS was the only company presented to me. The reason for the warranty was the old water heater, furnace, and air conditioning which we knew was sure to go in a short period of time. I filed a claim with HMS when my water heater was leaking (slightly), someone came out in a very timely fashion but then told me that they couldn’t do the work until they got the approval from HMS. Well a day after they came to my home, the water heater flooded my basement and continued to gush water until I turned off the entire water supply to the home. I contacted HMS numerous times in two days and have still not gotten my claim approved. I am now having to go on my own and pay for the repairs myself. I would never recommend this company and have heard from other home warranty program policy holders who say they have never had to deal with anything like this. I plan to cancel both this year and next of my policy (without caring if I am reimbursed) and go with another company.
Worst company I have ever dealt with. My hot water heater was leaking into my downstairs neighbors home and it took them 8 days to replace the water heater. My water had to be shut off completely. The plumber they sent out was arrogant and evasive.It would have taken much longer than the 8 days if I had not had demanded to speak to a supervisor. I eventually got ahold of the supervisor in the President of the company’s office. Everytime I talked to someone in customer service they would tell me that it would take 24 hours for this and 24 hours for that. I was getting the run around and will never do business with them again. Because of their negligence, the damage to my neighbors ceiling got worse and she could not have her home repaired until my water heater was replaced.
This warranty was purchased during closing on our home and we had no choice in the matter. Contacted their office during first month of home ownership to repair/replace existing (15 year old) dishwasher. They would not cover repair, so my wife and I shopped and located replacement.
Their purchasing dept boasted savings of 30% over manufacturer, but quoted a price only $18 dollars lower than local retailer. I had to contact customer service to find this out, as purchasing dept never called with quote.
We are leaving HSM for another home warranty company, after one month, asking for refund and sending it to the sellers. This “service” is not worth the $395.00 they paid.
My washer broke down and HMS would not pay to repair or replace it. They said that it had mechanical defects which is not covered. The Pakistani man who came out was very disorganized and hostile, he was speaking in his native language and raising his voice several times to the point I had to leave the room. After 2 hours he said they will not cover it. I spoke with HMS and they refused to cover my washer. The man who came to my house was very unprofessional and HMS was not in any ways helpful. I will not renew my coverage with HMS. I advise people to stay away from this company its among the WORST in the industry.
On a Sunday our washing machine starting making a loud squealing noise during the spin cycle. Hoping it was just a loose belt, I removed the front panel and found the belt was fine. I went out to the HMS website and filed a claim. The next morning I received an email with a name and phone number of a local appliance repair company. I called the company and the earliest they could schedule for for that Wednesday. This is the first claim I’ve filed with HMS since joining in May. In the couple of days between filing the claim and the scheduled service appointment I found this site. I’ll have to admit after reading some of the reviews about HMS I was a little leary on how my claim was going to be handled. Although I would’ve liked to have someone come out a little sooner, I was still happy with the service from HMS thus far.
That Wednesday the serviceman arrived at my home promptly at the scheduled time. The guy was great, he was very friendly and willing to answer any of my questions. The problem ended up bieng the transmission bearing and he said that it should warrant a full replacement. He told me that he would submit the repair information to HMS that day and I should hear back from HMS by that Friday or Monday at the latest.
Not hearing anything by Friday morning I called HMS to inquire. The hold time was only a few minutes and once the rep came on the line, she was very friendly pulled up my claim info right away. She told me that they have received the repair information and the claim has been submitted for approval. She said I should hear back from someone by the following Monday or Tuesday.
The following Tuesday evening I received a call from a gentleman at HMS giving me an option of a full replacement washer or they would give me a cash out option if I wanted to purchase one on my own. The replacement offered was a Whirlpool model (which was recommended to me by the service guy). He gave me the model number over the phone so I quickly went online and checked for any reviews. The model recieved good reviews and the value of the replacement outweighed what they were willing to give me for the cash out option, so I decided to go with their recommendation. The guy from HMS told me someone from Whirlpool would contact me in a couple days to schedule a delivery time.
The next day I recieved a call from a Whirpool rep asking to schedule a time for delivery that Friday. We were going to be out of town for the weekend so I asked they deliver on the following Monday. That Monday, the delivery guys arrived promptly at the scheduled window. They explained they do not hook up the new washer but it wasn’t a big deal. Just a matter of hooking up a couple hoses and plugging it in. Tested the washer last nigth and it works great!
So, the span was 2 weeks between the time I filed the claim and when I recieved the new washer. Actually it was 11 days as they were willng to deliver the washer on a Friday but we were out of town. Overall my experience with HMS was very good. I would’ve like to have had the washer delivered sooner, but it was still acceptable. I’m happy and I plan on sticking with HMS in the future.
Unbelieveable!The lost the paperwork and had to send the work order to a plumbing company twice before I could get an appointment. That took half a day to get resolved. The plumbing company “Right Away Service” a joke only available is from 9am-1pm window, who sits at home for four hours, they only service my area in the morning! Called Total Home Protect Home Warranty and they only have this company listed and unable to refer anyone else. PLEASE! I ask to speak to a Supervisor/Manager and no one is available to speak with me. I was assured a return call by end of day. Cassandra, Customer Service Rep. tells me that their contract guarantees service within three business days. This company is not reative, customer serive oriented and I can’t believe they only have one plumber in their rolodex to refer to in the Chula Vista area. Very poor service, I see why they are rated as one of the poorest in the area of customer service and timeliness. I will be seeking out another company.
If you have a choice in Home Warranty Provider I would stay away from this company. The customer service you call into is rude, unprofessional, and not very helpful. They recommended a contractor in our area that had serveral issues reported to the BBB and they would not allow us to choose a different contractor. We had to call for hours to with little to no response from HMS until I got fed up and contacted their corporate office in Ft. Lauderdale who quickly resolved the issue but I am still not renewing with them. Their front line support Carrie, Gwen Shellman, Shenequia, James are all NOOBS and should be fired. Believe you me I expressed this to the corporate office too.
BEWARE this company also goes by other names such as Cross Country Home Services … you can google them so you don’t choose another name they are doing business as.
BEWARE and take your business else where.
Admittedly this review is of a situation that started over a year ago. The ‘thing’ that you flip to turn on the shower broke. The “from the hood” plumbers HMS sent checked it out and called it in. Good news! Its covered. Bad news: they do not have the part. Getting one to match the existing faucet knobs would require a special order. No biggy I thought. Well weeks went by and I called HMS. All they do is offer to call the plumber and get back with you. I was told the part was still on order. This back and forth went on for over a MONTH. I even called the plumber directly and I always got his wife on the phone. Sometimes she would say “call back we are having dinner”. WTF? This is on their business line! When I did manage to speak w/ them, they told me the same thing: “parts on order.” BTW, my shower does not work during all of this. After a few more weeks go by I call HMS really steamed asking to talk to God if necessary. Turns out the part was never ordered. No wait, turns out the plumber really never got an authorization! I was furious! I told HMS to send a different plumber and they refused. The same guy eventually came back and installed a new shower-flipper-thing that did not match. At least I could use the shower. I was told that NOW the part really is on order. Its been a year. No matching flipper.
The same plumber came out about 9 months ago to fix my leaking water heater. It was covered, but he came out w/ some kid apprentice. I realize the kid gotta learn, but on my water heater? It took them three trips to get it fixed right and stop leaking.
HMS sent out a plumber to replace our water heater. The plumber they sent caused damage which neither the plumbing company “C&P Plumbing” nor HMS would cover to fix. HMS said their promise that “covered repairs are protected for 180 days.” only covers the parts repaired and not the work performed by the plumber. Since the plumber through his work cause another problem HMS would not cover it. The plumbing company also denies causing the problem, even though it occurred after they finished their work and a home inspector months before cleared everything as working correctly when we bought the house. I contacted HMS numerous times, each time they said they would call me back after reviewing the claim but they would fail to call me back. After asking to talk to a manager they refused and told me I had to contact their Complaints Department in writing.
I was told by this company that plumbing systems were covered, I even have it in writing, I had a blockage in my pipes and they dont cover blockages, my dishwasher went down and they dont cover that either. I have not had anything fixed with HMS since we bought the house. I have paid many deductables though. I have filed a class action lawsuit with HMS at Classaction.com, I suggest everyone follow suit and lets hold this company accountable. If they can continue doing this then im in the wrong business.
Absolutely the worst company to do business that I have ever used.
I am currently on hold waiting to speak with someone…40mins now.
The first time I used them, the plumber had no clue what he was doing. In fact I now have a 12×18″ hole in my ceiling that I have to repair now.
I can go on about other issues with HMS but read the other reviews, they say it well.
Very frustrated customer, (soon to be former).
Well, I’m hanging up now as I’m still listening to their recording to “please stay on the line….”..(45mins. now). Very poor Customer Service.
My husband and I purchased a home last month. With that purchase we also purchased a Home Warranty through HMS. Once we moved into the house, we had a bout of unseasonably warm weather. We turned on the AC unit, and found that the upper level of the house was not cooling sufficiently. We called HMS and had a heating/AC company come to the house. Both AC units were going but also both coils in the units were bad.
HMS REFUSED TO APPROVE TO HAVE THE AC UNITS FIXED. Therefore, we could only fix the bad coils. We understood that just replacing coils and not the units may cause some issues going forward, but we agreed as we needed some relief to the heat. Unfortunately, HMS refused to cover both units. Your brochure states that HEATING AND AC SYSTEMS ARE COVERED. Apparently HMS doesn’t understand the word system. Our realtor contacted the Mid Atlantic office asking about it. She was told that if we upgraded our policy and paid an additional $100.00 that both units would be covered.
When the AC repair service attempted to order the 2 sets of coils, HMS once again rejected the claim and stated that they would not cover the second unit because ‘it was a pre existing’ condition and the upgrade to the policy happened after we reported our issue. HMS just took the extra $100.00 from us and did nothing.
I will tell everyone I know, including several realtors how bad this company is.
Air conditioning went out in the middle of the summer. It’s been exactly one week now. No supervisors will call back when they promise to. I got several of their personal extensions and they refuse to answer their phones. And the service technician who looked at my unit called me today to tell me they claim to have lost his service order, and want him to come look at my unit again. Absolutely unbelievable. Am filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, as you all should as well.
I came across this review site quite by accident; I’m in the process of looking for a new home warranty provider, and after seeing all of the negative reviews on HMS (my current provider), I felt that I had to add my “two cents” – if only to help convince someone else to stay as FAR away from HMS as possible!
Anyway, where do I begin?!? Pretty much everything basic that I’d want to say about HMS has already been said here by one person or another (horrible customer service, outrageous costs, inheriting our policy from the previous homeowners and not having a choice, etc.), so I won’t repeat it; however, I will share 2 specific cases where HMS screwed up big-time.
The first happened in February 2009 – right in the middle of winter. My husband and I suddenly lost our electricity one night (it happened to be on Super Bowl Sunday, right in the middle of the game, so I remember it vividly!), so I called HMS (from my cell phone) right away. They sent an electrician out to our house the next day (Monday), who soon discovered that we needed a new circuit breaker box. He said that the old one was fried and was actually a fire hazard (!!), and he showed us the scorched plug (which I took a picture of, just in case HMS asked for proof of the damage). HOWEVER, when the electrician called HMS to inform them of the damage and the necessary replacement, they gave him – and us – the runaround, putting him on hold, telling him to call so-and-so, hemming and hawing over whether or not they would cover the new box, etc., and my husband and I (and our 4 pets) were without electricity – more importantly, without HEAT! – for almost 4 whole days before HMS finally got its act together and approved the new box. (And let me just add that the temperature in our house got down to 50 degrees – I’d never been so cold for so long!!!) Yeah, the new box cost $1,500, but isn’t that WHY we have a home warranty policy?!? (I still can’t believe that we actually RENEWED our policy with them 3 months later in May!)
Anyway, the second incident occurred just a couple of weeks ago. The faucet in our master bathroom was leaking, and there was also a strange dripping noise inside the walls of the bathroom, so we called HMS and had them send out a plumber. The plumber came in a timely fashion and was pleasant (just like the electrician in February of ‘09), and he discovered that we actually needed a new pressure regulator and informed HMS of this. HMS flat-out refused to pay for it, though, stating that our warranty didn’t cover items which they deemed to be “unnecessary” to replace. (This very much surprised the plumber, by the way, who STRONGLY advised us that we definitely DID need a new one!) Anyway, my husband and I wound up paying for a new regulator out of our own pockets ($305, to be exact), and that whole incident put the proverbial “lid on the coffin” in regards to our ending our relationship with HMS!
We purchased our home in November of 2008. In January of 2009, our heat wasn’t working very well so we filed a claim. HMS sent out a tech. The technician discovered that the condensor fan and the outside disconnect were bad and the unit needed the evaporator coil replaced and the unit needed a good cleaning. HMS denied the claim, advising that it was a maintenance issue. I didn’t have have an issue with that as the home was a foreclosure.
In June 2009, The system wasn’t cooling, so we filed another claim. HMS sent anothe company. The project manager advised that the compressor needed to be replaced because the unit hadn’t been cleaned properly which led to the compressor failing. I showed the tech the bill from the first company showing the unit was cleaned and he got a representative from HMS on the telephone. HMS denied the claim again and we paid the new company $1466.00 for a new compressor and a level 3 cleaning.
We did not renew our warranty with HMS, due to their poor service.
May 14,2010. The house is not cooling. We contact a local company. Their technician diagnoses the problem. Company number two used an aftermarket motor and the compressor was blown. The heat pump was still under the Trane warranty when company number two replaced the compressor and there was no reason to use an aftermarket part. He also advised that the amps were at 17.9 when they should have been at 15. He was surprised that we didn’t have a fire.
Now I have yet another bill of $900.00 to correct what the two previous companies caused. I’ve shelled out over $3000.
Stay away from HMS if you know what’s good for you!!
We have had our Air conditioning out for 3 Weeks now. Matt, in the office of the president is incompetent. He returns call in the evenings and never answers his phone. It took 2 weeks to get approval for a new air handler. First, they ordered the wrong one, second, they didn’t give the A.C. company the correct authorization number to pick up the air handler. We are still waiting and Matt always has his voice mail on. The amount of cash that they would give you to buy your own products would never be adequate. Therefore, you are forced to take the junk they will provide from the warranty’s warehouse. DO NOT USE!
The air conditioning stopped working on 5/4/10 and we immediately called and placed a claim. Since earlier in the year i had a problem getting them to give me a response on my dryer i called every single day to check on the status where i would get told “we will expedite your claim”. on Friday 5/28 they finally called me to say that they could not replace the outside unit because they no longer made that model and that they needed to restart the claim because they would need to replace the inside unit as well. The thing about it is that the inside unit would need modifications that were costly and the warranty company would not cover this, yet no one could even give me a rough estimate of the amount of money it would cost me. Well on friday i was told that the contractor would be out on saturday early morning and he would call me friday night to let me know what time on saturday he would be out. Well no call friday and no show saturday. Finally tuesday morning 6/1 the contractor calls me to say he would be out in about 30 mins. He comes out to do the measurements for the inside unit and the idiot cant even give me an estimate of to how much this would cost me! ISNT THIS YOUR JOB, DONT YOU DO THIS EVERY DAY?? How could you not know a round about number for me to prepare for. All he would say is that the warranty company would contact me with a number once the claim went through( yeah dont expect anything quickly) Well now its been 1 month and the heat has exceeded 90 degrees on multiple occasions and no one cares! Well we call back the supervisor that we finally got a direct line to and what do we get but a voicemail every single time and a run around with 40-50 minute hold times and still NO BODY KNOWS ANYTHING expect “im really sorry about that we will put you claim into expedited”. I dont know what these people think expedited is, but it is not 1 month in the heat and humidity that is for sure. I will definately not renew my contract!
Purchased home warranty. At time of purchase and during all subsequent communications I was promised that I was covered for full repair /replacement of heat/AC split unit after deductible. Paid on policy for over four years. When my unit failed recently I began an horrific effort to submit a claim. It took days of calling and hours of hold time to get a claim number and provider contact information. All reps repeated promise that I was covered for completed repair/replacement of unit. I was unable to contact the provider and had to go through more tortorus holds and e-mails before getting the number for a second service provider. The serviceman comes and related that the unit is shot and must be replaced. I pay him the deductible and ask when he will return to put in unit. He says he has to have authorization from HMS National. Today, almost a month after beginning to to file my claim I am called and told they capped my policy at $1,ooo and will only pay me $900 for the unit which will cost around $5,000 to replace. This company practices predatory sales polices and fradulently misrepresents its coverage. They blatently lied to me and I relied on their statements to my own detriment. I would never have paid $37 a month for four years if I had any idea they would only pay $900 on a $5000 claim. These people should be arrested. In addition to lousy service they will misrepresent the coverage and delay payment of what miniscule percent they will pay you! Do not use HMS National or their subsidiaries Cross Country and Total Protect! They are scam artists.
i inherited this contract when i purchased this property when i had a problem with my heating pump is when my night-mare began it took a year for them to replace it because someone in the office stated they would replace it but some-one else stated it was over my limit i had to threaten to call a lawyer in order for them to honor what they said and still numerous phone calls waiting on hold people asking the same info over and over request being lost parts not delivered and workmen not showing up when scheduled it was a very discouraging experience i am now looking for another
This company, HMS National, told us nothing but lies for the 2 weeks leading up to the day they told us they were denying our claim. An AC repair was our first claim we made with them after over 2 years of making monthly payments to them. So, we went through many sweltering days waiting for them to deny us. I wish I had done my research months ago, because everywhere I have looked on the internet, has hundreds of negative reports about this sham of a company. I have found ONE positive report on them! Stay far away from HMS National/Cross Country Home warranty company!
I’m really unsure how much more badly in faith this warranty company can bargain. I called twice on Saturday that my HVAC had failed and was told twice I would be contacted in two hours by a service company. Never happened. Called again on Sunday, same thing and was told I could have an 11-3 appointment on Monday. 6 hours later Sooner Services called and said they may be able to do that but HMS doesn’t hold the schedule so not sure where that came from. They came and said the HVAC was dead. I was contacted by 2 other service companies on Wednesday and was told they were told to get a second opinion. Confusion. I was also contacted by the home office 1-800-327-9787, ext 4133 and was assured the unit would be fixed today. One company came out looked at the unit and said, yepp it’s dead. Called the 1-800-432-1033 and they said they would ORDER the part and ship it to the service company. At this point I have been without air for 5 days in the middle of a serious heat advisory in Oklahoma City. I was also told I would need to pay $105 on top of the deductible for a “reclamation fee.” I would like someone to honestly tell me what is going on, when the unit will be fixed, and why HMS needs a “second opinion” on it’s own contractors.” At this point I have had to take 8 hours off work and paid the $75 deductible and have had no results.
To real estate and bank:
I cc’d you all so you knew what was happening. At this point I am 5 days without AC, have had to take 8 hrs of leave to meet their appointments ($232) had to buy a window unit ($125) paid the deductible ($75) and they now are saying I need to pay a reclamation fee ($105) and the AC is still not fixed. Is this the best company to go with? I mean they need second opinions on their contractors and will not buy parts from them but insist on shipping parts to them. They are also not very honest with their promises.
We just moved into our new house and immediately found that the AC and the refridgerator were not working. It took 8 days to get a refridgerator repairperson out and then the problem was deemed improper maintenance and the coverage was denied. It took 10 days to get an AC repair company out and their repairman flat out told me that our warranty was not a good one and he doubted that they would cover the problem and he told me they would use the pre-existing condition excuse. The a/c unit worked fine during our home inspection and our 48 hour walk-thru before closing. Sure enough, they denied all coverage. I called my own repair service out and they found a very large leak in the system – large enough in the repairmans opinion that all the refridgerant in the system could have leaked out in just a few hours – some sort of valve went bad. So it wasn’t a pre-existing condition afterall. I explained this to HMS and they disagreed with our opinion and refused coverage. This is absolutely an organization without any ethics. I will try to cancel my warranty and try to recover the unused portion of the premium and I will place calls to the BBB and our state auditor.
I recently purchased my first home and an HMS warranty along with it. About 2 months after moving in, my refrigerator stops cooling. It took 3 days for the service company to come out. By that time the food had spoiled ($200 est. value). The repairman said we had a bad defroster timer and would have to order the part. It took 2 more weeks for the part to come in, at which time I had to schedule another day off of work to meet the repairman. He came and installed the part. It turns out that his diagnosis was wrong. His next move was to put in a new defroster coil, which he did not have with him. Like most people it is not easy for me to take time off of work and this company refused to work with me on scheduling a convenient time. I called HMS who was unable to get the service company to give me a better time, and unwilling to authorize another service company. I ended up having to fake a sick day from work. A week later the repair company came and installed a coil. This fixed the problem, but he was not able to reassemble the fridge in quite the same way it was originally. In all, this fiasco has taught me a valuable lesson:
Cost of spoiled food: $200
Cost of warranty deductible: $100
Cost of lost wages: $500
Cost of HMS Warranty: $450
Never having to deal with HMS Home Warranty again: Priceless
A new fridge from any retailer would have cost me less and come with a real warranty.
Cross Country/Homesure Service and the companies that they use to provide repair services are in my experience the worst. The companies that provide the repair service, know that once the customer pays the deductible to them, that the rest of the repair cost is guaranteed by Homesure/Cross Country, so they take their time about doing the repair. It appears that these repair companies take on an overload since payment is guaranteed, and they leave the customers waiting until they get around to them. When you call Cross Country/Homesure, they are not cooperative in resolving the issue with the repair companies. They just report to you exactly what you already found out from the repair company. They take no measuers to address unacceptable service by the repair service companies. Their response to my complaint about the lenght of time it was taking to get a reapir done, was to offer that I personally pay for another repair service to do the work and then they would reimburse me. This I found rediculous, since I pay a montly fee for their service I should not have to put out any money other than my deductible for the repair. I advise anyone reading this review to seek another repair service company.
We received HMS warranty when we bought our home. Our dishwasher began leaking and we called HMS. I took almost a week to get service. When the technician came out he looked at the dishwasher but did not repair it. He said that he needed to get parts. He demanded that we pay him $50 – 1/2 of the $100 service fee before he ordered the parts. He said that if we didn’t, he wouldn’t be back. We called HMS to complain and to request another repair service. They refused saying that it would take weeks to get another service. We had no choice. It took over a week for the repair man to return to fix the dishwasher. He did properly repair it and we have had no further problems. We will not be renewing our contract with HMS!!! They are not helpful and are very rude!!!
4 claims for same aircon problem – tech charge us $100 each trip and it lasted less than 4 days. Tech never did papaerwork, HMS is a clearing house for scum and lowlife techs.
HMS did not have a 2nd company to call for service- so we are stuck with the same tech.
p.s. it also take over a week for them to show up!
On Friday, 9 July 2010 I filed a claim regarding my toilets over flowing and feces floating in my house. I was assured I would receive service in a timely matter after speaking with a supervisor on duty and explaining how it took your company over 3 weeks to fix my air conditioning in the middle of a heat advisory in my state. Nothing. Called again on Saturday. Nothing. Got a call from Sooner Services late Sunday and the representative asked me to give a brief description of the problem. She abruptly stated that’s a sewage line blockage and we can’t help you. I said are you a Plumber? Nope. Asked if they can send someone to look at the issue and she said not for several days. Called HMS again. They assigned me a new claim number and again assured me I would be contacted by a plumber who could ascertain what the issue actually was. I was read my warranty, explaining how pipes outside the house were not covered. No contact. On Monday I rented a mini-rooter and snaked the 20 foot drain from my toilet to my sewage out take that is one foot outside my house under my deck. Drain is clear. Once again I have to state my deep disappointment with having to deal with a company that does not bargain in good faith, does not do what they say they will do, takes money from consumers, never delivers in what anyone would consider a timely manner, or at all, and never follows up. I must say, if you were a Taxi company you would be out of business in a very short period of time. I will also say I am reporting you to my state agencies for failure on so many fronts I am tired of writing about it. I want to ALSO point out that your contractor on the previous claim charged me for a pad upgrade for my AC unit and if you want to see the stacked bricks it is sitting on I will be happy to send you those pictures. Sadly the contractor will not return my calls and the number always goes to an answering service.
HMS Customer service is a joke!!! Dont get this warranty. Customer service was rude and disrespectful. The repairman showed up 30 minutes late which caused me to have to cancel since I had to be at work and customer service threatened that I would be charged anyways for a service call.
HMS is your classic home warranty company. My tenant had his air conditioning go out almost 4 weeks ago. As I sit here today, the AC is still not fixed. When we finally got approval to order new parts for the AC, it took them 2 weeks to ship the part. When we finally received the part, it was missing the compressor, which took another 4 days to ship. We are now going on a month and the maintenance company is telling me they cannot do the work on Saturdays unless the warranty company approves it. I would steer away from any warranty company if you are a landlord. The time it takes to fix problems is simply not worth it, especially with a company like HMS.
Warranty companies like HMS are somewhat like insurance companies; you know you won’t get your money’s worth, but appreciate the peace of mind knowing when real problems strike, they will take care of them – (even if it takes some push from you to get them to do it). Well, it turns out that HMS is really just a money sink hole and a huge headache to deal with. Additionally, it employees uncooperative service people and actively looks for ways to wiggle out of their obligations.
I had HMS for several years on a newly purchased home and they did OK during the occasional need for simple plumbing needs. But as soon as real problems arose, they became a nightmare.
The real reason I paid for the HMS warranty is because the house had a 25 year old HVAC system that can be expensive to replace. After a couple of years, the inevitable did happen, it conked out and their repair person said it needed to be replaced. But HMS refused to repair or replace it. The excuse they conjured up is that the residents caused the problem and there was no connection to its 29 year old condition.
Nightmare number two involved a plumber, the one thing I thought they could do. But this time a leak developed in the laundry room. When their plumber came, he offered one excuse after another over several weeks why he couldn’t do anything: I can’t find the leak, I don’t want to cut open the wall, you have to clean up the water before I can fix the leak!!! Finally I had to get my own plumber to come in, cut open the wall, and fix the leak. But by then the water damage was much worse. HMS refused to give us a new plumber, reimburse us the $100 deductible for the incompetent plumber, pay for the water damage caused by their negligent plumber, nor of course pay for the good plumber.
So here is the bottom line with HMS: dealing with HMS made the problem worse, resulted in greater costs, doesn’t honor its warranty, and is a huge headache — opposite of why you would use them as a warranty company.
Stood Up by HMS / Homesure / of Virginia, Inc.
I strongly warn you to NOT use HMS / Homesure of Virginia, Inc. I have a home warranty with them to cover items such as the AC and appliances and could not be more frustrated with their service. It is currently over 100 degrees in my town and a week ago my AC stopped working. I called to set up an appointment and they said the earliest they could get out was in 4 days. I tried for earlier but they said it would be an emergency charge…etc. so I said OK, I will wait 4 days. On the 4th day, my wife took off work to wait for the repair man and NO ONE SHOWED. So she wasted an entire day. I called later that day to notify them of the problem and they said sorry, must have been a mix up, and we’ll bring someone out in 3 days first thing in the morning. So we wait 3 more days, my wife takes off the morning and guess what? NO ONE SHOWS. We called the repair company directly (not HMS / Homesure of Virginia, Inc.) and they said they never received the work order. I called HMS / Homesure of Virginia, Inc. to notify them of the problem. They apologized again, and said they would *kindly* incur the emergency fee this time and send someone out by the end of the day. I told them *sorry* was OK after the first mistake, but after the second mistake IN THE SAME WEEK they needed to compensate me for my wasted time. I didn’t care how they did it, a couple months free warranty service, a gift basket,…etc., whatever. They said NO and read me a bunch of legal mess. I said fine, I want to cancel my policy then for lack of performance, and they said OK, but that there is a TWENTY FIVE dollar CANCELLATION FEE — WHEN THEY WERE AT FAULT!!!! I dealt with Christopher Spence x1034 and Aldine who were both polite but COMPLETELY unhelpful. USE ANOTHER COMPANY!!!
I got the HMS warranty when I bought my house. So I do not feel so bad since it is free of charge to me. But filing a claim has been an ordeal. The AC had a leak, I called and paid the $100 copay and the tech said it is not covered because HMS does not cover pipes, etc. Like many reviewers, when there is big claims, the headache is unbearable when dealing with HMS. My AC broke 3 months ago. As of now, it is still not fixed. HMS approved the claim but the parts took 2+ weeks but it is the wrong part. Took another week to get the new part and again it is the wrong part! Warranty will expire in 10 days and I am beginning to wonder if HMS will fix it at all…
After several tech visits and 2 service companies our AC still does not work. The companies they seem to use are of very low quality, and they try to do as little as possible when they are here. On the last visit from the second service company, he FINALLY brought the correct equipment to search for a leak and found the coil in the outside unit needed to be replaced. 4 hours later HMS called to deny us because the tech reported our unit was buried in mud, which was a complete lie, and an utter impossibility due to the location of the unit. We are now fighting HMS and have to get a second opinion from another one of their service companies. I am less than optimistic about the outcome. I will never renew with HMS and am trying to get my money back.
HMS took a month to fix my AC unit. No one ever called us back, we had to always call them and was always told they don’t know when my AC part was coming in. Come to find out that they sent my part to a different location and let it sit there for a week! While my husband and i were calling to check all week. By the third week I called HMS and told them how i really felt and by the next day they found my part and had it delivered and installed in my place in two days.
Claim was approved for new ac unit 7/2/10 now 8/10/10 still not fixed and I am getting run around from HMS National.If I could give lower ratings I would.All I recieved is aggravation.Did not save anything.
HMS – Home Sure of Virginia is a total rip off. Talk about your “creative accounting” – they ought to hook up with the folks in California – HMS will have that deficit paid off in NO TIME.
After numerous calls to obtain a receipt for payment & my renewal policy, my husband & I decided to go ahead & terminate this contract with HMS due to lack of customer service & trying to use the policy was like pulling teeth.. The “refund” included a twenty five $25 cancellation fee & instead of pro-rating my refund – HMS uses a “short-rate” method. So instead of 26 actual days, I was charged 72 days. When I confronted the gal in the accounting dept about this – My Comment: “… so by doing this, you are putting less money back into my pocket.” She replied: “yup” & then laffed. I am guessing by her reaction that this is now a running joke with them … Personally, I don’t think it’s so dang funny.
I would “complain” to the BBB but they are NOT a government agency – they are a non-profit charity organization & they cater to the businesses not the consumer.
Buyer Beware !
This home warranty company is terrible. I have been trying to get my heat pump repaired for 4 months and 10 service visits. The two service companies that HMS said I needed a new heat pump. However, according the service companies, HMS forced the service companies to change their diagnosis and not replace the system. I have service receipts from these companies saying “replace heat pump system”. HVAC companies said if they replaced the system HMS threaten them they would get no future business from them. HMS has only authorized freon, new fan, new thermostat, and compressor. Five months after the initial claim, no reimbursement or proper repair of my hvac unit. Spent all summer without AC!!! So I finally had to pay out of pocket to replace my system.
STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY AT ALL COSTS!
Dealing with HMS has been worse than horrible experience. We paid out $300 in deductibles and service calls and were denied every claim!
THE worst company I have ever deal with. A total scam.