- Over 30 years in the business
- Also offers auto warranty
- Rated A+ by the BBB
- Two comprehensive plans
Coverage
Warranty Direct offers two comprehensive coverage plans for homes: Home Care + and Appliance Care +. The Home Care + is an excellent, very wide plan that covers all the basic (and, according to Warranty Direct, some not so basic) home appliances and systems, thus protecting you and your home from big and expensive breakdowns. The company states they cover certain appliances and systems that are usually not included in the coverage by other home warranty companies. Then again, after we checked the list of what’s covered, we found it to be quite standard in this line of business.
Home Care + plan includes the AC system, heating system, internal electric system, internal plumbing system, ductwork, heat pump with the gas pack, built-in microwave oven, range/oven/cooktop, washing machine and clothes dryer, dishwasher, kitchen refrigerator and ice maker, as well as the water heater.
The Appliance Care + plan, on the other hand, is more affordable and allows you to protect your major appliances at a relatively low cost. The plan covers breakdowns on your clothes washer, clothes dryer, dishwasher, kitchen refrigerator, built-in microwave and range/oven/cooktop.
Warranty Direct does not put a cap on the number of times you can make a claim. This means that, whenever something breaks down in your home, if it is covered by your home warranty, you can call in and request a repair or a replacement. Your coverage starts 30 days after you have signed the contract. When it comes to the trade service fee or the service call deductible, as they call it, it’s $50 for the Appliance Care + plan and the Home Care + plan, being more comprehensive, has a slightly more expensive fee of $75. Both these amounts are well within the industry standard, if not cheaper. The service call deductible or the fee is something you are required to pay to the contractor when he comes to inspect and possibly fix the breakdown you reported. The fee has to be paid regardless of the outcome of the contractor’s visit and inspection, meaning you still have to pay, even if it turns out your appliance or system is not covered, if it is excluded from the coverage for some reason or it cannot be fixed or replaced.
Terms and Conditions
As we already stated earlier in this Warranty Direct review, the coverage starts 30 days after you sign the contract. The way home warranty works is that, once you detect a breakdown, you are supposed to call the company and they will locate and dispatch the contractor that is the nearest to your home. The contractor will inspect the problem and make an estimate of costs, after which he will notify the company. The company then, based on the description of the problem, decides whether the claim will be approved or not. You are supposed to pay the service call fee or (the deductible) before the contractor initiates the work.
Like we already said, only certain systems and appliances are included in the coverage, depending on the plan you chose. Make sure to remember what they are, because if you call for the repair of an appliance that is not covered, you will still have to pay the fee and your problem will not even be fixed.
Also, bear in mind that there are exceptions to coverage even for the systems and appliances that are included in your plan. For example, the claim will not be approved if the contractor establishes the malfunction was caused by misuse, improper use, modification, negligence, water damage, fire damage, freezing, earthquake, snow, explosion, sedimentation, mold, mud and many other factors. It will also be disapproved if the breakdown was caused by a pre-existing condition. But that’s not all – not all parts of an appliance or a system are actually covered. For example, in a built-in microwave oven, the glass door is not covered, and in ductwork, the registers, grills and insulation. Make sure to read your contract very carefully before signing and always keep it close, especially if you intend to call Warranty Direct for a repair. That way you will save yourself the cost of a service fee.
Customer Service
Warranty Direct claims to be available to their customers 24/7. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean your request for repair will be accepted or answered instantly. In fact, the company distinguishes between emergencies and non-emergencies. Emergency cases are those in which the malfunction has made your home inhabitable. Those types of malfunctions will be addressed as soon as possible, or, as the company states, “as soon as reasonably possible.” Non-emergencies, on the other hand, will probably take up to 72h, and they will only be addressed during normal business hours. Another thing to bear in mind is that even though the sample contract page claims the company accepts calls 24/7, the contact page lists very precise working hours for customer service and for the claims. The company does not seem to have an online system for submitting claims and repair requests. What you can do online, however, is get a free quote for your home warranty, based on your location and the size of your property, among other things.
Contractors
Warranty Direct boasts a wide network of trusted, experienced technicians all over the country. Any technician who wants to become a Warranty Direct contractor can reach out to the company and if he or she meets the criteria, they can start working in their own area. This is precisely how the company maintains and grows such a wide network of contractors. When you call in and make a claim, the company will locate and dispatch the contractor that is the nearest to where you are. It might even be someone you know or someone you’ve worked with before. Having a contractor in your own area helps build trust and also minimizes the amount of time you have to wait for a repair.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Good, comprehensive plans
- Solid contractor network
- Plans come with affordable deductibles
Cons:
- No actual 24/7 support
- Plenty of exceptions from coverage
- Not very transparent
- Customer service only via phone and fax
