Home Warranty Claim Denied

capnjim01

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Hi, I don't know if this is the right place to post this but this forum always has good information and ideas.

We have a home warranty on a house in North Carolina and the air condition has gone out. We own the house there however we are living in Texas. Anyway the warranty company is deny the claim saying it is an act of God, the guy who inspected it said it was dirt in the compressor, I haven't talked to anyone yet this is from my wife who has talked to the guy who inspected the unit. I'm going to call the warranty soon and am looking for advice on how to handle this.


Thanks
 
Hi, I don't know if this is the right place to post this but this forum always has good information and ideas.

This is as good a place as any so let's keep it here. I am a retired property claims adjuster and might be able to provide helpful comments.

We have a home warranty on a house in North Carolina and the air condition has gone out. We own the house there however we are living in Texas. Anyway the warranty company is deny the claim saying it is an act of God,

"Act of God" is a meaningless phrase (apologies to God). Lightning is an act of God yet many insurance policies cover damage from lightning. Wind is an act of God yet many insurance policies cover damage from wind.

Start by taking out your warranty policy and READING. Read it several times if you have to and make notes about what is covered and what is excluded.

Note that you can attach documents to your post. If you'd like me to take a look at the policy, scan it as a .pdf and post it with your next reply.

Then insist that the claim rep put his declination in writing with specific reasons and references to the policy provisions.

the guy who inspected it said it was dirt in the compressor,

Then you need to get an AC tech who knows what he's talking about. The AC compressor is a sealed unit. Did he actually say how the dirt got INTO the compressor and how the dirt resulted in the damage? Did he OPEN the compressor? Did he take pictures of the dirt? You are going to need a lot more comprehensive written and well-documented evaluation of the condition and damage of the AC or you will get nowhere with this claim.

I haven't talked to anyone yet this is from my wife who has talked to the guy who inspected the unit.

With all due respect to your wife I suggest you call the AC guy and get the specifics in writing.

I'm going to call the warranty soon and am looking for advice on how to handle this.

You can start by following my suggestions then coming back to this thread and report the results.
 
most likely they are saying the unit failed due to lack of maintenance. that is how they get you. If you have maintenance records. call them and problem solved, what warranty company is it, some are good most aren't.
 
If it is sold to you when the home is just purchased then they already had the AC unit inspected by an inspector and most warranty programs only last a year and people very rarely renew them. The homes AC is not something that goes out in the first year of ownership usually. The value of a home warranty is mostly in the ability to avoid major expense in that first year of home ownership. Most warranty programs are not renewed a 2nd year and a real estate agent will offer to pay for a home warranty just to help people get over the fear of getting hit with a huge bill.
 
I believe this is a home warranty, not an insurance policy. I think your best bet is to escalate it with their managers. Success or not, make this your last year of paying for home warranty. 95% of the time, it's cheaper to just pay the contractors when something break.

By the way, AC compressor is designed to be outdoor & can handle dust. You can just wash those dust away with a garden hose.
 
What a strange company. Good advice from people. I will definitely remember them. Because when I had a similar situation when my air conditioner leaked, the insurance company didn't cover anything for me. I didn't argue for a long time and just turned to a socool specialist, and I paid my own money. It was summer then, so I didn't want to deal with it for a long time because my family was suffering from it. The house was sweltering, and only the air conditioner was our salvation. So I gave up on it because the comfort of my family is more important to me than getting money from the insurance company.
 
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