Home Warranty of America is one of an abundance of companies that are offering insurance against your home appliances and home systems. Home warranty companies like HWA essentially offer breakdown coverage to things such as your A/C, heating system, all the way to smaller appliances like your vacuum and washing machine. 
The reason why they’re growing in popularity is that many of us simply cannot afford to replace our appliances outright and we do not have the time to find a repairman, which also costs a lot. With a culture of insuring against items we cannot live without (our life, health, home, cars) it’s strange then that home warranties are not yet mainstream.
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Well, if you dig a little deeper, you’ll soon find out they’re far from perfect. Whilst the intuition behind home warranties seems logical, they have a bad reputation. With public stories of them not fulfilling their coverage duties and small print clauses, there’s definitely some weighing up to do. Before getting onto the pros and cons, let’s take a look at who they’re actually for and why you might consider getting one.
Who are home warranties for?
Home warranties are essentially targeted at anyone who is responsible for the failure of systems or appliances — so, homeowners. Those who rent are seldom reliable for most things breaking down. Additionally, you’re not responsible for your product breaking down if there’s a manufacturer or service guarantee. Thus, if your plumber has guaranteed your new boiler for 5 years, your German fridge has a 3-year warranty and so on, then it may not be worth it either. But, for most of us, there’s plenty that is not under warranty, and some items we wouldn’t want to risk a slow, lengthy replacement.
The good news is, however, some companies are offering more and more flexibility. Instead of paying to insure 30+ items, you can handpick the things that you have, paying a price for each individually. This way, you can avoid double-insuring items and such, making home warranties more accessible for those that live in small urban apartments, too.
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Pros of Home Warranty of America
If we take HWA as one company, we can get a specific idea of the pros and cons, instead of general points. It’s also worth looking into home warranty of America reviews, as online reviews are perhaps the only way to parse through the often opaque nature of insurance company operations.
- Widely available in the US, covering all the States.
- Large social media presence
- Online instant chat for customer support
- Many positive customer reviews
- 24/7 customer service
Overall, Home Warranty of America is a company with a large presence in America. Most importantly, they’re extremely easy to contact, with a variety of different ways to get hold of them as well as a 24/7 availability.
Cons of Home Warranty of America
- Higher chance of a claim being denied
- Reports of delays in repairs and unexpected fees
- Limited coverage
In summary, Home Warranty of America has mixed reviews. Whilst it has a large presence and good customer support, it doesn’t appear to be the most reliable home warranty on the market. This sums up the reputation that home warranties actually have currently — to not be totally trusted.
Can any home warranty company be trusted?
Whilst there’s a ton of sketchy and unreliable companies out there, there are a few that can be trusted for the most part.
Select Home Warranty, for example, has a good track record of having great contractors and fast repairs. Whilst they don’t quite cover every state, they cover most of America and have a decent reputation. There are always going to be single stories picked up in the press about negative customer experience, but these are large companies that have many different departments, offices and states that they operate in.
In fact, Select Home Warranty has some good promotions for when starting which can lead to some vast savings. Other companies worth mentioning are First American Home Warranty, Home Buyers Warranty and Amazon Home Warranty.
Ultimately, you need to gauge the actual experiences of the public at large, as well as your own experiences. This matters much more than the hot air from the mouths of the marketing departments. This is why policies such as the first 30 days free cancellation, that Select offers, is very handy. If you don’t appreciate the way they communicate, or if you get a bad gut feeling, you can dip out with no harm being done.
You also want to avoid companies with a reputation of having difficult and verbose fine print. Companies that are honest and transparent from the get-go are worth much more and are even worth paying a little extra for. This way, you’re less likely to get denied for a claim or incur some hidden fees down the line.
