Complaint Review: First American Home Warranty Corporation - Santa Rosa California

On 8/1, First Class Plumbing came out to check water heater.  The contractor said the water pressure valve needed to be replaced to stop the leak.  He told me the tank had to be drained in order to fix it, but when he consulted FAHW, they told him not to do it because they didn’t want to be responsible for potential flooding in the house.  He told me someone else would come out to drain the tank (need special equipment) and then fix it and that FAHW would contact me to set up an appointment, but that it was approved for repair.  I didn’t get a callback, so I called the FAHW call center and talked to someone who checked the status of my claim and said it was denied due to improper maintenance or improper installation of the water heater.  I told her that wasn’t what the contractor told me (in fact when I checked the status of my claim online that day, in the “current service status” section, it said exactly what the plumber told me... that the repair was authorized and I would be contacted by the contractor ( it has since been taken down, so I have no proof...this is really shady!). Had I known then how dishonest they are, I would’ve taken a picture of it for proof.  When I made that call to the call center, it was still up on the website, so I argued with them that their denial didn’t coincide with what the plumber told me or what was online, but she wouldn’t back down... she basically said that FAHW has the discretion to deny coverage no matter what the plumber told me.  I then left a message on the website message center on 8/2, assuming that the denial was a mistake.  When I didn’t get a call back, I called the call center on 8/3 and was told by another rep (sounded like the call center was in India... could barely understand the guy) that the claim was denied due to improper maintenance.  I argued with this guy for at least 30 minutes...even told him FAHW is dishonest.  Finally, after asking him ,multiple times to speak to his supervisor and telling him I’m not renewing my contract, he transferred me to the supervisor...I argue some more...finally he agrees to send another plumber for a 2nd opinion (Presidential Plumbing). 

In the meantime, I found out the water heater was still covered under mfg. warranty, so I cancelled the appt with Presidential...I never told them about the warranty...gave them a bullshit excuse (see picture of message on 8/6).  So, the valve was fixed by the mfg (Rheem) ...it was supposed to be free, but ended up paying over $200 for other repairs to the water heater fixtures.  It was this plumber who discovered that the water pressure regulator needed to be replaced (connected to mainline) and is the source of the water heater valve going out. He would’ve charged me $500 to replace it, so I declined and then called FAHW to replace it.  Call center assured me that they would cover replacement of the regulator...I asked for confirmation...she asked supervisor...yes, it’s covered...they will send contractor out to replace it.  When she told me Presidential would come out, I asked if they could send someone else (I saw the bad reviews online) but she couldn’t find another one. Plumber comes out on 8/16 (Presidential)... looks at it and says coverage denied due to improper maintenance (sound familiar?) I tell the guy FAHW assures me it was covered... he says well, only if it’s properly maintained...I argue with him...tell him I’m done with FAHW...they’re scamming people with that bullshit clause in the contract...he doesn’t care...even goes to his truck and happens to have a mfg pamphlet of the exact water pressure regulator brand that we have and shows me where it describes the proper maintenance of it (this .seems really shady to me...like he came prepared to back up his denial of the claim)....keeps saying we didn’t properly maintain it.  I even told him we’ve lived in the house for over 40 yrs and didn’t even know it was there, so probably as old as the house...he said if you maintain it properly, it should last forever, basically.  Talking to him was the same as talking to those call center workers...like talking to a brick wall...they don’t back down...it seems like they’re trained to wear you down by continuing to insist that it’s not covered and hope you give up and go away. 

My next step should probably be to either call FAHW again to complain and ask them to send someone else for 2nd opinion. I know the runaround I’m going to get...it was exhausting the last time and there’s no guarantee that I’ll get anywhere. Basically, the so-called warranty service that you expect from First American Home Warranty is Scam and a RIPOFF! Prospective customers BEWARE! If you see or hear anybody mention the name, First American Home Warranty, just know the bells & whistles should sound off and the red flag should be immediately raised!