Comments on: Total Protect

By: Rian McGonigal

Rian McGonigal — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:35:06 +0000

I had a contractor recommend this company to me but I always research online before making decisions. After reading the incredible amount of horrible reviews I will research other more reputable home warranty options.

By: Tom Bury Curtis Bay, MD

Tom Bury Curtis Bay, MD — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:10:14 +0000

I have been a customer of Total Protect for about 2 years. Since then, I have made 4 separate claims on my heat pump. Each time I have had to pay my deductible to have the problem repaired & the system would fail again after a few months. Each time a different HVAC company came to make the repairs & informed me that their recommendation would be to replace the system due to the age & the problems that kept occurring. Finally, the system went up & Total Protect denied the claim. I had to come out of pocket to have a new system installed. For 2 years Total Protect collected my monthly fee & my deductibles only to bail on me when I needed them the most. The only reason I trusted this company with my home in the first place was because Bank of America solicited me for their service and I assumed that they were affiliated. I would not recommend Total Protect to anyone & will begin litigation to recover the costs of the new system. I only wish that I would have researched this company beforehand.

By: David Miller

David Miller — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:30:40 +0000

HomeSure Services, INC (TotalProtect Gold service) is a bad company, beware before you waste your money. I had this service for 8 months and didn’t receive any benefit from the plan as they suggested in the agreement. I had a routine maintenance call done on my furnace and A/C on 7-28-11 by a company they sent out called AIRFAST Heating & Cooling INC (Columbus Ohio). The so-called repair man was to due a routine cleaning of the furnace and check the A/C. I also mentioned a problem with the return line making a sound when the unit would shutdown. Let me tell you this so called repair guy not only banged the hell out of the return line and damaged it, he also said the furnace was OK, because it was only 5 years old and didn’t need to be serviced. He proceeded to do his thing with the A/C and it blew-out 30 days latter. So when the unit went out I called the HomeSure Services INC. (TotalProtect) and they said they would send out a TEC that night, not only didn’t they send out a TEC, it ended up costing me out of pocket 245$ to have the problem fixed that the so called TEC they sent out to do maintenance broke. Also the return line that the repair guy banged to hell on his visit, ended up costing me 80$ to repair, he said that he could have his company repair the line which he killed for around 300$.

So I thought I would give HOMESURE SERVICES, INC one more chance today 1/26/12 to make things right. So I called again to have my furnace serviced through there maintenance plan. They told me that they couldn’t do this due to it had been serviced already. I said the furnace wasn’t serviced at all and they should service it under there agreement. They said it was already done by AIRFAST Heating & Cooling INC (Columbus Ohio) on 7/28/11 and that they could have them come back out and look at it. I said are you crazy theses guys are a shame and that I wouldn’t let the back into my home. So they told me that I could cancel my service agreement and that would be that.

I just think that they should try better at keeping there customers, not telling them to go. In short all they had to due was to send a A/C Heating company out to service my unit and they might have kept a customer. Over all this experience hasn’t been any good and has cost me 500$ for the service agreement, which is now canceled and 420$ out of pocket cost which should have been covered by my agreement.

BEWARE!!!!!!!

By: Jim Carlone, New Windsor, NY

Jim Carlone, New Windsor, NY — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:21:55 +0000

We just signed up with Total Home Protect Gold this apst December (2011) through our mortgage company’s offer. I’m glad we didn’t read reviews on this site beforehand becuase my experience with Tota Protect so far is nothing like the reviews here. First, our efective date for coverage was December 27, 2011. By the second week of January (can’t racall exactly when), our dryer died. I contacted Total Protect, got a contractor name and made an appointment for service. No less than one day later, our washing machine springs a leak with water running over our basmeent floor. I call Total Protect and here’s the kicker-they allowed me to combine both appliances under one claim # so i didn’t have to pay separate deductibles. Prety cool, I think since myp revious warranty company did not provide for that. Now here’s where things got a bit rocky. The contractor we were given handled dryers but not washers so Total Protect removed him from our claim. It then took aboiut six-seven phone calls and a week of lost time for one operator to finally figure out that Sears serviced our area of NY. Sears came five days later and serviced both appliances. This was another rocky area as the claims processing was delayed becuase Sears (according to Total Proetct) kept mixing up the informatiom for the dryer and washer; for example, in trying to determine a value for the washer repairs, Seasr would quote them dryer parts and prices and vice versa. So, more red tape. What made up for it is this: we decided to replace the washing machine and got a good deal online (not from Total Protect), paying $530 (not including tax and delivery charges) for an $800 machine. Total Prtoect valued our old machine at $300 so we got a new machine at about half off the $600 some odd sale and instalation price. I faxed the receipt to the company; they ackowledged the receipt and cut the check four days after receiving my reimbursement application. That’s a better record than my health insurance plan. We elected to repair our dryer for now; the parts were ordered the same day as I notified Total Protect, delivered to our house by the end of last week and Sears is coming tomorrow to fix it. To recap our experience, I paid Total Protect a total of $54 in premium. Without complaint or hassle, Total Prtoect saved me $65 in deductible by allowing me to combine two appliances into one claim, has paid $300 for my washer and is paying for the repait of our twenty year old dryer, which must be another $200-$300 (at least). All the service people I spoke with were polite and tried to help (even if some proved to be ineffective), almost too helpful as I kept getting calls to update me on the claim status and ask for feedback. My one issue so far is the disorganization and misinformation I described above that resulted in delays in getting my claim resolved. However, the dollar savings more than made up for it. I realize this is just my first experience with this company but based on what I’ve seen, I’d certainly recommend it to people to conider. A plan like this may not be for you but the company, in my opinion, does its’ job well.

By: John Marshall, Phoenix, AZ

John Marshall, Phoenix, AZ — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:24:51 +0000

I’ve had Total Protect 4 or 5 years and have been very satisfied with the service. Just last month they replaced my leaking water heater with a Rheem model of same size (though with shorter (6 year) warranty for a grand total sum of $75. Customer service has always been helpful and courteous with me. Previous experiences with separate plumbing and an AC repair contractors sent through the company were also satisfactory. The AC repair man looked a bit scraggly, reaked of cigarette smoke, but was knowledgeable and HONEST: saved me from making a multi-$1000 mistake of replacing my entire system due to a “core leak” that was not there – but reported to me by more polished looking representative of a larger local company. The warranty company also pleasantly surprised me by covering an under-sink repair that neither I nor the plumbing contractor expected to be covered. Satisfied with work quality of all. Considering the number of years I paid for the contract and the few times I called on them, did I save a lot of money? Unless considering the $ saved by not replacing the entire AC system, “No”, but the peace of mind was worth it to me. Have been totally satisfied with the quality of work performed by the separate contractors.

By: eRelations Specialist

eRelations Specialist — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:29:56 +0000

Re: wiliiam davis | 01/10/12, 10:37 pm | #539

In regards to post # 539 we would like to look into the specifics of Wiliiam Davis’ situation. If Wiliiam Davis would please send us an email at eRelations@TotalProtect.com and provide the property address and phone number with best time to contact him. We will investigate the situation and report back to him as soon as possible.

–eRelations Specialist /sb

By: margarita abaracon

margarita abaracon — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 20:14:45 +0000

Dishonest company, never sent me a copy of my contract, despite several requests to obtain it after my second, third and fourth attempts of claims were denied for lack of coverage. Subsequent calls to the company revealed that almost nothing of what I was promised over the phone was actually covered. This insurance??? company, should be put out of business for cheating people the way they do.

The first time I called them, someone was sent to repair the air conditioning and heating systems in the house. The air conditioning they fixed was broken again within 2 weeks. The technician refused to repair the furnace, saying that he would come back at the beginning of the Winter to do that, which he did not do, and the the insurance company refuses to take responsibility for it. I will have to pay again for someone to fix both systems. Then, when my basement toilet backed up, they told me I was covered for leakages, not stoppages. That is not what I was told over the phone. I had chosen the most expensive plan this company offered, in order to have everything covered, and they assured me that all my systems would be covered by paying $39.99 or similar per month and also the ad I received initially with the sponsorship from Wachovia bank said my plumbing would be covered. Yet I had to pay Roto Rooter to come and clean the pipes. Roto Rooter was supposed to run a camera to see if there would be any additional problems in the line that needed to be addressed. They never came.

Three months after the cleaning of the waste line my basement toilet backed up again. Roto Rooter did not take responsibility for the problem but agreed to send the camera technician. This time Roto Rooter told me that there was standing water and dirt and that he could not run the camera and that all that was indicative that there was a broken pipe underneath the house.

I called the insurance because they told me they would cover only leakages but not stoppages, and was informed that my policy covered the waste line inside the foundations of the house. They refused to send someone with a camera. The sent a plumber to diagnose the problem and when the technician told them he needed to run the camera to correctly diagnose the problem the insurance company’s response was that they covered the waste line between the roof and the floor and nothing under the floor. Now, does any waste line in a house run above the surface of the ground? So, they have given me the run around in practically all the calls I have placed.

If we got together, we could file a class action against them or write a letter to our banks to have our banks make the insurance company accountable for using the bank’s good name for their purposes. My e-mail is: mmfallin@hotmail.com if you want to do something together to make these crooks unable to get off the hook so easily and deliver what they promise. Margarita Abaracon

By: wiliiam davis

wiliiam davis — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 03:37:48 +0000

I was a customer with Total Protect(Cross country) for approximately 10 years. In all the repairs that was needed to my refrigerator, stovetop and gas dryer all was repaired expertly. But when I needed a repair to my gas furnace that is where the trouble begin. Every repairman became a salesman in efficency, updating, and just wanting to take me to the cleaners on a repair that I saw one of the repairman out of the three which came to my house caused. The company never coordinated what I reported to them of the repair that is now needed. But believed I should follow the pitch of the repairman to up date my furnace and get said maintenance that had already been done. I just need a repair to what was mishandled. Because the customer is not right with them I cancelled my contract. Not seeking to be right, but I know what I witnessed. I cancelled because I saw no other recourse with the constant he said and I said to Total Protect.

By: eRelations Specialist

eRelations Specialist — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:03:30 +0000

Mark, Arlington, WA | 01/07/12, 6:42 pm |#537

Mark,

Thank you for your feedback about your claim experiences. We would be happy to look into the specifics of your situation. Please send us an email at eRelations@cchs.com and provide your name, property address, phone number and/or email address with the best time to contact you. We will investigate the situation and report back to you as soon as possible.

–eRelations Specialist /sb

By: Mark, Arlington, WA

Mark, Arlington, WA — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 23:42:23 +0000

I’ve used my Home Protect warranty three times and was not satisfied with any of the results. My furnace was inspected and the technician told us it would probably last one or two more years. After paying over $200 a month to run this heater I replaced it myself. The installers found the old unit to be an immediate fire hazard and told us we were lucky it didn’t catch on fire. Critical failures on a furnace should have to happen before they are replaced (e.g. my house doesn’t need to burn down first). The second time I used them was for a leak in the ice maker for my refrigerator. The contract lead me to believe that this was covered but I apparently wrong. They would not cover the replacement so the technician just turned off the water. I could have done this myself and saved the $100 deductible cost. The third time I used, or rather attempted to use them, was for leaking plumbing in a faucet. The contract states plumbing which does not include sinks; so this was another expense that I had to pay. Luckily the repairs cost less than the deductible that I would have paid. I’ve learned that this warranty sounds good but only covers the parts that have the absolute lowest probability of failing and if it does fail there will be major consequences. Yes they have great customer service and send the technician out in a timely manner but I can normally pay less than $100 to either fix the high failure rate items or pay a technician less than the deductible. They really need to lower the deductible before this warranty is useful.