Choice Home Warranty vs. Select Home Warranty

As American homeowners start eliminating home warranty companies from their shortlist, they are often left with these two popular options. Both Select and Choice Home Warranty are comparable in many aspects and have been around for about a decade. They are both reasonably large and nationwide spread and are trying to expand their offerings to provide customers with a better experience.

When two companies tie so close to each other, it cannot be easy to pick one. But you don’t have to toss a coin here. We present you with a detailed breakdown of the plans, pricing, customer service, legal clauses, and other aspects of home warranty service from CHW and SHW. When you’re trying to save money on expensive repairs and replacements, you want not only the most economical option but also the most reliable one. Make your decision after reading this review post.

CHW vs. SHW: A Quick Comparison

Both Select Home Warranty and Choice Home Warranty outdo each other in small ways. If one has better coverage, the other offers more affordable pricing. If one has a more extensive network, the other follows up more thoroughly. Keep reading to find out who does what.

Select Home Warranty is marginally more affordable than Choice HW, mainly due to its offers running with free coverage for two months. On the other hand, Choice Home Warranty has the advantage of 5 years more experience in meeting consumer expectations and serves two more states. CHW does not cover California and Washington while SHW does not cover New York, California, Nevada, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Location having been considered, the next core factor influencing your choice of home warranty company has got to be coverage. You have to check whether every home system and appliance in need of coverage finds mention in the plan you shortlist.

Coverage Comparison Between Choice Home Warranty And Select Home Warranty

We have picked the most comprehensive coverage plan offered by CHW and SHW to compare their complete coverage menu. Note that the other plans may cover fewer items.

As you can see, the coverage is relatively similar. Select HW doesn’t cover a Whirlpool bathtub and septic tank pumping, while Choice HW does not cover lawn sprinklers and well pumps. It covers an additional refrigerator. Therefore, you can choose the company that doesn’t exclude these home appliances if you have them.

If you only want limited coverage then, both companies offer basic plans.

The next factor that’s uppermost in homeowners’ minds is their price to shell out for the desired home warranty plan. So let’s take a look at the plans and pricing offered by these two companies.

Plans And Pricing Comparison Between Choice Home Warranty And Select Home Warranty

The home warranty plan you choose should fit your budgetary constraints as much as possible while giving you the best coverage. If you find that a particular company is a little pricey but offers good coverage and has decent customer service, you should consider spending a few extra dollars for the peace of mind you will buy.

Select Home Warranty’s three plans are categorized as systems-only, appliances-only, and a full-coverage plan. Choice Home Warranty’s two plans are a basic and a comprehensive plan with both home systems and appliances included. We would recommend going for the latter for basic coverage since it’s unlikely that your home systems alone or only appliances would be at risk of breaking down.

Here are the details for Select Home Warranty:

We have also compiled the pricing data for Choice Home Warranty.

As you can see, the two companies have very similar premium pricing. The difference lies in the deductible pricing, with Choice Home Warranty being slightly higher. One drawback of a Choice Home Warranty plan is that they have a monthly surcharge of $30 for those who want to pay every month. However, both the companies offer free coverage months.

The best way to decide based on pricing alone would be to get free quotes from them and check what offers can apply to the final quote.

Comparing The Policies Of CHW And SHW

Once you’ve received your free quote, the most important thing to do is carefully read the contract and the fine print. Home warranty service contracts do not cover every part or component of the home systems and appliances eligible for coverage. Not only are there exclusions, the repair and replacement services are also subject to coverage caps or limitations.

A coverage cap or limitation entails restricting the amount up to which the company will fund repairs. Any expenses beyond this limit will have to come from the pocket of the home warranty buyer. For instance, if an appliance has a coverage cap of $3000, then repairs worth more than this value will have to be paid by the home warranty owner.

It’s also essential to find out about the process for filing claims, the quality of customer service, and the procedures for transfer of contract and cancellation. Reputable companies will not complicate these procedures.

A Glimpse At Some Aspects of Select Home Warranty

Select Home Warranty has many exclusions like any failures of home systems and appliances involving hazardous materials like CO, lead, asbestos, etc. Items failing due to manufacturer defects or recalled items won’t be repaired or replaced.

A critical clause to note is that items that have had prior repairs due to improper installation, construction damage, improper wiring, lack of capacity, power failures, overloads, power surges, missing parts, failure to maintain or clean properly, neglect, misuse, corrosion, rust, sediment and any modification to the system or appliance; will not be covered.

You will not receive any reimbursement for removing the damaged parts or systems or appliances or any waste generated during the repair service. Similarly, any services associated with freon or damage caused by leakage won’t be covered.

Looking at Choice Home Warranty’s Contract Terms

Choice Home Warranty is not far behind when it comes to exclusions. They cover all parts and components of a clothes dryer, clothes washer, built-in microwave, oven/range/cooktop, dishwasher, garbage disposal, refrigerator but have exclusions for others

Filing Claims with Select Home Warranty vs. Choice Home Warranty

You can file claims with SHW and CHW both online and over the phone. They have a 30 day waiting period after the policy purchase, during which time coverage won’t be available. You can have it waived off by showing proof of coverage by some home warranty company until purchasing the new plan.

Select Home Warranty has a form to submit claims. They will contact you once you fill it up. You can also file claims by calling them up at 1-855-267-3532. Alternatively, you can drop an email describing your issue and details of the policy number, location, etc., at claims@selecthomewarranty.com.

Choice Home Warranty has an Online Account Center where you have to enter your registered email address and policy number. Alternatively, you can call their Claims Department at 1-888-531-5403. They also have a contact form that you can fill to claim services.

Both the companies would check whether the item that broke down is covered and then assign you a service contractor. They mention that they would do this within four business days of the claim filing. When the service technician comes over to diagnose what’s wrong, you have to pay the trade service call fee.

How to Renew Your Home Warranty?

CHW and SHW have very similar systems for renewing the home warranty policy. With Choice HW, the contract gets automatically renewed if you have selected the monthly payment option.Otherwise, you will be contacted by them with the terms for renewal and the prevailing rates before the plan expires.

To renew your Select Home Warranty plan, you have to get in touch with a representative before the expiration date. They will inform you about the terms for renewal and the prevailing rates. If you had opted for a monthly payment plan, they will contact you during the 10th month of coverage and automatically renew your plan. The first month of payment for the new plan would be considered as authorization for plan continuation.

Transferring The Home Warranty- Choice HW vs. Select HW

Upon sale of the home to a new owner, you can transfer the home warranty plan. Both Choice Home Warranty and Select Home Warranty have to be notified of the change in ownership by telephone call or by email with supporting documents.

Canceling Your Choice Home Warranty Plan

You can cancel your Choice Home warranty plan at any time. If you cancel within 30 days of buying the plan, CHW refunds the entire fee paid. If you cancel after 30 days, you will receive a prorated refund of the fee minus the cost of any services provided by CHW. You may also have to pay an administrative fee of $50 and any amount excess of the difference between the remaining plan fee and the service costs.

Select Home Warranty Cancellation

You can cancel the Select Home Warranty policy for any reason. Plans canceled within 30 days of the order date are eligible for a full refund. After 30 days, you will receive only a prorated refund minus the cost of any services incurred by SHW and a $75 administrative fee. If the services provided exceed the plan fee, then you will not get any refund.

Pros And Cons Of Choice Home Warranty And Select Home Warranty

Here is a broad overview of the key benefits and drawbacks of both home warranty companies.

Pros	Cons
Operates in 48 states	No customization of plans
Extensive contractor network with over 15,000 technicians	Monthly surcharge for those wanting to pay every month
Offers full coverage on some items	No data on claims amount paid so far
One free month of coverage on single payment plans	N/A

Pros	Cons
Almost nationwide coverage	Only one plan covers both systems and appliances
Provide special discounts on multi-year service contracts	Doesn’t serve New York, Nevada, Washington, and Wisconsin
Lower deductible	Higher cancelation charge
No online account management	N/A

Who Is The Winner? Choice Or Select?

It’s a close race between the two home warranty leaders, and we declare that the winner depends on your idea of the competition. In other words, it isn’t easy!

Select Home Warranty offers very similar coverage as Choice Home Warranty, with the main difference being the system of plan classification. Without any special sales running, the two companies’ plans are priced very similarly, though Select has a low deductible. If you need to cover only your home systems or a handful of appliances, Select Home Warranty may work out better. If you want mixed coverage but only at the basic level, Choice HW can meet your needs. They also give a free month of coverage.

Choice Home Warranty has a slight edge over its rival due to the self-service system, and regarding the clauses and home warranty procedures. They also show information about their service record and say that they have covered over a million homes. Choice claims that they assign 2-3 representatives to serve each customer’s interest. That in itself may not be any better than Select’s 24/7 service availability, though.

To make the most informed decision, read the company profiles carefully and check out the user reviews. You can get a free quote from the companies to compare and figure out which one suits you better.